The NHL / Tracy Dodds : Fitzpatrick Is Down, but Not Out

Mark Fitzpatrick, the Kings’ rookie goalie who was compared to Ron Hextall, Grant Fuhr and Ken Dryden after winning his debut at Chicago Nov. 6, has been sent down to New Haven, but that doesn’t mean the Kings are counting him out.

According to Rogie Vachon, the Kings’ general manager and former goalie, Fitzpatrick, 20, was consulted on the move and asked to be sent down.

“If he were an older player, toward the end of his career, it might hurt his confidence to send him down, but he’s a young player and he knows we have confidence in him,” Vachon said. “He agreed that it might be good for him to go back to New Haven, get more playing time, stop a lot of shots and feel better about his game. In this case, I think it will help his confidence.”

Marcel Dionne, a star for the Kings for nearly 12 seasons, played his first minor league game last week at the age of 37. When the New York Rangers sent him down to Denver of the International League, Dionne responded: “This is going to be a year for me to remember. This is a real challenge. I’m glad. I’m excited.”

He was excited to be playing after being scratched from so many Ranger games. Denver Coach Peter Mahovlich reports that Dionne doesn’t think his career is over.

Dionne told reporters: “I don’t want to hear about bad blood. I have no ego problem. If I did, I’d be fighting and complaining. It’s just one of those situations I’m stuck with.”

Earlier in the season, Dionne played a limited role for the Rangers, despite his $600,000 salary. And he was upbeat about that, too. At the time, Dionne said: “I wanted to fill the role of fourth center. For the time I’ve played, if you look at fourth-line centers, I’m way up there in stats.”

New York teammate James Patrick on Guy Lafleur’s triumphant return to Montreal: “Until I joined the Rangers, I was a die-hard Canadiens fan and a die-hard Lafleur fan. I’m sure if I was in the stands watching him tonight, it would have been as enjoyable a feeling as you can get. When he scored his first goal, I think our whole bench was up before the fans.”

Glen Sather coached four losing All-Star teams and four winning Stanley Cup teams before leading the Campbell Conference to a victory last week. He said: “Every time we’re in this thing and we lose, then we win the Stanley Cup. I hope this isn’t the reverse.”

Wayne Gretzky is in favor of sending a Team NHL to play two games in Canada, two games in the United States, two games in Europe and two games in the Soviet Union. “I don’t know about the dollars and cents of it, but I think it would be great public relations for the league,” Gretzky said. “It would be nice to get the world exposure, to be on TV in Europe and the United States.”

Gretzky, joking about a proposed new league, “Gordie Howe is going to come back to play with his grandson.”

Gretzky on his younger brother, Brent: “He’s big. He’s going to be tall. I hear he might go in the first or second round of the junior draft. He works hard, too. He lifts weights.”

Gretzky on his campaign against fighting: “I don’t believe anybody should be out of a job, so I think to change the rule tomorrow is not the way to do it. We could do it over the next three years, or five years.

“Living in the United States, I see that it has hurt the game of hockey. People say look at all the people who come to watch the fighting. But do they say how many people don’t come to see hockey because there is fighting?”

Gretzky on (Edmonton) Oilers goalie Grant Fuhr: “To me, he’s the best goaltender that ever played. I say that because the game is faster now than it ever was. There used to be two or three guys that shot the puck on each team. Now 20 guys on every team shoot the puck at high speeds. The pace of the game is so fast. His reflexes are the best in hockey. . . . And he’s a money player. If it’s a 6-6 hockey game, I’ll put my money on him not to let in the seventh goal.”

Gretzky on whether he watches the statistics to see how close Mario Lemieux is to breaking his scoring record: “I know where everybody is. I follow sports as close as anyone. He has a shot at it, but he’s still got a few to go. If he breaks it, great. I’ve always thought the last 25 games are the toughest. Teams get more defensive as they gear up for the playoffs. If he gets it, he’ll deserve it, it’s as simple as that.”

A story making its way around the league: Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux sought to put down Winnipeg defenseman Jim Kyte during a lull in a recent game by asking him, “How much money do you make?” But Kyte fired back: “Not as much as Wayne Gretzky, and neither do you.”

NHL Notes

Ivan Lendl, who attended the National Hockey League All-Star game and festivities as a member of the Hartford Whalers Board of Directors and as a die-hard hockey fan who plays the game when his swimming pool freezes, was cheered to victory Saturday in a semifinal match of the Volvo tournament in Chicago by six Kings players. . . . Although Montreal is running away with the Adams Division and Quebec is a distant last, Quebec seems to be the only team that threatens the Canadiens on their home ice. When Quebec snapped Montreal’s five-game winning streak Monday night with a 3-2 victory in Montreal, it was just the second time since Oct. 29 that the Canadiens’ had lost at home. Quebec is the only visiting team to win twice this season at Montreal. Overall, Quebec is 4-2 against Montreal this season. . . . There have been 16 penalty shots taken this season but only six went for goals.