Schneider Sidelined for About Six Weeks

Defenseman Mathieu Schneider, who was the Kings’ leading scorer during their playoff run last spring and is tied for the club scoring lead this season with 13 points, is expected to be sidelined for at least six weeks after undergoing surgery this morning to repair a hernia and torn abdominal muscle.

The news is a severe blow to the Kings, trying to overcome a slow start in which they have fallen to last place in the Pacific Division, and seriously jeopardizes Schneider’s chances of making the U.S. Olympic team.

“It’s discouraging, obviously,” Schneider said Wednesday, “but at the same time I should be back for the new year Jan. 1. That’s the most important time of the season, so I’d rather get this out of the way now and make sure it’s 100% for the second half and the playoffs rather than wait for it to heal on its own.”

Though he’s not certain, Schneider, 32, believes he suffered the abdominal injury Friday. “After practice,” he said, “it really started bothering me.”

He sat out Saturday night’s 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings and underwent tests this week. He had surgery in 1996 to repair a similar injury, he said.

A native New Yorker who represented the U.S. in the Nagano Olympics, Schneider has not given up on the Salt Lake City Games in February. Four defensemen are among the 15 players who have already been named to the U.S. team, but Coach Herb Brooks plans to add three or four more.

The 23-man rosters for the Games must be set Dec. 22.

“Obviously, it’s been a good start to the season for me personally,” Schneider said. “Hopefully, that will be enough because by the time the Olympics roll around [the U.S. plays Finland in its opener Feb. 15], I’ll be 100%.

“But that’s really secondary in my eyes compared to getting our club on track. Right now, the most discouraging thing is that I’m going to have to watch from the sideline the next six weeks.”

A playmaking defenseman, Schneider broke into the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1987-88 season and has played for four other teams. In 1993, he helped the Canadiens defeat the Kings in the Stanley Cup finals.

He signed with the Kings as an unrestricted free agent in August 2000 and last season scored 51 points, three short of his career high. He added nine points in 13 playoff games, then signed a three-year, $10.5-million contract last summer.

An assistant captain, Schneider is “a great player and an important part of our team,” Coach Andy Murray said. Tied for fourth in scoring among the league’s defensemen with four goals and nine assists in 15 games, he is an integral part of the Kings’ power-play unit from his perch at the point.

“We fight through these struggles and battles now,” Murray said, looking on the bright side, “and it’s going to make us better by the end of the year.”

TONIGHT

vs. Dallas

7:30 Fox Sports Net/ESPN2

Site--Staples Center.

Radio--KSPN (1110).

Records--Kings 5-9-1-2, Stars 5-6-4-3.

Record vs. Stars--0-1.

Update--In their last visit to Staples Center, the Stars lost to the Kings, 8-0, on Jan. 30. “We just happened to catch them misfiring,” Andy Murray said, “and everything was going in for us that night.” The Kings are 0-2 against the Stars since, including a 2-1 loss Oct. 9.

Tickets--(888) 546-4752.