THE NHL : Money Helps Bring Carson to Red Wings

A key element in last week’s Jimmy Carson trade, a deal that seems to favor Detroit, may be that “undisclosed amount of cash” that the Red Wings sent to the Edmonton Oilers in the six-player deal.

Remember, the key element in the Wayne Gretzky trade that sent Carson to Edmonton was the $15 million that Bruce McNall sent along with Carson and other considerations.

In effect, owner Peter Pocklington “sold” Gretzky for $15 million and he has now sold the primary player who was supposed to be the compensation.

Sure, there are lots of players involved. Last Thursday, it was Carson and Kevin McClelland to Detroit for Petr Klima, Joe Murphy, Adam Graves and Jeff Sharples as well as cash.

But, think about it. The bottom line, now, is that Edmonton gave up Wayne Gretzky for Klima, Joe Murphy, Adam Graves and Jeff Sharples.

And lots of money.

When Carson quit, an Edmonton columnist wrote: “Yankee Go Home.” That’s exactly what Carson did. Happily.

Carson grew up in Grosse Point Woods, a suburb of Detroit. Because his father owned parking lots around the Olympia, where the Red Wings played at the time, Carson watched his beloved Red Wings practice. And he used to sit on Carol Dionne’s lap during games, back when the future King, Marcel Dionne, was with the Red Wings.

Carson took a chance when he took that all-or-nothing stand and walked out, forcing the trade, and he came up the winner.

Add Carson: The irony of last week’s trade is that Joe Murphy was sent in exchange for Carson. Murphy had been the Red Wings’ No. 1 pick in the 1986 draft, ahead of Carson, who was crushed. Carson said recently: “I wanted to be drafted here No. 1 overall, but this game is a business. There were many other hockey clubs that had Joe Murphy rated No. 1.”

Last season, Carson had 49 goals and 51 assists for 100 points in 80 games. Murphy had one goal and seven assists for eight points in 26 games.

Jim Peplinski decided to retire from the Calgary Flames a week ago. It might seem like a very strange time to retire, but Calgary Coach Terry Crisp said Tuesday that it made sense to him.

“Peppy and I talked about it at the end of the playoffs last season. We talked about the fact that we would have a lot of new faces, new talent, and that he might end up sitting out a lot. But neither of us knew, for sure, how it would go once this season got started.

“Once he started getting less ice time and getting scratched, though, he just decided it was time. He has a lot of pride. He’s accomplished a lot in his career, and a guy like that just wants to retire when it’s time to retire . . . Pride means more to him than money.”

Peplinski, 29, was drafted by the Flames when they were still in Atlanta in 1979. By retiring, he gave up most of the three years remaining on a four-year contract worth $750,000.

Jim Schoenfeld, who two years ago took the New Jersey Devils to the Stanley Cup semifinals, was stunned Monday when he was fired and replaced by his assistant, John Cunniff.

The Devils (who finished 27-41-12 last season and did not make the playoffs) were 6-6-2 when General Manager Lou Lamoriello made the change.

Schoenfeld told The Star-Ledger of Newark that he couldn’t believe he was fired.

“If I have to look for a reason, the only thing I can figure is somehow Lou and Mr. McMullen (owner John McMullen) expected this team to be like 12-0-2 and this is way off base. . . . I really don’t think second place in the division is bad.”

Helmut Balderis, a gray-haired Soviet, who at 37 is the oldest rookie in the National Hockey League, responded to some ribbing by some of his Minnesota teammates after a practice in Toronto by countering: “NHL. What a league! . . . Good money. Yaaaaaaaa. What did they have in Rome? Gladiators? I was a gladiator before. Now I work for Helmut Balderis.”

More Balderis: Regarding allegations of drug abuse by members of the Soviet national team in a book written by Igor Larionov (now with Vancouver), Balderis confirmed drugs were available. According to an Associated Press story out of Toronto, Balderis held out out his left arm, and with his right hand, pretended to inject a needle into his arm. Balderis then pointed to his left thigh and his shoulder.

“Ya, I saw it (when) I was with the national team,” Balderis said. “Guys I like were doing it. Big-pressure world championships, Olympics. Soviets like to win, players get money.”

Still more Balderis: When he coached in Japan, the Soviet federation would take $9,900 of his salary and leave him $1,500. “Now they get no money because money is for me,” he said. He’s still waiting for his wife and daughters to join him. It is his theory that the process would have been completed by now if he had agreed to give Soviet hockey officials a cut of his NHL salary.

Notes

When Alan Eagleson, executive director of the NHL players association, met with Pittsburgh players last week he reportedly told them that he doesn’t expect the league to expand until about 1993, a couple of years later than most had been predicting. . . . To the debate over who is the best player in the NHL, Boston Coach Mike Milbury adds the name of veteran defenseman Ray Borque. “That man is the best player in hockey right now,” Milbury said. “Better than Gretzky. Better than (Mario) Lemieux. Better than anyone. . . . He takes the game to a higher plane, to a higher level. He’s really one of the most underrated superstars in the sport.”

After losing, 4-3, at the Montreal Forum to the Buffalo Sabres Thursday, Montreal Coach Pat Burns said: “Some of our guys were more interested in scoring than in getting the two points for a win. If it wasn’t for (goalie Patrick) Roy, we would have been blown out.” . . . The Minnesota North Stars are wearing the initials J.W. on their helmets for 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling, who was abducted at gunpoint Oct. 22 near his St. Joseph home.

St. Louis right wing Brett Hull, on his father, Bobby: “My shot is all genetic, but I’d give up half the power of my shot to skate the way he did. What I remember about my father’s skating is just the graceful way he did it--in one fluid motion with no choppiness. He skated like Paul Coffey, and he did everything else besides that.” . . . The Rangers lead the league in winning percentage, at .719. They are winning with a new coach (Roger Neilson) and a new general manager (Neil Smith).