There were rumors of a consumer fraud investigation after NBC-TV purported to show its expansive audience Sunday afternoon something it may not have seen in some years-the game of hockey.
The grit, grace and grab that is hockey and what transpired in the 41st NHL All-Star Game in Pittsburgh`s Civic Arena have as much in common as Donald Trump and Mother Teresa.
The Penguin fans among a sellout crowd of 16,236 had no quarrel with the record-setting number of goals scored as the Wales Conference, 12-7 winners, made the Campbell Conference look at times like a pickup team from a soup company.
The local loyalists were more than satisfied to see Pittsburgh`s Mario Lemieux score four goals. That equaled the All-Star record performance for most goals in a game set by Wayne Gretzky in the 1983 edition.
More amazing than Lemieux`s goals was the fact of the 45 points racked up in this offensive display, not one went to Gretzky, an unusually quiet presence on the Campbell side.
”Get that on a highlight film,” joked Luc Robitaille, a Gretzky teammate on the Los Angeles Kings and a two-goal scorer in this game. ”You`ll never see that again.”
Gretzky remains the King, but this day Lemieux ruled his roost.
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”They rallied around Mario here today and he had his day,” Gretzky said. ”The same as I did last year playing the All-Star game in Edmonton.
”That`s what it`s all about. He should be pumped up playing in his own back yard. It`s what people came out to see.”
Calgary goalie Mike Vernon gave up seven goals in the first period, the most any team had scored in one All-Star period, including three by Lemieux.
”He was a man on a mission,” Vernon said.
Lemieux won a car for being named MVP of the game, but he mentioned Vernon told him when they shook hands afterward ”that maybe you should give the car to me.` ”
Lemieux`s first goal just 21 seconds after the start was a wraparound after he skated out from behind the net. Lemieux used his long reach ”to take advantage of Vernon`s small size.”
His second goal was a simple between-the-legs shot from the circle and his hat dance began when Lemieux split the defense on a rush at the net and used his strength to push the puck in the net as he fell to the ice.
”I know in this game the defenseman are going to play the puck rather than check, so I took advantage of that on that play,” Lemieux said.
There`s no argument Lemieux is a great player, but all Sunday proved was that he`s even more dangerous when you can`t pound at him with body checks.
Terry Crisp, Vernon`s coach in Calgary and the coach of the Campbell team said: ”You can`t blame Vernon for this. Lemieux`s a God-given goal scorer and (the defense) were tic-tac-toeing out there.”
Hawks All-Star defenseman Doug Wilson stressed a lenient defense such as Sunday`s is no way to control Lemieux. ”If I stand him up, for instance, you need to know your winger is back in position to pick him up. You have to have a team system when you play him.
”But offensively, he`s heads and shoulders above other players. This is a bad game for goalies and defensemen, but probably good for TV. In this type of setting, there`s no other game you can show but an offensive one.”
Hawks winger Steve Larmer, in his first All-Star appearance, agreed hockey`s image didn`t suffer from this very untypical hockey game.
”You hear so much about violence and fighting in hockey that a good offensive show is a good selling point,” he said.
”I was scared. It was kind of frightening at times to see all that talent on the ice.”
Montreal coach Pat Burns, who oversaw the Wales team, didn`t mind admitting ”it`s a coach`s nightmare to watch a game like this. But (fans and the TV audience) have to see goals. That`s what you want to see.”
But if you want to watch good hockey, it starts up again Wednesday night at Chicago Stadium when the Buffalo Sabres play the Hawks.
What a national TV audience witnessed Sunday was a sanitized version. If that was all the NHL had to sell day-in, day-out, they would have to give tickets away at the door to draw a crowd.