LOS ANGELES — Rob Scuderi signed a four-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, leaving the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins without their top defensive pairing.
Scuderi, who teamed with Hal Gill to form a shutdown tandem on the blue line, led the Penguins with a plus-23 rating and had a career-high 16 points in 81 regular-season games.
He also had a team-high
164 blocked shots.
He and Gill faced the challenge of holding down the opposition’s biggest offensive threats, and they were good enough to help the Penguins win the Stanley Cup for the third time. Gill left Pittsburgh on Wednesday, the opening day of the NHL’s free-agent signing season, for a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens.
In addition to his defensive prowess in the playoffs, Scuderi added a goal and four assists in 24 games while logging 201/2 minutes of ice time.
He assisted on Max Talbot’s Cup-winning goal in Game 7 of the finals against Detroit.
Scuderi spent parts of five seasons with the Penguins and has recorded three goals and
36 assists in 300 career NHL games. He has eight points in 49 postseason contests, all with the Penguins, including consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup finals.
The New York native was also invited this week to next month’s U.S. Olympic hockey orientation camp in preparation for the Vancouver Games in February.
The Kings also re-signed restricted free agent Kevin Westgarth to a three-year contract on Thursday.
The 25-year-old right winger had no points and nine penalty minutes in nine games last season, his first in the NHL. He also spent time with the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs.
Local Sports
Scuderi heading to L.A.
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Bedford goes to Class AA quarterfinals by thumping first-time participant Western Wayne
Bedford was making its fifth straight appearance in the PIAA Class AA Dual-Meet Championships on Thursday.
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Steelers introduce Haley as offensive coordinator
Throughout the 16 minutes that followed him glowingly introducing former Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley as his new offensive coordinator, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin stood proudly in the corner of the second-floor media room at the team’s facility.
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College basketball in brief
A closer look at Thursday night's men's and women's college basketball games:
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High School Basketball in Brief
A closer look at Thursday's boys and girls high school basketball games:
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Penn State men absorb fifth straight loss
Penn State refused to be routed the first time No. 11 Michigan State had a chance to pull away for an easy victory.
The Nittany Lions, though, couldn’t stay consistent enough to keep their comeback hopes alive. -
South Florida rebounds with win over Pitt
South Florida’s Hugh Robertson combined a perfect night offensively with a stellar defensive performance that helped the Bulls rebound from their worst-ever Big East loss.
Robertson had a season-high 18 points and helped USF
(14-10, 7-4) hold Pittsburgh star Ashton Gibbs to a season-low four points in a 63-51 victory over the Panthers on Wednesday night. Augustus Gilchrist added 10 points for the Bulls, who lost by 30 points at Georgetown last weekend. -
High School Basketball in Brief
- Local sports in brief 2-9-2012
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[VIDEO] Cory Berchick sets Township school mark, but Somerset wins the match
Jarod Feathers didn’t necessarily see this moment coming four years ago.
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High school basketball in brief
A closer look at Tuesday's boys and girls high school basketball games:
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