HOCKEY / LISA DILLMAN : Newest NHL Expansion Teams Might Catch Goalie in Draft

Michael Eisner and Wayne Huizenga, the NHL’s two newest owners, joked at the recent Board of Governors’ meetings about not knowing anything about the procedure of the expansion draft.

That’s OK. Nobody else seems to know what will happen in June, either.

An NHL committee dealing with expansion met last week and an interesting, controversial proposal emerged. Teams would be allowed to protect only one goaltender, five defenseman and nine forwards.

Teams with more than one quality goaltender would be hit hardest, which is why it’s not surprising that Chicago and the New York Rangers aren’t overly fond of the proposal.

The Kings’ players were discussing the possible ramifications at a recent practice.

“That wouldn’t be good for us,� one player said. “We’d have to do something like trade Kelly Hrudey and get him back later.�

There is some thought that the other recent expansion teams--Tampa Bay, San Jose and Ottawa--would also be allowed to make selections from the talent pool created by the expansion draft. These new rules would be similar to the ones when Atlanta--now the Calgary Flames--and the New York Islanders entered the league.

Under this plan, the new expansion teams from South Florida and Orange County would have some chance at early success. Each could get a decent goaltender and pick a team’s 10th-best forward or sixth-best defenseman, to be judged on the players’ pro experience.

For instance, Paul Ranheim or Robert Reichel might be available from Calgary. Or John McIntyre or Pat Conacher from the Kings.

Expansion teams should get something for a $50-million franchise entry fee.

All of this could be voted on at the next Board of Governors’ meeting, which might be in Los Angeles at the end of January. Other topics to be discussed include realignment and NHL players competing in the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Barry Melrose was talking the other day about being booed by fans.

“When your name is Barry, you know when you’re getting booed,� he said. “I want 20 guys named Luc. I always wanted to be named Lou. Lou Bolieau. A great hockey name.�

San Jose rookie right wing Rob Gaudreau just missed making the NHL record book when he scored a hat trick in his second NHL game.

Only two players have scored three goals in their NHL debuts--Quebec’s Real Cloutier on Oct. 10, 1979, and Montreal’s Alex Smart on Jan. 14, 1943.

Smart now is on the Kings’ scouting staff and is the one who first spotted Luc Robitaille and Steve Duchesne when they were playing junior hockey.

For those who think the Kings have difficult road trips, consider the schedules of the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning and San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks have a nine-game, 20-day trip in early January. And Tampa Bay is in the midst of a nine-game trip and won’t return home until Jan. 16. One of the Lightning’s stops is Los Angeles on Jan. 6.

Not everyone is going all out for Gordie Howe’s league-wide tour, a celebration for his 65th birthday. The Toronto Maple Leafs will let him drop a puck at center ice on March 31 but aren’t planning any other events.

Bob Stellick, the Maple Leafs’ director of business operations and communications, explained the team’s position to the Toronto Globe and Mail.

“We run our own charity events and have a myriad of alumni,� Stellick said. “The Leafs’ focus is on our alumni, not the Detroit Red Wings’ alumni.�

The Kings are planning to do something beyond having Howe drop the puck at center ice, but those arrangements haven’t been completed. Tentatively, his stop in Los Angeles is in March.

Everyone talks about the attendance problems for Hartford, Minnesota and the Islanders. But there are some worrisome numbers emerging from New Jersey as well. The Devils play in the 19,040-seat Meadowlands Arena and small crowds look even smaller in such a spacious building.

Despite a decent record under new Coach Herb Brooks, the Devils drew more than 15,000 fans only three times in their first 14 home games, which included one sellout.

Additionally, the Devils have had announced crowds of fewer than 10,000 five times.

Hockey Notes

King General Manager Nick Beverley has been in Gavle, Sweden, scouting at the World Junior Championships, which end on Jan. 4. Among the top prospects are Canadian center Alexandre Daigle, Canadian defenseman Chris Pronger, Czechoslovakian right wing Marin Kacir and Russian center Viktor Kozlov.

Looks as if center Anatoli Semenov won’t want to play in Orange County next season. When he was traded last month to Vancouver by Tampa Bay, Semenov wasn’t just pleased at leaving the expansion Lightning for a contending team, he wanted to leave the warm weather behind. “I like Canada more,� he said. “I’ve just been in Tampa two months. Maybe this is good life, I don’t know, but people in Canada are more friendly. It’s too hot to play hockey (in Tampa).�