NHL Notes : Kocur Incurs Wrath on and Off Ice

Joe Kocur must be jealous of all the publicity teammates Bob Probert and Petr Klima have generated while contributing so little to the Detroit Red Wings’ first-place status in the Norris Division.

Kocur, another of the ring of seven that partied in Edmonton before that climactic May playoff game against the Oilers, has been making headlines recently. They are hardly the result of his statistics -- no goals, no assists, minus-10 and 67 penalty minutes -- that might make an unfamiliar observer of the NHL wonder why Kocur is playing at all.

Kocur’s role, of course, is to keep skilled opponents from playing up to their potential and also to prevent the opposition from pursuing the same tactics on the Red Wings’ talented performers, such as Steve Yzerman.

So when Yzerman clubbed Winnipeg’s Jim Kyte with a high stick Friday and was ejected, Kocur quickly took it upon himself to convince Kyte to keep his head away from Yzerman’s stick, scoring a knockout in the process.

Some of Kocur’s other recent altercations apparently have not been so decisive. Kim Cavanaugh of Boston has charged Kocur with assault and battery after he allegedly broke her nose a week ago when he objected to her attempt to drive him back to his hotel at 2:45 a.m., following a session in a bar after a game against the Bruins.

On Aug. 23, in another pending court case, a woman in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills charged Kocur with assault after he allegedly struck her in the arm during an argument outside a bar.

Kocur and the club declined to comment on the off-ice incidents. Kocur’s attorney, Al Addis, told the Detroit Free Press that Kocur would plead not guilty in both cases.

After the August incident, Addis referred to Kocur’s fistic prowess in asserting his innocence: “You’ve seen Joey hit people. When he hits somebody, they stay hit.”

That quote isn’t nearly so strange as what Kyte had to say after he woke up Friday night.

“I’m kind of glad it happened,” Kyte said. “I always wondered what it would be like to be knocked out. Now I can put it behind me. There’s a lot of pressure when they say you are undefeated. Now I know how Donnie Lalonde felt.”

Although the Los Angeles Kings are fighting for the Smythe Division lead, there are signs that a fragile relationship exists between the players and Coach Robbie Ftorek.

In Detroit last week, after Wayne Gretzky shattered his stick on the crossbar in disgust at being victimized for a goal by Steve Yzerman, he was lectured by Ftorek and then benched for the first 7:50 of the third period. Gretzky, who had five points at the time, finally was sent back on the ice as a penalty killer.

Afterward, Gretzky seemed unnaturally subdued, but did not mention the incident, which was brought to the media’s attention by teammate Bernie Nicholls.

Ftorek insists that Gretzky is “just one member of the team. We’ve got 20 players and Wayne is one of them.”

Still, Ftorek may have had second thoughts. On Saturday in Calgary, Gretzky was on the ice 31 1/2 minutes, his longest stretch as a King.

NHL Notes

It is easy to see why Scotty Bowman, most successful coach in NHL history, was a flop as a general manager. Asked to comment about the ridiculous rumor that had Washington sending Geoff Courtnall, Kevin Hatcher and Bengt Gustafsson to Philadelphia for Mark Howe, Murray Craven and a third-round draft pick, Bowman pondered it for a moment and said, “I don’t think Philadelphia would want to trade Howe.” ... The hockey season is a long one and it is difficult to keep morale at a high level for long. Toronto veteran Brad Marsh called a team meeting after a 9-1 loss in Edmonton and the Maple Leafs responded with two victories before dozing again. Asked about it, Marsh said, “You can’t say anything players haven’t heard before. But it was good to be together, have a few beers and talk. When things are going bad, you don’t want five guys in one restaurant, four in another, three here. You want to be together.” ... More on the subject of togetherness from Prism commentator Bill Clement, after a fight-filled game between New Jersey and Philadelphia: “You can say what you want about fighting, but there is one positive aspect. It brings a team together. The way the Flyers helped each other out promotes togetherness.” Of course, it also fosters the drawn-out, tag-team-type wrestling matches that the league is trying to eliminate. . . . Even retired officials cannot escape the threat of injury. Hall of Fame linesman Matt Pavelich, now a supervisor, fell and fractured the middle finger on his right hand while climbing to the press box for a radio interview in Minnesota. “I had to cancel out and they wouldn’t even give me the gift,” Pavelich said. “But it turned out to be a shaver and I can’t shave myself now anyway.” ... Montreal’s Mats Naslund scored his 200th NHL goal Saturday against Edmonton. The all-time leader among Swedes in the NHL is Kent Nilsson with 263. ... Detroit goalie Glen Hanlon’s comment after Sunday’s 4-3 loss to Washington, his first of the season following four victories and four ties: “I’m glad the streak is over. The media pressure was getting to me. Now I know how Paul Molitor felt during his batting streak.”