Quinn Will Have to Sit Out Season : Canucks and Kings Are Also Fined by Ziegler

NEW YORK â€”  President John Ziegler of the National Hockey League fined the Vancouver Canucks $310,000 and the Los Angeles Kings $130,000 Friday for their actions involving former King Coach Pat Quinn.

Quinn, while coaching the Kings, signed a contract in December to become president and general manager of the Canucks after this season. He also accepted $100,000 from Vancouver.

As a result of that agreement, Quinn was expelled from the NHL Jan. 9 for conflict of interests. The expulsion was continued Friday, and will run until both the Canucks and Kings have completed all 1986-87 regular-season and playoff games, the league said.

The fines were the maximum permissible under NHL bylaws.

King owner Jerry Buss, calling his organization “an innocent bystander,� said that he plans to appeal the decision.

Quinn has been suspended from coaching in the NHL until the start of training camp for the 1990-91 season. He also cannot participate in “any negotiations and/or transactions with any member clubs, players, draft choices, coaches, assistant coaches and-or scouts� until the conclusion of the league’s annual meeting this June.

“Although all parties believed that what they were doing was correct, legal and proper, it is clear that at some point everyone forgot the essential and crucial element of the professional sports business--the integrity of the competition,� Ziegler said in a 21-page opinion.

Quinn, said in a phone interview Friday night from his home in Laguna Hills: “Based on what was read to me, I disagree with the factual findings and the results in total. We fully intend to pursue all legal remedies open to us.

“I acted within what I felt were my rights and under full legal counsel.

“Based on what was stated (in the ruling) there appears to be an error in fact. It was a conclusion reached (by Ziegler).

“The life’s been kind of pulled out from under me, kind of like (Napoleon at) Elba.�

In reviewing the case, Ziegler said that Quinn and the Canucks had reached an “agreement in principle� last Dec. 11 for Quinn to become Vancouver’s president and general manager on June 1.

The agreement was executed Dec. 24, the Kings were informed the next day and Quinn was paid $100,000 by the Canucks Jan. 2. The league did not learn of the deal until Jan. 8, when it was report by the Kings, leading to Ziegler’s expulsion of Quinn.

Among the fines levied against the Canucks was one of $10,000 for each day the Kings were coached by Quinn between the date he reached his “agreement in principle� with the Canucks and the date of his expulsion. The Kings were fined $10,000 for each day they were coached by Quinn after learning of the signing.

Buss, however, maintained that there is no reason the Kings should have been fined and said the club planned to appeal the decision.

“It is the first time, to my knowledge, that an innocent bystander has been fined for actions of others,� Buss said. “I am confident that the fine against the Los Angeles Kings will be dismissed.

Canuck Chairman Frank Griffiths could not be reached at his home in Hawaii.

Meanwhile, the Kings announced that assistant coach Mike Murphy, who has been serving as interim coach, had been hired as head coach.

Murphy, in Montreal, where the Kings will play the Canadiens tonight, called a team meeting to inform the players of the latest developments, although he was not aware of his own situation at the time.

“I don’t think we are too concerned at this point,� Murphy said. “We have a lot of emotion for Coach Quinn. The guys on this team have approached this very professionally. Our careers as players are very brief, we can’t brood. We’ll let what happens, happen.�

In addressing the fundamental issue of the integrity of the competition, Ziegler said: “Can any of us really believe that the NFL would not have been the laughing stock of professional sports had it permitted Super Bowl XXI to go forward with the existing coaches if the Denver coach had, months before, agreed to become the president and general manager of the Giants and had accepted $100,000 in consideration therefor?�

Under Ziegler’s order, $115,000 of the L.A. fine and $250,000 of the Vancouver fine will not be payable until June 11, thus permitting the clubs to apply to Ziegler in writing for a rehearing. However, the Canucks’ application will not be considered unless it has been endorsed by the Kings.

Likewise, Ziegler said, he would consider a written application for a rehearing regarding Quinn’s suspensions, provided it has been endorsed by the Kings before June 10.