NHL NOTEBOOK: KINGS WILL GET OFF TO JOLLY GOOD START FOR '07-08.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

Is it possible that the Kings might have an audience with the queen this fall?

Team sources said Monday that the Kings will play the first two games of the 2007-08 season in London, likely against the Ducks. The trip would mark the NHL's first venture into Europe.

Details are still scarce and no official announcement has been made. The tentative plan is for the Kings to split their training-camp time between Los Angeles and London, open the season overseas, travel back and have a bit of a rest period before playing games on the East Coast.

The travel could cause some concern for the Kings. In recent years, several professional teams have traveled overseas for games or training camps and have complained of a rough adjustment period. But the league would like to expand its international fan base, and the Kings are an obvious choice.

Anschutz Entertainment Group, the Kings' parent company, is redeveloping an arena in London that is scheduled to open in July, and AEG's international reach in the sporting world is well known. In addition to its well-documented import of David Beckham to the Galaxy, AEG also controls five professional hockey teams in Europe and a share of a soccer team in Sweden.

Historically, hockey hasn't made much of an impact in England. The country did not qualify for the Olympic men's tournament although Great Britain does have a 10-team professional league that includes teams from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

One published report indicated the Kings' potential partner in the London venture could be the Ducks, who played two games in Tokyo against the Vancouver Canucks at the start of the 1997-98 season. San Jose and Calgary played the next year in Tokyo, but international NHL games have not been played since.

The NBA has been perhaps the most proactive about promoting its sport internationally, most recently when the Clippers conducted their training camp in Moscow before this season. The weariness of international travel has been cited as one reason the Clippers have struggled this season, but it's likely that the Kings would have at least a week of rest before they resumed their season.

-- Rich Hammond

Also: Phoenix traded leading scorer Ladislav Nagy to Dallas for left wing Mathias Tjarnqvist and a 2007 first-round draft pick. Nagy has eight goals and 33 assists. ... Ottawa goalie Ray Emery was suspended three games by the NHL for slashing Montreal forward Maxim Lapierre. ... Enforcer Donald Brashear signed a one-year, $1.1 million extension with Washington, which also lost goaltender Olaf Kolzig for at least three weeks after he hurt his knee during practice. ... Philadelphia right wing Sami Kapanen signed a two-year extension through the 2008-09 season.

CAPTION(S):

2 boxes

Box:

(1) KINGS at CAROLINA

- Associated Press

(2) DUCKS at COLORADO

- Elliot Teaford