THE OLYMPICS / WINTER GAMES AT ALBERTVILLE : NOTES : LeBlanc Awaits Word on NHL

U.S. goaltender Ray LeBlanc said he has not been told by the Chicago Blackhawks whether they will promote him from their International Hockey League affiliate. Senior Vice President Bob Pulford said last week the club will give LeBlanc a shot at the NHL to make him eligible for the upcoming expansion draft.

“All I know is what the coaches told me, that they were going to call me up, but nobody’s said anything to me,” LeBlanc said.

Clark Donatelli, who accused Swedish referee Sven Erik Sold of being biased against the U.S. hockey team in Friday’s semifinal loss to the Unified Team, apologized for his comments.

“Emotions were flying. If I offended any fellow American back home, I’m sorry and we’re sorry as a team,” he said. “The Russian team was great. Losing to them was tough.”

Canadian Coach Dave King is not the fiery type, but he has saved up some emotional fireworks for an inspirational speech before his team faces the Unified Team for the gold medal.

“The general theme will be what we’ve been saying all along: One step further, take it one step further,” King said after Canada’s practice at the Courchevel rink. “I’ve got a couple of little stories about people I think went one step further than they had to for something. This is a big game for everybody, and I can’t just be satisfied. You’ve got to extend yourself if you really want it. I got the impression (after their semifinal victory over Czechoslovakia) they’re not satisfied yet.”

King’s counterpart, Viktor Tikhonov, is trying to lead his team to its third successive gold medal. It would be the fourth medal for Tikhonov, who began his tenure behind the bench at Lake Placid, N.Y., in 1980 and took home a silver medal.

The latest Eric Lindros rumor: the Toronto Maple Leafs will acquire his rights from Quebec for two draft picks, two players--one of them supposedly Grant Fuhr--and $20 million.