BLAKE WILL MISS TWO WEEKS.Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer NASHVILLE - Kings captain Rob Blake For other persons of the same name, see Robert Blake. Robert Bowlby "Rob" Blake (born December 10 1969, in Simcoe, Ontario) is a professional ice hockey defenceman in the NHL, playing for the Los Angeles Kings where he is the captain. will be sidelined at least two weeks after doctors on Monday discovered a hairline fracture hairline fracture n. A fracture in which the fragments do not separate because the line of break is so fine. Also called capillary fracture. within the vertebrae Vertebrae Bones in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions of the body that make up the vertebral column. Vertebrae have a central foramen (hole), and their superposition makes up the vertebral canal that encloses the spinal cord. of his lower back. The Kings, already playing without top goaltender Stephane Fiset Stephane Fiset (born June 17, 1970 in Montreal, Quebec) is an ice hockey goaltender who is retired. Playing career Fiset was drafted in the 2nd round 24th overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques. (sprained left knee) and No. 1 center Jozef Stumpel (holdout hold·out n. One that withholds agreement or consent upon which progress is contingent. Noun 1. holdout - a negotiator who hopes to gain concessions by refusing to come to terms; "their star pitcher was a holdout for six ), learned the extent of Blake's injury after arriving in Nashville, where they open a four-game trip tonight against the Predators. Blake remained in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and underwent a CT scan CT scan: see CAT scan. See CAT scan. , which detected a tiny fracture. Blake suffered the injury on Friday, Oct. 15, in a collision during the third period of the Kings 5-0 victory over the Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). . X-rays taken after that game showed no structural damage. Blake played Sunday night in the Kings' 6-5 loss to Phoenix and had a season-high three assists. He leads all NHL NHL Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, see there defensemen in scoring with seven points (two goals, five assists). ``Now we have another challenge, but I know we will survive,'' Kings coach Andy Murray said. ``They say this team has never played well without Rob in the lineup. This has to be the time we prove them wrong.'' Although Blake is expected to miss the trip and could be sidelined for a stretch of nine road games in the next 10, he was not placed on injured reserve. ``The doctors think that once the pain is gone, you can play even if the fracture still exists,'' Murray said. Blake's spot on defense will be taken by Aki Berg, who will be teamed with Mathieu Schneider. Rookie defenseman Andreas Lilja, 25, the club's top selection in last June's amateur draft, was recalled from the Kings' minor-league affiliate in Lowell, Mass. To clear a roster spot for Lilja, left-winger Stu Grimson was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Oct. 8, with an injured right hand. Grimson, who has appeared in just one game, was injured Sept. 16 during a fight with Colorado's Scott Parker. Although the season is six games old, it already has been a long year for Blake. He resigned his captaincy during training camp in a contract dispute and withstood countless trade rumors. Blake, an unrestricted free agent after the season, reclaimed his captaincy a week later. KINGS VS. NASHVILLE Time: 5 p.m., Gaylord Entertainment Center. TV/Radio Fox Sports Net; 1110-AM. Matchup: After opening with identical 28-47-7 records in their first two seasons, the Predators are off to a 3-1-0 start, including a season-opening split with Pittsburgh in Japan. The defense is solid, allowing just six goals. The offense is not, scoring just nine times in four games. The Kings are playing well offensively with two goals in the first period in each of their six games. Ziggy Palffy has six goals and has a point in every game. He leads the league with four power-play goals. The Kings, though, are hoping to get more out of their second unit: Bryan Smolinski, Glen Murray and Nelson Emerson. All three were held out at various points in Sunday's 6-5 loss because of lackluster play. Steve Passmore will start in goal. CAPTION(S): box Box: KINGS VS. NASHVILLE (see text) |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion