Rob Blake: Kings on the right track, but it’s a slow train

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

SAN JOSE -- Rob Blake, who left the Kings as a free agent in July and signed with the Sharks, had nothing but praise for his former club’s rebuilding plans.

‘I think they’re doing things right. I look at their team and the blocks they have to build around and they’re going to be just fine,’ he said. ‘Those young [defensemen] are going to be there for many years to anchor that team, and that’s going to be a lot of fun to watch.’

But with his 39th birthday approaching in December, Blake didn’t think he had time to wait for this slow process to reach its ultimate destination. And, when Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi didn’t contact him as soon as free agency began, Blake decided to pack up and move to San Jose for a one-year, $5-million contract.

It’s not the first time he’s left the Kings. Blake’s salary demands led the franchise to trade him to Colorado in 2001, where he won a Stanley Cup. He returned to Los Angeles in 2006 for a two-year, $12-million deal but had two of his worst seasons statistically and endured a slow recovery from an April 2007 hip operation.

Retiring as a King ‘was my plan when I went back there, no doubts about that. That’s what I had in mind,’ said Blake, who won the Norris Trophy with the Kings in 1997-98 and still has a beachfront South Bay home. ‘But so many things happen during seasons.

‘I enjoyed my time there. I’m glad I went back there. I got to play and my family got to see me, the kids and everything. As things worked out, it’s nice to move up here.’

Blake and the Sharks will provide the opposition for the Kings’ home opener Sunday at Staples Center, and yes, he’s prepared for the kind of rude welcome he got when he played for the Avalanche.

‘I’ve been through it before,’ he said, ‘and I’m sure it’s going to be much the same.’

-- Helene Elliott