By Kathy Gallant

M.L.’s Dwight King reflects on busy year in NHL

May 1, 2017 | 1:56 PM

It’s been a year of changes for Dwight King. He welcomed his second child in December, and was traded from the Los Angeles Kings to the Montreal Canadiens late in the season.

“It’s been a busy year,” he said. “[My wife] Lauren and I were expecting in December, and our son was the highlight of the year. Hockey-wise, the trade was the biggest thing over the last year, for sure. Moving and being away from the family was tough, but experiencing a Canadian market and a different hockey city was cool. My family got to come down to Montreal and take a couple of games in, which was great.”

The left-winger joined the franchise in late February. The trade was a bit of a mid-season transition, but King said he felt positive about the opportunity to be a part of the team and to participate in the first round of the NHL playoffs.

“My daughter’s birthday was around that time, so I was there for that, but shortly after I was informed I was going to be moving,” noted King. “Being the only professional sport in Montreal you get a feel of the passion in the city has for their team. They are a great organization, treat their players well, proud of their tradition. If you want to play for an original market, Montreal’s one team to put on your list.”

King was a part of the franchise for the playoffs, who were eliminated in the first round last week. He said even though the team didn’t advance, he was thankful for the journey.

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“Of course, playoffs didn’t go quite the way we wanted,” he noted. “To win a championship, you have to have a lot of things go your way, and we fell a little short – but we tried and the want to win is always going to be there for athletes.”

King will be spending some downtime in the next couple months, and hopes to make it home to Meadow Lake to visit in the coming weeks before what he’s anticipating will be a busy summer come July.

“The off-season’s coming up, and when things are said and done I’ll be a free agent,” he noted. “I’ll be deciding where I’ll be next year, come July. Big decision over the summer. But before that, I’m looking forward to coming back home to unwind and say hello before things get busy again.”

King started his hockey career as a young player in Meadow Lake minor hockey, and appreciates his time training while growing up in the community.

“Been playing hockey for 22 years or so,” he said. “It was important to stay active, and minor hockey is a big part of developing kids’ activity level and skills.”

He added that even though the hockey season has come to an end, he’s grateful for where this year took him. “As a player of course you want to win,” noted King “But all and all it’s another year of experience and I’m grateful for that.”

kathy.gallant@jpbg.ca  

On Twitter @ReporterKath