KINGS NOTES...
By Gann Matsuda
9/30/98 Just a few notes for tonight's game at San Jose... Center Jozef Stumpel, who has sat out all of training camp after the first day due to a sprained ankle, has been practicing in recent days and will see his first action in tonight's game. Forward Olli Jokinen will not be in the lineup tonight after playing in all six pre-season games so far. Center Ian Laperriere, who has been suffering from a groin injury, will return to the lineup tonight. Recently signed goalie Jamie Storr will get the start at San Jose.9/28/98 ESPN/ESPN2 have added some Kings' games to their schedule. Unfortunately, this adds only one more game to the television schedule. Now, 76 games will be televised. 
9/27/98 On Sunday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have sent center Donald MacLean to Springfield of the AHL and goaltender Frederic Chabot to Houston of the IHL. They have also loaned right wing Pavel Rosa to the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the IHL. It will be interesting to hear why Rosa was LOANED to Long Beach as opposed to being assigned. In some ways, I'm a bit disappointed. I would've liked to see Rosa get a chance to play with the big club, at least for a few weeks. He looked like he just might make it. 9/25/98 Various reports on Friday indicate that Los Angeles Kings' goalie Jamie Storr signed a three-year deal worth a shade over $3 million. Storr sounds like his head is in the right place going into camp. "I'd like to prove to the NHL that I can play, be a regular goalie in the league and not just a backup [to Stephane Fiset]," Storr said. "I know I have to do it with hard work and dedication. That's what I'm looking forward to doing." Injury Update... Center Ian Laperriere is suffering from a groin strain, defenseman Jaroslav Modry has thigh and knee bruises and Jason Morgan continues to be hampered by knee tendinitis. None of them will see action tonight when the Kings skate at Phoenix. Center Jozef Stumpel (ankle sprain) is skating, but will not play tonight. Kings' head coach Larry Robinson apparently isn't happy with the performance or effort that center Donald MacLean is showing in training camp. "I don't see him putting forth the effort," Robinson said. "The one thing we ask everybody who puts on a pair of skates is to put forth effort, and his effort is not good enough." "He has a tendency to have ups and downs," Robinson added. "I told him, 'You can't afford to have one good game, one bad game.'" MacLean, who started the 1997-98 season with the Kings, did not dispute Robinson's assessment. "I agree with him," MacLean said. "Last year and in camp this year, I've had trouble with consistency. Ever since I was ankle-high, I've had a consistency problem. It's hard to solve. I'm going to try to put fourteen days of hard work together. I want to be here." He'd better solve it soon. He couldn't possibly have a lot of time left to crack the Kings' lineup. MacLean has a chance to impress the Kings' coaches and scouts at Phoenix tonight, where he will reportedly skate on a line with Glen Murray and Vladimir Tsyplakov. 9/24/98 As reported earlier, the Los Angeles Kings have signed goalie Jamie Storr to a three-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed. "We feel Jamie is one of the top young goaltenders in the National Hockey League, and we're very happy to have him under contract for the next three seasons," Taylor said. "The tandem of Stephane Fiset and Jamie provide us with a solid one-two goalie combination heading into the season." XTRA AM 690 in Southern California is reporting this afternoon that the Los Angeles Kings have signed goaltender Jamie Storr to a three-year contract. There has been no word so far on financial terms. More as I hear it... 9/23/98 On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they will have an open practice and a SuperSkills competition on Sunday, September 27 at the Great Western Forum. The open practice begins at 1:00 PM. Admission is free for season ticket holders. Everyone else must purchase a ticket for the open practice on that day at the Great Western Forum. Tickets are $5.00 with all proceeds benefitting the Kings Care Foundation). Season seat representatives will also be on hand for those interested in purchasing season seats. INDIVIDUAL GAME TICKETS will also go on sale on Sunday at the Great Western Forum box office and all TicketMaster outlets starting at 11:30 AM. The Kings did not specify if random priority numbers would be issued, but I assume they will be. For more information, call the Kings at (888) KINGS-LA (547-4752). Luc Robitaille scored the hat trick and added two assists, Steve Duchesne added three assists and Rob Blake contributed a goal and two assists to lead the Los Angeles Kings to a 8-3 bombing of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in pre-season action at the Great Western Forum on Tuesday night. Robitaille's five-point night gives him eight points (four goals and four assists) in two pre-season games. The Mighty Ducks took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Travis Green in the first period, as the Mighty Ducks outworked a slugging Kings' team. Green gave Anaheim a 2-0 lead on a shorthanded goal at 2:26 on a shot that Kings' goalie Stephane Fiset thought was going wide left, but ticked off his stick and into the net. But after that, it was all Kings, who scored seven unanswered goals, including five in the first period. Robitaille opened the scoring for the Kings at the 7:56 mark with a one-time blast from the right circle for a power play goal. Robitaille scored again at the 10:45 mark. This time, he was one-on-one with an Anaheim defenseman in the high slot. He let go with a low blast from that beat Mighty Ducks' goalie Patrick Lalime low on the glove side--a shot that he really should have made an easy save on. Less than a minute later, Blake scored on a blast from just above the right circle for a power play goal. About five minutes later, Kings' rookie Olli Jokinen was being knocked down in the left circle but got off a not-too-fast wrist shot that beat a very shaky Lalime low on the glove side with no one in front. At 17:34, Moger scored while all alone in front, after four Anaheim players chased after the puck behind their own net (Kings' center Yanic Perreault managed the push the puck in front), leaving the front of the net wide open. Robitaille completed his hat trick at 3:24 of the third period after a good plays by Kings' right wing Pavel Rosa and Jokinen. Rosa worked hard along the right wing boards to push the puck into the right corner where Jokinen was all alone--the Anaheim players thought they were going to clear the zone and they had all moved out of their own zone. Robitaille was standing below the left circle with an Anaheim defenseman in front of the net. Jokinen moved toward the net, drawing the defenseman to him. Jokinen then passed to Robitaille, who was all alone. He moved toward the net, deked, and with Jamie Ram, who replaced Lalime to start the third period, going down, Robitaille easily backhanded the puck into the wide open net. Kings' forward Josh Green added yet another goal at 4:36, on a one-on-one situation in the slot. He simply wristed the puck low, beating Ram on the stick side. Another soft goal, but Ram had just entered the game cold. Rosa scored the prettiest goal of the night at 13:55. On a 3-on-3 rush, Rosa carried the puck into the Anaheim zone from the blue line. He moved down the slot and protected the puck with his body. With the puck on his backhand, he skated in front and got a step on the defenseman covering him. He deked at the left crease and then moved the puck to his forehand. He then wristed the puck high, beating Ram who went down on the backhand deke. BEAUTIFUL goal! Anaheim's Frank Banham also scored at 6:37 of the third period on a 2-man advantage. Kings' head coach Larry Robinson talked about his team's overall play. "I thought our positioning after the first 10 minutes was poor," he said. "We were too fancy with the puck, trying dipsy-doodle moves. Once we started getting the puck deep, we were able to use our size and speed and that made a huge difference." Robinson also talked about the contribution of Duchesne, who has five assists in two pre-season games. "Our power play is going to benefit from Duchesne's presence," Robinson said. "He makes some great plays." Indeed. Duchesne's puck-handling skills are fantastic. He not only has the hands, but the skating and playmaking ability to handle the puck, make good passes and beat players one-on-one. "It's a big difference," Robitaille said about his teammate. "[Duchesne is] one of the few guys who can beat a guy one-on-one. He's strong and his vision is great." "When guys get open, Duchesne is going to find them," Robitaille added. "And with his will to win, he's really going to help us." "We're moving the puck well [on the power play] right now," Robitaille added. "Duchesne moves with the puck so he takes guys with him and sometimes the goalie, too. That helps us." Robinson also had thoughts about Robitaille and his big night...Robinson said he's hoping Luc finds his old scoring touch. "He should get back to the forty-goal mark," Robinson said. "For him to be successful, that's what he's got to do. But I want him to be a more complete hockey player. That's why I'm not saying fifty or sixty." When he told what Robinson had said, Robitaille responded, "I really feel I have to. Last year, things went well early. Then I got injured. I worked hard over the summer. For us to win, I have to produce." Robinson was also happy with the play of Jokinen. "Olli was much more involved tonight," he said. "He made a couple of great plays, especially the pass to Robitaille for Luc's third goal. It was one of the best games he's played so far." "Olli is really playing well," Robitaille said. "He can also beat guys one-on-one. He's having a great camp." But Robinson warns that Jokinen still has some work to do. "He's still not used to the North American style," Robinson said. "He still plays a little loose and still doesn't have it down compared to most of our other players. But he's getting more and more comfortable." Robinson also had thoughts about Rosa. "His game hasn't changed since he first started here," Robinson said. "You don't notice him and then all of a sudden, there he is at the end of the game and he's on the scoresheet. He's always around the puck--he's an offensive player." When I asked Robinson that question, I got the distinct impression that he thinks Rosa needs considerable work on his defense and perhaps his physical play and forechecking. "He's always been a good goal-scorer," Robitaille said about Rosa. "He's shown from his first day in camp that he's ready to play. He wants to play in the NHL and it shows." "Every time you look up, he's open," Robitaille added. "[Rosa is] always open. He's got that knack. You can't teach that." When asked about players like Jokinen and Rosa, Robitaille said that although it's not his decision to make, he thinks they deserve at shot at playing with the big club. "The way they've been playing they deserve a chance," he said. "They may make it easy for management not to make any moves." The Mighty Ducks were horrible after the first period and they knew it. "It was a terrible game," Anaheim head coach Craig Hartsburg said. "We had a decent first period and battled pretty well, but we backed off the rest of the game. "We didn't win our one-on-one battles," he added. "We found out a lot of things tonight in a hostile environment and there were a lot of things we didn't like." One of those things must be their team defense. Anaheim had quite a few of the defensemen who one would figure will make the team on the ice in this game and they were still awful. In other news... Kings' Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor told reporters after the game that he had made some progress with Jamie Storr, but did not indicate that an agreement was close. No progress has been made with defenseman Aki Berg. Defenseman Jaroslav Modry suffered a charley horse to the right thigh when he was hit by Mighty Ducks' right wing Jeff Neilsen during the second period. Center Jozef Stumpel (sprained right ankle) is skating, but is not expected to play on Friday when the Kings host Phoenix. He is listed as day-to-day. 9/22/98 More on the Hockey Hall of Fame's failure to elect Rogie Vachon into their hallowed halls... This was Rogie's last chance to be elected through the "normal" process, as I stated in my initial report some months ago. Now Vachon must wait until twenty-five years after his retirement before the Veterans Committee can consider electing him. Vachon retired after the 1981-82 season, which means that he won't be eligible again until 2007. Again, this is simply a travesty. I talked about the problem of the Kings playing on the West Coast and the lack of exposure to East Coast and Canadian fans and pundits while discussing Rob Blake's Norris Trophy candidacy. Although it turned out that Blake overcame that problem, which is apparently not as big a problem as it used to be, it is clear that it hurt Vachon tremendously. 9/19/98 Late Friday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have sent the following players to their respective junior teams: Defensemen Mathieu Biron (Shawnigan, QMJHL) Konrad Brand (Medicine Hat, WHL), Kip Brennan (Windsor/Sudbury, OHL), Jeff Katcher (Tri-Cities, WHL), and Joe Rullier (Rimouski, QMJHL) along with center Justin Papineau (Belleville, OHL) and goalie Alexey Volkov (Krylja, Russia). The Kings also sent defenseman Jan Nemecek (spent last season at Fredericton of the AHL) and right wings Justin Martin (no information available) and Greg Phillips (last season at Brandon, WHL) to the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the IHL. 9/18/98 The best news to come from the Los Angeles Kings' training camp was late Thursday night when various sources reported that the Kings had signed Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Rob Blake to a new contract. And early this morning, it was revealed that the Kings had also signed right wing Matt Johnson. At a brief 12:30 PM press conference today at Iceoplex in North Hills, CA (the Kings' practice facility and where the Kings' training camp is held), Kings' Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor announced that Blake and Johnson were signed to three-year contracts. Although the terms of the contracts were not disclosed, ASSOCIATED PRESS is reporting that Blake's contract is valued at $15.8 million (a bit less than $5.3 million per season). Indeed, when asked if Blake's contract made him the highest-paid defenseman in the NHL, Taylor confirmed that it did. There has been no word on the value of Johnson's contract. "This is a big day for the Los Angeles Kings," Taylor told reporters in a small locker room, crowded with a few reporters and camera crews. "We are very happy to have Rob and Matt under contract." "Both players bring leadership to the team and are valuable members of our organization on the ice and in the dressing room," Taylor added. Of course, the focus on was on Blake. Poor Matt Johnson...he didn't speak at the press conference and I don't think anyone even asked him a question. He sure left the press conference quickly. Talk about being ignored... In a Kings' press release, Taylor discussed Blake's importance to the team. "Rob is a complete defenseman and brings an outstanding blend of skill, physical play and leadership to the Kings. As captain of our club, it is imperative to have him in the lineup and we are extremely happy to have completed this agreement," he said. "[Rob] brings the whole package to our team," Taylor added. When asked about what finally brought the deal to a close, Taylor talked about mutual interests that Blake and the Kings shared. "Rob's desire was to stay in LA and it was the team's desire as well," Taylor commented. "For eight seasons, Rob has been a solid citizen for us, on and off the ice. Rob Blake is our leader and our captain and this gives us an opportunity to move forward." Blake appeared to be quite relieved to be signed and in camp. "It would've been tougher to sit out any longer," Blake said. "I've always said that I wanted to stay here and remain here in LA. "Fortunately, it's only four or five days [out of training camp]. I want to play and play healthy so I didn't want to miss a lot of time." "I've missed enough [time] with injuries, so a long contract dispute wasn't in my best interests or the team's best interests," Blake added. "It was in the best interests for both sides to get the deal done. It was not in our best interests for me to be sitting, for me or for the Kings." "This is what I've wanted all along," Blake said. "It's time to get my pre-season underway." Blake also said that the future of the team also made him want to get signed and in camp. "This team is headed in the right direction," Blake said. "Playing with the kids here in camp, seeing how some have matured since I saw them in camp last year, we've got a great future. It's nice to be on the upswing." Blake's agent, Ron Salcer, was asked if Blake's three-year deal was a compromise since a five-year deal had been mentioned. "If we would have waited for a five-year deal, this could have been a long, protracted negotiation, Salcer told reporters. "I didn't think that was in anyone's best interests. We wanted to get Rob in camp." Salcer added that Kings wanted to sign Blake to a five-year contract and that he felt that next time around, the Kings will make an offer to keep Blake in a Kings' uniform for the rest of his career. "I feel pretty confident that within the next couple years LA will approach us and try to get something done until Rob's 34 or 35," Salcer said. "He'd like to be here his whole career." Although non-committal, Taylor agreed. "It's certainly everybody's goal to have Rob remain with the Kings for the rest of his career," Taylor said. Taylor mentioned that the fact that Salcer was his agent while he was a player helped make it easier to reach an agreement. "During negotiations, there wasn't a lot of bluffing or beating around the bush," Taylor said. "We just laid all our cards on the table." As part of his contract, Blake has purchased a luxury suite at the Staples Center, where the Kings will be playing starting in the 1999-2000 season. The suite will be used for charitable purposes. "This ownership group and our management has tried to create a chemistry and a philosophy within our organization built on integrity, character and work ethic," Taylor said. "One of the critical reasons that we felt it important to have Rob signed is that he fits into this philosophy and as our captain, we expect Rob to personify those qualities on and off the ice." Blake purchase of the luxury box for charitable purposes certainly is a good move. "We're going to start up this box, donating it to charities for kids," Blake said. "I want to be a leader for this organization as a player and as a person. To give underprivileged individuals the opportunity to experience things they may never get a chance to see is a thrill and something I really want to make happen." Blake indicated that he would be working with the Kings' Care Foundation on use of the luxury box. As for Johnson, Taylor and Blake stressed his importance to the Kings. "Matt Johnson is the type of player that helps everyone," Taylor said. "He brings toughness and he allows our more skilled players to do what they need to do." "Matt Johnson is as tough as they come in the NHL and this three-year contract gives him time to grow as a player," Blake said about his teammate. "He's a big part of this club so it's great to have him signed." "Now we're all set to go," Blake said. "There's no complications anymore. How we can go forward." Blake's teammates can now breathe a sigh of relief, knowing their best player is back in the fold. "We cannot win without him," Kings' center Ray Ferraro said earlier this week. "He's the Norris Trophy winner for a reason and we need him." Going back to Blake's comments about Johnson...perhaps he forgot about defenseman Aki Berg and goalie Jamie Storr, who remain unsigned. Taylor told reporters that negotiations continue with agents for Berg and Storr and that he talked to Storr's agent on Thursday. In other training camp news... It's beginning to look like Josh Green has a good shot to make the team. Green, a 6-3, 200-pound left wing, plays the physical game the Kings need. Kings' head coach Larry Robinson has liked what he's seen from Green in camp so far. "He's getting chances, skating well, being physical in front of the net," Robinson said. "I feel a little bit stronger this year, and from what I heard over the summer, there is a legitimate shot for me to make it," Green said. "I know that if I play well and do my job, there's a chance I can stay here. It helps me on the ice." "You think about it a little bit in the back of your mind, but there's so many things that they look for that one play isn't going to make it or break it," Green said. "They look at the overall picture, how you play away from the puck." Green should be in the lineup for at least one of the Kings' two games in Las Vegas this weekend. Also reportedly having a good camp is winger Pavel Rosa, who missed virtually the entire season last year after suffering a concussion during a pre-season game. So far, it appears that Rosa has fully recovered from post-concussion syndrome. He will wear a helmet designed by Pat LaFontaine, who suffered numerous concussions that eventually forced him to retire after last season. He will also wear a mouth guard. "It was hard to not play hockey for so long," Rosa said. "I played hockey for fifteen years every day. I didn't want to stop, but I had to stop. I thought about my health first." "I have only seen Pavel Rosa be one of the elite players at every level he's played at," Kings' Director of Amateur Scouting Al Murray said. "I don't know if Pavel can play at the NHL level [this year], but I'm not going to shortchange him. He's a very focused, self-motivated individual who is used to succeeding, and he doesn't expect anything less of himself than success." One sad story is that center Eric Belanger, who was given a good shot to make the team, suffered a broken left hand and will be out four to six weeks and will probably start the season at Springfield (AHL) or Long Beach (IHL). Other injured players include Jozef Stumpel (sprained ankle) and Jason Morgan (knee tendinitis). For this weekend's games in Las Vegas, don't expect to see Blake or Matt Johnson in the lineup. Taylor said that they'll travel to Las Vegas and practice with the team, but they probably won't play in the games against Colorado. Roger Phillips reported today in the LONG BEACH PRESS-TELEGRAM that Manny Legace should be the starter in goal for the Kings on Saturday. Expect most of the Kings' young prospects to get a lot of ice time. In other news... As you probably have read, the Hockey Hall of Fame announced its inductees for 1998 and former Kings' great Rogie Vachon was not among them. Sad. Ridiculous. Shameful. Criminal. What will it take for one of the NHL's all-time great goalies to be elected? "It's a little disappointing," Vachon said. "What can you say? You're at the mercy of people voting and somebody obviously didn't think I did enough to make it. For an athlete, making the Hall of Fame is icing on the cake. But, hey, life goes on." "I'm pretty proud of what we accomplished here in the 1970's," Vachon added. "We put hockey on the map. Of course, Wayne [Gretzky] brought it to a different level. But I was proud to be a part of that era." Back to Blake... Blake won the Norris Trophy last season and perhaps now we're being given a glimpse as to why... "It's funny because I never looked at it until I saw a list of the past Norris winners," Blake said. "There's only fourteen or fifteen. A lot of guys are repeat winners, and it makes you think that you definitely want to be a guy who is going to be back there." Blake also talked about his workouts this past summer. "There [were] fifteen or twenty of us here, and [Chicago's Chris Chelios] was the hardest working guy," Blake said. "You realize why he has been at the top of the defensemen for so long. These guys set standards, the Leetches, Bourques, Chelios and the Paul Coffeys. You definitely want to be in that group." "When you want to elevate your time, you watch the best, and [Chelios] was the best," Blake added. "You could see the fire in him... . He's a hard guy to play against. If it's not a big hit, or a stick in the face, it will be something else, but he's going to come out with the puck." Blake also said that he's not in that group he mentioned...not yet, saying that he has to be among the best once again before he can join that elite group. "You have to repeat," he said, referring to his Norris Trophy win. Now that certainly is the kind of attitude you want from your best player. 9/14/98 After opening training camp on Sunday, there's good news and bad news from the Los Angeles Kings... The good news is that the Kings have the following players in camp: Goaltenders: Frederic Chabot, Stephane Fiset, Manny Legace, Alexey Volkov, Matthew Yeats. Defensemen: Mathieu Biron, Sean Blanchard, Doug Bodger, Phillippe Boucher, Konrad Brand, Kip Brennan, Joe Corvo, Steve Duchesne, Garry Galley, Peter Hogan, Jere Karalahti, Jeff Katcher, Jaroslav Modry, Jan Nemechek, Mattias Norstrom, Sean O'Donnell, Joe Rullier, Richard Seeley, Mark Visheau, Tomas Zizka. Centers: Scott Barney, Eric Belanger, Ray Ferraro, Tommi Hannus, Jim Henkel, Olli Jokinen, Ian Laperriere, Donald MacLean, Jason Morgan, Justin Papineau, Yanic Perreault, Chris Schmidt, Jozef Stumpel, Roman Vopat, Matt Zultek. Left wings: Josh Green, Craig Johnson, Steve McKenna, Luc Robitaille, Vladimir Tsyplakov. Right wings: Dan Bylsma, Russ Courtnall, Andrew Dale, Nathan Lafayette, Justin Martin, Sandy Moger, Glen Murray, Greg Phillips, Pavel Rosa. The bad news is that the Kings have four holdouts, including Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Rob Blake. Other holdouts include Matt Johnson, Jamie Storr and Aki Berg. No progress has been reported in negotiations with any of these players. When asked about the holdouts, Kings' head coach Larry Robinson told reporters, "As far as I'm concerned, those are areas that don't really concern me. Those are areas Dave [Taylor], Tim Leiweke and the ownership is involved with. Whoever is there and playing, I have to get them ready to play." "We know what our budget is and what we think is fair," Robinson added. "But who knows what the agent is thinking? It's not that I forget what it was like as a player, but you have to think at some point, 'How much is enough?'" Robinson also said that all his players need to be in camp, including the holdouts. "You definitely have to stand by your convictions, but I don't think it does you any good to miss any time," Robinson said. "It's like an injury. Anytime you're injured, it's valuable time you're missing on the ice. You can't afford to fall behind." Berg is reportedly on his way back to Finland and it sounds like Berg and the Kings are quite far apart in their negotiations. Berg was reportedly offered $1 million for 1998-99. "I hope he's getting the right advice, because to me, I think for a guy who really hasn't done anything for three years and is ready to make a statement to the league, he's going about it the wrong way," Robinson said about Berg. Robinson also mentioned the fact that the Kings have some depth on the blue line, implying that Berg could be making a big mistake. "I hope he knows what he's doing," Robinson said. "We've got eight or ten defensemen [in camp] right now who can play, so it's important for everybody to get a good start. Now's their chance." I've got to agree. Berg had a solid year but he certainly isn't an impact defenseman yet. Look what happened to Vitali Yachmenev. If Berg is going to do the same thing, well, he might be sitting around in Finland for quite awhile. On the upside, left wing Steve McKenna was in camp after signing a one-year deal believed to be worth $425,000. McKenna told reporters that he really didn't want to miss any days of training camp. "I'm still young in this league. I need to be in camp," McKenna said. "I don't think I could have afforded to miss many days of camp, if any." In Sunday's scrimmage, Olli Jokinen scored a goal and played on a line with Jozef Stumpel and Luc Robitaille. "[Jokinen] looks pretty good," Stumpel said. "It's tough to see in a scrimmage, but he looks very good." Speaking of Stumpel...he ended up sitting out the second half of the scrimmage with a twisted right ankle. Center Eric Belanger was cut on his nose after being hit by a high stick. Center Jason Morgan (tendinitis in his knee) and right wing Dan Bylsma (recovering from foot surgery) reportedly were not going to be skating on Sunday, but I didn't make it on Sunday, so I can't say whether this held true or not. I should be going to training camp one day this week, so I hope to have more insights after that. 9/11/98 On Friday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have signed eight radio affiliates which will carry Kings' broadcasts during the 1998-99 season, making up the Kings' Radio Network. KRLA AM 1110 in Los Angeles was named as the Kings' new flagship station earlier this summer. The Kings' Radio Network shapes up this way: KRLA 1110 AM - Los Angeles KGEO 1230 AM - Bakersfield, CA KMET 1490 AM - Banning, CA KAMP 1430 AM - El Centro, CA KSHP 1400 AM - Las Vegas, NV KMSL 1510 AM - Ontario, CA KHJJ 1380 AM - Palmdale/Lancaster, CA KBET 1220 AM - Santa Clarita, CA KTRO 1520 AM - Ventura, CA Five of the nine games during the exhibition season will be on different stations in the Los Angeles area due to prior scheduling conflicts. Here's the games that will be on different stations (all times PACIFIC): 9/19 - KLSX 97.1 FM 7:15 PM 9/20 - KCTD 1540 AM 4:45 PM 9/22 - KCTD 1540 AM 7:15 PM 9/25 - KCTD 1540 AM 7:15 PM 9/26 - KLSX 97.1 FM 6:45 PM The four remaining exhibition games will be broadcast on KRLA unless other conflicts arise. 9/10/98 Now that I'm back in town after a brief vacation, it's time to get caught up on recent news from the Los Angeles Kings... Late last week, the Kings announced that they have constructed a "preview center" for the luxury suites at the new Staples Center. Located in the TCW building at 865 Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles, the Kings are inviting interested parties to check out a mock suite, Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. "There has been so much interest in our luxury suites, we decided to create one so that people can stop by to see for themselves what the Staples Center 'suite experience' will actually be like," said Vince Bryson, Director of Premium Seating. "Everything is exactly the same as it will be in Staples Center, from the fabric on our plush chairs and the finishes on the cabinetry right down to the refrigerator with its own ice maker." Representatives will be on hand to answer questions regarding premier seating and season seats for the Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. Season seat representatives for the Kings can also answer questions about season seats for the 1998-99 season at the Great Western Forum. As of Thursday, the Kings have already sold over one hundred of the suites. Speaking of season seats... Roger Phillips reported in THE SPORTING NEWS (September 7, 1998) that 89.8% of their season seat holders have renewed their seats for the 1998-99 season. That is the highest renewal percentage in franchise history, 1.8% higher than after the 1993 season when the Kings reached the Stanley Cup Finals. Last season, 80.4% of the season seat holders renewed. The Kings have also sold 510 new season seats (as of September 7) for the coming season, twenty-five more than last season. "We are thrilled by the response of our fans, and this is a credit to their tremendous loyalty," Kings' president Tim Leiweke said. "This final season for us at the Great Western Forum looks promising on and off the ice, and gives us a tremendous lift as we move into the Staples Center in 1999." Phillips article also had some interesting comments, most significantly, reiterating that the Kings want to add a scoring forward. But for more, point your web browser to: http://www.sportingnews.com/nhl/teams/kings We knew as early as last week that the Kings' new radio color commentator would be Cammi Granato, captain of the gold medal-winning 1998 United States Olympic Women's Hockey Team and sister of former Kings' winger Tony Granato (now playing for the San Jose Sharks). This week, the Kings made it official, introducing Granato at a press conference on Wednesday. "One of our primary goals is to create an organization filled with integrity from the bottom to the top and we are truly excited to have a person like Cammi as a member of the Kings family," Leiweke said. "This is an outstanding individual, with a wealth of goals, drive and determination. She is a great role model for women all over the country and even throughout the world. This is a great opportunity for both Cammi and the Kings to continue the growth of hockey, and be a leading example in the grass-roots education and promotion of the game." "This is not a short-term venture," Leiweke added. "We will be patient and provide Cammi with the proper resources and support system which will allow her to grow into this role. We feel she has the potential to be a great analyst for hockey and bring a unique perspective to the game." In addition to her broadcasting duties, Granato will work with the Kings Care Foundation, which will include a women's hockey festival and the Kings/YMCA S.K.A.T.E program. She will also continue to train to be selected to the 1999 US Women's National Team. "I'm really excited about this new opportunity," Granato said. "I'm impressed with the Kings' organization and where they are headed, and I'm looking forward to bringing a new voice to the game of hockey. This is a great chance for me to expand my career into a new territory and I'm looking forward to the challenge." Granato replaces former Kings' forward Mike Allison. According an article in Wednesday's LOS ANGELES TIMES, the Kings expect to open the 1999-2000 season on the road and not play at the new Staples Center until October 22 or 23, 1999, at the earliest (see "Kings Adjust to Staples Center Timeline," Sports section, p. C8). TIMES reporter Helene Elliott reported that the Kings might play their exhibition games in Europe or at the Great Western Forum. "We have dates on hold [for Lakers and Clippers] exhibition games in late October and it looks pretty good, but it's not a certainty," Leiweke said. "It could be November. I still think October is high percentage, but things can happen between now and when we get the roof on and that's a real big key." "There's nothing that makes us believe it won't be ready by October, but this whole process has pushed me toward conservatism," Leiweke added. If you haven't been by the construction site, things appear to be moving along nicely. There always seems to be a lot of activity in that big hole in the ground and now it has tall beams in the ground, which according to Elliott's article, are five stories tall. Another TIMES article in the same edition reported nothing new on the contract negotiations between the Kings and defenseman Rob Blake (see "Blake Holding Out for More," p. C8). Leiweke told the TIMES that he expects Aki Berg, Matt Johnson, Steve McKenna and Jamie Storr to be signed to new deals by the end of this week. Leiweke also said that the Kings should be signing head coach Larry Robinson to a two-year contract extension by Sunday. 9/3/98 On Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have traded defenseman Doug Zmolek to the Chicago Blackhawks for a third-round selection in the 1999 entry draft. Zmolek played in 119 games with the Kings, scoring two goals and adding eight assists for ten points while racking up 249 penalty minutes. He was the Kings fifth or sixth defenseman and became expendable when the Kings acquired Doug Bodger over the summer. "The Kings thank Doug for his contributions to our club and we wish him the best of luck in Chicago," Kings' Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor said. "We, however, have a solid group of talented defenseman, especially with acquisitions of Steve Duchesne and Doug Bodger over the summer, and this trade allows Doug to go to a team where he can really contribute."
