Star-Crossed Berthiaume Goes to Bruins in Trade

In the last couple of weeks, goalie Daniel Berthiaume couldn’t seem to save anything.

Not shots. Not games. Not even, in the end, his job with the Kings.

They sent Berthiaume to the Boston Bruins on Monday for future considerations. According to Boston General Manager Harry Sinden, those considerations will be a draft choice, to be determined by how much Berthiaume plays.

“Hey, he did a nice job for us,” said King assistant coach Cap Raeder, who is in charge of the goalies. “But a change had to be made. He matched what the team did. It’s been a struggle all year, but we’re not blaming him for the team’s troubles. Boston is a good place for him, and we wish him luck.”

Berthiaume, en route home from a ski trip to Utah, was unavailable for comment.

Although he was 20-11-4 last season, Berthiaume slumped at the end, was not used in the playoffs and never seemed to regain his form.

He leaves with a 7-10-1 record in 19 games this season, a 4.05 goals-against average and an .876 save percentage.

In the last month, his game hit rock bottom, his confidence dropping to the same level.

Most goalies are able to mask their feelings as effectively as their faces. It is their only defense against a mental letdown.

Not Berthiaume.

In the inevitably up-and-down world of the professional goalie, Berthiaume has been down since Dec. 5.

He had been looking forward to that night. Berthiaume was back in Chicago Stadium, where he had enjoyed his greatest moments last season, his first as a King. Facing the Blackhawks there twice, he had given up only one goal, winning both games.

Now, he was back, trying to get his act together, an act that had been as inconsistent as that of the team. Berthiaume was still part of a two-man rotation in the net with Kelly Hrudey and believed he was ready to regain his form.

He never got the chance. Not that night in Chicago.

Instead, he was knocked out by a puck, winding up hospitalized because of a mild concussion.

The puck had been shot by a teammate, defenseman Jeff Chychrun, in the pregame warmup. It hit Berthiaume so hard between the eyes, it split his mask.

Berthiaume didn’t get back in the lineup for two weeks. He never got back his confidence or skill level. In the ensuing month, he lost four of five decisions and was benched twice during games.

In a disastrous New Year’s Eve game against the Smythe Division-leading Vancouver Canucks, Berthiaume took a 2-0 lead into the final period, then gave up four goals in a 5-3 defeat.

All four went over his glove.

“I thought I had a hole in my glove,” he said.

Nothing seemed to go right. Given a chance to start against the Philadelphia Flyers on the last trip, Berthiaume got his stick caught in the crack between the boards behind his net while chasing the puck. Unable to pry the stick loose, he raced back into the crease, stickless and helpless, and gave up the crucial goal in yet another defeat.

Coach Tom Webster gave Berthiaume one last opportunity, starting him three days later in New Jersey.

The Devils took three shots at Berthiaume in the first seven minutes and came away with two goals.

That was it.

Since the injury, Berthiaume had given up 19 goals in slightly less than 279 minutes, a goals-against average of 4.09.

“We all go through that at one time or another,” said General Manager Rogie Vachon, who was the fifth-winningest goalie in NHL history. “There is such a fine line between confidence and no confidence. When you have confidence, the puck looks so big. When you have no confidence, it looks like an aspirin.”

For Berthiaume, it has been a year for aspirin.

King Notes

General Manager Rogie Vachon says trade talks with the St. Louis Blues concerning center Adam Oates have ended “because the price was too steep.” Vachon said the negotiations had led to a proposed larger deal involving several players on each club. . . . To back up Kelly Hrudey in goal, the Kings have called up Darryl Gilmour from their Phoenix Roadrunner team. At Phoenix, he was 8-10-3 with a 3.74 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage. Also recalled were forward Kyosti Karjalainen and defenseman Brent Thompson. Defenseman Peter Ahola was sent to Phoenix. . . . King draft pick Robb Stauber, who had been loaned to Team USA to try out for a berth on the Olympic team, was returned to Phoenix. Team USA Coach Dave Peterson said two knee operations prevented Stauber from getting enough time in goal to stay in shape and win a place on the team.