Great day for a hockey game in L.A. *

In the 90s inland, 80s at the coast — the kind of day when some fans attending tonight's Los Angeles Kings home opener will likely show up in shorts and flip-flops. The Kings come home to start 2010-11 with one win and one loss already on the books, some new youngsters on the team and high expectations for the season.

Noted: Former Kings coach Mark Hardy no longer faces a misdemeanor fourth-degree sexual abuse charge. The case was dismissed this morning in Washington, D.C. Also, the team will honor former captain Mattias Norstrom on Oct. 30. It was Norstrom who spoke for the team about the deaths of Kings scouts Ace Bailey and Mark Bavis aboard United Airlines flight 175 on Sept. 11, 2001.

* Game note: Kings win 3-1. During a stoppage in play, Staples Center announcer David Courtney told the sell-out crowd that the first miner had been rescued in Chile. A nice ovation greeted the news.