KINGS NOTES...
By Gann Matsuda
8.31.99 Roger Phillips is reporting in today's LONG BEACH PRESS-TELEGRAM that the Los Angeles Kings have reached what appears to be a tentative agreement with holdout defenseman Aki Berg. Check out his article at: http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ Jim Hodges has a feature article on Ziggy Palffy in today's LOS ANGELES TIMES: http://sports.latimes.com/news/19990831/hko/los/19990831fhaxpxgy.html8.30.99 On Monday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that center Eric Belanger, a minor league prospect, who has been suffering from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which caused a blood clot to develop in his right arm, underwent successful surgery today. Dr. Fred Weaver, Chief of Vascular Surgery at USC University Hospital, performed surgery to remove Belanger's first rib on his right side. Following the surgery, Belanger will be cared for by Kings' internist, Dr. Michael Mellman. Belanger is expected to be able to return to hockey, but no specific timetable has been set. According to a Kings' press release, how long it takes Belanger to return to hockey will be dictated by his response to the surgery and to rehabilitation work over the next month. Belanger, 22, played in just 22 games last season at Springfield of the AHL, scoring 8 goals and 18 assists for 26 points. He was selected by the Kings in the fourth round of the 1996 NHL draft (96th selection overall). 
8.26.99 On Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings announced the signing of four players, defensemen Jan Nemecek, Jaroslav Modry, and David MacIsaac, and right wing Scott Thomas. Financial terms were not announced. Nemecek and Modry both made brief appearances with the Kings last season, showing marked improvement from their previous appearances. Both spent most of last season at Long Beach of the IHL. "Jaroslav and Jan were called up last season when we had injuries in our defensive corps and they showed that they could play in the NHL," Kings' Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor said. MacIsaac, 27, appeared in 47 games last season for the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL, scoring 6 goals and 15 assists for 21 points while racking up 98 penalty minutes. MacIsaac played three seasons at the University of Maine before moving to the Milwaukee Admirals of the IHL in 1994-95 where he scored 7 goals and 21 assists for 28 points. He also had 241 penalty minutes. Thomas, 29, played for the Manitoba Moose of the IHL last season. He scored 45 goals and 25 assists for 70 points in 78 games. He was selected in the second round of the 1989 draft by Buffalo and played in 39 games for the Sabres from 1992-94, scoring 3 goals and adding 3 assists. I would assume that next season, MacIssac and Thomas will be playing for the Lowell Lockmonsters (Kings' AHL affiliate) and Modry and Nemecek will be back at Long Beach. In other news... If you haven't already checked it out and are interested in how to get to the Staples Center, where to park and how much it will cost ($12.00!!), point your web browser to: http://www.staplescenterla.com/mapping/index.html And if you want to avoid the traffic and parking hassles and are interested in taking public transportation to the Staples Center, the Metropolitan Transit Agency's web site has all the information you need on bus routes, their rail lines, schedules and fares: http://www.mta.net 8.23.99 On Monday, the Los Angeles Kings announced their complete 1999 pre-season schedule, which includes eight games, two of which will be at the Great Western Forum. The Kings' September 20 game against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim will be their final game at the Great Western Forum. No details regarding any fesitivities that the Kings may have as part of the September 20 game were released. Here's the complete pre-season schedule: Day Date Opponent City Venue Time ===================================================================== Sat. Sept. 11 Phoenix Las Vegas MGM Grand 7:30 p.m. Tues. Sept. 14 Colorado Los Angeles GWF 7:30 p.m. Fri. Sept. 17 Anaheim Anaheim Arrowhead Pond 7:30p.m. Sat. Sept. 18 Phoenix Phoenix America West Arena 2:00 p.m. Mon. Sept. 20 Anaheim Los Angeles GWF 7:30 p.m. Wed. Sept. 22 San Jose Oakland Arena in Oakland 7:30 p.m. Fri. Sept. 24 Colorado Denver McNichols Arena 6:00 p.m. Sat. Sept. 25 San Jose Bakersfield Centennial Garden 7:30 p.m. The September 11 game against Phoenix and the September 14 game against Colorado will be televised on Fox Sports West. 8.19.99 On Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings, the Staples Center and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles announced that Kings' defenseman and team captain Rob Blake, who has purchased a luxury suite at the Staples Center, will formally donate the suite to the United Way at a ceremony on Sunday morning at the Staples Center construction site. The suite will be used to give needy children the chance to attend Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers games and other Staples Center events free of charge. In other news... On Thursday, the Kings announced their television broadcast schedule for the 1999-2000 season. In all, 70 regular season and two pre-season games will be televised. Fox Sports Net West and Fox Sports Net West 2 will carry the bulk of the games for the Los Angeles area with 65 regular season games plus the two pre-season games. The Kings will appear nationally twice each on ESPN and ABC. ESPN2 will carry the Kings on their regional broadcasts 11 times this season (all of these games will be televised in the Los Angeles area by Fox Sports West/West 2). The Kings will make one appearance on CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada" in late January at Toronto. Los Angeles Kings 1999-2000 Schedule ==================================== ALL TIMES PACIFIC HOME GAMES IN CAPITAL LETTERS Television Outlet Legend ======================== CBC = Canadian Broadcasting Company FSW = Fox Sports Net West FSW2 = Fox Sports Net West 2 SUMMARY (regular season) ======================== ABC: 2 games CBC: 1 game ESPN: 2 games ESPN2: 11 games (all 11 also televised on FSW) FSW/FSW2: 65 games ----------------------------------------------------- Total: 70 regular season games televised September (Pre-Season) ====================== DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME TV --------------------------------------------------------- Sat 9/11/99 Phoenix 7:30 PM FSW (at Las Vegas) Tue 9/14/99 Colorado 7:30 PM FSW October (8 away, 5 home) ======================== DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME TV --------------------------------------------------------- Sat 10/2/99 at Nashville 5:00 PM Mon 10/4/99 at St. Louis 5:00 PM FSW Wed 10/6/99 at Florida 4:30 PM FSW/ESPN2 Thu 10/7/99 at Tampa Bay 4:30 PM FSW Sat 10/9/99 at Washington 4:00 PM FSW Fri 10/15/99 at Calgary 6:00 PM FSW Sat 10/16/99 at Edmonton 5:00 PM Wed 10/20/99 BOSTON 7:30 PM FSW/ESPN2 Fri 10/22/99 PHOENIX 7:30 PM FSW2 Sun 10/24/99 SAN JOSE 6:30 PM FSW Tue 10/26/99 WASHINGTON 7:30 PM FSW Thu 10/28/99 PITTSBURGH 7:30 PM FSW/ESPN2 Sat 10/30/99 at Chicago 5:00 PM PST November (5 away, 7 home) ========================= DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME TV --------------------------------------------------------- Tue 11/2/99 at Pittsburgh 5:00 PM PDT ESPN Wed 11/3/99 at Detroit 4:30 PM Sat 11/6/99 PHILADELPHIA 7:30 PM FSW Tue 11/9/99 EDMONTON 7:30 PM FSW Thu 11/11/99 COLORADO 7:30 PM FSW Sun 11/14/99 at Phoenix 5:00 PM Tue 11/16/99 CHICAGO 7:30 PM FSW Thu 11/18/99 PHOENIX 7:30 PM FSW Sat 11/20/99 MONTREAL 5:00 PM FSW Tue 11/23/99 at Colorado 6:00 PM FSW/ESPN2 Wed 11/24/99 at Dallas 5:30 PM Sat 11/27/99 SAN JOSE 12:30 PM FSW December (7 away, 5 home) ========================= DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME TV --------------------------------------------------------- Fri 12/3/99 at Anaheim 7:30 PM Sat 12/4/99 TAMPA BAY 8:00 PM FSW Wed 12/8/99 ATLANTA 7:30 PM FSW Fri 12/10/99 at Detroit 4:30 PM FSW Sat 12/11/99 at Montreal 4:30 PM FSW Tue 12/14/99 at New Jersey 4:30 PM FSW2 Wed 12/15/99 at NY Rangers 4:00 PM FSW/ESPN2 Sat 12/18/99 CHICAGO 7:30 PM FSW Wed 12/22/99 at San Jose 7:30 PM FSW Sun 12/26/99 PHOENIX 7:30 PM FSW Wed 12/29/99 at Colorado 6:00 PM Thu 12/30/99 EDMONTON 7:30 PM FSW January (6 away, 7 home) ======================== DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME TV --------------------------------------------------------- Mon 1/3/2000 at Dallas 5:30 PM FSW Tue 1/4/00 at St Louis 5:00 PM FSW Thu 1/6/00 FLORIDA 7:30 PM FSW Tue 1/11/00 OTTAWA 7:30 PM FSW Thu 1/13/00 ST. LOUIS 7:30 PM FSW Sat 1/15/00 at San Jose 7:30 PM FSW Tue 1/18/00 BUFFALO 7:30 PM FSW Thu 1/20/00 DALLAS 7:00 PM FSW/ESPN2 Sun 1/23/00 COLORADO 12:30 PM FSW Wed 1/26/00 at Dallas 5:30 PM Thu 1/27/00 at Nashville 5:00 PM Sat 1/29/00 at Toronto 4:00 PM CBC Mon 1/31/00 NY ISLANDERS 7:30 PM FSW February (8 away, 5 home) ========================= DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME TV --------------------------------------------------------- Thu 2/3/00 DETROIT 7:30 PM FSW Tue 2/8/00 ANAHEIM 7:30 PM FSW Wed 2/9/00 at Phoenix 6:00 PM Fri 2/11/00 DALLAS 6:30 PM FSW Mon 2/14/00 CALGARY 7:30 PM FSW Wed 2/16/00 at Chicago 5:30 PM FSW Fri 2/18/00 at Detroit 4:30 PM FSW Sat 2/19/00 at Buffalo 4:00 PM FSW Mon 2/21/00 at Edmonton 6:00 PM FSW Wed 2/23/00 at Calgary 6:00 PM FSW Fri 2/25/00 at Vancouver 7:00 PM FSW2 Sat 2/26/00 at San Jose 7:00 PM FSW/ESPN2 Tue 2/29/00 VANCOUVER 7:30 PM FSW March (4 away, 10 home) ======================= DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME TV --------------------------------------------------------- Thu 3/2/00 CAROLINA 7:30 PM FSW Sat 3/4/00 NASHVILLE 7:30 PM FSW Tue 3/7/00 DETROIT 7:30 PM FSW Thu 3/9/00 NY RANGERS 7:30 PM FSW Sat 3/11/00 CALGARY 7:30 PM FSW Mon 3/13/00 VANCOUVER 7:30 PM FSW Wed 3/15/00 at Anaheim 7:30 PM Fri 3/17/00 ST. LOUIS 5:30 PM ESPN Sun 3/19/00 NASHVILLE 5:00 PM FSW Tue 3/21/00 ANAHEIM 7:30 PM FSW/ESPN2 Thu 3/23/00 at Philadelphia 4:00 PM FSW/ESPN2 Sat 3/25/00 at Boston 10:30 AM PDT FSW Sun 3/26/00 at Atlanta 4:00 PM PST FSW Wed 3/29/00 SAN JOSE 7:00 PM FSW/ESPN2 April (3 away, 2 home) ====================== DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME TV --------------------------------------------------------- Sat 4/1/00 ANAHEIM 3:00 PM ABC Mon 4/3/00 at Phoenix 7:30 PM FSW/ESPN2 Wed 4/5/00 at Vancouver 7:00 PM FSW Fri 4/7/00 DALLAS 7:30 PM FSW Sun 4/9/00 at Anaheim 12:00 PM ABC 8.12.99 One of the biggest, but not-too-frequently talked about concerns about the new Staples Center is traffic. How are fans going to get there without running into traffic jams that, even for Los Angeles standards, will be unbelievable? As for me, living on the Westside, I've decided to park-and-ride from El Segundo and take the MTA Green Line. I'll then transfer to the Blue Line, which has a station one block from the Staples Center. That will beat driving and getting stuck in traffic! Thursday's LOS ANGELES TIMES has a very interesting article on the Staples Center and the traffic situation and what CalTrans, city officials and Staples Center planners are doing to alleviate traffic problems. You can read it online at: http://sports.latimes.com/news/19990812/lat/000071846.html 8.6.99 More from the "no rush necessary to report" file... Earlier this week, unrestricted free agent and former Los Angeles Kings' defenseman Doug Bodger was signed by the Vancouver Canucks. "Doug is a solid player at the NHL level and he will add veteran leadership and depth to our defense," Canucks' President and General Manager Brian Burke said. On Friday, the Kings announced that they have signed goalie Stephane Fiset to a one-year contract. Terms were not disclosed by the Kings, but given the fact that Fiset won an salary arbitration hearing on Thursday, Fiset was signed to the $2.1 million figure that the arbitrator specified in the ruling. In 42 games with the Kings last season, Fiset was 18-21-1, earning a 2.60 GAA with three shutouts. He also missed 23 games due to groin injuries. "We are looking forward to Stephane Fiset having a healthy and productive season for us this year," Kings' Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor said. , and on Oct. 28 at New Jersey, Fiset shared a shutout with Manny Legace in what was only the second shared shutout in Kings history (Mario Lessard and Doug Keans on Feb. 20, 1980, 3-0 win vs. Boston). Acquired by the Kings from Colorado with a first-round pick in 1998 (Mathieu Biron) for Eric Lacroix and a first-round pick in 1998 (Martin Skoula) on June 20, 1996, Fiset in 146 games as a King has a 57-70-14 record and a 2.82 goals-against-average. In 334 NHL games with the Kings and Colorado, he has a 141-137-36 record, a 3.10 goals-against-average and 15 shutouts. The Kings have also announced that they will begin training camp on September 5 at Iceoplex in North Hills. There was no word, however, if that day will be devoted to physical examinations and meetings or if the players will actually be on the ice. 8.3.99 From the "no need to hurry and report this stuff" file... The Los Angeles Kings signed left wing Vladimir Tsyplakov to a new contract last week. Terms were not disclosed. Unrestricted free agent center Ray Ferraro, who was not signed by the Kings, signed a two-year deal with the Atlanta Thrashers. Ferraro talked about how he has recovered from knee injuries by using the workout program that helped Luc Robitaille improve his conditioning. "I can do things now that I couldn't do three years ago with my knees," Ferraro said. "I'm heavier and stronger. They really don't know what player they're getting. I can do a lot more than I did in the past. I feel confident that I can put up some good numbers." Ferraro also talked about when he decided that he wanted to play at least one more season. "The last twenty-five games [of last season] was the only point in the season I was really healthy. I played well and I realized that I still really enjoyed playing the game. After I took off my skates for the final game of the season, I knew one hundred percent that I was not done playing." Ferraro also discussed how he was limited by the Kings' system last season and what he expects to be able to do in Atlanta. "I had thirteen goals last year, playing in a situation that could best be described as being shackled," Ferraro said. "Ask any of our forwards and they'll say that. I don't know what system [Thrashers' head coach] Curt [Fraser] is going to use, but everything I read about Curt is, he wants pressure and offense." "Being healthier, I think I can get into position to score," Ferraro added. "I'd love to score 20 to 25 goals. I'd love to do that and I'd be disappointed if I don't." "As long as I can get myself in position, I have always been able to score," Ferraro said. "I've never been described as being patient. But as you get more mature, you realize patience in a situation like this is important and that you should not get frustrated if things do not go right out of the gate." link to last month's (Jul '99) notes
