Suddenly, interest in this team spans globe

This was a trick question.

Huddled around Barry Brust were four reporters, only one of whom was asking questions.

Around Yutaka Fukufuji were nine reporters, firing off one inquiry after another.

So, which goaltender played 65 minutes and a shootout in the Kings’ 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday?

Brust may have left a quality effort on the ice, to be evaluated and graded afterward. But he’s merely another Canadian-boy-done-good.

Fukufuji is the stuff of national pride.

He became the first Japanese-born player to dress for an NHL game Saturday, and that was enough to double the size of the media corps in the Kings dressing room after the game.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” Fukufuji said of the attention. “It’s nice. I hope I get a chance to play. But I’m just here to work hard.”

The team had “about five” requests for credentials from Japanese media outlets soon after announcing Fukufuji would be recalled late Friday afternoon, spokesman Mike Altieri said.

A reporter covering the team said he received two telephone calls from media in Japan, one from a reporter who was hastily trying to make travel arrangements to hop the Pacific Ocean in case Fukufuji got into a game.

There are eight teams in the Asian League -- four in Japan, two in China, two in South Korea -- including the Nippon Paper Cranes, who are located in Fukufuji’s hometown of Kushiro.

“Maybe this will help increase hockey’s popularity in Japan,” said Kings Coach Marc Crawford, who added that “we won’t be shy about possibly using” Fukufuji.

That was a nice sound bite for the Kings’ newfound media horde.

But in reality, the odds of Fukufuji getting some game time appear long, and it probably would happen only if disaster occurred -- either Brust goes bust or gets injured.

Fukufuji is here only until Dan Cloutier’s shoulder is sound enough to allow him to dress. That is unlikely to happen in time for the Kings’ game Tuesday against the Calgary Flames.

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The foreign policy employed by the Kings this season seems to be winning friends overseas, a novel approach.

Fukufuji’s first game was preceded by Anze Kopitar’s becoming the first Slovenian to play in an NHL game. Fans in Slovenia follow Kopitar’s play with keen interest, according to a reporter from that country.

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Shawn Hunter, the Kings’ president of business operations, said that the Southern California market can support two NHL teams and that the Kings’ drop in attendance can be cured with victories on the ice. The team has experienced five-year lows in attendance for some games this season.

“There are two distinctive fan bases here,” Hunter said. “First is the die-hard fans, and we have some of the best. Then there is the casual fan, who comes out when the team is winning. When we start getting the casual fans, that’s when we’ll get big numbers.”

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chris.foster@latimes.com