DUCHESNE RETURNS TO KINGS.Byline: Tom Hoffarth Daily News Staff Writer In the St. Louis Louis, titular duke of Burgundy Louis, 1682–1712, titular duke of Burgundy; grandson of King Louis XIV of France. He became heir to the throne on the death (1711) of his father, Louis the Great Dauphin. Blues' 1997-98 media guide, defenseman de·fense·man n. A team member, as in hockey, who plays a defensive zone or position. Steve Duchesne's biography includes the entry: ``Favorite NHL NHL Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, see there city: 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. .'' Maybe that explains why it didn't take the Kings a lot of arm twisting to get the 33-year-old free-agent back with the franchise with which he spent five very productive seasons in the late 1980s and early '90s. Less than two days after free agents were allowed to talk to other teams, the Kings announced Thursday a three-year deal with Duchesne that also gives him the option of returning for a fourth season. Financial terms were not disclosed, but it will likely be about a half-million more than the $2 million that Duchesne made last season, which tied him for 18th among NHL defensemen. ``It wasn't a difficult decision at all,'' said Duchesne, the NHL's fourth-best scoring defenseman last season with 56 points (14 goals, 42 assists). ``The Kings were definitely a team that wanted me, and I was excited they were interested. Duchesne, a three-time NHL All-Star (twice with the Kings) who says he now wants to end his career in L.A., led Kings defensemen in scoring five straight seasons and was on the NHL ALL-Rookie team The NHL All-Rookie Team is chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association from the best rookies in the National Hockey League at each position for the season just concluded based on their performance in that year. in '86-87. The 6-foot, 198-pounder set the Kings' record for goals by a defensemen with 25 during the '88-'89 season. He had a 21-goal season in '90-'91, but after the Kings were eliminated from the playoffs in the second round, then-general manager Rogie Vachon traded him to Philadelphia in a deal that eventually brought Jari Kurri Jari Pekka Kurri (born May 18 1960, in Helsinki, Finland) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey right winger. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. During his career in the NHL he played for the Edmonton Oilers, L.A. to the Kings. ESCAPE TO L.A. A look at the career numbers of defenseman Steve Duchesne Steven Duchesne (born June 30, 1965 in Sept-Iles, Quebec, Canada) is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the NHL from 1986-87 until 2001-02. Playing career , signed Thursday as a free agent by the Kings: Year Team Gms G A 1986-87 Kings 75 13 25 1987-88 Kings 71 16 39 1988-89 Kings 79 25 50 1989-90 Kings 79 20 42 1990-91 Kings 78 21 41 1991-92 Phila. 78 18 38 1992-93 Quebec 82 20 62 1993-94 St. Louis 36 12 19 1994-95St. Louis 47 12 26 1995-96 Ottawa 62 12 24 1996-97 Ottawa 78 19 28 1997-98 St. Louis 80 14 42 CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: Steve Duchesne Box: ESCAPE TO L.A. (See Text) |
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