THE NHL / HELENE ELLIOTT : Officially Speaking, Action Needed

It’s time for the NHL’s on-ice officials to end their strike.

The league wanted to prove that the officials were not indispensable, and it did. The referees and linesmen wanted to show their unity in demanding salaries worthy of their skills, and they have.

The replacements’ work has ranged from good to shaky. In many cases, it has been noticeably inferior in physical games and has deteriorated since the walkout began. A scuffle here or a missed offside there might not seem grievous, but the quality of play has eroded and players have become edgy.

“They’ve displayed a level of competence we’re obligated to provide to our fans,” NHL Senior Vice President Brian Burke said after a game refereed by Michael Foy, who was dropped from the NHL’s developmental program after two games in the 1979-80 season.

Isn’t the NHL obligated to provide not just competence, but excellence?

Said Winnipeg’s Tie Domi: “Those clowns don’t belong here. The first couple of games were tame. Now it’s real hockey and they can’t hack it. We need the old guys back.”

Calgary’s Theoren Fleury said he would pay to lure them back.

“Give them 50 grand from me,” he said. “At least with the other guys, they give you a chance to win or tie the game. These guys, it’s just ‘Whatever.’ ”

The negotiators talked for 7 1/2 hours Sunday and Monday, but are still far apart.

“We have differences on money, term (of the new contract) and retroactivity,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “We’d like to get a deal done, but we can’t yet. We’d like to get these guys back, but they’re not ready to lower their expectations.”

The longer this goes on, the greater the potential for mishaps. Subs have admitted that the NHL’s pace is faster than they’re used to, and they have tired late in games. Players have taken some liberties and are likely to take more to see what they can get away with.

Burke says anyone who tries to exploit the subs will have to answer to him, and he might have a long line of offenders to deal with if there isn’t a quick resolution.

Said St. Louis’ Brett Hull after a loss at Vancouver: “For the last few years, we’ve been trying to eliminate the hooking, the holding. It was sickening. I didn’t know if it was a hockey game or a rodeo.”

Just don’t let it be a circus. The NHL was willing to improve its offers on pension and severance pay and the officials would be wise to accept that, having already been offered a four-year, 65% pay raise. Call it a draw. Call it over.

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE

Bob Goodenow, executive director of the NHL Players Assn., is watching the strike closely.

“Fighting is up by a fairly large factor,” he said Monday. “The problem is, they can’t get quality referees to any degree to fill a full slate of games.

“I just have my fingers crossed that nobody gets hurt and they get the thing settled. If things degenerate on the negotiating table, they will degenerate on the ice.”

MUSICAL CHAIRS

Last week’s shuffle in Hartford resulted in Paul Holmgren giving up coaching--and the modifier acting in front of his general manager title--to become the full-time general manager, and assistant general manager Pierre McGuire becoming coach.

It’s curious, because Holmgren has said he prefers coaching and because McGuire was being groomed for the general manager job, but it’s consistent with the chaos in the Whalers’ organization. The Boston Bruins have had one general manager in 21 years; the Whalers have had three in 21 months.

The count since owner Richard Gordon assumed control in the spring of 1989 is five coaches and four general managers. They Whalers have made three first-round playoff exits and didn’t qualify last season. Stability behind the bench and in the front office would improve their development.

STORMIN’ NORMAN

Norm Green denied reports that he threatened to move the Stars from Dallas to Ft. Worth, saying he was speaking generally and not making demands when he said at a meeting of the Dallas International Sports Commission that the city should start thinking about constructing a new building with luxury boxes. Maybe so. But it won’t be a shock if Green--who only recently reached agreement with the city and the NBA’s Mavericks over advertising revenues at Reunion Arena--tries to get Dallas to build him a new arena. Dallas players say privately they wish he would sell the team to someone with a deeper commitment to hockey and more patience.

ANYONE GOT A BAND-AID?

The NHL’s injury list is growing at an alarming rate. Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman and Eric Lindros, out with back, neck and knee problems, were joined this week by Buffalo’s Pat LaFontaine, who will undergo season-ending knee surgery, and Florida’s Scott Niedermayer, who separated his shoulder. There is no common thread, but with players growing ever stronger and hitting harder, something has to give. Unfortunately, that’s turning out to be ligaments and disks.

SLAP SHOTS

Free of injuries that limited him to an average of 43 games the last six seasons, Wendel Clark played 20 of Toronto’s first 22 games. He had a league-leading 20 goals, his most since 1986-87. . . . Alexander Mogilny replaced LaFontaine as the Sabres’ captain, the first Russian player to earn that honor in the NHL.

Tampa Bay’s Brian Bradley, who scored 42 goals last season, has six this season. . . . The Rangers’ 10-0-2 streak is the NHL’s longest this season. . . . Washington’s Dale Hunter is eligible to return Friday from a 21-game suspension.