The Kings have announced this season’s series of Legends Nights, honoring important figures from Kings teams past, as well as one important player with a long connection to southern California.
Willie O’Ree, selected at long last for inclusion in the Hockey Hall of Fame, will be honored by the Kings on November 24. O’Ree broke the NHL’s color barrier by being the first black man to play in the league when he suited up for the Boston Bruins on January 18, 1958. He had a lengthy career, including six seasons with the Los Angeles Blades, from the minor league Western Hockey League, and parts of eight years playing in San Diego (seven with the minor WHL Gulls and one with the Pacific Hockey League Hawks). O’Ree began working for the NHL as their Diversity Ambassador in 1998, helping to promote inclusivity in the sport.
Lubomir Visnovsky will be honored on December 4. The Slovak defenseman was drafted by the Kings in the fourth round of the 2000 draft. He recorded 70 goals and 209 assists (279 points) in 499 regular season games with the Kings before he was traded to Edmonton for Jarret Stoll and Matt Greene. Among Kings’ defensemen, Visnovsky still sits in the top five for points, power-play goals and game-winning goals.
Finally, Sean O’Donnell will be recognized on February 14. While O’Donnell was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 1991, he was traded to the Kings in 1994, before he ever played a game in the NHL. In two separate stints for the Kings (1994-2000 and 2008-2010), O’Donnell played in 541 games, registering 98 points and 940 penalty minutes, ranking him sixth overall in penalty minutes for the franchise. You can currently see O’Donnell on TV with FOX Sports West as an analyst during Kings games; he also works with the Kings in Player Development, keeping an eye on young defensemen in the system.
Kings Things
Lots of good Trevor Lewis/Daniel Brickley content coming out ahead of the Kings taking the ice tonight in Salt Lake City, Utah. First up, a deep dive into the intertwined family histories of the Brickleys and the Lewises, from Christopher Kamrani. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Lisa Dillman talked with Trevor Lewis about his homecoming to Utah, more than 15 years after he had to leave home to pursue hockey. [The Athletic]
The Kings have trimmed their roster in advance of the Ontario Reign’s training camp. Notable cuts headed to the AHL include Alex Lintuniemi, Peter Budaj, Mikey Eyssimont, and Sheldon Rempal. [Ontario Reign]
Via Robert Morales, Mike Amadio believes he’s ready for a permanent role on the Kings. [Los Angeles Daily News]
2012 Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup Champion Colin Fraser has taken a job with the Chicago Blackhawks as an amateur scout in western Canada. [The Athletic]
Greg Wyshynski talked with Ilya Kovalchuk about the decision to return to the NHL. [ESPN]
Elsewhere in the World
Max Domi’s sucker punch on Aaron Ekblad has got people talking all over. Scott Matla argues that the NHL’s revenge culture endangers its players. [Eyes on the Prize]
Kevin Paul Dupont looks at the Department of Player Safety’s response to the Domi punch. [Boston Globe]
Kristina Rutherford takes a deep dive into the first year of professional women’s hockey in China. [Sportsnet]
Flames goalie prospect opened up to Scott Cruickshank about his struggles with mental health and concussions. [The Athletic]
Ted Nolan committed to make a $75,000 donation to First Nations University to establish the Rose Nolan Scholarship, in honor of his mother. [CTV Regina]
Andy Andreoff chipped in a goal for the Tampa Bay Lightning and then promptly got waived to go to the AHL.
Andreoff to a good start with the #Bolts 😎 #TBLvsNSH pic.twitter.com/kftPfGJndF
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) September 22, 2018
Nick Shore, meanwhile, still does not have a contract.
Working on something on one-timers and seeing who might be Eichel’s best winger from that aspect….found something else Nick Shore is good at.
These are one-timer shot assists that exclude one-timers from the point. So, who is creating one-timers from better scoring areas. pic.twitter.com/LIla71UnS1
— Ryan Stimson (@RK_Stimp) September 21, 2018
And Everyone Loves Justin Williams.
A quick story since the Caps are playing the Hurricanes tonight:
When Nicklas Backstrom had his day with the Cup, he found the three places Justin Williams has his name on it, took photos and texted them to him.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) September 21, 2018