The NHL / Jerry Crowe : Fired King Coach Murphy Returns to the Forum Tonight With Canucks

Mike Murphy returns to the Forum tonight in much the same situation as when he left three months ago, affiliated with one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League.

This time, though, Murphy will be behind the visitors’ bench when the Kings meet the Vancouver Canucks.

Fired as coach of the Kings Dec. 6, he was hired as an assistant coach by the Canucks March 3.

“Obviously, there will be some emotions there,” said Murphy, who spent 14 years with the Kings as a player and coach.

After much self-evaluation, Murphy said, he pursued the job with the Canucks after he and his agent, Alan Eagleson, worked out a financial settlement with the Kings, who held exclusive rights to Murphy for the duration of his contract, which ran through the end of next season.

His ultimate goal is to land another head coaching position.

“I’m confident in my ability as a coach,” he said. “I’ll just work hard at my job and future opportunities, I’m sure, will come my way.”

Looking back, would he have done anything differently?

“Definitely,” he said, “but those things are related to (the Kings’ management), and I don’t think I want to reveal them. I don’t think they’re important at this point.”

Was he treated fairly by the Kings, who were 7-16-4 at the time they fired him and are 19-24-2 since Robbie Ftorek replaced him?

“I think the media and the fans can answer that better than me,” he said. “Obviously, (27) games is not a long time to try to coach a hockey team. I don’t know if things have changed since I left. Has the team been that much more consistent or has it won that much more since they let me go?”

Murphy, who signed a one-year contract with the Canucks, said he was reminded of his fate with the Kings almost every morning.

“Almost everything I pulled out of the closet had something on it that was related to the Kings,” he said. “Over 14 years, you accumulate a lot of T-shirts and jackets and sweat suits.”

He gave most of them away.

Now, he said, “L.A. is a stop along the way, is the way I look at it. What’s behind me is behind me.”

Ever since he and his wife, Marybeth, were profiled in the magazine’s Feb. 15 issue, said Pat LaFontaine of the New York Islanders: “My father has been bragging to everyone that his daughter-in-law is in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue.”

Would-you-believe-it dept.: The Philadelphia Flyers were 0-5-2 this season against the New Jersey Devils, the first time they had gone winless against a Patrick Division opponent since the division was formed before the 1974-75 season.

“If I could explain that, I’d be making more money than I do,” Devil Coach Jim Schoenfeld said.

Shortly after leading scorer Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings went down for the season with a knee injury March 1, a rival general manager said of the injury: “It kills the Red Wings’ season.”

Said Coach Jacques Demers: “For about 30 seconds after we found out, it was like we had all been shot.”

Since then, the Red Wings are 6-0-1, have won five straight games and probably will clinch the Norris Division championship before the end of the week.

The abundance of hockey coverage in the Toronto newspapers caused Ed Olczyk, who was traded last fall from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Toronto Maple Leafs, to adjust his schedule.

“I could read the stories in the Chicago papers with my orange juice,” Olczyk said. “In Toronto, I have to get up an hour early.”

Dave (Tiger) Williams, who seems resigned to retirement after being released by the Hartford Whalers, did not go quietly.

His thoughts:

--On the Whalers: “Maybe I should come back and become the leading Whaler goal scorer. That would take three or four games.”

--On the U.S. Olympic team: “They played like Americans think--score goals, look out for No. 1, don’t give a (hoot) about anything else. Maybe my next job should be coaching that team.”

On the first anniversary last week of the trade that sent him to the New York Rangers, former King Marcel Dionne told Newsday: “No question, I’m happy to be here. The Kings are still in the same situation. This is a great place to play. You don’t have to be reminded to play hockey.”

Wasted words: Before facing New Jersey goaltender Sean Burke, formerly of the Canadian Olympic team, the Rangers sought the advice of Brian Leetch, who joined the Rangers from the U.S. Olympic team.

“I said he was a good stand-up goalie and he leaves some rebounds,” Leetch said.

Burke, though, left only one rebound (on his only save) as the Rangers scored three goals and chased him after 6 minutes 25 seconds of a 7-4 Ranger victory.

Add Burke: Because of his size and aggressiveness, the 6-foot 3-inch, 190-pound rookie has been compared to Ron Hextall of the Flyers.

Said Flyer Coach Mike Keenan: “The only thing similar about them is size. Hextall is more aggressive and plays the puck better. Burke is just a reflex goalie.”

Wasted words II: After a 6-6 tie with the Winnipeg Jets, in which 175 penalty minutes were handed out and the Jets converted 5 of 8 power-play opportunities, Coach Terry Crisp of the Calgary Flames was asked about the officiating.

“If I answer that question, it’ll cost me $25,000 and a five-game suspension. You watched 60 minutes of it. If I say anything, it’ll cost me too much money and too many games. So I’m not saying a word.”

Craig Ludwig of the Montreal Canadiens, who fractured a bone in his face this season, decided against plastic surgery.

“What do I need to look good for, anyhow?” he said. “I’m married. I’ve got kids.”