Familiar voice to call Kings game
Ken “Jiggs” McDonald, the team’s first broadcaster, will take Bob Miller’s place tonight in Florida.
SUNRISE, Fla. — Bob Miller, the Kings’ Hockey Hall of Fame broadcaster, will meet with team officials next week to discuss his return to the TV booth after he suffered a mild stroke during the All-Star break last month.
“I’m feeling good and am home now. But still no timetable for my return,” Miller, 78, wrote in an email.
Miller, who has a series of followup appointments with doctors next week, missed the second half of last season after undergoing quadruplebypass surgery. As a result, he cut back on his travel this season and was scheduled to skip the Kings’ current four-game East Coast swing even before the latest health scare.
After Thursday, the Kings return home for a six-day break, giving Miller more time to convalesce.
“We are talking regularly in the spirit of his well-being, but we won't have a definitive plan until his recovery is complete,” said Michael Altieri, Kings senior vice president for communications and broadcasting.
Welcome break
The Kings made the short flight from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale after Tuesday’s 5-0 loss, giving them a full day off in South Florida.
The collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players’ union calls for a minimum of four off days — no practice, no games — each month, and the Kings had one of those scheduled for Wednesday.
TONIGHT AT FLORIDA When: 4:30 PST. Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Fla. On the air: TV: FSW; Radio: 790. Update: The Kings (27-23-4) already have made some history on this trip, though not the kind they’re likely to celebrate. This week’s back-to-back 5-0 losses to Washington and Tampa Bay mark the first time since 2006 that the Kings have been outscored by at least five goals in shutout losses twice in the same season. Florida (2319-10) hasn’t played since beating the Ducks last week for its third win in a row. The Panthers had been buoyed by the return of forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov from injuries. The two, who joined Jaromir Jagr’s line, combined for the game-winning goal against the Ducks.