Goalies Make Major Moves

This just in from the Minor League Hockey Is a Small World Dept.:

The newest Kings’ goalie, Ryan Bach, came to the team in a trade with Detroit, which farmed him out to Utah of the International Hockey League before the season.

There he faced Long Beach on Oct. 10, losing, 4-2.

The Ice Dogs’ goalie was Manny Legace, who made his second NHL start Friday night for the Kings, backed up by Bach.

And at 11:57 of the second period, he was replaced by Bach after suffering a mild concussion.

Bach was a tired goalie Friday morning when he skated in a pregame practice after arriving in Tampa at 4:30 a.m., four hours later than scheduled because of plane difficulties.

“They told me I didn’t have to be at the morning skate,” he said.

Right, and he’s going to skip his first King practice in only his second trip to the NHL, and he’s going to take it easy on his first day with his new employer.

The first trip came a year ago when he was called up by the Red Wings to be a backup for a game against Toronto.

“This is an opportunity for me,” Bach, 25, said. “The Red Wings have won two Stanley Cups in a row and have a set lineup. This is a point in my life in which I have to do something.”

King goalie Stephane Fiset, out because of a groin strain, didn’t want to talk about his injury Friday, but he faced some shots in a morning practice. Trainer Peter Demers said Fiset probably wouldn’t play Sunday at Greensboro, N.C., against the Hurricanes.

During the recent goaltender crunch, the Kings have been using Harris Peet, a practice goalie who is a locker-room attendant and a stand-up comedian who has appeared in Los Angeles clubs and Las Vegas hotels. Peet welcomed Bach, saying that three consecutive days of playing goal in practice was enough for a while.

Defenseman Garry Galley was scratched from Friday’s game, defining his spot in the pecking order. There are seven King defensemen, and he has been scratched five times in six games. The other time, Wednesday at Florida, there were only six uninjured defensemen and Galley played instead of Steve Duchesne.