KINGS DEAL LACROIX FOR FISET : HRUDEY'S DAYS IN L.A. NUMBERED.Byline: Tim Trepany Daily News Staff Writer To the shock of no one the Kings finally acknowledged that Kelly Hrudey Kelly Hrudey (born January 13, 1961 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) is a former NHL ice hockey goaltender and current hockey broadcaster with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. won't be their No. 1 goalie next season. But it won't be Byron Dafoe Byron Dafoe (born February 25, 1971, in Worthing in Sussex, England) is a Canadian [1] former National Hockey League goaltender. Between 1992 and 2004, he played for the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Los Angeles Kings and Atlanta Thrashers. or Jamie Storr either. Rather, it will be Stephane Fiset, whom the Kings acquired Thursday from the Stanley Cup-champion Colorado Avalanche for left wing Eric Lacroix and immediately proclaimed him their top netminder. The teams also exchanged No. 1 picks in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft The NHL Entry Draft is a collective meeting in which the franchises of the National Hockey League systematically select the rights to available amateur players who meet the eligibility requirements to play professional hockey in the NHL. . ``Our immediate concern was No. 1 goaltending goal·tend·ing n. 1. Sports The act of protecting a goal, as in hockey and other such sports. 2. Basketball ,'' Kings general manager Sam McMaster said. ``(Fiset) is a No. 1 goaltender. He's a good pickup and we didn't hurt the team to get him.'' Fiset, 26, was 22-6-7 with a 2.93 goals-against average this past season. He began the year as Colorado's top goalie but was displaced when Patrick Roy came over from the Montreal Canadiens in midseason. With Roy entrenched en·trench also in·trench v. en·trenched, en·trench·ing, en·trench·es v.tr. 1. To provide with a trench, especially for the purpose of fortifying or defending. 2. as the starter, Fiset asked after the playoffs to be traded. ``You know he's going to be there for I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how many years; it was time for me to go,'' Fiset said by telephone from his home in Victoriaville, Quebec. ``I'm very happy. (The Kings) are rebuilding. With Larry Robinson as coach they will have a good system and be a defensive team, and it will be good for the goalies.'' Fiset will be replacing Hrudey, the Kings' main goalie for the past seven-plus seasons. At 35 and an unrestricted free agent, Hrudey doesn't fit into the Kings' youth movement and won't be offered a contract. The only question appeared to be if the Kings were going to hand the duties over to Dafoe, who was wildly up-and-down last season, or 20-year-old Storr, the team's 1994 draft choice and acknowledged goalie of the future. Now they will compete to back up Fiset. ``There's no question we have three good goalies,'' McMaster said. ``It's really going to be an intense battle in training camp.'' Lacroix, a fan favorite, had 16 goals and 32 points and was the Kings' most physical player last season, but he had problems keeping his emotions in control on the ice. He frequently committed bad penalties and lost about $35,000 in salary from two suspensions. One was for unintentional abuse of an official when he failed to get out of the way of a backpedaling linesman; the other when he ended Dennis Vaske's season with a hard check of the New York Islanders The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, a hamlet located on Long Island in Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. defenseman from behind. The Kings considered him expendable because they have a crowd of left wings - Kevin Stevens, Vladimir Tsyplakov and Craig and Matt Johnson - and grinders. ``I'm sad to leave,'' Lacroix said. ``I loved the city and the fans and I have a lot of good friends on the team. I'm grateful the Kings gave me a chance to be a full-time NHL NHL Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, see there player. Nobody else gave me that chance. I'm not leaving with anger. I'm grateful for a chance.'' Lacroix is going to a team with which he is familiar. His father, Pierre, is the Avalanche's general manager and he played for Colorado coach Marc Crawford for two seasons in the Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). farm system. The swap of draft choices was done at Colorado's urging. ``They think we may end up below them in the standings and get a better pick,'' McMaster said. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--color) FISET (2--color) LACROIX |
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