Karalahti Is Starting Over

He takes drug tests twice a week and has passed them all, now that he knows that alcohol is a drug and therefore forbidden.

King defenseman Jere Karalahti is learning about the NHL, but he knows all about heroin and the effect it has had on his body and on his life. Mainly, it almost cost him his life.

“I made a mistake,” he said. “It’s a mistake I have to live with the rest of my life.”

Drug testing was part of the deal he made to enter the United States from his native Finland after the INS put various roadblocks in his way. An alcohol-related setback when he was part of the Kings’ rookie dinner in December is behind him.

“I can’t drink alcohol any more,” he said. “I didn’t know about it, but I know now.”

And he’s still rebuilding his body from the bad, old days.

“I have to get in better shape,” he said.

With that in mind, the Kings are asking him to spend the summer in Southern California.

“It’s a different game from in Europe,” Karalahti said. “Here, if you make a mistake, the other team scores a goal. In Europe, the players aren’t that good.”

He has made enough mistakes in Europe for a lifetime, and the Kings are offering a fresh start.

*

Dave Taylor, the Kings’ senior vice president and general manager, said chances of a trade by the Tuesday deadline were “less than 50-50,” but emphasized that the assessment was made as of Saturday and could change at any time.

The list of teams that might be willing to deal with the Kings appears limited to those at the bottom of the Eastern Conference: Atlanta, Tampa Bay, the New York Islanders and Boston, with the rest of the group in the running for a playoff berth.