THE NHL/ HELENE ELLIOTT : Dallas’ Star Might Rise Without Green

Considering that Norm Green was foolish enough to overextend himself to the point of owing $40 million to a Canadian bank and $20 million to the NHL and his former business partners, had alienated fans in Minnesota before moving the North Stars to Dallas and signed a lease at Reunion Arena that he promptly whined about, why would anyone hire him as a consultant in running a hockey team?

It makes no sense, but there it is. Green announced Monday that he is selling the Stars and their practice facility to Tom Hicks, a Dallas investment specialist who heads a group of about 10 buyers, for $84 million. In the deal, Green got a $5-million, 10-year consulting contract and will get a bonus of $1.5 million if Dallas builds a new sports arena and if the NHL adds an unspecified number of expansion franchises.

Green had agreed to negotiate exclusively with another Dallas businessman, John Spano, but he must have forgotten that detail when Hicks topped Spano’s $82.5-million offer. Hicks offered less money up front than Spano, but the total won Green over.

The price undoubtedly delighted NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who wants to keep franchise prices strong to provide a basis for charging prospective expansion-team owners $85 million or more.

Hicks wants a new arena for the Stars and raised the possibility that he will move the team if he doesn’t get it. Where have we heard that before?

The Stars should come out ahead in many ways, not the least of which is being shed of Green. Club President Jim Lites had held back from making trades because money was tight, but an infusion of cash should change that. Most likely Bob Gainey, Dallas’ general manager and coach, is safe.

The sale will be discussed at the NHL Board of Governors’ meetings Thursday and Friday in Palm Beach, Fla. The governors will also be updated on the status of the Florida Panthers, who haven’t attracted a buyer since being put up for sale by owner Wayne Huizenga. Expansion isn’t on the agenda, according to league spokesman Arthur Pincus.

COFFEY BREAK TIME

Paul Coffey has skated alongside so many outstanding players--Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Mario Lemieux, Sergei Fedorov and Steve Yzerman only start the list--you would think his first NHL assist must have set up a spectacular goal by a future Hall of Famer.

Think again.

Coffey, who needs one more assist to become the first defenseman and fourth NHL player to record 1,000 assists, earned his first one on a goal by enforcer Dave “Cement Head” Semenko on Oct. 19, 1980.

“He had a hat trick,” Coffey told the Detroit Free Press. “I remember that. Player of the week. He was playing with Wayne and Jari for like two weeks of the season.”

Semenko is long retired, but after winning the Norris Trophy three times, Coffey is still going strong for the Detroit Red Wings. His smooth, effortless strides remain a model for aspiring hockey players.

“It’s tremendous having 1,000 points, let alone 1,000 assists,” said King Coach Larry Robinson, a Hall of Fame defenseman who had 958 points in 20 seasons. “He epitomizes the offensive defenseman.

“The one thing that a lot of people don’t realize is his resilience. He’s played a lot of games and I know, just coaching against him, he was the brunt of our physical game. If you want to stop Detroit, you’ve got to get on Coffey, and he’s been able to withstand all that. Of course, it helps when you skate as fast as he does.”

Coffey, 34, can get the historic assist tonight, when the Red Wings play at St. Louis. Only Gretzky with 1,724, Gordie Howe with 1,049 and Marcel Dionne with 1,040 have more.

“I’d like to think along the way somewhere that I made Wayne’s job easier, maybe made Mario’s job easier in Pittsburgh, hopefully got the puck up quick to a Fedorov or Yzerman,” Coffey said. “Basically, that’s my job, to get it out of my end quick and get it to them guys and let them do their stuff. I mean, you’ve got to play with great players to reach those milestones.”

FROM MIGHTY DUCKS TO FEEBLE SENATORS

The Ottawa Senators should have fired General Manager Randy Sexton three weeks ago, when they dismissed Coach Rick Bowness, so they could have made a completely fresh start. Instead, the new man, Pierre Gauthier, who was assistant general manager of the Mighty Ducks, inherits Coach Dave Allison, who was Sexton’s choice.

Gauthier is well prepared, after a long scouting career with the Quebec Nordiques and two-plus seasons with the Ducks. Intelligent and a good judge of talent, he occasionally acted as a buffer and voice of calm in Anaheim when General Manager Jack Ferreira and President Tony Tavares became emotional.

Gauthier will need those attributes and more. He gets a team that’s 1-14-1 in the last six weeks and 7-19-1 overall, draws poorly and can’t keep its top players happy because it won’t spend money. He won’t change things overnight, but he will bring order to a chaotic organization.

TWO ON THE ISLE

New York Islander Coach Mike Milbury could probably have the club’s vacant general manager’s job if he wanted it. But after two meetings last week with Al Arbour, the Islanders’ vice president for hockey operations, Milbury had doubts.

“I’m interested in exploring that option but if they said, ‘It’s yours,’ right now I don’t know if I would accept it,” he said.

Hall of Fame defenseman Denis Potvin, a former Islander, told Arbour he’s interested in the job, but Potvin’s candidacy is not being taken seriously.

WHAT’S NEXT, PAY PER PUNCH?

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ mistake in proposing to pay Ken Baumgartner bonuses for reaching certain penalty minute totals was in being honest.

Baumgartner’s contract called for a $10,000 bonus for getting 170 minutes and $55,000 for 260 minutes. Arbitrator George Nicolau said those clauses wouldn’t be recognized, presumably because they were rewards for misdeeds that could include punching opponents to a bloody pulp.

The Leafs should have copied Hartford and Edmonton. The Whalers gave Kelly Chase a $25,000 bonus for leading the league in any category and the Oilers’ Louie DeBrusk will get $5,000 for leading his team and $5,000 for leading the NHL in a category. Neither can handle the puck without breaking it, so penalty minutes is about the only area in which either is likely to top a list.

The NHL had no public comment, but in private, general managers had to be grumbling. They have used low penalty-minute totals as ammunition to call players soft in salary arbitration hearings, including cases involving Ray Bourque and Russ Courtnall. Calgary used a decrease in Ronnie Stern’s major fighting penalties as a reason to deny him a raise.

SLAP SHOTS

In the Montreal newspaper La Presse, columnist Rejean Tremblay accused Canadiens’ management of mishandling the Patrick Roy affair by treating “a real thoroughbred like a cart horse.” The Canadiens are picking up part of Roy’s contract, probably a $500,000 bonus he’s due next season. . . . Pierre Turgeon was appointed Montreal’s captain by Coach Mario Tremblay and General Manager Rejean Houle.

The New York Rangers officially picked up Mark Messier’s $6-million option for next season. . . . Boston General Manager Harry Sinden blasted his players for being floaters and threatened to make moves. Before chasing Curtis Joseph again, he might want to look at the offense, which produced one goal in three of the last four games. . . . Winnipeg is 1-4-1 since goalie Nikolai Khabibulin sprained a knee. He is due back around Christmas.

St. Louis Coach-General Manager Mike Keenan says goalie Grant Fuhr’s aim of playing 80 games is realistic. “We have the least back-to-back games in the league, only 10, which makes it easier,” Keenan said. “And he’s in probably the best shape of his life.” . . . Pittsburgh’s Jaromir Jagr, who has failed to get a point in only two of 27 games, has a career-best 12-game point scoring streak. He has 10 goals and 26 points in that span. . . . With 66 points in 23 games, an average of 2.87 a game, Mario Lemieux is heading toward an NHL record. The highest game average among players with 50 or more points was 2.77 by Gretzky with Edmonton in 1983-84. He had 205 points in 74 games.