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LA Kings Jarret Stoll Charged with Felony Cocaine Possession

By Diana Driscoll

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Los Angeles Kings’ center Jarret Stoll was charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance (which is a felony) after he was arrested back on April 17 in Las Vegas for having 3.3 grams of cocaine on him, as well as ecstasy capsules. The two-time Stanley Cup Champion could face up to four years in a state prison if convicted.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that the Kings were unable to make the playoffs to defend its 2014 championship, a key player on the team had to garner unwanted media attention and force the organization to take the time to educate its players.

General manager Dean Lombardi stated in a phone conference with reporters:

"“The first thing you look at — were there any signs that we should have been aware of, both these incidents?” Lombardi said. “I think we were very good in terms of communicating with our players, go out of our way to try and know them personally as human beings. It’s one of the reasons we’ve had that family effect around there.“We neglected to educate our players. We missed a big step here in trying to make sure they understand right and wrong and that this has to be reinforced, not only as a human being, as somebody who is representative of the community.” —Lisa Dillman, Los Angeles Times"

Are you serious?

I admire that Lombardi is willing to take the heat for his players’ mistakes; it shows his dedication to the organization and its fans. It’s his way of saying “this is not how the Los Angeles Kings’ organization should act and we are going to do all we can to prevent anything like this from happening again.”

But Stoll and Slava Voynov are big boys. They should already know right from wrong. The Kings and Lombardi should not take heat for either of these situations. With that said, I respect his decision to set up education programs and have other professional athletes come and speak to the players. He is going above and beyond not only for his sake, but for the sake of his players and the future of the organization.

So far, the Kings organization has taken all the right steps in these crises. With Voynov’s situation, Los Angeles was correct in agreeing with the NHL’s decision to suspend him indefinitely. The Kings can once again do the right thing come July 1st, when Stoll becomes an unrestricted free agent (incidentally that is the same day he is due back in court). Los Angeles can let him go.

Do I expect Stoll to be in a Kings’ jersey next season? No. Right now, who knows if he will be a free man when next season rolls around. Either way, convicted or cleared of the charges, I don’t believe Lombardi would want a player who was arrested for drug possession on his active roster. Who knows if Stoll will ever play for the NHL again? That might sound a little melodramatic, but his production is down, he is 32 years old and carries a $3.25 million cap hit.

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I am the type of person that believes people make mistakes and that they shouldn’t just be defined by that mistake (depending on how severe), but I don’t want players who don’t respect the game to get paid millions and have a shot to win a Cup. I don’t feel they deserve that opportunity any longer. I want the players who understand that it is a privilege to play—not a right; the players who spend their offseason in the gym—getting stronger and better. I want the players who play for the love of the game. For me, Stoll doesn’t fit in that category anymore.

Honestly, this type of scenario drives me crazy. Stoll is a talented player. Sure, he struggled this last season with the Kings, tallying six goals and 11 assists in 73 games and is not the most productive forward (anymore), but he is one of the better defensively minded offensive players. He does have value and can still help a team by doing the little things.

When players get arrested for breaking the law it makes me think of guys like Philadelphia Flyers former captain Chris Pronger, former Colorado Avalanche center Steve Moore and even former New York Giants running back David Wilson; all players whose careers were cut short due to circumstances they couldn’t control. Their personal mistakes didn’t lead to a tarnished reputation or their demise. They were taken from the game too early due to career-ending injuries.

Don’t you think these guys would do anything to get back on the ice (and field)? I do.

It’s players like Pronger, Wilson and Moore that make me look at Stoll and Voynov in an even darker light. Maybe that’s not fair, but I hate to see talent go to waste—and that’s exactly what will happen (at least I believe) even without a conviction.

I am not sure if there is an NHL team out there that would want Stoll or Voynov as a member of its organization. Right now, their futures are up in the air.

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