Jack Johnson

POP MUSIC Jack Johnson The singer-songwriter returns to Santa Barbara ? the Hawaii native is a UCSB alumnus, class of '97 ? to play back-to-back shows of his breezy yet increasingly ambitious beach-folk. Johnson shares the bill Wednesday with G. Love & Special Sauce, whom the surfer often cites as one of his greatest influences, and ALO on Thursday. Santa Barbara Bowl , 1122 N. Milpas St., Santa Barbara. 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. $64. (805) 962-7411. www.sbbowl.

For Willie Mitchell , it has been nine years since he just missed out on the chance to play in the Stanley Cup Final, and two years since his hockey-playing future was in serious doubt because of a lingering concussion. So what's another week of waiting for the Cup puck to drop? That may seem like an interminable amount of time for some of his younger Kings teammates, but not for the 35-year-old defenseman. Rest is embraced, not rejected, by the team's "over-35 crowd," Mitchell said.

Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi said Friday his harsh evaluation of Jack Johnson's old flaws in an interview on the blog frozenroyalty.net was intended to lend perspective to the defenseman's progress, not to disparage Johnson or the University of Michigan. In the interview, conducted by Gann Matsuda and published as part of a series, Lombardi said Johnson "never had any coaching" at Michigan and was "awful as a hockey player" before he joined the Kings and refined his game enough to be chosen for the U.S. Olympic team at the Vancouver Games.

When: 4:30 p.m. Where: Joe Louis Arena. On the air: TV: Channel 13. Radio: 1150 Records: Kings 31-24-12. Red Wings 43-21-3. Record vs. Red Wings: 0-2. Update: Ghosts of teammates past.... Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson scored against his former Kings' teammates on Thursday night in Columbus, helping end the Kings' three-game winning streak. So who is next? If form follows, it will be Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart. He played 63 games for the Kings in the 2007-08 season.

To march with Team USA on Friday in the opening ceremony, Kings defenseman Jack Johnson awoke at 5 a.m. on a day between games, jumped on a charter flight from LAX to Bellingham, Wash., and hired a car and driver for the 50-mile trip to Vancouver. Johnson wouldn't say what he paid to charter the six-seat plane for himself, his parents and his little brother. To him, the experience is priceless. "I had to take extreme measures to get here, but it was worth every bit of it," said Johnson, the lone NHL player in the procession.

One disgruntled forward and one desperate team. That perfect hockey storm resulted in the struggling Kings' acquiring center Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday in exchange for defenseman Jack Johnson and a first-round draft choice in 2012 or 2013. If the Kings do not make the playoffs this season, the pick slides to next year. The deal reunites the 27-year-old Carter, a former 46-goal scorer, with Mike Richards, his close friend and former teammate in Philadelphia.

JACK JOHNSON, the former surfing pro whose mellow hits are ready-made for beach bonfires, debuted at No. 1 Wednesday on the national album sales chart with the soundtrack to "Curious George," the children's film that opened Friday. "Sing-A-Longs & Lullabies From the Film 'Curious George' " features 13 tracks by Johnson, who also happens to be a new father. The CD has guest appearances by G Love, Ben Harper and Matt Costa.

Terry Murray's decision to take Randy Jones out of the lineup and pair Peter Harrold with Jack Johnson worked out well for the Kings in Game 2, and the Kings' coach stuck with the new configuration for Game 3. That was fine with Johnson. "I enjoy playing with Peter a lot. He's a quick player. Skating is one of his strengths," Johnson said. "I always enjoy having a partner that skates well, and I think he handles the puck well. "He's very reliable. I always know where he's going to be and I trust him. In any partnership, trust is the biggest thing.

Kings defenseman Jack Johnson returned to Los Angeles about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, his whirlwind trip to Vancouver for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics leaving him both exhausted and inspired. "It was a great experience. Probably the coolest thing I've ever done," said Johnson, the first American NHL player to take part in the opening ceremony in Winter Olympics history. "It was worth every minute of it to get there. It was everything I thought it would be. And more."

Jack Johnson isn't afraid of hero worship, especially when it comes to his own heroes. So his sold-out concert at the Greek Theatre on Friday was often less about himself than a celebration of the musicians who have influenced his disarming folk-based rock. There were songs by Bob Marley, Taj Mahal and Jimmy Buffett and onstage appearances by contemporary heroes Ben Harper and G. Love & Special Sauce, joining Johnson for songs that were quietly emotional and rich with personality.

Defenseman Willie Mitchell said his comfort level in Los Angeles and his belief that the Kings' nucleus “is a group that's capable of winning” were his prime motivations in agreeing to a two-year contract extension with the Kings instead of testing the free-agent market on July 1. The extension, announced Friday after insurance-related issues were settled, will pay him $3.5 million per season, the same salary as under his current deal....

When: 5 p.m. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: FS West. Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 27-22-12; Blackhawks 33-22-7 Update: Rookie defenseman Slava Voynov returns to the Kings after a short stint with their minor league affiliate in Manchester, N.H. Voynov's emergence was one of the reasons the Kings were able to move defenseman Jack Johnson in the Jeff Carter deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. "If Slava is going to become a top-four guy, it doesn't do him any good to be in and out of the lineup," Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said.

You could never quite call it a circus-type atmosphere for the Kings at the Toyota Sports Center, not with the Lakers occupying part of the El Segundo complex. But it came close Friday with the departure of defenseman Jack Johnson, the looming arrival of just-acquired forward Jeff Carter from Columbus, trade rumors engulfing captain Dustin Brown and the completion of defenseman Willie Mitchell's two-year, $7-million contract extension Not long after the trade for Carter became official, Brown became a trending topic on Twitter in Canada on Thursday night, rocketing like a hot initial public offering.

One disgruntled forward and one desperate team. That perfect hockey storm resulted in the struggling Kings' acquiring center Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday in exchange for defenseman Jack Johnson and a first-round draft choice in 2012 or 2013. If the Kings do not make the playoffs this season, the pick slides to next year. The deal reunites the 27-year-old Carter, a former 46-goal scorer, with Mike Richards, his close friend and former teammate in Philadelphia.

Whether it was the full moon, a simple homage or the sheer delight of finishing off a three-on-one, defenseman Jack Johnson dragged the Kings to a new place. Johnson "Tebowed" at Staples Center. It was the Kings' third goal in what turned out to be a 5-2 victory against the Washington Capitals on Monday night. Adding goals for the Kings were Kyle Clifford, Anze Kopitar, Jarret Stoll and Justin Williams (on the power play, no less). Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier, getting a rare start, won his third game of the season.

Whether it was the full moon, a simple homage or the sheer delight of finishing off a three-on-one, defenseman Jack Johnson dragged the Kings to a new place. Johnson "Tebowed" at Staples Center. It was the Kings' third goal in what turned out to be a 5-2 victory against the Washington Capitals on Monday night. Adding goals for the Kings were Kyle Clifford, Anze Kopitar, Jarret Stoll and Justin Williams (on the power play, no less). Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier, getting a rare start, won his third game of the season.

When surfer-singer Jack Johnson took the stage to play his top-billed show late Friday night, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival experienced a precipitous decibel drop. After all, that same stage in recent years has hosted such headliners as Rage Against the Machine, Tool and Nine Inch Nails.

Before Muhammad Ali, there was Jack Johnson. Johnson, the son of former slaves, became heavyweight champion of the world at a time when America cared about only three sports: horse racing, baseball and boxing. At 6-2, 200 pounds, he was known for his lightning-fast hands, a near impregnable guard and devastating power.

PHILADELPHIA -- Mike Richards had a triumphant return to Philadelphia, assisting on Jack Johnson's winning power-play goal at 1:39 of overtime to lift the Los Angeles Kings past the Flyers, 3-2, on Saturday night. Richards returned to Philadelphia for the first time since his shocking trade in June. Richards was the Flyers captain and led them to the Stanley Cup finals in 2010. He heard mostly cheers during his pregame introduction and a huge ovation when the Flyers thanked him on the big screen for his years of service.