McSorley Goes to Penguins After Kings Match Offer : Hockey: In return, L.A. gets center Shawn McEachern from Pittsburgh.
Marty McSorley, whose illegal stick cost the Kings a chance to win the Stanley Cup, was traded Friday to the Pittsburgh Penguins for center Shawn McEachern.
The Kings matched a $10-million contract offer for McSorley by the St. Louis Blues before trading the defenseman away.
McSorley, 30, scored 41 points for the Kings last season while racking up a club-record 399 penalty minutes. He had 10 points and 60 penalty minutes in the playoffs. The Kings lost the Stanley Cup final to the Montreal Canadiens.
McEachern, 24, scored 61 points on 28 goals and 33 assists for Pittsburgh as a rookie. In the playoffs, the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder had three goals and two assists in 12 games.
McSorley’s illegal stick was discovered in the final two minutes of Game 2 when officials confirmed the suspicions of Montreal Coach Jacques Demers. The Canadiens scored on the ensuing power play and won the game to even the series at one game apiece. Montreal went on to win the series in five games, three of the victories coming in overtime.
McSorley came to Los Angeles in August 1988 from the Edmonton Oilers with Wayne Gretzky and Mike Krushelnyski. He helped win two Stanley Cup championships in Edmonton.
Had the Kings not matched the St. Louis offer, the Kings would have received no compensation because McSorley was a Group 3 free agent.
The St. Louis offer called for McSorley to receive $800,000 annually along with a $5-million signing bonus to be paid in $500,000 installments.
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