The NHL / Julie Cart : Fired as Coach, Goring Is Rekindled as Player

It has been a year of coaching shuffles and players coming out of retirement in the NHL, but only one person has had a foot in both camps--former King Butch Goring.

Goring, 37, played 16 years in the league. Then, three months after being claimed on waivers by the Boston Bruins, he was named their coach.

He led the Bruins to a 37-31-12 record last season, but when they got off to a slow start this year, General Manager Harry Sinden fired Goring, replacing him with Terry O’Reilly.

Now, Goring is trying to come back as a player. The owner of four Stanley Cup rings has signed with the Edmonton Oilers.

“I was happy doing what I was doing,” he said. “I enjoy coaching and hope to get back into it some day. Right now, I’m just interested in playing.”

After being fired, Goring was sitting around his house and happened to talk to a friend, Ron Lowe, a former NHL goaltender and now an assistant coach in the Edmonton farm system.

“He was on his way to Edmonton to work with the goaltenders there, and so I asked him, half in jest, to see if Glen Sather (Edmonton’s coach and general manager) needed a penalty-killer,” Goring said.

Two days later, Goring got a call from Sather, who asked him bluntly if he was in shape. Goring said he didn’t know but he’d sure like the chance to find out.

Sather gave him the chance, telling Goring to report to the team’s minor league club in Nova Scotia. “Maybe he thought I’d say no to a trip back to the minors,” Goring said. “But I’m not naive enough to think I’m such a great player that I can jump right back into the NHL.”

Goring has been in the minor leagues before. He left them in 1969-70 to join the Kings and played in Los Angeles for 11 distinguished seasons before being sent to the New York Islanders in a controversial trade.

Goring is third, behind Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor, in all-time goals, assists and points for the Kings, and he is second to Dionne in games played.

Goring, a determined center, was known as a hard worker and was a popular player with the Kings. In his 11 seasons with the team, he was named most valuable player, was the leading scorer in 1973-74 and was voted most inspirational twice and most popular four times.

So Goring is back in uniform for what could be his 17th season. If he makes it with the Oilers, he would be the oldest skater in the league.

“I’m not fooling myself about this,” he said. “By Christmas I should have a pretty good idea whether I can get back to where I was. I’m not doing this to play in the AHL. If I can’t make it back to the NHL, I’ll re-retire. At least I’ll satisfy my curiosity and won’t go through life saying, ‘Maybe I should’ve tried a comeback.’ ”

Futility streaks, as compiled by Helene Elliott of Newsday:

--The Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-2 victory over Calgary at the Saddledome Nov. 20 was their first road win over the Flames since Dec. 28, 1979, when the Flames were still in Atlanta. Two days later, the Penguins beat Washington in the Capital Centre at Landover, Md., ending a 10-game winless streak there.

--The Penguins haven’t defeated Philadelphia at the Spectrum since Jan. 20, 1974, giving them an 0-32-2 mark in that span.

--The St. Louis Blues are 0-29-3 at the Spectrum since Jan. 6, 1972.

--The Detroit Red Wings are 0-23-6 at the Spectrum since Dec. 13, 1971.

--The Flames are 0-14-0 at the Spectrum since Oct. 22, 1978.

--The Red Wings are 0-8-4 in Buffalo since Oct. 15, 1978 and haven’t won in Montreal since March 3, 1979.

--The Toronto Maple Leafs are winless in 12 straight games against the North Stars (0-11-1).

--Including last year’s playoffs, the Chicago Blackhawks have lost to the Maple Leafs nine straight times.

NHL Notes New York Rangers defenseman Barry Beck will not be returning to the team, even though arch-enemy Ted Sator is gone. Beck’s agent said the defenseman intends to sit out the season, although he has had a “cordial phone chat” with new Ranger Coach Tom Webster. . . . The Rangers are looking for sites in the American and International leagues to establish a farm team run solely by them. New York shares the New Haven Nighthawks with the Kings but can’t dictate the amount of playing time given Ranger-owned players. . . . The saga of Joe Murphy, the top pick in last June’s draft, continues unabated in Detroit. The former Michigan State star was demoted to the American Hockey League once for a curfew violation and was demoted again so he could get more playing time. Now Murphy is in trouble again. Adirondack Coach Bill Dineen called in Murphy’s parents for a conference about their son. Murphy reportedly promised to try harder.