THE NHL / LISA DILLMAN : As Ex-King, Healy No Longer Tortured

Before Kelly Hrudey, Robb Stauber, Rick Knickle, Daniel Berthiaume, Mario Gosselin and Ron Scott . . . there was Glenn Healy.

All King goaltenders--past and present. And all tortured men.

Facing anywhere from 40 to 50 shots on goal every game is the job description of a King goalie.

From 1987-88 and 1988-89, Healy made 82 appearances in goal for the Kings. Some nights he was brilliant in that crazy, floppy butterfly style. Other times, not so great. There were times he would wander from the crease--he was a forerunner to Stauber--and get caught behind the net, most glaringly one night at Boston in February of 1989.

No matter the situation, then-coach Robbie Ftorek would say, shrugging: “Heals is Heals.”

Healy’s best move as a King was ending his career as a King. He signed with the New York Islanders as a free agent in August of 1989 and has emerged as their No. 1 goaltender. Another former King goalie, Mark Fitzpatrick, is his backup.

Healy started 30 of the Islanders’ first 40 games and finished the regular season 22-20-2, with a goals-against average of 3.30. In the playoffs, he has played all but 39 minutes of the Islanders’ seven games--including the three overtime victories over the Washington Capitals in the first round. But it was his performance in Game 1 of the Patrick Division final, the Islanders’ 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday, that impressed people. In that one, Healy made 28 saves.

Just before Ray Ferraro’s short-handed goal gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead late in the first period, Healy had prevented the Penguins from taking the lead with three consecutive saves when Pittsburgh had a two-man advantage. He made the final stop lying flat on his back.

“He’s certainly opened some eyes in the playoffs,” Islander Coach Al Arbour said.

As for Healy, he is the first to point out the obvious, that he has made a quantum leap from his days in Los Angeles.

“Absolutely,” he said from Pittsburgh before Game 2. “My play from the Kings is 100% different now. That’s part of a blossoming of a goaltender. My game is much more controlled. I was probably a lot more erratic in L.A. I try to stay on my feet (now). I’m more consistent, even though it’s the same effort.

“Before, you could flip a coin: Heads he’s good, tails he’s bad. And hope for heads.”

Healy knew his days as a King were probably over when they acquired Hrudey from the Islanders late in the 1988-89 season. Clearly, Hrudey was brought in as the No. 1 goaltender.

“They probably could have ended up keeping both of us,” Healy said. “I was cut loose because they had Kelly and they were going to bring Robb Stauber in. It’s kind of ironic.

“That’s the way things go. I wasn’t bitter. Los Angeles was my first opportunity, and I’m grateful for that.”

With the Islanders’ confused ownership situation, their front office is in a holding pattern regarding player contracts. More than a dozen Islanders have to negotiate new deals over the summer, among them Healy. He was a virtual bargain at $250,000 this season, and at 30, he will be a free agent with no compensation restrictions. The Islanders will have the right to match, however.

Healy laughed, saying: “Who knows? I could be a King again.”

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The Perils of Peter: The folks at Northlands Coliseum, home of the Edmonton Oilers, weighed in Monday in the battle of sound bites, holding a news conference at the arena. It was their first public response to Oiler owner Peter Pocklington’s threat to move his team to Hamilton, Ontario, unless he gets a better lease.

“(Pocklington) has never given us an opportunity (to negotiate),” said Colin Forbes, Northlands general manager. “He’s always delivered an ultimatum. I don’t think we’re prepared to negotiate with a gun to our heads. . . . I wouldn’t suggest he is bluffing right now. I think I made it quite clear that we have an enforceable lease.”

Said Edmonton Mayor Jan Reimer: “Let’s let some calm prevail and see how Northlands’ lease stacks up with other leases.”

With Pocklington issuing a deadline of May 14, it appears as though the sides are running out of time.

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For every first-round loser in the playoffs, there are changes in the offing. In Washington, there is speculation that longtime General Manager David Poile will move to the NHL’s offices in New York, becoming Commissioner Gary Bettman’s right-hand man.

And from the New York Ranger camp, via Mark Messier at home in Hilton Head, S.C.: “I’m just sitting around, thinking about life. I’m watching the sunsets and pondering my future.”

The Chicago Blackhawks won’t be starting a swap meet, but there are few players there who are considered untouchables. Put Jeremy Roenick, Ed Belfour, Steve Smith, Chris Chelios and Joe Murphy in that group, with Brent Sutter and Dirk Graham at the next level.

Boston is in need of another defenseman, possibly another goaltender and another linemate to complement left wing Dmitri Kvartalnov.

And once again, there are far more questions than answers in Detroit after the Red Wings’ first-round ouster by Toronto. It is the second consecutive season the Red Wings have not climbed out of the division playoffs.

Captain Steve Yzerman questioned his own playoff performance afterward. And almost everyone questioned goaltender Tim Cheveldae’s performance. Coach Bryan Murray, in the aftermath of the playoff defeat, held a half-hour, closed-door meeting with his players, telling them, essentially, that they deserved the inevitable criticism. Presumably, Murray included himself in that category, too.