Columnist Ron Kantowski: Demitra gives up the puck — and $500,000

Thursday, April 22, 1999 | 11:24 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's notes column appears Tuesday and Thursday. Reach him at ron @lasvegassun.com or 259-4088.

During his brief 22-game stint with the soon-to-be-defunct Las Vegas Thunder in 1996-97, before he was traded to Grand Rapids for some journeyman defenseman and a skate sharpener, Thunder officials questioned Pavol Demitra's commitment.

Whatever.

What can't be disputed after an incident that occurred in the closing seconds of the St. Louis Blues' 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in last Sunday's NHL regular-season finale is his selflessness as a hockey player.

Demitra had a clear shot at an empty net after the Kings had pulled their goalie for a sixth attacker, but instead chose to headman the puck to teammate Scott Young. But Young's shot bounced off a Kings defenseman.

Had Demitra potted the goal himself, it would have been worth $500,000. It would have been his 90th point, triggering a clause in his contract.

So why would Demitra pass up an easy half-million dollars?

Because had Young converted, it would have been his 25th goal -- and worth an extra $300,000 bonus according to a stipulation in his contract.

"That's the most unselfish thing I've ever seen," Blues defenseman Jamie Rivers told the Associated Press. "That's why (Pavol's) the ultimate team player."

It should be noted that had Young put the puck in the empty net, both players would have earned their bonus. Demitra would have been awarded an assist, giving him the 90 points he needed.

"I don't know what kind of angle he had, but he gave it to me and if I put it in, we both hit," Young said.

Demitra, who led the Blues with 37 goals this season, said his angle was good but that he passed the puck ahead because Scott "needed a goal."

There is speculation that the Blues still might pay the bonuses, given the unusual circumstances.

* STARTING FIFE: "It's embarrassing to even talk about it."

That was the reaction of basketball great Jerry West, upon learning that Morgantown, W.Va., home of West Virginia University, where he played his college ball, was considering naming a road after him.

But it also could have been his response upon learning that the effort didn't get started until city officials had voted to do the same for actor Don Knotts, a Morgantown native who played bumbling deputy Barney Fife in the "Andy Griffith Show."

West's legacy already is commemorated in the official NBA logo, which incorporates a silhouette of West dribbling the basketball.

Conversely, neither the Berry Farm in California nor the fuzzy, purple dinosaur known as Barney were named for Knotts.

* PETTY CRIME: Stock car legend Richard Petty gave HBO exactly what it was looking for when he referred to African-Americans as "colored folks" during a segment on the lack of African-American participation in NASCAR during Tuesday's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel."

Petty opened himself to further abuse when he said part of the reason that driver Willy T. Ribbs, who is black, could not find a Winston Cup ride was because when Ribbs made a brief foray into NASCAR several years ago, he got into "trouble with the law."

Ribbs did receive a $27 ticket for driving the wrong way down a one-way street. What Petty neglected to mention is that he, Petty, received a much larger fine after trading paint with another motorist on an interstate highway.

HBO made some valid points, but its report never got to the heart of the matter -- what can be done to encourage more minority participation in NASCAR.

It should have talked to former NBA all-star Brad Daugherty, who co-owns a NASCAR Craftsman Truck team, or gotten more than a sound bite from ex-NFL stalwart Joe Washington, who co-owns a Busch Grand National team along with NBA Hall-of-Famer Julius Erving. Or HBO could have solicited input from Felix Sabates, a Cuban immigrant and one of NASCAR's most popular car owners.

And it was remiss in not noting that Ribbs was more than welcome in other forms of racing, such as the CART open-wheel series, where he was a regular competitor in the early 1990s (with sponsorship help from Bill Cosby).

In fact, when Ribbs became the first African-American to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1991, crew members from other teams lined up by the dozen along pit road to congratulate him and slap his palm.

He sure as heck wasn't ostracized.

Yes, it's a sad commentary that Real Sports was able to purchase souvenirs at Talladega Superspeedway depicting the Confederate flag. But not all forms of motorsport promote the sentiment that apparently was prevalent at Talladega. And you can't exactly hold NASCAR responsible for the social values of its fans in Alabama.

Lets not forget that Wilbur Jackson didn't break the color barrier for the Alabama football team under Bear Bryant until the early 1970s.

In other words, I don't recall seeing any Rebel flags flapping in the breeze at last month's Las Vegas 400.