KINGS NOTEBOOK: LACROIX RETURNS FOR SECOND STINT.Byline: Roger Phillips Eric Lacroix Eric Lacroix (born July 15, 1971 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a retired Canadian ice hockey left winger who played 8 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators. insists he wasn't run out of Denver amid cries of nepotism nep·o·tism n. Favoritism shown or patronage granted to relatives, as in business. [French népotisme, from Italian nepotismo, from nepote, nephew, from Latin . But Wednesday, the 27-year-old winger spoke to the Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1996 and 2001. general manager, who also happened to be his father, and told him he felt it would be best if he'd be traded by the struggling franchise. The wish was accommodated Thursday, when Lacroix was traded to the Kings - with whom he broke in during the 1995 lockout lockout, intentional closing up of a company, factory, or shop by an employer to prevent employees from working during a strike or labor dispute. The term lockout season - for center Roman Vopat Roman Vopat (born April 21, 1976 in Litvinov, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech professional ice hockey forward. He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues as their seventh-round draft pick, #172 overall, in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. and a sixth-round draft choice next year. Lacroix is expected to be available for tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning is a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida, USA. It is a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). at the Forum. ``It's been a tough couple of days,'' said Lacroix, who has averaged 16 goals the last three years but has no points in seven games this season. The Kings traded Lacroix - a hard-hitting role player - to Colorado two years ago for goalie 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. . The Avalanche, whose general manager is Pierre Lacroix, had just won the Stanley Cup and looked like a dynasty. But Colorado has steadily declined, and this week, under the headline, ``It's time for total eclipse of this son,'' a Denver Post columnist wrote, ``Eric Lacroix has missed one start since joining the team . . . an indication of the enduring power of nepotism.'' Thursday, Lacroix said, ``Of course I read the article. That guy is a columnist. He's entitled to his opinion. That's what he's paid for and that's what he does. Sure, it hurt. But that's part of the business. I never had a problem with that. It's a free country. But to say a thing like that might not hurt you, though, I'd be lying.'' To get Lacroix, Kings general manager Dave Taylor gave up Vopat, 22, who was scoreless in just three appearances and has a penchant for taking foolish penalties. Vopat came to the Kings in the 1996 trade that sent Wayne Gretzky to St. Louis. ``It was more an opportunity to acquire Eric Lacroix,'' Taylor said when asked if the Kings had given up on Vopat. ``He's a good character player. He's quite a bit like Ian Laperriere in that he's very feisty, hard to play against, and he goes to the net real hard. He brings a lot of elements you can never have enough of.'' Fiset out: Upon returning to Los Angeles on Thursday following their five-game Eastern trip, the Kings learned Fiset's strained left-groin muscle will sideline him on a week-to-week basis. Fiset was injured in Wednesday night's 4-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Devils have won the Stanley Cup three times, in 1995, 2000, and 2003. in the finale of the trip. It was his first game back after straining his right-groin muscle 10 days earlier, and he was sharp in stopping the first 23 shots he faced. His injury will mean more playing time for Manny Manny may refer to: In nobility:
In other injury news, goalie Jamie Storr remains week to week with a groin injury but might start skating in a week; center Laperriere (partially torn anterior cruciate ligament anterior cruciate ligament n. Abbr. ACL The cruciate ligament of the knee that crosses from the anterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the posterior part of the lateral condyle of the femur. in his left knee) could be cleared to skate by the end of the weekend; and center Jozef Stumpel, the team announced, has had abdominal pain to go with his left strained hip flexor flexor /flex·or/ (flek´ser) 1. causing flexion. 2. a muscle that flexes a joint. flexor retina´culum see entries under retinaculum. and will see a hernia specialist today. KINGS vs. TAMPA BAY Time: 7:30 p.m. at the Forum. Tickets: Call 1-888-KINGS-LA (about 4,000 remaining). TV/Radio: Fox Sports West; KRLA 1110/AM. Matchups: This will be the first appearance at the Forum for Tampa Bay rookie Vincent Lecavalier, the first overall pick in this year's draft. Lightning owner Art Williams referred to Lecavalier as ``the Michael Jordan of hockey.'' Not that there's any pressure on him or anything. . . . The Kings have killed 34 consecutive shorthanded situations and 45 of 46 this season. They lost to the Lightning 3-2 a week ago in Tampa. - Roger Phillips CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: ERIC LACROIX The former Kings forward was reacquired by the team Thursday in a trade that sent Roman Vopat and a draft choice to Colorado. Box: KINGS vs. TAMPA BAY (See Text) |
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