In a 9-8 Game, Goalie Is MVP : NHL All-Star game: Richter stands out, thwarting three Bure breakaways. East rallies to beat West.

NEW YORK —  Stopping 19 of the 21 shots in Saturday’s NHL All-Star game was easy for New York Ranger goaltender Mike Richter. His real challenge will be finding a parking space near his Manhattan apartment for a new truck, awarded him for being voted the most valuable player in the Eastern Conference’s 9-8 victory over the West, played before a sellout crowd of 18,200 at Madison Square Garden.

“I have a car and I can’t park it near my place, so I park it in a different area,” said Richter, whose spectacular second-period performance included saves on three breakaways by Pavel Bure. “How much will they charge to park this? Probably too much. I don’t know. I never won one before.”

Richter’s effort kept the game close enough for the East to rally in the third period on goals by Pittsburgh right wing Joe Mullen--who grew up about 15 blocks north of the Garden--Quebec’s Joe Sakic, former King Bob Kudelski and Ottawa rookie Alexei Yashin.

“I had 10 chances on him, for sure,” said Bure, the Vancouver Canucks’ right wing. “I think I would need another 10 to score on him.”

Kudelski victimized St. Louis goalie Curtis Joseph and tied the score, 8-8, with 6:01 to play by converting a centering pass from Mark Messier. Yashin scored the decisive goal with 3:42 left, when he beat Joseph with a wrist shot from close range.

“It was better than I ever dreamed,” said Kudelski, who was traded from Ottawa to Florida after being added to the East team. “I figured it would be a high-scoring game, with all the talent we have, but it was competitive all the way to the end. Certainly a lot more competitive than last year.”

The 16-6 debacle in 1993 spurred cries for change and led to the introduction of a $5,000 prize for each member of the winning team.

“Money’s money, but you go out there and get in the game and you just want to win. It’s like when you were a kid and the adrenaline takes over,” said Ranger forward Adam Graves, who had two assists, as did the Kings’ Wayne Gretzky, tying Gordie Howe at 19 for the all-time lead. “You don’t think about things like money in a situation like this.”

Said Barry Melrose of the Kings, the West Conference coach: “The players have a lot of pride and they came committed to playing harder. You can still have fun, still show their talents and skills, which they did tonight.”

There was little checking--the hardest hit was an accidental collision between Flyer teammates Eric Lindros and Mark Recchi in the first period--but the goalies’ acrobatics and the passing of Bure and Sergei Fedorov entertained the crowd and the players.

“It was a joy to just watch those two,” said King defenseman Rob Blake, a first-time all-star. “That’s why the All-Star game is so exciting. You just learn so much from watching these guys.”

The emotional level and rapid-fire scoring delighted NHL officials. The teams alternated goals through the first period, which ended with the West ahead, 4-3.

San Jose defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh gave the West a 6-4 lead at 14:39 of the second period, but the East replied at 15:05, after goalie Arturs Irbe lost his footing while leaving the net to clear the puck and left Messier an open net. The teams alternated goals again into the third period, until Sakic, Kudelski and Yashin scored consecutive goals in a span of 5:37.

“It wasn’t too bad a score, I guess,” Joseph said. “I was just trying to get out of there with my skin with those guys.”

Brian Burke, the NHL senior vice president who had implored both teams to avoid another rout, said Saturday’s result was close to ideal.

“I thought it was outstanding,” he said. “I don’t think it was my appeal to anybody that did it, and I don’t think it’s the money. I don’t think that when they drop the puck, too many players would think of the money.”

Said Melrose: “There were good saves, great plays, close calls, a little bit of bumping. I thought from the league’s point of view, it’s starting to go in the direction they want to go.”