Just passing through

Tim Graham

Friday, Nov. 8, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

FOR Parris Duffus, it's only a matter of time.

Regardless of who makes the assessment, the Las Vegas Thunder goaltender is ready to take the next step, to fulfill his dream, to play in the National Hockey League.

"I'm not the kind of person who worries about not being there," said Duffus, who was assigned to the Thunder through its agreement with the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes, although he has yet to play at that level. "I work hard, and I'm going to someday play in the National Hockey League.

"And when I get there, I'll do well. There's no doubt in my mind about that."

When speaking with the easy-going Duffus -- after getting over the fact that his drink of choice is a concoction of Diet Pepsi and lemonade -- it's easy to pick up on his confidence. He gushes it, and he certainly has earned the right to do so.

"Parris is a guy who's getting better all the time," Coyotes executive vice president of hockey operations Bobby Smith says. "Goaltending largely is a confidence thing and you gotta believe in yourself. It's a good part mental. He's feeling very good about his ability and that's important."

With the Thunder this season, the 26-year-old Duffus leads the International Hockey League in victories at 10-3-1. He has a 2.41 goals-against average and already has two shutouts, leading him to flatly state "This will be my best season."

"With Parris, it's only a matter of time before he gets his shot at the NHL," says Thunder head coach Chris McSorley, who has seen Duffus receive worshipping bows routinely from the fans.

But it wasn't always so promising for the self-proclaimed "extremist," who prefers the heavy-metal sounds of Nine Inch Nails and Metallica to pump him up before a game.

A wiry teenager from a Denver family of nine, Duffus was anonymous out of high school.

"I came from a no-hockey place," says Duffus, who couldn't get a tryout in a U.S. junior league and was cut from another in British Columbia before sticking with Saskatchewan for two years.

There, Duffus finally was noticed. He played well enough to earn a scholarship to Cornell, only to play a total of 37 minutes in four games his freshman season. But he was an All-American as a sophomore, and the St. Louis Blues made him the 180th overall selection in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.

But his first Blues training camp wasn't kind. Neither was the second. Nor the third.

"In St. Louis, they didn't give me a sniff," Duffus says. "They would say I was erratic and this and that. That tag's long gone now."

So for three seasons, Duffus toiled in Peoria of the IHL, making a name for himself as a gritty prospect despite uninspiring numbers. In 1992-93, he went 15-15-4 with a 3.96 goals-against average. In 1993-94, he was 19-10-3 with a 4.58 average.

But in 1994-95, the final year of his St. Louis contract, Duffus broke out.

"I got a break (early in 1995)," he says. "I was IHL Player of the Month when we won eight or nine games in a row. That's when I finally put everything together."

Duffus finished that season at 17-7-3 with a 2.69 average.

A free agent with seemingly no opportunities in St. Louis, Duffus received interest from the Winnipeg Jets -- since relocated to Phoenix -- and the Los Angeles Kings. He signed a two-year deal with Winnipeg, worth $275,000 with the big club or $85,000 in the minors because he felt the Jets were his best chance of the three to make an NHL roster.

He was wrong.

Had he stayed with St. Louis, he would have been called up when backup Jon Casey found himself in head coach Mike Keenan's doghouse. Had he signed in Los Angeles, he would have been called up when Kelly Hrudey injured an ankle.

But he wasn't, and instead has been stuck behind No. 1 goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and backups Tim Cheveldae last year and Darcy Wakaluk now.

Duffus missed yet another opportunity last season. He would have gone to the Jets when Khabibulin damaged a knee ligament ... if only Duffus hadn't done the same just days prior.

"I believe everything happens for a reason," he says. "You can't agonize over the past."

Because sooner or later, Duffus believes, something good will happen.

One such instance came this past off-season. Duffus received a surprising offer from New York Islanders head coach Mike Milbury, who was asked to put together the U.S. team for the 1996 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships.

"Parris' story is one you'll never forget," USA Hockey spokesman Darryl Seibel says. "Head coach Ron Wilson (also head coach of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks) had never even heard of him, much less seen him play. It was just the fact that he was an unknown."

The tournament was played in Vienna, Austria, and when Duffus arrived, he picked up a published scouting report.

"I looked under USA, and it read 'No goaltending,'" he says.

Playing against NHL All-Stars such as former Thunder star Curtis Joseph -- the No. 1 goalie in St. Louis when Duffus belonged to the Blues -- and Martin Brodeur, Duffus virtually willed the U.S. to the bronze, its first medal in the tournament since 1962.

He went 5-2-0 with a .948 save percentage and a 2.54 goals-against average.

"Putting a jersey on and going out to play for your country, to play at that level was a real thrill for me," Duffus said. "Not only did we accomplish something that a U.S. team hadn't accomplished in a long time, but I played at a level where people took notice."

He has remained hot since coming to Las Vegas and has continued to draw attention. Smith was in the stands Oct. 29, when Duffus shut out Kansas City 5-0.

"We knew Parris would play well and we're glad he's in Las Vegas on a good team," Smith says. "He's just entering the prime of his career as a goalie, and we look at him as a guy who can help."

In the meantime, Duffus' full attention is on Las Vegas.

"I want to win the Turner Cup, just like everybody else in the organization, and I know if that happens, it's going to be a good summer for me," he says. "This is my team. This is my year to play here."