Stauber Is Learning Ups and Downs : Kings: Backup goalie is being brought along carefully to become the starter of the future.

You want job security?

Then don’t become a backup goaltender for the Kings. For years, the position has offered about as much stability as, say, the job of head coach.

Backup King goalies usually don’t hang around long, the exception being Bob Janecyk, who spent four seasons with the Kings and actually was the No. 1 guy for one season, in 1984-85.

More recently, the second goaltender in Los Angeles has been better remembered for things other than his skills in the net. Mario Gosselin, in 1989-90, liked to chew huge wads of tobacco, and his teammates ducked for cover whenever he decided to spit.

The erratic Daniel Berthiaume, 1990-92, used to run to the telephone to call his girlfriend after he was pulled from games. That meant that there were many phone calls to her from the Forum.

Now, there’s Robb Stauber, 25, who is the first King backup goalie in years to show some staying power. He displays none of the off-ice quirks of his predecessors.

“We’re spoiled because our goaltenders are so normal,” King Coach Barry Melrose said. “Kelly (Hrudey) is a normal guy and so is Robb.”

The only thing unusual or different about Stauber is his first name--the two B’s in Robb. And he can’t really explain why he’s Robb, instead of Rob.

“It wasn’t to be different,” Stauber said. “I always wrote it that way growing up. It looks kind of bare with just one B, don’t you think? There’s got to be something else there, or else the name is too short.”

Stauber’s accomplishments have generated a lot of state pride back in Minnesota. Even before he reached the NHL, Stauber was a bona fide hockey hero there, having led his Duluth Denfeld High School to the state tournament in 1986. He cemented his reputation at the University of Minnesota, winning college hockey’s most prestigious honor, the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, as a sophomore in 1988.

All of that was why Melrose planned the goalie schedule so that Stauber could start, for the first time on the road, against the Minnesota North Stars on Oct. 24.

“People there really look out for their own,” Melrose said.

Stauber had a rocky first period, giving up a goal on the North Stars’ first shot 16 seconds into the game, then allowing two more goals before the end of the period. But he got stronger as the game went on and the Kings rallied to tie it, 5-5.

That enabled him to keep an unbeaten streak going, and he went 10 games (9-0-1) before losing on Dec. 15 to Tampa Bay. The 10-game unbeaten streak was the third-longest in King history, behind Gary Edwards’ 13-game streak (7-0-6) in 1974-75 and Rogie Vachon’s 11-game streak (7-0-4) in that same season.

Also, Stauber won seven consecutive games, which tied a team record set by Hrudey.

But this season has been pretty much like Stauber’s NHL career, an up-and-down exercise. The team has been struggling for more than a month and both Stauber and Hrudey have had their difficulties. After the loss to Tampa Bay, Stauber dropped his next two starts, including a shaky outing in a 7-2 loss to San Jose on Dec. 26. In his next appearance, in relief of Hrudey against the Flyers, he allowed six goals.

“At the start of the season, I was basically the only guy in his corner,” Melrose said. “He had two bad years with all those injuries, and then he was unbelievable at the start of the season. The only start I haven’t liked him in was against San Jose.”

Melrose had enough faith in Stauber’s abilities to turn to him when the Kings were desperately trying to end their 10-game winless streak (0-8-2). Assistant coach Cap Raeder persuaded Melrose to give Stauber a shot at ending the slump.

The hunch worked when the Kings beat Chicago, 5-4, at Chicago Stadium. Stauber faced 34 shots and made an alert sliding save to thwart the Blackhawks’ Jeremy Roenick with 1:30 remaining and the Kings holding a one-goal lead.

“It’s nice to know that Cap feels enough confidence in me,” said Stauber, who is 11-5-1 with a goals-against average of 3.93.

“(Chicago is) not the easiest place to play. But I didn’t even hear the horn there. When you’re on a roll, everything on the outside is not there. Everything slows down. I don’t even remember seeing Jeremy Roenick. I just reacted. You just see things better.”

Then, of course, there are times when it is nearly impossible to block out things. As the goaltenders, Stauber and Hrudey have been the focal points of fans’ discontent at home during the Kings’ collapse. Hrudey has borne the brunt of the dissatisfaction, so the Kings started Stauber against Winnipeg on Saturday.

“It still hasn’t changed,” Stauber said. “Against Philly, it was hard not to hear things. Against Tampa Bay, walking off the ice, you hear the people yelling. It really hurts, but it comes with the territory. It’s tough to see whether it’s Kelly . . . or it could be me.”

Stauber believes that his struggles have helped him handle what he hopes is merely a temporary fall from grace. Burdened and bewildered by injuries the last three years, Stauber said he had hit “rock bottom.”

He believed in himself but had little company, other than Melrose, who hadn’t seen him play in a couple of years. Most NHL observers believed he would never play regularly in the league. Even Hrudey, who has been supportive, was skeptical when he heard favorable reports about Stauber’s progress during the summer.

“He was (an afterthought) to me,” Hrudey said. “A couple of guys on the team told me Robb was looking great at some practices they had at Ice-o-plex. I dismissed it. Who doesn’t look good in the summer?

“Then I skated out there one day and saw him. I thought, ‘Wow! This isn’t the goalie I remember.’ He was challenging the shooter and playing aggressively. I couldn’t believe it. And that’s the way he played during training camp and after that.”

Melrose has employed Stauber carefully during the last two months, purposely not using him in overwhelming situations. After all, the Kings have to treat their future No. 1 goaltender with care.

“You have to be careful because he’s young,” Melrose said. “Here’s a kid who was left unprotected last year. And now he’s making 15 to 20 starts. You have to be careful. There’s not many players his age making this many starts in goal. He’s the guy we’re looking to for the future.”