Vachon Gets a Jersey, Kings Only Get a Tie : Fans Boo L.A. Playters Off the Ice After They Squander 3-1 Lead Overt Bruins

Megaphones were given to the fans at the Forum Thursday night so they could cheer Kings General Manager Rogie Vachon, who had his jersey retired before the Kings played the Boston Bruins.

But the fans used them to boo the Kings off the ice after they blew a 3-1 lead and were tied, 3-3, by the Bruins in overtime before a crowd of 13,122.

The Kings led 3-1 after the second period, but the Bruins scored twice in the third period to send the game into overtime.

Boston defenseman Mike O’Connell scored an unassisted goal 1:06 into the third period on a strange play. King goalie Darren Eliot blocked a slap shot by O’Connell, but the puck came lose and King center Bernie Nicholls acccidently kicked it into the net off Eliot’s glove.

Charlie Simmer, who was traded to Boston by the Kings last October, tied the game at 3-3 when he scored his 27th goal of the season with 10:59 left in the third period. Simmer came around from behind the net to beat Eliot.

The Kings, resuming play after the three-day break for the All-Star game, played well in the first two periods and took a 3-1 lead into the final period.

They outshot the Bruins, 10-6, in the opening period, but were fortunate not to fall behind when two Boston shots hit the post.

The Bruins missed another good scoring chance with a minute left in the period when Tom Fergus had a one-on-one breakaway after stealing the puck from King defenseman Russ Anderson. However, Fergus shot high over the net.

The Bruins were playing their first game under General Manager Harry Sinden. Coach Gerry Cheevers stepped down Wednesday and Sinden became the fourth NHL general manager to take over behind the bench this season.

Dionne gave the Kings a 1-0 lead with 13:41 left in the second period when he scored his 34th goal of the season to move ahead of Stan Mikita and into sole possession of third place on the all-time NHL points list with 1,468 points.

The goal came after Boston goalie Doug Keans blocked a shot by Dionne and Dave Taylor got the loose puck behind the net and passed to Brian MacLellan. Bruin right wing Terry O’Reilly tried to steal the puck, but MacLellan passed to Dionne for the score.

Taylor almost made it 2-0 with 12:12 left in the second period, but Keans made a stick save. King rookie defenseman Garry Galley was injured when he hit the post while going for the rebound, but was able to return later in the period.

The Bruins tied it at 1-1 with 11:52 left when Rick Middleton scored his 20th goal of the season. The Bruin right wing has now scored at least 20 goals in each 11 of his NHL seasons.

The Kings scored twice in the last five minutes of the second period. They went ahead, 2-1, with 4:15 left when John Paul Kelly scored his seventh goal of the season, then increased their advantage on Steve Shutt’s goal with 2:57 left.

Shutt took a pass from rookie defenseman Craig Redmond in the slot, saw Keans block his shot and then put in the rebound with a backhand shot.

In a 20-minute ceremony before the game, Rogie Vachon was honored by becoming the first player in the 18-year history of the Kings to have his jersey retired. The Kings’ flew his parents in from Canada for the ceremony.

Vachon was presented with several gifts, including a cruise by Kings owner Jerry Buss, and a bronze replica of the goalie mask he wore while he was playing. National Hockey League president John Ziegler presented Vachon with the NHL milestone award.

Vachon then donned his jersey (30) for the final time and received a prolonged standing ovation.

A giant replica of his jersey was unveiled alongside those of former Laker stars Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor.

Vachon thanked the fans, saying: “You fans are responsible for me having that sweater up there. . . . This is a night that me and my family will cherish for the rest of our lives.”

King Notes

Boston left wing Charlie Simmer, who was traded from the Kings to the Bruins last October, returned to the lineup after missing 10 games with a broken jaw suffered on Jan. 19 in Quebec. Simmer wore a facemask to protect the jaw. . . . King center Doug Smith, who has been out since Jan. 16 with a knee injury, resumed skating Wednesday. He is on a day-to-day basis. . . . The Kings play the Washington Capitals Saturday at the Forum.