When he broke into the NHL in 1985 with the Quebec Nordiques, Finn was a wide-eyed 19-year-old. Though he had made it to The Show, Finn still needed plenty of guidance.

�My first partner when I came in the league with Quebec was Mario Marois,� Finn said. �He had been in the league for a while and he really helped me. With his experience he was able to give me tips for on and off the ice.�

Finn also listened attentively to hall-of-famer Guy Lapointe, who was an assistant coach with the Nordiques at the time.

Now that he�s in his 12th season as a pro, Finn, 30, is the seasoned one handing out advice. There should be plenty of good listeners on the Kings� roster since the club�s young defensive corps includes 23-year-old Phillipe Boucher, a pair of 24-year-olds, John Slaney and Sean O�Donnell, and 25-year-olds Doug Zmolek and Jaroslav Modry. Even the kingpin of LA�s defense, Rob Blake, just turned 27 in December.

Though he�s not flashy and his main duty is simply to play a sound defensive game, Finn also realizes one of his roles with the Kings is to provide some direction.

A young team

�I have to bring leadership to the team because we have a pretty young team,� he said. �And I have to play my style which is playing defensively and playing physical.�

Finn, who played his first 10 pro seasons with the Nordiques, entered the 1996/97 campaign with 107 points (32 goals, 75 assists) and 1,640 penalty minutes in 671 NHL regular season games.

It gnaws away at Finn, however, that he has not participated in more play-off contests. During his stay in Quebec, the Nordiques only qualified for the post-season on three occasions. This explains why Finn has only appeared in 23 play-off contests. The Kings, who acquired Finn in November of 1995 after he had played just 16 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, also missed the playoffs last season.

Finn, a even 6-foot, 200-pounder, believes some dogged determination and his tip-top shape are the reasons for his longevity in the league.

�For me it�s been the work ethic and conditioning,� he said. �Throughout my career I�ve been in very good shape and I keep working out all the time. I�m not that big, I�m under the average so I have to work on my strength and conditioning all the time.�

You won�t catch Finn dwelling much about his vital statistics.

�For sure it would help to be a little bit bigger and a little heavier,� he said. �But I�ve gotten used to it.�

Not that he felt he was ever in Pavel Bure�s speed class, but Finn doesn�t believe he�s lost a step. �I was slow when I broke in and I�m still slow,� he said. �I haven�t slowed down. I still feel pretty good.�

Finn said the basics of his job have primarily remained the same.

Defending the one-on-one

�Anybody that comes at you one-on-one, you have to play the body,� he said. �But obviously you�re going to feel differently if you have Mario Lemieux coming at you than you would with somebody less talented. You have to know who you�re playing against. But you pretty much have to play the same way one-on-one.�

Having a good knowledge of what is transpiring on the ice is also a key, Finn added.

�In this game you have to keep your head up all the time if you want to survive,� he said. �You�ve got to look when you don�t have the puck to see who�s on the ice and you have to look between shifts.�

Trying to at least think of your next move is another valuable characteristic to possess.

�When you don�t have the puck, you have to be looking around to find out what you might do with it when you get the puck,� he said. �That�s something you can only learn with experience.�

As for his most memorable NHL experience, Finn said it was being a member of the Nordiques� roster during the 1992/93 campaign. �We had 104 points and finished (fourth) overall,� he said. �That was my highlight. We were pretty disappointed though because we lost in the first round of the playoffs (against Montreal).�

With three seasons remaining on his contract, Finn is hoping to eventually experience a lengthy play-off run. He�s hoping that occurs in Tinseltown.

�It was tough on my family last year,� said Finn, who was born in the Montreal suburb of Laval and grew up a Canadiens fan, admiring the likes of Guy Lafleur and current Kings coach Larry Robinson. �We moved three times. So I�d like to stay in LA and finish my career there.�

Being a stay-at-home type on the ice, it�s rare to see Finn spearheading a rush. �I only go when I know for sure I can create an out-numbered situation,� he said. �If I know I can�t do that, I�ll stay back. Sometimes it doesn�t happen at all and sometimes it happens two or three times a game.�

While the post Wayne Gretzky era and rebuilding process continues for the Kings, no doubt the franchise�s brass is hoping Finn sticks around a while longer and provides some much needed leadership.