Biography
Helene Elliott has been a member of the Los Angeles Times' sports department since 1989. She was hired as a baseball writer and covered the ...
Defenseman Alec Martinez does all he can to set the mood for Kings
May 6, 2013
In these tense times, with the Kings having scored one goal in each of their first three playoff games against the St. Louis Blues and needing a win Monday at Staples Center to tie the series, it somehow made perfect sense that defenseman Alec Martinez wore a huge sombrero onto the ice for practice Sunday along with one white sock, one red sock and a green jersey.
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Kings' offense is missing again in 2-1 loss to Blues in Game 2
May 2, 2013
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Kings have to step up play going into Game 2 at St. Louis
May 1, 2013
ST. LOUIS — From being overwhelmed by the Blues' frenzied forechecking at the start to losing on a stunning misplay by Jonathan Quick at the end, the Kings know they must improve in several areas to leave Scottrade Center on Thursday with a split of the first two games of their opening-round playoff series.
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Condensed NHL season results in a reshuffling of the playoff deck
April 29, 2013
The Stanley Cup playoffs will have a different look this season and not only because the Kings, for the first time in franchise history, are the defending champions.
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Recognizing the NHL's best this season
April 22, 2013
The season will end Sunday and so will the voting period for the NHL's major trophies. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Assn. vote for most trophies; the Jack Adams (Coach of the Year) is selected by the NHL Broadcasters' Assn., and the Vezina (best goaltender) is chosen by NHL general managers. The Times doesn't allow its writers to vote.
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Teemu Selanne, a comeback kid and a promise happily kept
April 18, 2013
Bobby Heravi did not want his son, Faryan, to hear the doctor's verdict and so made sure the boy's head was turned away when he asked about his son's chances of surviving an aggressive form of lymphoma.
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Los Angeles Kings peaking at the right time
April 14, 2013
A year ago Monday the Kings took a 3-0 playoff series lead over the top-seeded Vancouver Canucks, as goaltender Jonathan Quick made 41 saves and Dustin Brown scored on a rebound in a 1-0 victory at Staples Center. The Kings lost the next game but finished the series in five, the start of the dominance they would display during their march to the Stanley Cup.
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NHL, players join with You Can Play to fight homophobia in hockey
April 12, 2013
Maybe it really is as simple as it sounds.
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Kings see value even in 4-3 shootout loss to Ducks
April 7, 2013
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A Kings-Ducks hockey game at Dodger Stadium edges toward reality
April 7, 2013
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Summer beckons, but in L.A. it's still a winter's sports tale
April 6, 2013
Vin Scully is luring us back to the Dodgers with wonderful old stories and the promise of a new season, and the Angels will introduce new acquisition Josh Hamilton to their home fans Tuesday, but winter sports haven’t relaxed their hold on us just yet.
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Ducks make moves as deals materialize close to the trading deadline
April 4, 2013
Like the NHL season, the annual deadline-day trading frenzy was late in starting. But a flurry of deals in the hour before Wednesday's noon Pacific time cutoff changed the complexion of several teams and added depth to others hoping for long playoff runs.
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Kings, Jonathan Bernier find their way in 3-2 victory over Stars
March 31, 2013
DALLAS — Jonathan Bernier played goal Sunday with a heavy heart, still grieving the recent death of his maternal grandmother, Georgette St-Gelais.
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Hearing impairment doesn't stop these hockey players
March 28, 2013
Trey Wilson can't hear the crowd applaud when he scores a goal, and he has scored quite a few since he discovered hockey was a perfect outlet for his energy.
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New AEG chief executive has own style
March 24, 2013
The walls and shelves of Dan Beckerman's downtown Los Angeles office speak more about his largely unknown but deep involvement in AEG's success than Beckerman himself is comfortable saying.
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Ducks reach another level in 4-2 victory over the Blackhawks
March 20, 2013
Rising above the muck of a lockout-compacted schedule to play gloriously intense hockey in mid-March, the Chicago Blackhawks and Ducks pushed each other to great heights. Their fast-paced, energetic battle Wednesday at Honda Center reinforced their status as the NHL's No. 1 and No 2 teams and kept a franchise-record crowd of 17,610 divided in its loyalties but united in appreciating two outstanding performances.
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Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau is taking it a week at a time
March 17, 2013
Most NHL coaches divide the season into quarters or 10-game segments and set goals for wins or points. Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau takes a shorter-term view, preferring to break things down into digestible, one-week chunks.
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Tim Leiweke was the Kings' top boss and their top fan
March 15, 2013
Tim Leiweke spent his last evening as president and chief executive of AEG watching the Galaxy defeat Costa Rica's Herediano at the Home Depot Center. Had the Kings been home Leiweke might have been at Staples Center, cheering from the corner season seats he bought so he could vent his passion more freely than he could in a remote suite.
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It's time to recognize top performers at halfway mark of NHL season
March 11, 2013
The Chicago Blackhawks were the big story as the NHL reached the halfway point of its lockout-shortened schedule, but many other excellent performances deserve recognition. Here are some.
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Ryan Getzlaf is Ducks' Captain Comeback
March 7, 2013
When Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf invited his teammates, the club's owners and top executives to his home for a barbecue during training camp, they probably expected burgers and corn on the cob. What they got was insight into Getzlaf's keen desire to rebound after stumbling through a season so awful that those around him feared he was hiding an injury or a loved one's illness.
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Big contracts in hand, Zach Parise, Ryan Suter deal with big expectations
March 3, 2013
The small-market Minnesota Wild made the biggest splash in last summer's free-agency market by signing winger Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter to identical 13-year, $98-million contracts. They immediately became symbols of the long, salary-cap-minimizing deals NHL owners freely handed out and then insisted be banished. The new collective bargaining agreement limits contracts to seven years, except for eight years when a team re-signs its free agent.
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In playoff chase Lakers might be able to catch Rockets or Jazz
February 28, 2013
Metta World Peace took a break to meditate before he conducted a baffling conversation with reporters in which he said he knew nothing about getting a retroactive flagrant foul from the NBA for a play in Denver on Monday and that he had forgotten he even played basketball. All that meditation — or is that Metta-tation? — apparently freed him to reach a new state of clarity Thursday on the key issue: what the Lakers must do in order to make the playoffs.
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There's a lot at stake when the Kings play host to the Ducks on Monday
February 24, 2013
Despite winning three straight games and five of their last six, the Kings aren't the NHL's hottest team. They're not even the hottest team in Southern California.
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Jeff Carter takes charge for Kings in 3-1 win over Flames
February 20, 2013
CALGARY, Canada -- The Kings turned their season around and launched themselves toward the Stanley Cup when they acquired forward Jeff Carter from Columbus last Feb. 23. This season, he is almost single-handedly sustaining their hopes of having a chance to defend their title.
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Blackhawks rediscovering championship formula
February 17, 2013
CHICAGO — Between the time the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010 and the time each player enjoyed his day with the trophy, their roster had already been broken up because of salary-cap problems.
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Current Lakers owe better than this to brilliant owner Jerry Buss
February 14, 2013
What had been softly whispered for months, almost as if saying it aloud might make a terrible thing come true, became sad and public knowledge Thursday.
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No ringing endorsement, yet, for NHL players in Sochi Olympics
February 11, 2013
The countdown to the Sochi Olympics slipped beneath the one-year mark last week with a huge question looming: Will NHL players participate in Russia's first-ever Winter Games?
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Sharks may finally have something more than just talent this season
February 3, 2013
The briefest consideration of the San Jose Sharks' talent makes it tempting to pick them to win the Pacific Division and Western Conference titles every season. But every spring they seem to run into a roadblock, whether on the ice or in their own heads, and they fall short of maximizing that talent.
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Ducks overpower struggling Kings, 7-4
February 2, 2013
The Kings’ superb goaltending and team defensive play were crucial to their Stanley Cup triumph last season. Their mental and physical toughness and attention to defense became their identity as they rolled out one cohesive performance after another.
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Slow start doesn't mean end to Kings' run as Stanley Cup champions
January 27, 2013
Sure, this is a short season. But a Canadian columnist might have been rushing things a tad when he suggested the Kings' Stanley Cup defense was doomed after they had lost their first three games.
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It's not a snap, but Kings get first win
January 26, 2013
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Kings got their first win of the season, each member of their top line got his first point of the season, and rookie defenseman Jake Muzzin played clutch minutes while scoring his first NHL goal.
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Ducks will need wins to step out of the shadows
January 24, 2013
While the Ducks were missing the playoffs last spring for the second time in three seasons, the Kings were winning the Stanley Cup and captivating the modest but passionate local hockey audience.
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Kings don't stand on ceremony
January 19, 2013
The Kings' minds must have been floating in the rafters with their Stanley Cup banner when the puck was dropped at Staples Center to launch their title defense, so removed was their game from the precise, defense-minded performances they routinely pulled off while bulldozing through the playoffs last spring.
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Drew Doughty ready to take the next step
January 11, 2013
For Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, this season is all about making the right decisions.
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Kings' Tim Leiweke is already thinking of another title run
January 10, 2013
The Kings' Stanley Cup banner won't have to share space on Staples Center's wall of honor with the banners that commemorate the Lakers' NBA titles. Tim Leiweke, the Kings' governor and chief executive of their parent company, AEG, believed a singular accomplishment deserved singular recognition and so cast his eyes elsewhere.
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There's no real winner in NHL labor settlement
January 7, 2013
It's why our games have shootouts, extra innings, overtime or penalty kicks.
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Mike D'Antoni saw Lakers' defeat coming against 76ers
January 1, 2013
The Lakers made Mike D'Antoni look good Tuesday, but not in the way he would want.
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Pau Gasol shows his versatility in Laker win over Portland
December 28, 2012
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Clippers riding their wave of wins
December 28, 2012
Another game, another win for the Clippers, a phrase that has been getting a lot of use lately and is sounding more natural every time you hear it.
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Clippers turn town upside down
December 20, 2012
While the Lakers go through their daily dramas on the court and off, the Clippers are gaining confidence and beginning to explore their boundless potential.
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For Lakers, it's not about who's missing, it's about what's missing
December 9, 2012
If you believe the return of Steve Nash and Pau Gasol is going to make everything all right for the Lakers, here's some bad news:
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A victorious David Beckham leaves under his own star power
December 1, 2012
David Beckham walked off the field at the Home Depot Center with a smile on his face and an American flag draped around his shoulders, leaping to high-five one last fan as he ended his most excellent MLS playing adventure with a powerful performance.
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Kings a lifelong passion for David Courtney
November 29, 2012
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NHL follows the NBA only so far in its labor negotiations
November 22, 2012
The NBA season was slipping away as Thanksgiving 2011 approached.
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Kobe Bryant triple-doubles down on new Lakers era
November 18, 2012
Kobe Bryant considered it no big deal Sunday that his 22-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist performance against the Houston Rockets was his 18th triple-double, a feat that didn't inspire much more from him than a small smile. And maybe in one sense he was right.
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Pomona-Pitzer track athlete is in running for Rhodes Scholarship
November 14, 2012
Annie Lydens is accustomed to juggling a demanding academic schedule at Pomona College and her running career for Pomona-Pitzer with equally exceptional results.
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Interim Coach Bernie Bickerstaff tries to keep it simple for Lakers
November 12, 2012
He was asked and so he served, but Bernie Bickerstaff gave the distinct impression he will be happy when his term as the Lakers' interim coach ends and he can go back to being a low-profile assistant coach with nothing more pressing to worry about than getting to practice on time.
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It's time for Pau Gasol to assert himself
November 8, 2012
If Pau Gasol's feelings were hurt a year ago when the Lakers tried to trade him to the Hornets for Chris Paul, his subpar performance last season is easier to understand.
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A Lakers-Clippers matchup that's loaded with meaning early on
November 2, 2012
Kobe Bryant, who plays for the second-best NBA team in town, said he hasn't seen the Clippers but he's impressed by what he knows about them.
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With Olympic 200 gold in hand, Allyson Felix asks: What's next?
October 26, 2012
Pursuing her dream had so completely consumed Allyson Felix that after she won the gold medal in the 200 at the London Olympics, the woman who so perfectly combines grace and power was, for once, unsure of her next steps.
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NHL cancels games through Nov. 30
October 26, 2012
The NHL put the "no" in November and continued its determined march toward irrelevance by canceling games through Nov. 30, an announcement that was expected following the silent expiration of its Thursday deadline for a labor agreement with the players' association that would have preserved a full schedule.
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David Stern, iron-fisted NBA commissioner, to step down
October 25, 2012
If David Stern ruled the NBA with an iron fist, he cushioned the blows by transforming a league that couldn't get its championship final live on national TV in the early 1980s into a powerful marketing machine that made players and owners incredibly rich and turned its stars into international icons.
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As stars sit, Eric Bledsoe gets a chance to impress
October 24, 2012
The Lakers and Clippers will play many dramatic, high-caliber games against each other this season and will bring fans at Staples Center to their feet with a parade of dunks and alley-oops and the sheer brilliance of their superstar-stuffed lineups.
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Dwight Howard's first game offers Lakers a glimpse of things to come
October 22, 2012
The question posed to Coach Mike Brown before the Lakers' exhibition against Sacramento seemed simple, but he pretended he didn't understand.
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USC's lack of discipline is worrisome flaw as penalties mount
October 20, 2012
Look past the cascade of records quarterback Matt Barkley and wide receiver Robert Woods set Saturday in USC's 50-6 rout of Colorado at the Coliseum and you'll see why the Trojans had some concerns after what should have been a purely happy romp through an overwhelmed secondary.
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Clippers' Jamal Crawford aims at perfecting his shot
October 18, 2012
After 12 NBA seasons and with a firm reputation as a pure shooter, Clippers guard Jamal Crawford tried something during the off-season he had never done before.
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Kings' banner celebration turns into a real bummer
October 12, 2012
This was to be the night it would hit home that it wasn't a dream, that the Kings really did win the Stanley Cup.
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NHL hits players' wallets, cancels regular-season games to Oct. 24
October 5, 2012
The NHL on Thursday used its most potent hammer and ensured locked-out players will lose at least one paycheck when it canceled a segment of the regular-season schedule from the Oct. 11 openers through Oct. 24.
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The state of Metta World Peace: fit and determined
October 5, 2012
His newly prominent cheekbones, sharply chiseled in a slender face, are the most obvious indication that Metta World Peace has become much lighter of body. His diligence during the Lakers' first training-camp workouts testifies to his lightness of mind and his commitment to being a valued role player on a potential championship team.
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End of the season could be the end of Torii Hunter's Angels career
September 27, 2012
Like the fans who chanted his name when he came to bat in the ninth inning Thursday, Torii Hunter wondered if that would be his final appearance at Angel Stadium in the home team's uniform — not only this season, but for good.
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Some questions and answers as the NHL lockout continues
September 25, 2012
Representatives of the NHL and the players' union met twice in Toronto on Monday, once to review last season's revenue figures and again at an NHL Alumni dinner, but they appeared no closer to resolving the labor dispute that led the league to lock out players Sept. 15.
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Luc Robitaille honors mother's Stanley Cup request
September 21, 2012
NORBERTVILLE, Canada — Madeleine Robitaille could have requested anything from her Hockey Hall of Fame son Luc and he would have moved mountains to give it to her, but that isn't her way. She and her husband, Claude, worked hard for all they had as they raised three kids in Montreal, Madeleine unfailingly elegant from her well-coiffed head to her stylish feet.
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Lakers bench steps up in win
December 14, 2007
Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were missing from the San Antonio Spurs' lineup Thursday, each resting a sprained ankle and unable to play against the Lakers.