Sharp Blade Hangs Over the Coaches

By this time a year ago, two coaches already had been fired--Paul Holmgren in Hartford and Jacques Demers in Montreal--and Ottawa’s Rick Bowness was 10 days from being dismissed.

No one has gotten the ax yet this season, but it won’t be long until the first head rolls. That dubious honor may go to Philadelphia’s Terry Murray, who probably doesn’t deserve it.

According to several sources, the Flyers contacted the Toronto Maple Leafs to inquire about Pat Burns, who was fired as the Maple Leafs’ coach last March but still is being paid by them. It was apparently a background check, because Flyer General Manager Bob Clarke didn’t ask permission to speak to Burns and Burns denied having spoken to the Flyers.

Even Burns, however, said the speculation is unfair to Murray, who hasn’t had center Eric Lindros this season because of Lindros’ groin pull. Dale Hawerchuk and Joel Otto were also injured and 51-goal scorer John LeClair had a slow start. But the Flyers have a new building to fill and lofty expectations to meet, so Murray’s time may be short.

Lindros, incidentally, plans to return Nov. 21. He went home to Canada for treatment but joined the team in Buffalo last week to deliver a pep talk.

A few other coaches may also be on shaky ground. Terry Crisp got Tampa Bay into the playoffs last spring but the Lightning is 1-6-2 since a 5-1 start this season and the new Ice Palace isn’t selling out. General Manager Phil Esposito made Crisp sweat before giving him a new contract and Esposito might pull the plug if there’s no turnaround soon.

Montreal’s Mario Tremblay, who got into a shouting match with forward Donald Brashear in Colorado on Saturday and sent Brashear home, is under pressure because of his team’s just-completed 1-4-1 trip--part of a 1-7-1 road record--and horrible defensive play. However, Buffalo’s Ted Nolan, whose job was in danger a few weeks ago, appears safer after a management shake-up.

Ron Wilson has been feeling heat in Anaheim, and sniping between Wilson and club President Tony Tavares over Wilson’s World Cup involvement doesn’t make for a harmonious situation.

Wilson didn’t return from the World Cup the most humble guy in the world, but the mess in Anaheim isn’t all his fault because he has little to work with beyond Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya and a game but aging Jari Kurri.

Instead of spending money to upgrade their talent, as they should, the Disney folks may decide it’s cheaper to fire the coach.

COACH IN WAITING?

Whenever a coach’s job was rumored to be on the line in the last year, Jacques Demers has been mentioned as a possible replacement.

Demers was fired by the Montreal Canadiens early last season and has since been scouting for them but hasn’t ruled out a return to coaching. But he said he’s happy for now because he has been given meaningful assignments, such as scouting the St. Louis Blues before the Canadiens made the Pierre Turgeon trade, and he has the ear of General Manager Rejean Houle.

“When your name is mentioned, you think about it,” Demers said. “It’s flattering. But it would have to be a really good situation. Right now, I enjoy my job with the Canadiens.

“Last year I had some difficulty with the adjustment. But I talk to Rejean a lot and I feel very much a part of the team. I’m not out in left field.”

LUCKY LUC

New York Ranger left wing Luc Robitaille looks at the low attendance figures in the summaries of King games and shakes his head.

“It’s like when I first got there,” said Robitaille, who joined the Kings for the 1986-87 season, when they averaged 10,644 a game. “L.A. is a winning city. Fans want to see a winner and obviously the team wants to rebuild. So it’s going to be tough and it’s going to take time. We hear about a new building, and maybe fans are waiting for that.

“But remember, in L.A. a few years back, it was easy to get tickets for the Lakers. Now try to get Laker tickets.”

Robitaille, who last season signed a six-year, $19.2-million contract, has been the target of criticism from New York fans unhappy with his 23-goal output last season. He has six goals in 19 games this season.

“They expect me to produce, and that’s fair,” he said. “I don’t think the fans here are tougher than anywhere else. They may turn on you but as soon as you score a goal they come back.”

MATS AND LEAFS AREN’T DOORMATS

The Maple Leafs, one of the NHL’s older teams, have defied predictions by rebounding from an awful start and staying near .500. Forward Mats Sundin attributed the turnaround to Coach Mike Murphy, whose previous experience was limited to 65 games as the Kings’ coach in the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons.

“He is different than Pat Burns. He is more--just a little--laid back and doesn’t say too much,” Sundin said. “Throughout the first couple of weeks, he was pretty quiet and I think we were 1-5. We then had two really hard practices where he showed that he can be a hard-nosed coach and he wouldn’t accept the team’s losing. He has shown both sides so far and I think the team has a lot of respect for him.”

Sundin has earned respect for his 10 goals and 21 points, showing he can carry the team if needed. And it will be necessary for him to stay hot for the Leafs to make the playoffs.

“Any time people expect a lot from you, it is a great thing and I think it has helped me to raise my level of game,” he said. “If I have high expectations from the outside, I certainly have high expectations on myself, to perform and play well, so those are all positive things.”

HOME ISN’T SO SWEET

The Phoenix Coyotes’ 0-5-2 home streak is hardly the way to attract fans in a new city.

The Coyotes are without Cliff Ronning, who has a broken wrist, so opponents have been able to focus on checking Craig Janney, who is the same floater he was with his previous four teams. Jeremy Roenick has only one goal in 11 games and Keith Tkachuk has four goals, one of them into an empty net and two on power plays. Mike Gartner, with 11 goals, has accounted for 30% of the offense.

The Coyotes have the talent, but do they have the heart to turn things around?

SLAP SHOTS

The Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers are looking for toughness, and the Oilers are also pursuing holdout Pittsburgh center Bryan Smolinski. Edmonton offered defenseman Jeff Norton and winger Miroslav Satan. . . . A rumor that won’t die but should: The Detroit Red Wings will send Sergei Fedorov to New Jersey for Scott Stevens. Fedorov is worth more than Stevens, who has shoulder problems and is more than five years older.

Defenseman Paul Coffey supposedly told the Hartford Whalers thanks, but no thanks, and asked to be traded. That explains why they acquired defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn for Andrei Nikolishin. . . . No wonder fans are staying away from Boston’s FleetCenter in droves--the Bruins are playing like a bunch of lifeless retreads. General Manager Harry Sinden moaned after losing to the Rangers that their payroll was $40 million and his was only $16 million. That only proves you get what you pay for.

Flyer goalie Ron Hextall faces a suspension for his rink-length dash to fight Toronto goalie Felix Potvin Sunday. Potvin slashed Flyer forward Daniel Lacroix, prompting Hextall to defend his teammate. . . . John LeClair has seven goals in his last four games. He has scored or set up 10 of the Flyers’ last 12 goals. . . . Winger Glenn Anderson, last of St. Louis, has been working out with the Rangers since his plans to play in Europe fell through. The Rangers won’t sign him before December because he would have to clear waivers.

The line of Eric Daze, Alexei Zhamnov and Tony Amonte has three goals and eight points for the Chicago Blackhawks in two games. . . . The New Jersey Devils, who only two years ago got a bunch of concessions to keep them from leaving the Meadowlands for Nashville, now are saying they need a new building. They can’t fill the one they have, and no arena will draw fans to watch their boring style.

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Not-So-Secure Feeling

Want a job with security? Don’t become an NHL coach. Eight resigned or were fired last season, and the coach who has the longest tenure with his current team--Tampa Bay’s Terry Crisp--is far from guaranteed finishing the season. Here is the job status of 10 coaches who started last season with their teams:

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Coach Team Date Hired Terry Crisp Tampa Bay April 23, 1992 Scotty Bowman Detroit June 15, 1993 Ed Johnston Pittsburgh June 22, 1993 Jacques Lemaire New Jersey June 28, 1993 Ron Wilson Mighty Ducks June 30, 1993 Jim Schoenfeld Washington Jan. 27, 1994 Terry Murray Philadelphia June 23, 1994 Marc Crawford Colorado July 6, 1994 Mike Keenan St. Louis July 18, 1994 Colin Campbell N.Y. Rangers Aug. 9, 1994

Coach Chances of finishing season Terry Crisp Not good Scotty Bowman Excellent Ed Johnston Good Jacques Lemaire Good Ron Wilson So-so Jim Schoenfeld Good Terry Murray Bad Marc Crawford Excellent Mike Keenan Good Colin Campbell Good

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