Legace Is an Up-and-Comer

Manny Legace had just checked in at a Chicago hotel after a long weekend in Winnipeg, Canada, when his coach, John Van Boxmeer, called.

“He told me I was going up,” Legace said.

Up, in this case, meant from Long Beach of the International Hockey League to the Kings, for whom Legace will start in goal tonight at Florida.

“I kinda figured that I was coming up to be the backup,” he said. “I didn’t know both goalies had gotten hurt.”

Stephane Fiset, the King starter, and backup Jamie Storr suffered groin injuries in the third period of a 5-5 tie Sunday night against Colorado at the Forum. Fiset is along on this five-games-in-eight-days trip, but his support tonight largely will be moral. Alexey Volkov, an 18-year-old who was drafted in June, also was called up, from Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, to serve as Legace’s backup.

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Losing two goalies in a game is not a first for the Kings.

On Jan. 22, 1995, in a game at the Forum against Edmonton, Robb Stauber broke his right ring finger and turned the chores over to Kelly Hrudey, the usual starting goalie. Hrudey finished the game, but suffered a bruised kneecap. An 18-year-old kid was called up from Owen Sound of the Ontario Hockey League to play five games. That was Storr’s introduction to the NHL, and he lost his first two games, giving up three goals in each, before beating Winnipeg, 4-2, on Jan. 28.

TONIGHT at Florida

4:30 PDT, Fox Sports West

Site--National Car Rental Center.

Radio--KRLA (1110).

Records--Kings 2-1-1, Panthers 2-0-1.

Record vs. Panthers (1997-98)--1-0-1.

Update--The King defense had turned in three strong games before Sunday’s 5-5 tie with Colorado and needs to rally around Legace for the team to be successful. That’s particularly true when the Florida line of Viktor Kozlov and rookies Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish is on the ice. That line has scored five of the Panthers’ seven goals.