With Gretzky Comes the Pressure : Rogie Vachon Has the Players, Now Needs the Victories

Rogie Vachon is either the luckiest general manager in hockey or the one skating on thinnest ice.

Vachon thought he knew pressure stopping 90-mile-an-hour slapshots for a living. But now, Vachon has No. 99, Wayne Gretzky, on his roster, and an owner, Bruce McNall, who parted with $15 million in order to get him.

It’s enough to make an ex-goalie wish he still had his mask to hide behind. But Vachon, entering his fourth full season as general manager of the Kings, never ducked pucks, and here on a Sunday afternoon, he didn’t dodge the great expectations Gretzky’s presence on the Kings has raised.

“We have to take advantage of Wayne--we have to win now,” Vachon said. “We can’t afford to waste a year or two.”

Only three teams in the National Hockey League--Minnesota, Toronto, and Vancouver--had a worse record last season than the Kings, who finished with 68 points, 37 fewer than Calgary, the regular-season pace-setter. No team allowed more goals than the Kings’ total of 359.

At that rate, Gretzky could score four goals a game and the Kings would still be losers.

“With our scoring, if we could be just in the middle of the pack defensively, we could be scary,” Vachon said.

For the moment, however, the terrifying thought for Vachon is this: What does it profit a team to have a Gretzky but lack a goaltender? The net value could be negligible, which is one reason the Kings have seven goaltenders here in camp.

Four already have played for the Kings in the past--Rollie Melanson and Glenn Healy, who alternated last season; Bob Janecyk, who has gone from the Kings’ No. 1 goalie in ‘84-’85 to a minor-leaguer last season; and Doug Keans, who hasn’t been a King in five seasons but accepted a last-minute invitation to try out as a free agent.

“The goaltending does worry us, yes,” Vachon said.

“We’ll have to wait two or three weeks trying to figure out who we can keep. If we feel that we’re not going to have enough, we’ll have to make a move.”

Kings Notes

Rogie Vachon’s nerves could be eased considerably, however, by Mark Fitzpatrick, a 6-foot 2-inch, 19-year-old second-round draft choice in 1987 who has led his junior team, the Medicine Hat Tigers, to Memorial Cup championships in the last two seasons. Vachon said Fitzpatrick was the team’s top goalie in camp a year ago, but the Kings decided to give him more seasoning. This season, they’re hoping he’s ready. “He’s big, he’s poised in the net, he stands up well,” Vachon said. “He’s going to be a good one. He has a lot of self-confidence, he knows he’s good. “The question is whether he’s ready to take over. It’s tough to put that kind of pressure on a kid. If he is (ready), great, then we won’t have worry about it.”

Rollie Melanson, a veteran goalie who won three Stanley Cup rings with the New York Islanders, told Vachon after last season that he wanted to be traded if he didn’t play regularly. . . . In their playoff-ending loss to Calgary last season, Coach Robbie Ftorek played Glenn Healy with a broken hand instead of Melanson. “He (Melanson) came in here with a good attitude, saying, ‘Hey, I’m going to win the job,’ ” Vachon said. “But if he doesn’t, I think I’ll have to move him.”

There is almost as much competition on defense, where Vachon said there are perhaps as many as 10 players with a shot at making the roster. Another rookie from Medicine Hat, 1987 top draft pick Wayne McBean, has an excellent chance of cracking the roster after a brief trial last season, Vachon said. “He has size, speed, and he can really fire the puck,” Vachon said. “He’s the kind of kid who’s going to be another (Steve) Duchesne.” Duchesne, who led the King defensemen in scoring with 55 points, is a lock to make the roster, though he informed Vachon Saturday night of his intent to play out his option. . . . Tom Laidlaw, the veteran from the New York Rangers, is another definite, and Larry Playfair--who recently signed a new three-year contract (2 years plus an option) would seem to be another.

Vachon likes bruising Ken Baumgartner--he had a startling 189 penalty minutes in 30 games last season after being called up from New Haven--even though his skills would politely be described as raw. On the first day of camp, Baumgartner fought rookie John Van Kessel, who needed 8 stitches. “But he’s got a lot of class,” Vachon said of Baumgartner. “He took the kid out for a beer afterward.”

Jay Wells, who has played in more games than any Kings defenseman (604), would also seem to be assured of a job. But Wells, a true athletic rarity--he doesn’t have an agent--is playing out his option and has been mentioned in trade rumors all summer.

Other candidates include Tim Watters, a free agent who played in 36 games for Winnipeg last season; Ken Hammond, who played 46 games for the Kings after starting the season in New Haven, and Dean Kennedy. . . . A darkhorse who has drawn early raves is Petr Prajsler, a 23-year-old Czech who played in New Haven last season. Prajsler showed a definite distaste for the North American physical game in the past, but that has changed, according to Vachon. “Like night and day,” Vachon said. “He used to pull up on his checks. Now he makes the play, takes the man out, dishes out his checks. And he’s so skillful.”

Another possibility on defense is Marty McSorley, who came to the Kings from Edmonton along with Gretzky and Mike Krushelnyski. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound McSorley, who signed for three years plus an option on Saturday night, is listed as a right winger, but last season played defense for the Oilers during the playoffs. . . . Gretzky alone makes the Kings loaded at center, but they also have holdovers Bernie Nicholls and Mike Allison, plus Krushelnyski, who didn’t take a regular shift until after Gretzky got hurt last season but finished with 20 goals and 47 points. Krushelnyski, like Gretzky, also kills penalties. . . . Bobby Carpenter, who is playing out his option, also can play center, but the one-time 50-goal scorer may wind up on the left side, perhaps with Gretzky. . . . “We have five real solid centers,” Vachon said. “I think they can compete with anybody in the league.”

On left wing, Bob Bourne--whose biggest contribution was as a penalty-killer--has retired, but his one-time Islander teammate, John Tonelli, has signed as a free agent. “He’s spent his whole career on winning teams,” said Vachon of Tonelli, let go by Calgary at the age of 31. “He works hard all the time, and we hope those things rub off. Sure, there’s a question of, ‘Does he have enough?’, but I thought it was a good gamble to sign him.” . . . Luc Robitaille, who had 53 goals and 111 points before Gretzky, will probably skate alongside No. 99 at least on power plays, but Vachon indicated the Kings hope to have at least two strong scoring lines. If Tonelli wins a job, either Phil Sykes or Paul Fenton may be in danger of losing theirs, and Craig Duncanson is another possibility, Vachon said.

On the right side, team captain Dave Taylor--who recently signed a four-year, $2.8 million contract--would seem to be the No. 1 candidate for the Gretzky line. . . . Jim Fox’s bad knees will keep him sidelined for at least a couple of weeks. Vachon mentioned Brian Wilks as a possibility. . . . Gord Walker, who came in a trade with the Rangers last February but is out with a bad back. There’s also ex-U.S. Olympian Paul Guay and veteran Ron Duguay, who had 2 goals in 15 games with the Kings last season.