LA KINGS NEWS CLIPS 7/9/10

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1 LA KINGS NEWS CLIPS 7/9/10

2 FROM LAKINGS.COM RICH HAMMOND ARTICLES ON LAKINGS.COM AND LA KINGS INSIDER After one week Posted by Rich Hammond on 8 July 2010, 2:12 pm There s one bottom line to the Ilya Kovalchuk situation: on July 1, at 9 a.m. Pacific time, he became a free agent and negotiations began. When he signs his name on a contract, negotiations will end. Everything else is the Hokey Pokey. In, out, in, shake all about, etc. The Kings have made at least two offers to Kovalchuk. They have received one counter-offer, which they rejected. They have elected, at this moment, to not make another offer. There s nothing to say that negotiations couldn t start again in five minutes, or to say that Kovalchuk couldn t sign with New Jersey or the KHL, although the Kings have requested to be kept in the loop, so to speak, about any long-term or short-term contract possibilities involving Kovalchuk. The Kings have trade options, which they would be able to explore when the Kovalchuk situation is resolved. I m satisfied with who I have communicated with, the facts I ve received and the ability to present facts going forward. As always, thanks for the patience and readership. It s been long week, but I appreciate that everyone is able to talk and debate while staying civil. That s much appreciated!

3 KINGS IN THE NEWS: Dustin Brown will be the guest on FS PRIME s Dodgers Live pre-game show tonight, July 9, from Dodger Stadium. The show begins at 6:30 p.m. prior to the 7:10 p.m. game against the Cubs. Brown will also be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to Matt Greene before tomorrow s game. The Ice Crew and Kings alumni Daryl Evans, Ian Turnbull, Brad Norton and Jamie Storr will also be on hand as part of My Town Kings and Dodgers Night. For more information and special pricing to sit in the Kings My Town section, log onto Great Read Kevin! More Bob Probert Memories from Kings enforcer Marty McSorley:

4 The Fabulous Forum The who, what, where, when, why and why not of L.A. sports Category: Kings All quiet for now on Kings' side of Kovalchuk situation July 8, :38 pm No movement today regarding Ilya Kovalchuk, who certainly appears to have overplayed his hand if he's still looking for a $10-million annual salary and/or $100-million contract. A Kings source said Thursday there had been "not a peep" on the Kovalchuk front, but that can change. Probably not today, though, while the LeBron James circus dominates sports coverage. The always interesting Pierre LeBrun offers his take at ESPN.com on what could happen next from Kovalchuk's point of view. If you've lost track of this winding, week-old odyssey, the Kings dropped out of contention Tuesday but were "re-engaged," according to General Manager Dean Lombardi. They got a new proposal from Kovalchuk's side Wednesday but it showed little or no compromise. Incidentally, for those interested in what's happening with winger Alexander Frolov, who was not offered a contract by the Kings and became an unrestricted free agent, he's still available. His agent, Don Meehan, said he hasn't had any talks with the Kings yet. Maybe the "yet" leaves some wiggle room Helene Elliott

5 FROM DAILY NEWS - J.P. HOORNSTRA Talks between Kovalchuk, Kings appear to be off again By J.P. Hoornstra, Staff Writer Posted: 07/08/ :32:06 PM PDT Updated: 07/08/ :17:04 PM PDT The most coveted free agent on the NHL market did not follow the lead of his NBA counterpart on Thursday. Left wing Ilya Kovalchuk had not even booked any time on national television, having moved on from a second offer by the Kings, according to multiple reports. The Kings' offer is regarded to be contingent on their ability to re-sign a cadre of young players who will become free agents next summer. Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson and Wayne Simmonds are all expected to command raises once their current contracts expire in Reports have varied as to how much the Kings have offered, and how much Kovalchuk is asking, with neither side confirming the specifics. As the best free agent still available, Kovalchuk is believed to be seeking the NHL equivalent of LeBron James-like money. Ducks waive Carter The Ducks placed forward Ryan Carter on waivers. He will return to Anaheim if none of the other 29teams claim Carter, who is in the final year of his $725,000 contract. The 26-year-old had four goals and nine points in 38 games last season and was one of only two Ducks, along with Saku Koivu, who won more than half his faceoffs (52.5 percent).

6 «Return to Article Click to Print Behind the scenes at the 2010 NHL draft By MARCIA C. SMITH :32:58 LOS ANGELES There's this 12-year-old kid known as "The Crazy Hockey Boy" who, in a scene fit for "Forrest Gump," wound up in the middle of the NHL draft at Staples Center. Zeke Estrada, a beefy, toothy dimples-when-smiling Latino, moved from Homer, Alaska, to Anaheim two years ago to "score a whole lotta goals" for the Junior Ducks. (Click on the above "Photos" tab for scenes from the NHL draft) A 5-foot-3, 125-pound Pee Wee AA center swimming in a man-sized New York Rangers sweater, Zeke was allowed on the event floor, where he was surrounded by hundreds of suit-wearing powerbrokers from every NHL club. Around his neck swung his credential to work as a draft day runner assigned to the Rangers' table. He fetched the executives bottled water and refreshments, refilled the bowl of potato chips and emptied the trash while getting a 1-to-5 hole view of Friday's draft-day decision making. Nearly every team had a draft runner, a job usually reserved for the pre-teen son or daughter of an NHL bigwig. Some kids joined executives on stage to present the jersey to the player for the famous draft-day photo-op, but shy Zeke didn't ask. He preferred the perk of moving aside several times as wait here they come again... "Excuse me," said six-time Stanley Cup champion Mark Messier, now a New York Rangers special assistant, leading a parade of executives to the stage to welcome the player who would be the 10th overall pick in the draft. "This is so cool," said Zeke, who has been passionate about ice hockey since lacing up his first pair of rented skates at an Alaska rink at age 5. "One day, I hope I'm back at the draft and a hockey team will call my name." Zeke enjoyed watching players hug their families in the stands and then work their ways to the stage to shake Commissioner Gary Bettman's hand, throw on a new jersey and put on their newest team's hat. This was inspiration as if he needed more. What struck Zeke was the feeling of divine intervention of an NHL that was coming to him. Here was the draft in Los Angeles and the statue of Wayne Gretzky dressed outside Staples Center for the occasion. Here were more than 11,000 spectators in the stands to watch the draft and show passion for a supposed winter sport. Here was the Stanley Cup on display and Hall of Fame Kings left winger Luc Robitaille on stage. Here were a record eight California hockey players ranked by NHL Central Scouting, making the region comparable to longtime hockey prospect hotbeds Massachusetts (seven) and Michigan (nine). And here was Long Beach's Emerson Etem, a Medicine Hat Tigers forward and WHL rookie leader in goals (37), going to the Ducks in the first round, 29th overall. "It's my dream to play hockey, and I came to California to have that dream," said Zeke, who got to take a photo and get an autograph from Messier. So far, being a draft runner is the closest he has come to going pro, which, he says, "is, like, everything to me."

7 Zeke landed this gig by winning an Upper Deck essay contest open to children, ages 10-14, who had purchased hockey trading cards at selected Los Angeles and Orange County hobby shops. Zeke, who submitted his entry at Anaheim's OC Dugout, wrote that he sought "the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" of being a draft runner and wanted "a chance to be close to the players that have dedicated and worked so hard for the sport that I love." Crazy love. "He loves hockey so much that his mom (Patty Estrada) and I took him to a doctor to make sure that nothing was wrong," said Zeke's father, George, who shakes his head in disbelief about his younger son's hockey zeal. "There's just something about Zeke and hockey." Zeke said he knew he wanted to be in the NHL "since I took my first step on the ice. I fell like 20 times and held on to the wall the whole way around but I knew that I wanted to do it." He joined the Homer Glacier Kings' Mite A team and improved quickly. He had to be wrestled out of the rink to go home at night. He had to be reminded too often to pick up his hockey cards that were scattered in every room and poked their corners from every crevice in the house. His teachers even called home telling his parents that hockey could no longer be a topic for his next book report, essay or project. "I've written a lot about my favorite player, Scott Gomez," said Zeke, who began idolizing the center after learning that Gomez was born in Anchorage and had become the first Latino drafted by an NHL team when the New Jersey Devils selected him 27th overall in "I like how he plays." In Alaska, where there aren't major pro sports teams and "everyone watches the dogs and the sled," Zeke yearned for more hockey. His coach suggested to George Estrada that the family check out the surging youth hockey pipeline in Southern California on their vacation. At age 10, Zeke left Alaska for Disneyland and never went back home. He got a tryout with the Junior Ducks at Anaheim ICE, made the team and begged his parents to move the family south. He was making a career choice. "It sounds strange but this is what he wants to do, and he's good at it," said George Estrada. "We're trying to support him in a competitive sport, and going to California seemed like the right move." George and Zeke Estrada didn't go back to Alaska. They stayed in an Anaheim hotel for two months while Zeke's mother, a nursing school student, and brother, Dominik, 16, packed up the home in Alaska and sent boxes to Anaheim. This past year the family reunited and rented an Anaheim apartment. George Estrada, a restaurant consultant, took on odd jobs at Anaheim ICE, working concessions and skate rentals and even driving the Zamboni. Zeke has been home-schooled and continues playing hockey every moment he can. Sometimes he meets Ducks when they come to Anaheim ICE for practice. He asks questions about the hockey they played when they were 12, and they remember him. "Oh yeah, I know Zeke," said Ducks defenseman Luca Sbisa at Staples Center on Friday. "I was just like him when I grew up. I was 'The Crazy Hockey Boy' too." Contact the writer: masmith@ocregister.com FROM DODGERS.COM

8 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Public Relations Thursday, July 8, 2010 (323) TOMORROW IS L.A. KINGS NIGHT AT DODGER STADIUM Dustin Brown and Matt Greene will throw out ceremonial first pitch and fans who sit in dedicated section will receive Dodgertown, Kings t-shirts and get the chance to meet Kings alumni WHAT: The Los Angeles Dodgers will host L.A. Kings Night tomorrow and fans who sit in the dedicated Dodgertown, Kings section will receive L.A. Kings T-shirts and an all-you-can-eat menu including pastrami sandwiches, kettle-style potato chips and kosher-style pickles. Kings Captain Dustin Brown and Assistant Captain Matt Greene will throw out a ceremonial first pitch accompanied by the Kings Ice Crew and mascot Bailey. Kings alumni Daryl Evans, Ian Turnbull, Jamie Storr and Brad Norton will be on hand for autographs and pictures in the My Town section. Before getting to their seats fans can stop by the Ice Rider, the Kings mobile marketing vehicle, in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. WHEN: TOMORROW, Friday, July 9, 2010 Ceremonial first pitch: approximately 7:00 p.m. WHERE: MISC: Dodger Stadium Dodgertown, Kings Reserve sections 56 and 60 The Dodgers and Kings have worked together on numerous initiatives in the past, including several puck drops, ceremonial first pitches and other events. To purchase tickets to sit in Dodgertown, Kings, visit The two-time defending National League West Division Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, pioneers in sport and world culture, have won more games, more pennants, and more World Series than any other club in the National League since moving to Los Angeles. Since the start of the modern era in baseball, the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles, combined, have a cumulative attendance of more than 185 million, the highest total in the history of baseball or any other sport. Visit the Dodgers on the Internet at For media information, visit