KINGS NOTEBOOK: SASKIN'S APPROVAL `A JOKE'.Byline: Rich Hammond Rich Hammond Los Angeles Daily News sports writer. Instrumental in bringing the Los Angeles Kings hockey organization closer to the fans. He is the atypical "what a guy" to Kings fans everywhere. Rich Hammond on himself. Staff Writer EL SEGUNDO El Segundo (ĕl sēgŭn`dō), industrial city (1990 pop. 15,223), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1917. Its products include navigation and computer systems, aircraft parts, office machines, telephone apparatus, and - Ted Saskin has been officially approved as executive director of the NHL NHL Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, see there players' association. But the Kings never voted, which led to some confusion and frustration Friday. ``Well, that's a joke,'' forward Sean Avery said when informed of the announcement. Saskin's saga has been complicated. He was elected, following the 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 , to replace Bob Goodenow and lead the players' union, but a vocal group of players protested the election process, leading the union to seek a full vote among its nearly 700 players, a process that took place over the past two months. ``If that's a vote, it's not a thorough vote, because the L.A. Kings didn't vote,'' Jeremy Roenick said. A news release from the NHLPA NHLPA National Hockey League Players' Association NHLPA National Historic Preservation Act said that ``a majority of the eligible votes'' had been received and that 85 percent of the votes received were in favor of Saskin's election. But the union acknowledged that not all player representatives turned in votes. The Kings' Mattias Norstrom did not submit a vote on behalf of the Kings, and although the union will continue to accept votes until Dec. 16, Norstrom said the Kings do not intend to vote any time soon. Instead, the Kings are following a lawsuit filed with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), independent agency of the U.S. government created under the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (Wagner Act), and amended by the acts of 1947 (Taft-Hartley Labor Act) and 1959 (Landrum-Griffin Act), which affirmed labor's right on behalf of a group led by former Kings forward Trent Klatt, which seeks to have the election deemed illegal. --Not an issue: Dick Pound, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), French: Agence mondiale antidopage, is an independent foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). , opined (without evidence) this week that as many as a third of NHL players take performing-enhancing drugs. Pound's comments quickly were denounced by both the league and the union. ``He's not even close,'' Roenick said. ``I bet you'd struggle to find one player on any kind of steroid. I would be very thoroughly surprised if they even found one. It's not a problem in our league.'' --Fighting mad: The Kings remained upset about Thursday's game at Nashville, in which they accused Paul Kariya of diving to draw a penalty shot. Nashville's Darcy Hordichuk also leveled Avery for a perceived cheap shot on Kariya. Avery, who drew a $1,000 fine for diving this year, wasn't confident that Kariya would get the same punishment. ``I guess it all depends on who you are in this league and what type of game you play,'' Avery said. ``If you're politically correct politically correct Politically sensitive adjective Referring to language reflecting awareness and sensitivity to another person's physical, mental, cultural, or other disadvantages or deviations from a norm; a person is not mentally retarded, but and say the right things, that's probably going to help you.'' CAPTION(S): box Box: KINGS vs. CHICAGO - Rich Hammond |
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