THE NHL / HELENE ELLIOTT : Lemieux’s Gripe Is Worth Checking

Pittsburgh Penguin center Mario Lemieux, who thinks opponents aren’t penalized enough for holding and hooking him, says he will consider retiring rather than endure more muggings. His anger erupted last Tuesday, when he charged referee Kerry Fraser, and Saturday, when he punched Montreal defenseman Mathieu Schneider after Schneider had cross-checked him on the back of the neck and wasn’t sent off.

Wayne Gretzky, who experiences similar manhandling, understands Lemieux’s ire.

“There are a few guys who are going to get checked closer than others, and Mario is one of them,” Gretzky said. “Sergei Fedorov (of Detroit) is another. . . . Some nights it gets frustrating. Some nights it’s not fun.”

Question 1: Do superstars deserve special treatment?

Question 2: Are restraining fouls punished often enough, especially considering that the NHL issued a directive reminding players and officials of cases when boarding, holding and interference must be called?

Question 3: Does Lemieux complain too much?

“It’s obvious the last couple of years that it’s been pretty bad with the clutching and grabbing,” said Lemieux, who was fined $500 for leaving the penalty box to get at Fraser. “That’s why you have guys who can score only 50 goals now. Before, you had guys who could score 70, 80, 90 goals.”

Said Gretzky: “They’re trying (to call games closer), but a guy as good as Mario is going to get hooked endlessly. You can’t call every one. . . . I think the refs do the best they can and I think all the players understand that.”

Although Montreal Coach Jacques Demers said Schneider should have been penalized for cross-checking Lemieux, many general managers call Lemieux a crybaby--wishing all the while that he was their crybaby.

“Mario should stop whining and play,” Oiler General Manager Glen Sather told the Edmonton Journal. “He does get hooked and held, but so does Wayne, and Wayne’s not nearly as strong as Mario.”

Boston’s Harry Sinden called Lemieux’s behavior “intolerable,” and added, “Cam Neely is out for the year (with a knee injury) and you don’t hear him whining.”

Fans pay to see Lemieux, Brett Hull, Gretzky and Fedorov, not the fourth-line centers who maul them. That’s not to say a borderline infraction should be whistled if done to a star and ignored if done to others. If Lemieux is pushed off the puck, too bad. But if he’s got opponents draped all over him and no call is made, that’s punishing him for being talented and depriving fans of his gifts. Parity is a noble idea, but it should be achieved by increasing the skills of lesser teams, not by dragging down better players.

SLIPPING PENGUINS

Back problems have marred Lemieux’s season, but he’s playing regularly to build stamina for the playoffs. Penguin General Manager Craig Patrick, who wrote off Lemieux’s retirement threat as momentary frustration, is encouraged by his progress.

“He’s doing well with his back,” Patrick said. “The big thing is for him to get his skating legs. The players have adjusted to (his absences). We love having him in there, but we play a different game when he’s not in. Everyone has to be a little more attentive defensively.”

Patrick is concerned about his defense, depleted when he traded Marty McSorley and Jim Paek to the Kings and couldn’t replace them.

“We’ve got mobility now, but I’m not totally happy,” he said. “I’m scared. The playoffs always scare me.”

WHERE THE ACTION IS

Is California the hockey capital of the NHL? The San Jose Sharks, Mighty Ducks and Kings have filled a greater percentage of their seats than the three New York-area teams, even though the Ducks and Kings didn’t make the playoffs.

Including sellouts Monday and Wednesday, the Ducks have sold out 27 times and will have played to 98.9% capacity at the 17,174-seat Pond of Anaheim. The Kings, despite a box-office drop-off after they were eliminated from the playoffs, still sold 98% of their seats and have sold out 31 of 39 games at the 16,005-seat Forum. The Sharks, with one game left, have had 27 sellouts and have filled 96.5% of the 17,190 seats at the new San Jose Arena.

The Rangers have filled 98.9% of Madison Square Garden’s seats, but the Islanders played to only 74.8% at the Nassau Coliseum and the New Jersey Devils have played to 74.7% at the Meadowlands, with one home game left.

SHARK-INFESTED PLAYOFFS

When defenseman Jeff Norton learned last summer that he had been traded by the Islanders--playoff semifinalists last spring--to the Sharks, who had won only 11 games, he was more than a little dismayed.

“I said, ‘Geez. That’s going to be tough to go through,’ ” he said. “But after that, (the Sharks) made some moves and acquisitions and I saw they were making a commitment to winning.”

The moves weren’t costly. Todd Elik and Igor Larionov were claimed on waivers, Norton and defensive forward Gaetan Duchesne were acquired for draft picks and Bob Errey was signed as a free agent, and they clicked with the team’s young talent. Right wing Ulf Dahlen, acquired from Dallas on March 19, was the catalyst in a streak that clinched San Jose’s playoff berth.

SLAP SHOTS

The Rangers, who won their second President’s Trophy for the point title in three years, say they won’t make an early playoff exit as they did in 1992. “I have faith in (Coach) Mike Keenan,” General Manager Neil Smith said. “I’d go to war with him.” . . . The NHL loses a classy player--and the last jewel in the Triple Crown line--with today’s retirement of King right wing Dave Taylor.

Manon Rheaume, the first woman to play a professional hockey game, and Erin Whitten, the first female goalie to win a minor league game, are competing in the Women’s World Championship this week at Lake Placid, N.Y. Rheaume, who played for Tampa Bay in a 1992 exhibition, is on Team Canada. Whitten, who plays for Dallas of the Central Hockey League, is on Team USA. . . . For the record: The Rangers have been in the NHL for 68 years, not 58, as reported here last week.