Associated Press
 
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Overshadowed by all the hoopla over the retirement
of New York Rangers center Wayne Gretzky was a storybook beginning to
the career of Jason Blake.
 
Blake, a former University of North Dakota hockey standout, signed a
free
agent contract Saturday with the Los Angeles Kings and scored a goal in
his
first NHL game Sunday against the St. Louis Blues.
 
"The experience was awesome," said Blake, who scored at 12:03 of the
third
period in the Blues' 3-2 win. "The last game in the (Great Western)
Forum
and the first game I ever play in, what a great way to start your
career."
Blake's lucrative contract with the Kings isn't just testimony to his
talent, his
agent says.
 
"I think this contract is a tribute not only to UND and coach Dean Blais
and
the program there, but to college players who stay in school and never
quit,"
said Neil Sheehey of Minneapolis. "So many players are in a hurry to
leave
school for pie in the sky. Better advice would be to stay in school."
 
Blake, a 5-foot-10-inch, 180-pound All American center, agreed to a
three-year contract with the Kings reportedly worth $1.85 million. He
said in
a telephone interview from Los Angeles on Saturday that he was
"ecstatic."
 
"Obviously, it's something that a kid dreams about doing -- ever since I
was a
little kid," he said.
 
Blake passed on a chance to turn pro after his junior season.
 
"My advice to him was go back to UND and try to win the Hobey Baker
Award," Sheehey said. "He came close to doing that, but more
importantly, he
progressed greatly as a player and as an individual."
 
The Grand Forks, Minn., native who played high school hockey in
Moorhead,
Minn., was a finalist this year for the Hobey Baker Award, given
annually to
the top player in college hockey.
 
Blake's contract is guaranteed, which is rare in the NHL, Sheehey said.
Guaranteed contracts ensure the same pay whether the player is in the
NHL
or the minor leagues.
 
Blake, who led the Fighting Sioux in scoring this season, became an NHL
free-agent candidate after top-ranked UND was upset by Boston College in
 
the West Regional.
 
He was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association player of the
year
after he led the league in scoring with 20 goals and 29 assists. He was
the first
Sioux player to win the league scoring title since Steve Johnson in
1988.
 
"I think Jason has a tremendous opportunity with the Kings," Sheehey
said.
"They have a big strong team with great forwards, but they're weak down
the
middle.
 
"Jason will add the speed and the puck-handling to complement the other
forwards. I expect him to be a great player."
 
 
 
 
--
<---------------------------->
|        Kevin L Ames        |
|  Ames Agency - Insurance   |
|1996 Young Agent of the Year|
| email:[log in to unmask]  |
<---------------------------->
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.