EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty is undergoing further testing because of a lower-body injury he sustained in a preseason game at the Vegas Golden Knights.
Doughty hurt his left leg Wednesday when he slammed into the boards while engaged with Golden Knights forward Tanner Pearson in the first period of a 3-2 win. Doughty was in a protective boot and using a knee scooter to get around the team facility on Thursday.
“You don’t want to have Drew out for an extended period of time, but that’s just a sad reality now and we’re gonna have to deal with it,” Kings center and captain Anze Kopitar said.
Head coach Jim Hiller would not get into the exact nature of the tests for Doughty but expects the team to know more later Thursday.
Doughty, 34, has been the Kings’ stalwart on the blue line going into his 17th season and is one of the remaining links to their two Stanley Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2014. He was second in the NHL in time on ice this past season, averaging 25:48, and Doughty led Kings defensemen with 15 goals and 35 assists.
The loss of Doughty leaves Los Angeles with two spots to replace in their top four on defense to start Hiller’s first full season. Matt Roy, who was second on the team in ice time, assists and points, signed a six-year contract with the Washington Capitals on July 1.
The Kings have two promising young players to try and fill those roles in Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence.
Clarke, the eighth overall pick in the 2021 draft, is set to play his first full NHL season after getting two goals and six assists in 25 games over the previous two campaigns. The 21-year-old is regarded as a potentially dynamic offensive contributor but is likely to need time to adjust to being a two-way defender at this level.
Spence, 23, had two goals and 22 assists in 71 games. He worked primarily on the third defensive pairing and ran the second power play.
“However long he’s out, we’ll try and make up for everything he brings, but obviously it’s a shoe to fill,” said Mikey Anderson, Doughty’s usual defensive partner. “But we’ll try our best to collectively fill it.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
FILE - Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty (8) skates with the puck during the first period an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars in Dallas, March 16, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
He's sold Bibles, sneakers, photo books and cryptocurrency during his third campaign for president. Now, Donald Trump is launching a new business venture: diamond-encrusted watches.
The Republican presidential candidate unveiled the “Official Trump Watch Collection” on Thursday. The most expensive, listed as including 122 diamonds on its bezel and available in three 18-karat gold styles, costs $100,000. Another “Fight Fight Fight” model is listed at $499.
Trump has hawked a series of branded products since he launched his 2024 White House campaign, following his long tradition of melding his political and business interests. Thursday's launch, coming 40 days before Election Day, could open him up to criticism about monetizing his campaign, particularly as he makes an argument that Vice President Kamala Harris is out of touch with Americans' economic struggles.
While websites for the various products note that proceeds from their sales do not directly benefit Trump or his campaign, they also note that each is subject to a “paid license agreement.” That’s the same mechanism that allowed Trump, well before he entered politics, to profit for years from sales of everything from water, vodka and steaks.
Earlier this week, he announced the sale of $100 silver coins bearing his face. In March, ahead of Easter, Trump released a video on Truth Social urging his supporters to spend $59.99 for a “God Bless the USA Bible,” inspired by country singer Lee Greenwood’s patriotic ballad. Trump takes the stage to the song at each of his rallies and has appeared with Greenwood at events.
In February, he hawked new Trump-branded sneakers at “Sneaker Con,” a gathering that bills itself as the “The Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth.” The shoes, shiny gold high tops with an American flag detail on the back, are being sold as “Never Surrender High-Tops” for $399 on a new website that also sells other Trump-branded shoes and “Victory47” cologne and perfume for $99 a bottle.
Trump has also dabbled in NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, and last year reported earning between $100,000 and $1 million from a series of digital trading cards that portrayed him in cartoon-like images, including as an astronaut, a cowboy and a superhero.
Some of those items, including the coins, sneakers and Bibles, were listed as affiliated with CIC Ventures LLC, a company that Trump reported owning in his 2023 financial disclosure, has a similar arrangement with 45Footwear, which also says it uses Trump’s “name, likeness and image under paid license from CIC Ventures LLC, which license may be terminated or revoked according to its terms.”
The items have gone up for sale in the wake of a $489 million civil fraud judgment against the former president, which a New York appellate court on Thursday appeared to be open to reducing or reversing.
According to a disclaimer on a sales website, the watches are covered by a similar agreement to license Trump’s name, image and likeness, and proceeds from their sales do not go to Trump’s campaign or the Trump Organization and “are not designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals.”
Instead, TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC — the company listed as the sales entity — says it uses the “‘Trump’ name, image and likeness under a paid license agreement which may be terminated or revoked according to its terms. Trump Watches are intended as collectible items for individual enjoyment only, not for investment purposes.”
A spokesperson for the Trump campaign referred questions about the licensing deal to the Trump Organization, which did not immediately return a message seeking comment. TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC also did not immediately respond to an inquiry on the deal via its website.
Meg Kinnard reported from Chapin, South Carolina, and can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Mint Hill, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
