King Of The Road In L.A. -- Kings Owner Bruce Mcnall Enjoys The Fruits Of His Fortune

LOS ANGELES - His office sprawls across the sixth floor of a Century City office building, a six-foot aquarium built into one wall, a huge collage of mementos from his varied businesses above his desk.

It is not trite to say that Bruce McNall is on top of the world. The man who brought the Los Angeles Kings from obscurity to opulence estimates the net worth of his businesses at $150 million, yet is smart enough to enjoy what it is he does at least as much as the fortune it has brought him.

"My attitude is I came in with nothing, I'm going to go out with nothing, and I'm going to have a good time in between," said the Kings' owner, born 40 years ago to a middle-class Venice, Calif., family. "I've always said I've never seen a hearse following a Brinks truck, and I'm not going to be in a situation where I don't enjoy the fruits of my labor."

"I don't think we'll ever see Bruce slow down," added Laura de Seroux, a longtime associate of McNall in the horse-racing business. "It's the doing that he thrives on."

And he's been doing plenty lately. McNall has watched as the Kings won the first division title in their 24-year history; he went in with Wayne Gretzky and actor John Candy in the purchase of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League; and, with Gretzky, he spent $451,000 for a rare baseball card.

"He's always had this acquisitive nature," said his mother, 66-year-old Shirley McNall of Studio City.

She isn't kidding. Shirley McNall says her son was putting together sentences before his first birthday, was reading at 4, and was a whiz at Monopoly by age 5.

"He seemed to go for the high-priced properties," she said, "and he always seemed to get them."

It was the start of a trend. In his teens, McNall built a nest egg by developing expertise in ancient coins, acquiring them, then selling them for a profit. By his mid-20s, his dealings were in the six-figure range.

He diversified - into movies, horse racing and, ultimately, hockey - and succeeded at everything he tried. Asked to recall one stunning failure in his life, just one major setback, McNall was stumped.

"I've had, in each business, a number of failures," McNall said, "but nothing that ever shook me to the core."

The Kings are the perfect example of the Midas touch of this antiquities expert. He bought the team in chunks from Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, first 25 percent, then 24 percent, and, finally, in January 1988, the remaining 51 percent.

For an investment of no more than $20 million, McNall inherited an NHL franchise weak on the ice (12 games below .500) and at the gate (average home attendance of 11,667).

Three years later, the $35 million McNall spent on the Kings and Gretzky looks like a steal.

All things considered, McNall says the team is worth at least five times what he paid for it.

"If an expansion franchise in Tampa or Ottawa is $50 million, what's the same franchise worth if it's in Los Angeles or a big media center? Seventy-five or 80?" he said. "Then there's Gretzky. What's he worth? I wouldn't take $100 million. I have had some offers in that ballpark."

But associates say success hasn't made McNall difficult to deal with.

"He's easy to relate to. He makes people comfortable. He doesn't get caught up in ego," said New York financial consultant David Berman.

Added Suzan Waks, the 34-year-old vice chairman of McNall Sports and Entertainment: He's not one of those people you can't approach unless you're in his financial bracket."