THE NHL / LISA DILLMAN : A Look Back, a Look Ahead Are Possible

A tale of two Stanley Cup final scenarios . . .

Stanley Cup final No. 1:

Montreal vs. Toronto--The days of the six-team NHL revisited, back when teams traveled by train, not by chartered jet. It would be Don Cherry’s dream series--a gritty bona fide Canadian hero, Toronto center Doug Gilmour, playing for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Banished would be the American interlopers, who really don’t understand The Game because they insist on writing defense instead of defence .

And there would be no shortage of plot lines. French-speaking Canada vs. English-speaking Canada. Pat Burns, the former Canadien coach, vs. Jacques Demers. Toronto General Manager Cliff Fletcher, a roving builder of instant successes, vs. Montreal General Manager Serge Savard, a veritable institution in Montreal. Who is a better trader? Fletcher virtually stole Gilmour from the Calgary Flames. But Savard actually got the best of Edmonton General Manager Glen Sather when he acquired Vincent Damphousse for Shayne Corson, Brent Gilchrist and Vladimir Vujtek.

The rivalries could even extend to the goaltenders--Montreal’s Patrick Roy vs. Maple Leaf rookie Felix Potvin.

On the negative side: An ESPN ratings disaster and Commissioner Gary Bettman’s worst nightmare. Bettman, the salesman of hockey in the United States, would smile politely if forced to sit through a Montreal-Toronto final.

Call it a hunch that he would not be pleased.

Stanley Cup final No. 2:

Los Angeles vs. Pittsburgh--It could be the start of hockey’s introduction to the masses, the people who might not turn the channel to bowling or the proceedings at Talladega if they caught a glimpse of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux on the same sheet of ice.

This time, Lemieux vs. Gretzky would be more than a hockey story. Gretzky sat out the first 39 games of the season because of herniated disk, and Lemieux made a remarkable return from Hodgkins’ disease. Two movie-of-the-week type stories with happy endings in the same series.

A truly scary chapter in Kings’ history--the George Maguire era--would also be worth reviewing. Maguire’s philosophy with first-round picks? Trade them. The former King general manager swapped first-rounders all over the league and it was a sad day for other NHL teams when he was replaced by Rogie Vachon in January of 1984.

Maguire, as it turned out, was especially helpful to Pittsburgh. The Penguins should have sent him thank-you cards when they won consecutive Cups. On March 10, 1981, he traded the Kings’ first-round pick to Buffalo for Rick Martin. That pick turned out to be Tom Barrasso, the eventual rookie of the year in 1984 for the Sabres. Barrasso since has helped the Penguins to two Cups and is trying for No. 3.

The other Penguin who could have been a King is left wing Kevin Stevens. But Maguire made sure he never got near Los Angeles, trading his rights to Pittsburgh for Anders Hakansson on Sept. 9, 1983.

A possible negative: Canadian Angst . With no teams in the Cup final, the only redeeming feature for Canadians would be to watch their idol, Gretzky.

The positive side: A possible ratings bonanza for ESPN and a successful building block for the NHL to introduce hockey into new markets.

Call it a hunch that Bettman would be pleased.

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Toronto’s Burns was often maligned when he was in Montreal, critics downplaying his coaching ability by saying that anyone could have coached a team so talented.

Tuesday, Burns learned he is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, given to the coach who contributed the most to the team’s success. The two other finalists are Pierre Page of Quebec and Brian Sutter of Boston.

Said Burns, joking: “I guess that means I can really coach.”

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In the Toronto-St. Louis series, Maple Leaf rookie forward Nikolai Borschevsky was without a point until he had a goal and two assists Tuesday, but he has had other more pressing matters on his mind.

Borschevsky saved his money this season and spent $45,000 to have his father flown to Toronto from Russia for open-heart surgery.

Borschevsky has spent most of his time away from the rink at the hospital with his father, who is scheduled to be released at the end of the week.

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At last year’s entry draft in Montreal, Quebec Nordique President Marcel Aubut dominated the proceedings with the Eric Lindros derby, which culminated in a huge mess when Aubut traded him twice.

Look for another media splash by Aubut in June at Quebec City. Aubut is trying to get a French-speaking star for his team and Alexandre Daigle, the top prospect from Victoriaville, has the necessary credentials.

Ottawa has the top pick and Aubut is scheduled to speak with Senator executives this week. Apparently, his top two trading cards are captain Joe Sakic and Swedish star Peter Forsberg, who has yet to play a game for the Nordiques.