Kings’ Dean Lombardi talks about players’ personal conduct initiative after incidents

Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi already was making moves in early June to put programs in place to educate his players after Slava Voynov’s domestic violence incident and Jarret Stoll’s drug-related arrest in Las Vegas.

That wasn’t going to be enough.

Mike Richards was arrested at the Canadian border later that month and eventually charged with possession of Oxycodone. This third blow devastated Lombardi, who once regarded Richards as the Kings’ version of baseball’s Derek Jeter, a heart and soul winner.

“So that hurts, particularly with a player like Michael in terms of the Jeter factor. You don’t get over that right away,” Lombardi said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it, quite frankly.

“And then you question your own judgment. Then I just dived in. I said, ‘OK, we’re going to fix this. How do I do it?’ ”

Lombardi spoke with Kings’ beat reporters shortly before the Kings’ game against the Arizona Coyotes in the preseason Tuesday at Staples Center.

There were many aspects about the Richards case he could not discuss. Richards is facing a Dec. 8 court date in Emerson, Canada. The Kings terminated his contract and the NHL Players Assn. has challenged that action, filing a grievance. A date for the grievance hearing has not been scheduled.

Voynov, who had been held by immigration authorities, announced last week he would be returning to Russia, then he left the U.S. Before doing so, Voynov received a visit from Lombardi at the immigration detention facility in Adelanto in the high desert, a far cry from the Seal Beach center where Voynov had served his time in connection with the domestic violence case.

On Monday, the Kings unveiled a series of initiatives, announcing a partnership with the violence prevention center Peace Over Violence. Their association will go well beyond training camp introductions.

“It’s just like part of your training staff,” Lombardi said. “It is the type of relationship building, I envision, we’re going to be OK. Anybody who thinks this is [only] a Kings problem, keep your head in the sand.

“Again, only through difficulty, you get innovation. Stop being stagnant. This kick in the butt … sometimes it can be the best thing for you. I think we’re going to get ahead of the curve.”

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