McMaster Is Vindicated in Part by Kings’ Play

Sam McMaster’s disappointment is as fresh as the day in April he was told his services were no longer required as general manager of the Kings. But as he watches them now, while they lead the NHL in goals and impress rivals with their tenacity, McMaster can’t help but feel vindicated.

“I’m very proud of the job we all did there,” said McMaster, now a West Coast scout for the Carolina Hurricanes. “The team is on an upward trend and I’m glad they’re doing well.”

McMaster inherited an aging club that had a barren farm system. In a tenure that lasted a month short of three years, he provided the basis for some of the success the Kings are enjoying now.

Goaltender Jamie Storr, the seventh overall draft pick in 1994, would be battling Stephane Fiset for the starting job if Storr hadn’t pulled a groin muscle in training camp, and Matt Johnson, a 1994 second-round pick, is a feared enforcer. Vitali Yachmenev, chosen 59th in 1994, had 19 goals in 1995-96 but slumped to 10 last season before staging a long contract holdout.

Aki Berg, chosen third overall in 1995, began to blossom last season, and second-round pick Donald MacLean is a promising rookie. Pavel Rosa, chosen 50th in 1995, won the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League scoring title last season and Vladimir Tsyplakov, chosen 59th, has had his moments.

Of course, Storr has yet to prove himself and Berg was almost ruined when the Kings rushed him to the NHL two years ago. But both figure prominently in the team’s future. “I like to see all those guys progress and improve, and they are,” McMaster said.

Knowledge of the junior leagues was his strength; his lack of familiarity with NHL players and his indecisiveness were his downfalls and led him to make a series of forgettable deals. Only the trade that brought Ian Laperriere, Ray Ferraro and Mattias Norstrom from New York for Marty McSorley, Jari Kurri and Shane Churla can be rated an unqualified success.

The Kings couldn’t have gotten to this point without him--but they also couldn’t have gotten to this point with him. Dave Taylor saw the urgency of getting rid of Kevin Stevens, a whiner who was never the big scorer McMaster projected him to be; getting Luc Robitaille has helped the Kings’ offense and their attitude. Taylor also acquired a legitimate first-line center in Jozef Stumpel and improved the power play by signing free agent Garry Galley.

McMaster claims to have no second thoughts about his deals or whether he might have turned things around had he been given more time. “The sporting world is an interesting world,” he said. “You get your opportunities and do the best you can and move on. I worked with very good people. There was a stretch where we didn’t have a lot of funds to work with but we were never curtailed from making a trade. . . .

“The Kings have gotten bigger and quicker and that’s something we worked on. Their depth is very much improved too. They’ve gotten themselves a good future. I want nothing but success for them. I feel a little bit a part of their success because it does reflect on the work that we did.”

NOT KEEN ON KEENAN

Years ago, Mike Keenan played in a rock band called Nik and the Nice Guys. From that, we can deduce the following:

* He has been tooting his own horn for a long time.

* He had to be Nik, because he’s no nice guy.

It was difficult to believe much of what he said Thursday, when the Vancouver Canucks introduced him as their new coach--at least the part about how humble he became after being fired by the St. Louis Blues, his last trash-and-burn victims. “I’ve had plenty of time to be retrospective and think about things I’ve done and some things I might have done differently,” he said. “I learned to deal with myself, and that’s a big chore.”

A full-time job, is what that is.

It’s funny to hear Keenan proclaim he’s no longer Iron Mike, because it would be a total and unlikely transformation and because Iron Mike is who the underachieving, undermotivated Canucks need to get them off their fat bank accounts and back into the Western Conference playoff race.

For all his faults--and he has many, including world-class backstabber tendencies--Keenan has a history of prodding players into shape and extracting career years from them. His despot routine wears thin quickly, but he may be an effective short-term remedy for the sorry Canucks.

“I sure hope so,” said Mark Messier, the Canuck captain and the New York Ranger captain when Keenan coached them to the Stanley Cup in 1994. “Mike is an excellent coach, there’s no denying that. I haven’t had a lot of coaches, but don’t ever underestimate his ability to coach behind the bench and in practice and to get the most out of his players. . . . I never had any problem with Mike. I think our relationship and philosophy and everything have been pretty connected, so it’s like we never missed a day.”

Keenan’s three-year deal reportedly may contain an escape clause. Some Canucks will wish they had the same provision.

STRUGGLING SENATORS

After a strong start, the Ottawa Senators are in an 0-5-1 slump. But General Manager Pierre Gauthier isn’t desperate to make a deal.

“This is a tough point in the schedule,” he said. “We knew there were going to be ups and downs. We’ve been playing pretty well: We lost to Philly by one goal twice and Detroit by two, but one was an empty-net goal.

“Trades are overrated. It comes from within, or it should. We like our people. That’s how we basically did it last year.”

Gauthier is also a member of the three-man managerial committee that will select the Canadian Olympic team and has recently been scouting prospective Olympians. The team will be announced Nov. 29.

“A lot of Canadian players are playing well and making things interesting,” Gauthier said. “There’s no list yet because we think everyone should be given every chance to make the team.”

MUST BE THE UNIFORMS

How is it that the Montreal Canadiens are never in a downturn for long? They rank among the NHL’s biggest surprises this season, especially for their solid defensive play.

“They understand if they want to have team success there’s a whole bunch of dirty little jobs that have to get done, and they’re doing them,” rookie Coach Alain Vigneault said.

It helps that goalie Jocelyn Thibault, who was booed last season and thought about asking for a trade, is playing superbly and has a 2.01 goals-against average. “I just do my little job and everything is going well, knock wood,” he said, rapping his knuckles against his forehead. “The guys give me a great effort every time and it makes me look a lot better.”

SLAP SHOTS

The NHL’s three-game suspension of Washington forward Chris Simon for using a racial epithet against Edmonton’s Mike Grier was swift and correct. Simon’s remorse seemed genuine but that didn’t erase his deed. . . . Although interference and obstruction are being called more often, scoring is down about half a goal a game. The good news is that video replays are down by almost 25%, thanks to the league’s directive that on-ice officials should go upstairs only if they have reasonable doubt about the validity of a goal.

The Columbus expansion team’s choice of the name Blue Jackets proves there are too many teams and too few good names left. It’s supposed to be a play on yellow jacket, the buzzing insect, but it will only invite squashed-bug jokes. . . . Ray Whitney has four goals in five games with the Florida Panthers, who claimed him on waivers from Edmonton. . . . Not long ago, the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames were rivals and powerhouses. After their 2-2 tie Saturday, both had eight-game winless streaks.

The Dallas Stars have scored a league-high six short-handed goals despite being the NHL’s least-penalized team. They average 12.9 penalty minutes a game and fewer than four short-handed situations a game. . . . The NHL fined Colorado’s Claude Lemieux and Detroit’s Darren McCarty $1,000 each for fighting after the opening faceoff last Tuesday. . . . Curious that the San Jose Sharks didn’t get a player from Florida for 1993 first-round pick Viktor Kozlov, unless they’re conceding the season.