THE NHL / HELENE ELLIOTT : It’s Still Cheaper Than Tossing Caviar

At the rate the Detroit Red Wings are winning games, the octopus may become an endangered species.

Following a tradition begun when it took eight victories to win the Stanley Cup, fans at Joe Louis Arena threw octopuses onto the ice by the slimy armful Sunday to celebrate the Red Wings’ five-game victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference finals.

Owning a fish store was never so profitable. Octopuses usually sell for about $4 a pound in Detroit, but fans were paying $10 a pound outside the arena last week.

Octopuses are the Red Wings’ good-luck charms--they’re 8-0 at home in the playoffs--but team defense and depth are what got them to the finals for the first time since 1966. Chicago goaltender Ed Belfour made more spectacular saves than Detroit’s Mike Vernon, but the Red Wings’ overall defensive play rarely faltered and Vernon made key saves when needed.

The series was a long-awaited and well-deserved triumph for center Steve Yzerman, who had been the subject of trade rumors throughout Coach Scotty Bowman’s two seasons. Yzerman persevered through doubts, last year’s first-round upset by San Jose and a knee injury that idled him for the first three games against Chicago and scored Detroit’s first goal Sunday.

“I’ve always felt that I would get this opportunity some day. I never doubted that,” he said of playing in his first Cup final. “But there were times that I wondered if it would come in a Detroit uniform.”

The Red Wings had more scoring threats than the Blackhawks could handle. When center Sergei Fedorov was neutralized, or sidelined because of a chest injury, the Red Wings could still count on Keith Primeau, Dino Ciccarelli, Paul Coffey and Viacheslav Kozlov.

It was fitting that defenseman Mark Howe, son of Gordie Howe, played in Sunday’s clincher. Mark was born in May 1955, two months after the Red Wings--led by his father--last won the Cup. Maybe having another Howe in the lineup will bring the Red Wings luck in the finals. We know the fans will bring more octopuses.

HAVING A DEVIL OF A TIME

Just when it seemed the Philadelphia Flyers had taken command of the Eastern Conference finals, Claude Lemieux put the New Jersey Devils back in control and in position tonight to clinch their first berth in the finals.

The course of the series seemed to change in Game 3, when Rod Brind’Amour’s flip shot bounced past Martin Brodeur to tie the game and a brilliant overtime goal by Eric Lindros won it. When the Flyers evened the series in Game 4 by breaking the Devils’ neutral-zone trap and scoring four goals against Brodeur, the Devils could have crumbled. Instead, Jacques Lemaire’s team remained poised and the Flyers faltered.

Undaunted when a shot by Stephane Richer hit the crossbar with less than five minutes to play Sunday in Game 5, the Devils waited for chances to counterattack and won the game on Lemieux’s stoppable, stick-side goal against Ron Hextall with 44.2 seconds left. Lemieux has 10 goals in 15 playoff games after scoring only six goals during the season.

The Devils’ edge lies in their depth and their defense--they have held Philadelphia to 20 shots or fewer three times. The Flyers are a defenseman and a couple of wingers away from seriously contending for the Cup, but they made huge strides this season thanks to Lindros’ maturity and General Manager Bob Clarke’s shrewd trades.

WATCHING THE BOTTOM LINE

Executives of many NHL clubs are monitoring the attempt by an investment group led by Philip F. Anschutz and Edward P. Roski Jr. to buy the Kings.

There’s widespread sentiment that the league, eager to keep the Kings from collapsing after Bruce McNall’s finances dried up, might have acted hastily in approving the sale of 72% of the franchise to Jeffrey Sudikoff and Joseph Cohen. Their pockets proved too shallow for them to continue operating the club, and Laker and Forum owner Jerry Buss last week offered to advance them $500,000 from proceeds of Senate Seat sales.

No one blames Commissioner Gary Bettman for the peril Sudikoff and Cohen’s shortfall caused the franchise, and Bettman still has overwhelming support from the Board of Governors. However, the governors--whose presidency was once held by McNall--felt embarrassed when McNall’s fiscal misadventures nearly brought the Kings down. They will give closer scrutiny to the prospective new owners than they gave to Sudikoff and Cohen.

ROGER AND OUT

Close isn’t good enough for the Florida Panthers, who missed the playoffs by one point in each of their first two seasons and last week fired Coach Roger Neilson. “I want to emphasize that Roger Neilson is not being released because of past performances with the Florida Panthers,” General Manager Bryan Murray said. “However, we have decided that a look toward the future of the franchise is crucial at this time.”

If he wasn’t fired because of his past performances, then why? Because the Panthers lost more than $7 million last season and $11 million over two years, and missing the playoffs kept them from cutting those deficits. And because Murray may be itching to coach again. If he goes behind the bench, club President Bill Torrey can go back to being general manager, as he was with the New York Islanders.

Neilson, who has coached six teams and will be 61 next week, rejected Florida’s offer of a scouting position because he wants to coach again. He applied for coaching jobs with Calgary and the New York Islanders.

EXPENSIVE, BUT WORTH IT

Larry Robinson, an assistant coach for New Jersey, is sure to receive coaching offers when the playoffs are over, but the Devils won’t let him go for nothing.

Robinson, who finished his distinguished playing career with the Kings, is credited with helping Lemaire mold the Devils into a formidable defensive team. He is said to be interested in becoming a head coach and would be an ideal choice for the Kings or any other NHL club.

However, he has a year left on his contract, and the Devils would be entitled to compensation for releasing him. The price could be a first-round draft pick, but it would be well spent.

SLAP SHOTS

Pittsburgh General Manager Craig Patrick said Coach Eddie Johnston will return next season, despite the Penguins’ second-round loss to New Jersey. But neither will finish the season if the Penguins start slowly. . . . The Boston Bruins were to start contract talks this week with right wing Cam Neely, who will be a restricted free agent July 1.

Pierre Page has an edge over Brian Sutter for the Calgary coaching job because Page is a longtime friend of Flame General Manager Doug Risebrough. . . . Dave King, recently fired by Calgary, interviewed for the coaching job with the Swiss national team. . . . The NHL’s Board of Governors will meet June 21 at New York. Likely topics include the Devils’ possible move to Nashville, Tenn., and details of the deal that kept the Jets in Winnipeg. . . . The Quebec Nordiques reportedly will be renamed the Denver Extreme. Will Denver passes go from one Extreme to the other?