KINGS NOTES...
By Gann Matsuda
4.27.00 The Los Angeles Kings announced that center Ian Laperriere underwent successful surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Thursday. Laperriere suffered a sprained left knee/bone bruise in early January and sat out three games. However, the Kings have not said whether or not the torn ACL is related to the injury he suffered in January. Laperriere is expected to be ready for training camp in September.4.25.00 On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that goalie Marcel Cousineau underwent successful surgery to repair a sports hernia. Cousineau, 27, should be ready for training camp in September. 
4.13.00 Various reports state that Los Angeles Kings' center Bryan Smolinski, who suffered what was reported to be a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee on April 3 at Anaheim, will return to the lineup for game one of the playoff series at Detroit on Thursday. Smolinski reportedly is able to do just about anything he wants out on the ice, although he is skating with a heavy brace. "I told him we weren't going to use him unless he could give us what he did before," Kings' head coach Andy Murray said. "If he couldn't do that, we didn't want him. His situation has really improved in a short amount of time." "It's pretty amazing," Smolinski said. "Something definitely happened down there, but it never seemed quite as bad as it sounded." "It wasn't a pop, it was more of a tweak," Smolinski added. "The next day, the swelling wasn't so bad and I had good range of motion. It wasn't like I couldn't sleep at night. They said I'd be out six weeks, but I had a good feeling I could come back." Look for Stephane Fiset to be the starter in goal for the Kings. Also, defenseman Jaroslav Modry will take defenseman Aki Berg's place in the lineup, at least for game one. "We'll see Aki in this series," Murray said. "But Modry has earned his shot. He plays very well against the Red Wings." 4.11.00 The strategic moves designed to keep the opposition off-balance and guessing has begun and the Los Angeles Kings are right in the middle of it. Kings' center Bryan Smolinski, who suffered what appeared to be a season-ending torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee at Phoenix on April 3, skated on Monday at the HealthSouth Training Center. He is hoping to be able to play against the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs. Prior to Monday, Smolinski was not expected to return until training camp in September. He will be fitted for a brace, but it is unknown whether or not Smolinski will be able to play. "It is still a very serious injury," Kings' head coach Andy Murray said. "There is a very good chance he won't play. But he skated today and we'll see what happens." Kings' trainer Peter Demers said that Smolinski's knee did not swell up after the injury, an indication that the injury may not be as severe as originally thought. "That was a first sign the situation might be a little better," Demers said. "They don't do surgery on the MCL much anymore. It seems to heal well on its own." With the Kings publically stating that there is a chance, albeit slim, for Smolinski to play against the Detroit, in effect, the Red Wings now have one more thing to prepare for and more possibilities to think about when planning their strategy against the Kings. This might not be all that significant, but it does add to the strategic chess game that opposing coaches often employ when the post-season begins. More good news... Right wing Ziggy Palffy, who has been out of the lineup since March 15 when he suffered a sprained right shoulder at Anaheim, will return to the lineup for game one at Detroit. "[The shoulder] is much stronger and the extra five days off will help even more," Palffy said. "This is my first playoff and I am very excited." On Tuesday, Fox Sports Net West announced that they will broadcast game 7 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal series featuring the Los Angeles Kings and the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, April 25 at 4:00 PM PDT, if necessary. The game will be played at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. On Monday, Fox Sports Net West issued a press release stating that they would televise games 1, 3, 4 and 5. 4.10.00 Late Monday, Fox Sports Net West announced their broadcast schedule for the first round of the NHL playoffs between the Los Angeles Kings and the Detroit Red Wings. All times are Pacific Daylight Time: Thursday, April 13 ------------------ QUEST FOR THE CUP (Kings playoff special) - 4:00 PM Game One at Detroit - 4:30 PM QUEST FOR THE CUP (encore presentation) - 9:30 PM Monday, April 17 ---------------- BREAK THE ICE (pre-game show) - 6:30 PM Game Three - at Staples Center - 7:00 PM Wednesday, April 19 ------------------- BREAK THE ICE - 6:30 PM Game Four - at Staples Center- 7:00 PM Friday, April 21 ---------------- **Game Five - At Detroit - 4:00 PM *An encore showing of QUEST FOR THE CUP can be seen at 9:30 PM **if necessary Although this is speculation, ESPN/ESPN2 and ABC obviously have exclusive rights to certain playoff games, such as weekend games and probably the sixth and seventh games of a series. This could explain why FSNW is not televising games two, six and seven. In other news... On Monday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have assigned goalie Marcel Cousineau to the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the IHL. And catching up... Prior to their game at Anaheim on Sunday, the Kings called up center Jason Podollan from the Lowell Lock Monsters of the AHL. Podollan, who wore number 37, played a regular shift at Anaheim and recorded an assist. Also prior to Sunday's game, the Kings returned defenseman Philippe Boucher, who had been recalled on an emergency basis, to Long Beach. 4.9.00 The regular season is over...let the playoffs begin! For the Los Angeles Kings, they ended the season with a 4-3 overtime win at Anaheim on Sunday, giving them a 39-31-12-4 record, good for 94 points. The Kings earned themselves the fourth-best record in team history and their best record in the last nine seasons. They finished second in the Pacific Division and fifth in the Western Conference. Among all NHL teams, the Kings finished the season 11th overall. The Kings now move onto the first round of the playoffs against the Detroit Red Wings, the fourth-seed in the Western Conference. The first game will be at Detroit on Thursday. The first round schedule and national television coverage is as follows (all times are PACIFIC): Day/Date Time National TV =============================================== Thursday, April 13 4:30 PM ESPN Saturday, April 15 11:00 AM ABC, CBC Monday, April 17 7:00 PM ESPN2 Wednesday, April 19 7:00 PM ESPN Friday, April 21 4:00 PM ESPN Sunday, April 23 12:00 PM ABC, CBC Tuesday, April 25 4:00 PM ESPN The Kings have not yet announced what games will be televised in the Los Angeles area on Fox Sports Net West. I suspect they will do that sometime on Monday. Chances are, Fox Sports Net West will televise all games except the weekly nationally televised game broadcast by ABC. But that is mere speculation at this point, based on what has transpired in previous seasons. For the complete conference quarterfinals schedule, point your web browser to: http://www.nhl.com/cupcrazy2000/schedule.htm Also, games 1, 2, 5 and 7 will be played at Detroit. Games 3, 4 and 6 will be played at Staples Center. 4.7.00 When the Los Angeles Kings take the ice on Friday against the Dallas Stars, they will still be undermanned. Although defenseman Rob Blake and right wing Ziggy Palffy both practiced with the team on Thursday, neither will be in the lineup tonight. Blake, who is suffering from a left knee contusion, continues to experience soreness. Palffy participated in his first full practice since he suffered a sprained right shoulder on against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim three weeks ago. Both could return to the lineup on Sunday at Anaheim, however. Look for Stephane Fiset to get the start in goal tonight. 4.5.00 On Tuesday, Los Angeles Kings' center Bryan Smolinski underwent an MRI examination that revealed a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Smolinski suffered the injury at 19:43 of the third period at Phoenix on Monday when Coyotes' forward Travis Green fell on Smolinski's right leg. Although he will not require surgery, Smolinski will be out at least four weeks, probably longer. This leaves quite a void at center ice, but the Kings say that they are ready to step up. "I am there if they need me," center Ian Laperriere said. "At this point in the season you do whatever it takes. We are not going to fold up and go home." Laperriere will most likely be moved up to the second line, replacing Smolinski. Forward Jason Blake, will continue to play on a wing on the fourth line. Head coach Andy Murray has met with each of his players individually in the wake of Smolinski's injury and says that his team sounds like they are prepared to take adversity head on. "I hope we play as well as we sound," Murray said. "They talked about all we've been through with injuries earlier in the season and how we came through. They expect to come through again. What I'm hearing from the players is that our goals, our objectives haven't changed." In other news, defenseman Rob Blake remains out of the lineup with a right knee contusion, but hopes to return on Friday against Dallas or on Sunday at Anaheim. 4.3.00 In the waning seconds of their game against the Phoenix Coyotes at America West Arena in Phoenix, Los Angeles Kings' center Bryan Smolinski suffered a knee injury that could sideline him for six weeks. With a little more than twenty seconds remaining in the game, Coyotes' forward Travis Green fell awkwardly on Smolinski's right leg and it buckled. Smolinski crawled up the right wing boards towards the Kings' bench before the whistle was blown to stop play. Kings' trainer Peter Demers helped Smolinski off the ice and into the dressing room. Smolinski was unable to put any weight on his right leg. Kings' head coach Andy Murray told reporters after the game that Smolinski may have suffered a torn medial collateral ligament. "It's probably six weeks," Murray said. I expect the Kings will release a statement sometime on Tuesday to update Smolinski's condition. The Los Angeles Kings are without a defenseman all of a sudden... On Sunday, defenseman Rob Blake experienced difficulty skating during Sunday's practice at the HealthSouth Training Center in El Segundo. Blake, who was diagnosed with a knee contusion, will not accompany the team to Phoenix where they will skate against the Coyotes on Monday night. Blake suffered the injury during the second period of Saturday's game against Anaheim. Blake may rejoin the team on Wednesday when the Kings play at Vancouver. Look for Jere Karalahti, who was a healthy scratch on Saturday, to replace Blake in the lineup. 4.2.00 Immediately following Saturday's game against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in which the Los Angeles Kings clinched a playoff berth with a 2-1 win, the Kings announced that individual tickets for the first round of the 2000 National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoffs will go on sale Friday, April 7, at 5:00 PM, prior to the Kings' game against the Dallas Stars (7:30 PM, Staples Center). The playoffs begin on Wednesday, April 12. The final playoff schedule has not yet been announced, however. Tickets can be purchased at the Staples Center box office, through TicketMaster outlets or by calling (213) 265-3600. First Round prices for Kings playoff tickets are as follows: $108.50, $105, $85, $65, $55.50, $35.50, $28.50 and $17.50. Random priority numbers will be distributed prior to the 5:00 PM opening. Call the Kings at (800) KINGS-LA for details and exact times. 4.1.00 During their game against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on Saturday afternoon, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have signed free agent defenseman Mike Pudlick out of St. Cloud State in Minnesota. Terms of the deal, which begins with the 2000-2001 season, were not disclosed. Pudlick, 22, just finished his sophomore season at St. Cloud, where he scored eight goals and added 22 assists for 30 points in 40 games. Pudlick, who is 6-3 and weighs 190 pounds, will remain at St. Cloud State to complete his coursework. "Mike is a very skilled defenseman," said Kings' Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "He is a great skater with a big shot. He is young and has a tremendous upside." By now, I'm sure many of you have read the April Fool's Edition of my "Kings Notes." I hope you got a good laugh out of it! This is a personal tradition of mine that has been going on for the last five or six years. It usually gets a lot of laughs, and I always catch some people. Often times, those are people who have been caught before, hook, line and sinker! :-) I hope you all enjoyed it. My apologies to the Los Angeles Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers, the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association, the Los Angeles City Fire Department, Ziggy Palffy, Jozef Stumpel, Dr. Robert Kvitne, Dr. Howard Lazerson, Tim Leiweke, Bobby Goldwater, Fire Chief William R. Bamattre and anyone else who may have been directly or indirectly impacted by this article. This article was intended to be humorous, nothing more, and there is absolutely no truth any of it, except that the people named are real. Happy April Fools Day, everyone! The Los Angeles Kings playoff chances suffered two big blows late Friday... Right wing Ziggy Palffy, who suffered a sprained right shoulder on March 15 at Anaheim, will undergo surgery on his right shoulder to repair a tear found in his right rotator cuff. Palffy will miss the rest of the regular season and the playoffs. Palffy, who resumed skating earlier this week, was still feeling some discomfort in his right shoulder, despite reporting a better range of motion in the shoulder. He was re-examined on Friday by team physician Dr. Robert Kvitne at Centinela Hospital Medical Center where an MRI examination revealed the tear. Palffy, who was hoping to return to the lineup for the last couple of regular season games, will instead begin rehabilitation therapy in 4-6 weeks. He is expected to be ready to play when training camp begins in September. Palffy was devastated. "For the first time, I'm on a playoff team and now I can't play," Palffy said. "I guess that's just how things go sometimes." "The playoffs was my goal for this year," Palffy added. "Now I just have to work hard during the off-season and come back even stronger next year." The second blow came when center Jozef Stumpel was hit in the right eye by an errant puck during Friday's practice. He suffered minor, but significant damage to the orbital bone around his right eye. Team opthalmologist Dr. Howard Lazerson, who examined Stumpel on Friday evening, said that Stumpel is suffering from blurred vision, but with rest, should recover completely. He is expected to be out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks. Like Palffy, Stumpel was also disappointed. "This is a real stroke of bad luck," Stumpel said. "I wanted to be able to contribute and now it looks like I won't be able to play until the second round of the playoffs." "I hope I'm a fast healer," Stumpel added, stating that his goal is to return before the first round ends. And when it rains, it pours... In a bureaucratic snafu that seems like it can only happen in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles City Fire Department has warned Staples Center officials that the arena will be closed by fire marshalls if the arena's fire alarm/prevention system is not fully tested and certified by the Los Angeles City Fire Department by April 17, 2000. The fire prevention system at Staples Center, one of the most complex systems in any large city in the nation, had not been fully tested when the building opened in October. Under a temporary permit, Staples Center was allowed to open with city fire marshalls manually operating many of the controls and patrolling the building during events. But that agreement expires on April 17 and fire officials cannot renew it. "Staples Center has had more than enough time to fully test their system and get it certified," said Los Angeles City Fire Chief William R. Bamattre. "Their temporary operating permit expires in a couple of weeks and cannot be renewed under State law. So they'll have to get cracking to get their system certified before the permit expires or we'll have to close the building." "We are working with them every day to help them," Bamattre added. "If we can help it, we won't close the building." Staples Center has been working on an accelerated pace with the Fire Department to implement the testing procedures in recent days and they admit that they have not given this the necessary attention. "We blew it," said Bobby Goldwater, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Staples Center. "We thought the permit would allow us to continue operations until the hockey and basketball seasons were over, including the playoffs. But now we've got to hurry to get everything tested and certified." The main concern is if the work can be completed in time. "We're going to cut it real close," said Staples Center President [and Los Angeles Kings' President] Tim Leiweke. "We're working every day, eight hours a day with the Fire Department to get this done. But our system is so complex, there is a chance that our schedule may be impacted." Although playoff schedules for the NHL and the NBA have not been released yet, both the Los Angeles Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers could wind up losing a home playoff game. Leiweke said that both the NHL and NBA have been contacted about the problem, but said that neither league would be able to alter their playoff schedules due to contractual agreements with national television networks. "If we can't get this done in time, the Kings and Lakers face the possibility that they may lose a home game during the first round of the playoffs," said Leiweke. "The game would have to be played at the opponent's arena. We're working as hard as we can to prevent that. That would be a tremendous disadvantage to our teams." Goldwater stated that the testing has been completed on about 40% of the system and so far, every part of the system has passed. "We're encouraged and optimistic," Goldwater said. "I think we're going to get this done in time, but it's going to go right down to the wire." As famed ABC Sports announcer Howard Cosell once said in an audio clip made famous by the late Los Angeles radio sports commentator Jim Healy... "Who goofed? I've got to know!!" This is a blunder that should never have been allowed to go unnoticed for such a long time. It makes one wonder who is running the show at Staples Center and if all the attention on bringing big-time, big-name events to the new arena is taking attention away from the more mundane, yet essential details of running such a huge venue. Someone clearly blew it badly on this one and now the Kings and Lakers, along with their fans, might wind up paying a huge price. The teams are not losing just a playoff home game, having to play that game in the opponent's arena and losing home ice/court advantage, but they will also lose the revenue for that game. Further, they will have to refund money paid for tickets for that game and even Staples Center workers will suffer, losing potential wages because they have two fewer events to work at. The list goes on. But there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel on this one. Put on your thinking cap and concentrate... What day is this? :-)
