Michael Cammalleri

Michael Cammalleri has had some reasons to remember Joe Louis Arena, but Monday marked another mini-milestone in his budding career. Cammalleri, a member of the University of Michigan team that won the Central Collegiate Hockey Assn. tournament here in 2002, scored his first goal in Joe Louis Arena as a pro, knocking in a backhand pass from Luc Robitaille 10:54 into the third period. The goal sliced into Detroit's 2-0 lead and helped the Kings gain a point in a 3-2 overtime loss.

After being traded by the Kings last summer, Michael Cammalleri rented out his Hermosa Beach home to three members of this year's team. As it turned out, he played as if he owned the Staples Center ice too on Thursday night, scoring an early goal that Calgary goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff made stand up in a 2-0 victory over the Kings. The loss, sealed on Rene Bourque's empty-net goal with 36 seconds left, ended a four-game winning streak for the Kings.

This is not what Michael Cammalleri expected when he signed with the Kings two months ago, giving up his senior season at the University of Michigan: a red-eye flight home to Toronto late Monday night to gather himself and then on to Manchester, N.H., to join the Kings' team in the American Hockey League.

The glimmer-of-hope news: Michael Cammalleri, spotted just before 11:30 in the morning Monday at the Kings' practice facility in El Segundo, actually skating again for the first time since he briefly attempted doing so the day after Christmas. The reality: He was wearing a red jersey, signifying his injured status and the exercise of skating was just that, skating, not an imminent return. He has been sidelined since suffering a rib injury in the early minutes against Nashville on Dec. 22.

The long road, littered with detours and hazards, has finally hit a straight stretch for King forward Michael Cammalleri. Knocked aside by a knee injury earlier this season -- a frustrating follow-up to last season's injury woes -- Cammalleri was one of the Kings' top players last week after being recalled from the minor leagues last Monday.

One familiar and one not, two players will join the Kings' lineup for the first time this season for tonight's game against the Ottawa Senators. Veteran defenseman Aaron Miller, who sat out training camp and the season's first 13 games after abdominal surgery, will make his season debut at the Corel Centre while rookie center Michael Cammalleri makes his NHL debut.

Kings forward Michael Cammalleri got a raise but it wasn't nearly the one he had been seeking as an NHL arbitrator awarded a two-year, $6.7-million contract in a ruling made public Monday. The announcement came four days after Cammalleri's five-hour arbitration hearing in Toronto and it marked a victory of sorts for the club following difficult negotiations between Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi and Cammalleri's agent, Mike Gillis.

The glimmer-of-hope news: Michael Cammalleri, spotted just before 11:30 in the morning Monday at the Kings' practice facility in El Segundo, actually skating again for the first time since he briefly attempted doing so the day after Christmas. The reality: He was wearing a red jersey, signifying his injured status and the exercise of skating was just that, skating, not an imminent return. He has been sidelined since suffering a rib injury in the early minutes against Nashville on Dec. 22.

After being traded by the Kings last summer, Michael Cammalleri rented out his Hermosa Beach home to three members of this year's team. As it turned out, he played as if he owned the Staples Center ice too on Thursday night, scoring an early goal that Calgary goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff made stand up in a 2-0 victory over the Kings. The loss, sealed on Rene Bourque's empty-net goal with 36 seconds left, ended a four-game winning streak for the Kings.

As long as he plays in the NHL, Michael Cammalleri might never score an easier goal than his first. The rookie from the University of Michigan, camped on the right side of the net just outside the crease, took a sweet pass through the slot from Brad Chartrand and whipped the puck into the net from about two feet out Saturday night. "Like an alley-oop," Cammalleri said. The second-period goal helped the Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in front of 16,461 at the Skyreach Centre.

The Kings' Michael Cammalleri will never be confused with 6-foot-4 teammate Rob Blake. Not when you're 5-9 and 185 pounds. But that doesn't mean Cammalleri's shoulders are too small to carry the scoring load and perhaps lead the Kings to the playoffs for the first time since the 2001-02 season. "The great thing about Michael is that he expects to do big things," Coach Marc Crawford said.

Kings forward Michael Cammalleri got a raise but it wasn't nearly the one he had been seeking as an NHL arbitrator awarded a two-year, $6.7-million contract in a ruling made public Monday. The announcement came four days after Cammalleri's five-hour arbitration hearing in Toronto and it marked a victory of sorts for the club following difficult negotiations between Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi and Cammalleri's agent, Mike Gillis.

Michael Cammalleri has had some reasons to remember Joe Louis Arena, but Monday marked another mini-milestone in his budding career. Cammalleri, a member of the University of Michigan team that won the Central Collegiate Hockey Assn. tournament here in 2002, scored his first goal in Joe Louis Arena as a pro, knocking in a backhand pass from Luc Robitaille 10:54 into the third period. The goal sliced into Detroit's 2-0 lead and helped the Kings gain a point in a 3-2 overtime loss.

The long road, littered with detours and hazards, has finally hit a straight stretch for King forward Michael Cammalleri. Knocked aside by a knee injury earlier this season -- a frustrating follow-up to last season's injury woes -- Cammalleri was one of the Kings' top players last week after being recalled from the minor leagues last Monday.

King prospect Michael Cammalleri, who returned last week from a sprained knee that sidelined him for more than a month, has been sent down to the team's minor league affiliate in Manchester, N.H. Cammalleri played in two games since his return and did not score a point. He had a minus-two rating and averaged a little more than nine minutes of ice time. "It's just to get him into some games," King Coach Andy Murray said.

Any day now the Kings will make official what has been suspected for weeks: Jason Allison and Adam Deadmarsh won't play again this season. Suffering from post-concussion symptoms, the top-line forwards are not close to returning to the lineup and after the Kings are mathematically eliminated from the playoff chase the club will announce that their seasons have ended. "There's no sense taking a risk," Coach Andy Murray said. For the same reason, No.

The Kings' Michael Cammalleri will never be confused with 6-foot-4 teammate Rob Blake. Not when you're 5-9 and 185 pounds. But that doesn't mean Cammalleri's shoulders are too small to carry the scoring load and perhaps lead the Kings to the playoffs for the first time since the 2001-02 season. "The great thing about Michael is that he expects to do big things," Coach Marc Crawford said.

As long as he plays in the NHL, Michael Cammalleri might never score an easier goal than his first. The rookie from the University of Michigan, camped on the right side of the net just outside the crease, took a sweet pass through the slot from Brad Chartrand and whipped the puck into the net from about two feet out Saturday night. "Like an alley-oop," Cammalleri said. The second-period goal helped the Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in front of 16,461 at the Skyreach Centre.

One familiar and one not, two players will join the Kings' lineup for the first time this season for tonight's game against the Ottawa Senators. Veteran defenseman Aaron Miller, who sat out training camp and the season's first 13 games after abdominal surgery, will make his season debut at the Corel Centre while rookie center Michael Cammalleri makes his NHL debut.