THE NHL : Thanks to Olympics, LeBlanc’s Days in Minors Are Numbered

So what now for Ray LeBlanc?

In five seasons as a minor-league goalie, playing a total of 105 games, he couldn’t do enough to earn a single minute on the ice in the NHL.

But in a week and a half in Meribel, France, LeBlanc has earned international acclaim.

He had drawn blank after blank in his bid to reach the NHL, stuck in goal instead in places like Ft. Wayne, Flint, Saginaw and Indianapolis.

Now, as the goalie for the U.S. hockey team in the Winter Olympics, LeBlanc has had two shutouts, including a scoreless streak of 136 minutes 39 seconds, and won the big games that have gotten his club into contention for a gold medal.

Still, at 27, LeBlanc has to be concerned about his future.

For now, that future lies with the Chicago Blackhawks, who signed him as a free agent in 1989.

The closest LeBlanc has come to the NHL was when he was called up by Chicago in October for a game against the Vancouver Canucks. But LeBlanc watched that game from the bench, then was back in the minors the next day.

And the Blackhawks already have Ed Belfour, last season’s NHL rookie of the year and the Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s best goalie.

Behind Belfour, Chicago has Dominik Hasek and Jim Waite.

Last week, Blackhawk Coach and General Manager Mike Keenan said he would probably call LeBlanc up after the Olympics. But the general feeling was that LeBlanc was only guaranteed a 60-minute shot. That’s how much NHL playing time he would need in order to be eligible for the expansion draft coming up this spring.

That seems to be the direction Chicago is pointing him.

But before Monday’s U.S. tie with Sweden, which put the Americans in the medal round, Blackhawk Vice President Bob Pulford, in France for the Games, backed off a bit.

“I can’t say which of our goalies will be exposed (to the draft),” he told the Chicago Sun-Times. “I won’t go that far here.

“All I can say is, Ray has been outstanding here. Outstanding. I don’t know, is he really this good? I’m starting to wonder. It’s a very difficult question.

“Keep in mind that a goaltender can become extremely hot at any time. Goaltending is all confidence. He (LeBlanc) has been a good little goaltender in the minors for us, but we’ve always thought that the other goaltenders ahead of him have been better.”

Pulford did make one thing official: LeBlanc is going to Chicago.

“Whether it’s one game or whatever,” Pulford said, “Mike Keenan and I have talked it over and we think we have to do it. You’ll see him.”

Blackhawk associate coach Darryl Sutter, perhaps because he is an ocean away and unaffected by the Olympic hoopla, is more restrained in his enthusiasm for LeBlanc.

“He was beat out of an NHL job every year that he’s been here,” Sutter said. “Obviously, the level he plays at over there enhances what we think of him, but that doesn’t put any pressure on us that he has to or should play. It ups Ray’s stock and helps our depth situation. Here’s a guy who was No. 3 or No. 4 on our list, and now, maybe, he’s a little higher.”

Is LeBlanc another Jim Craig, a goalie whose Olympic flame will flicker in the pros? Or will LeBlanc’s search for Olympic gold lead to further riches in the NHL?

At this point, he still figures to go to an expansion team or perhaps be used by the Blackhawks to trade for more pressing needs on the club. Whatever, he probably isn’t headed back to the minors.

Add Olympic Gold: If LeBlanc’s value has increased by his performance in Meribel, imagine what Eric Lindros will be worth.

Based on his play in the Canada Cup at the end of last summer and in the Winter Olympics, Lindros has reinforced predictions that he will be the game’s next superstar.

The Quebec Nordiques, owners of Lindros’ rights, will never have a better time to trade him. It is assumed that Lindros will go for three or four starters; that will make it difficult for any club to make a deal until its season is over.

Refusing To Fall for the Old Hat Trick: The reintroduction of hockey into San Francisco’s Cow Palace is requiring a period of adjustment.

When the Hartford Whalers’ John Cullen scored his third goal of the game against the San Jose Sharks, a fan celebrated the hat trick by tossing his own hat onto the ice.

Well and good for those who know what a hat trick is.

But an usher, obviously unfamiliar with hockey, grabbed the fan and was preparing to escort him to the door.

The fan was saved by several bystanders, who explained an old tradition to a new, confused usher.

Quotebook: Lindros on the publicity surrounding him: “We’re all put on this planet for some reason. I guess I’m here to sell papers.”