There may be very few hockey players from the Far East looking to make a name for themselves in North America, but for those who dream of playing on a bigger stage, Japanese goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji is a pioneer and an inspiration. He is the first Japanese-born player to appear in an NHL game. The 24-year-old Fukufuji, recalled by the Los Angeles Kings Friday with Mathieu Garon sidelined with a finger injury, entered Saturday's 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Blues to start the third period in relief of Barry Brust. With St. Louis up 5-4, Fukufuji came in to face five shots and allowed a power play goal to Blues defenseman Dennis Wideman. "I was so nervous," he admitted. "But I was very excited, too." The netminder, drafted by Los Angeles in the eighth round of the 2004 draft, reportedly is only the second Japanese player to be selected by an NHL club. Defenseman Hiroyuki Miura was drafted by Montreal in the 11th round in 1992, but his North American career was limited to eight minor league games in the ECHL. Whether Fukufuji has what it takes to stick around for the long term remains to be seen, but the veteran of three-plus minor league seasons has performed well in his first five AHL games over the last two seasons. With Manchester of the AHL in 2006-07, Fukufuji is 2-0 with a 1.30 goals-against average and .954 save percentage in three games.