Considering the KHL factor…

So many things have crept into the vernacular of the average hockey fan recently, but none so much more than the feared (and often misunderstood) threat that the KHL poses to the NHL. With the recent news that the KHL will not file the contract between Jiri Hudler and Dynamo Moscow until after Hudler’s salary arbitration hearing with the Red Wings, it has become increasingly clear that the KHL and the NHL will sooner or later find themselves embattled in a cold war era standoff that relies on the basis of a gentleman’s agreement. But what everyone else seems to realize, with the exception of these two organizations, is those agreements are worth about as much as a wheel barrow of old Soviet cash….

Jaromir Jagr made hockey headlines when he decided to quit the NHL and signed a two-year deal with Avangard Omsk. But what would of seemed to of been just another upstart league akin to Vince McMahon’s short lived XFL, quickly put another stick in the eye of the NHL when Alexander  Radulov ran out on the Nashvillle Predators, while still under contract, and signed with Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Then there was this year’s draft where, unbeknowst or not the uncertainty of the KHL situation hurt the drafting of Russian born players, and now with Hudler threatening to take flight as well it’s time the NHL stepped up to protect it’s interests. But what is it about the KHL that is attracting these players?

The biggest thing that I factor into the equations is “The Fedorov Factor”. Let’s say you played your entire life in another country where you made millions of dollars, and were often considered a team’s “go-to” guy. But in your later years you’ve been relegated to a second or third line. Your playing time is down, and in all honesty, your ego has probably taken a beating because of this. Along comes the KHL and says “Hey, come back home and play. We’ll give you more money that you’ll get over there, and you’ll be adored and respected like you used to be in the NHL.” Yeah chances are you’re gonna jump at the opportunity.

So what’s the solution? Simple, the NHL should implement a rule stating that if you are contractually assigned to any NHL club and you break that contract to play for another league, KHL or otherwise, you’ll be banned from returning to play in the NHL. Sounds harsh, but when you take into consideration that the KHL has, or at least had, rule sin place limiting the amount of foreign born players on a roster or that could suit up for games, it seems only right that the NHL should be allowed to make concession to control their own futures with their players.

Until there is some type of major penalty in place to enforce the idea of players honoring their contracts, because god forbid there actually be a measure of integrity to stand by the terms of those contracts, players will continue to use the KHL as a sort of bastardized leverage in negotiations with the NHL whenever they seem fit to renegotiate their current contracts. There use to be a time when players felt it was a privilege to play for a team, somewhere along the way they lost that… If the two leagues can’t get an agreement worked out, it’ll be up to the NHL to save itself. We used to be afraid of the Russians coming, now we’re afraid to see them go. If something isn’t done soon to stop the hemorrhaging, we’ll all be left to wonder whose next?

Kings lock up d-men by signing Johnson

The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with restricted free agent defenseman Jack Johnson, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced Friday.

Johnson, 22, matched a career-high with 11 points (6-5=11), recorded 46 penalty minutes and tied for first among Kings’ defensemen with six goals and three power-play goals even though he only appeared in 41 regular season games this past season. The defenseman sustained a shoulder injury and was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 13, 2008. He was activated from injured reserve after missing 41 games on Jan. 17, 2009.

Johnson, a 6-1, 225-pound native of Indianapolis also tied for first among NHL defensemen with three shootout goals (3-for-6 = 50 percent) this past season and his three shootout goals also tied for first on the Kings. Additionally, the blue-liner appeared in his 100th Kings/NHL game at Chicago on March 9, 2009, notched his first career multi-point game (1-1=2) vs. Atlanta on Feb. 16, 2009, and scored the game-deciding shootout goal at the New York Islanders on Feb. 10, 2009, while averaging 20:16 of ice time per game (fifth on the team).

Kings announce 2009-2010 schedule

The Los Angeles Kings will open the 2009-10 season with three games at STAPLES Center – including the Season Opener against the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m. – the Kings and the NHL announced Wednesday.

The Kings have not opened the season at STAPLES Center since 2002-03, against, ironically, the Phoenix Coyotes, a 4-1 Kings win. The Kings are 20-13-8 all time in Home Openers, and are 17-15-9 in Season Openers, while posting a 9-7-6 mark when opening the season at home.

Following the Kings-Phoenix game on Oct. 3, the Kings will host San Jose (Oct. 6) and Minnesota (Oct. 8 ) before the team leaves for a season-high six game road trip. In all the Kings have six home games in Oct. and five home games in Nov. (compared to nine last season). Nov. is also highlighted by a visit by the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 5, Philadelphia on Nov. 18 and Chicago on Nov. 28.

The month of Dec. features two Saturday home games – the Kings in all play 16 home games on Saturdays versus 13 last season – and the Kings open up the new calendar year with the Washington Capitals on Jan. 2. Five days later the Kings open up a season-high seven-game homestand that features Detroit, the Stanley Cup runner-ups (Jan. 7), the Ducks (Jan. 14) in the first of their three visits to STAPLES Center, Boston (Jan. 16) and two trips by San Jose, last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners (Jan. 11 and 19).

Feb. features six Kings games overall as the NHL will again participate in the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The month begins with home games against the New York Rangers (Feb. 2), the Ducks (Feb. 4) and the Red Wings (and Feb. 6), and the Kings will play the entire month in the state of California (the only road game is at Anaheim on Feb. 8).

March features 15 games with seven games set for STAPLES Center, including Montreal (March 6), Chicago (March 18) and the New York Islanders (March 20). The Kings play four of their final six regular season games at STAPLES Center, with all four games at STAPLES Center featuring clubs from the Western Conference. The Kings’ final regular season home game (April 10 against Edmonton) is on a Saturday to mirror the club’s season/home opening Saturday home date.

The Kings conclude the 2009-10 regular season in Colorado on April 11.

Kings release pre-seaon schedule

The Los Angeles Kings Wednesday announced their preseason schedule for the 2009-10 NHL season. The Kings are currently scheduled to play eight games overall – including two at STAPLES Center – Sept.15 versus the Phoenix Coyotes and Sept. 19 versus the Anaheim Ducks.

In addition to the two home games at STAPLES Center, the Kings will host the San Jose Sharks at Citizens Business Bank Arena, home of the Kings ECHL affiliate the Ontario Reign, in Ontario on Sept. 17; the New York Islanders at Sprint Center in Kansas City on Sept. 22; and the Colorado Avalanche at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sept. 26 in the annual Frozen Fury game. This will be the Kings second preseason game at the Sprint Center, having defeated the St. Louis Blues, 2-1 last season.

Sept. 15   Coyotes     @ Phoenix      Jobing.com Arena    
Sept. 15   Coyotes     @ Los Angeles  STAPLES Center    
Sept. 17   Sharks        @ Ontario      Citizens Business Bank Arena    
Sept. 19   Ducks          @ Los Angeles  STAPLES Center    
Sept. 22   Islanders   @ Kansas City  Sprint Center    
Sept. 23   Avalanche  @ Denver       Pepsi Center    
Sept. 26   Avalanche  @ Las Vegas    MGM Grand   
Sept. 27   Ducks           @ Anaheim      Honda Center

Busy day as Kings lock up Westgarth

Though brother Brett might be playing for the Islanders, Kevin will be spending his next three years with the Kings.

Kevin Westgarth, 25, made his Kings/NHL debut on Jan. 20, 2009 at Minnesota this past season and played in nine games, recording zero points and nine penalty minutes. He also played in 65 games with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, recording 10 points (4-6=10) and a team-leading 165 penalty minutes.

Originally signed by the Kings as an unrestricted free agent on March 16, 2007, the 6-5, 241-pound Westgarth is a native of Amherstberg, Ontario. Before turning pro, he played four years of college hockey at Princeton, totalling 25-35=60 and 160 PIMs in 116 games with the Tigers

Kings resign Parse

The Los Angeles Kings, the parent club of the Manchester Monarchs, have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with forward Scott Parse, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced today.  Parse was the club’s sixth-round selection (174th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.  Per club policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.

Parse, 25, recorded 39 points (15-24=39) and 38 penalty minutes for the Monarchs in 2008-09.  His 39 points ranked fifth on Manchester’s squad, while his 15 goals were tied for fourth on the team.  Parse also held a plus-6 rating, which ranked second on the Monarchs.

So-Cal hockey just heated up

So it looks like the Kings weren’t the only ones taking a dip in the free agent pool this summer, and now the battle for Southern California looks as if it may of just gotten a bit more interesting…..

The Anaheim Ducks announced on Wednesday that they had signed former Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu to a one year deal. It had long been speculated that Koivu may join the Ducks if given the chance to be able to play a full season with fellow countryman Teemu Selanne. With Selanne’s announcement that this would be his last season and Koivu’s relatively short contract, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see both players retire after this season and a possible Olympic run.

Koivu was Montreal’s captain for nearly 10 years, tying Jean Beliveau for longest-serving in the team’s 100-year history. He had 191 goals, 450 assists and 623 penalty minutes with the Canadiens, the only team Koivu has played for during his NHL career.

Claude Lemieux says goodbye… Again.

You either loved him or…. Well let’s be honest most people just hated him. But whatever your feelings towards the man, it remains that the NHL has lost one of it’s few remaining “old time” hockey players.

During a twenty-minute conference call Claude thanked everyone in the Sharks organization, from the coaching staff to the hot dog vendors and officially announced that he would not be returning to professional hockey…… As a player. He mentioned that his family, especially his son who is an up and coming hockey player was going to become the focal point of his life, but didn’t rule out coaching at some point and time… Shades of Patrick Roy anyone?

Nothing was a given for Lemieux last season… Despite what you may think of him he busted his ass to get back to NHL form after a five year lay off. Maybe it was the right thing to do, maybe not. But whatever the case, the rest of the league can breathe a little easier going into the corners knowing that Lemieux isn’t lurking around. And if nothing else, we’ll always be left with the images from one of hockey history’s most intense rivalries.

Smyth to Kings in three part package

In an attempt to bolster the King’s offensive weaponry, and possibly add a little bit of grit in the process, the Kings announced a trade with the Colorado Avalanche that sends defense men Kyle Quincey and Tom Preissing as well as a 5th round draft pick to the Avs for Smyth’s services.

The Kings are giving up their leading defensive point getter in Quincey (4 goals and 34 assists last season) but should only feel a nominal sting at the loss with the inclusion of the most recent addition to the blue line in the form of Rob Scuderi.

The big ticket question though could still be, is the memory of the hit between Johnsons and Smyth water under the bridge, or is it simmering just below the surface ready to poison an early forming chemistry?

So long Joe

In the modern game, players retire every year with hardly a notice from anyone except their team mates, or die hard fans. They clean out their lockers, make that final last walk down the Zamboni hallway and then usually find themselves with some front office job where you never knew they escaped to until they’re part of some huge trade or the grooming of some dynamic up and coming player. So is it any surprise that on Thursday, Joe Sakic should receive all the fan fare befitting a player that helped to define an era of hockey history?

Joe Sakic, the Colorado Avalanche’s longtime captain who led the team to two Stanley Cup titles, is retiring after a 20-year NHL career. Few players have ever been so readily identifiable with one team, or a particular period of hockey. And perhaps what is even more special is that Sakic did it all with one team, (That is if you combine that period in time when the Avs played in Quebec and were known as the Nordiques.. Do you remember back then!?) But after a 20 year playing career, 2 Stanley cups (1996, 2001) 13 all-star appearances, league MVP awards and oh, a little gold medal with team Canada in the 2002 Olympics, Joe will go out, pretty much at the top of his game and officially retire.

Love him or hate him, Sakic is the type of player that leaves behind some big skates to fill. If you ever got to see him play at the height of his career, consider yourself lucky. If you didn’t, we can only hope that somewhere there is a kid running up and down their driveway practicing number 19’s moves. Thanks for the memories Joe.