The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 107, No. 48 - November 29, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............2
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................11
Classifieds............................4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Food.....................................11
Legals.............................. 9,10
Letters...................................2
Police Briefs........................3
Real Estate..................6-9,12
Sports....................................5
Weekend
Forecast
Thankful for a Very Fine Feast…
Former LA Kings Star Enjoys
El Segundo and New Coaching Gig
By Brian Simon
Those who are long-time followers of the
Los Angeles Kings will surely remember
Jaroslav Modry. The Czech defenseman spent
a total of 10 years (over two different stints)
playing for the franchise before wrapping up
his 15-year NHL career in 2008. He then
headed back to his homeland for four more
seasons until hanging up his skates for good
at the age of 41. In 2017, Modry accepted a
new job with the Kings’ organization as an
assistant coach with the team’s minor league
affiliate, the Ontario Reign. And perhaps unbeknownst
to most, he and his family happily
reside in El Segundo. Modry is the father
of three teenagers, one of whom graduated
from El Segundo High School last year. The
other two, a freshman and senior, currently
attend the campus. “We lived in El Segundo
in 1996 before we had our kids,” Modry
noted. “After I finished playing hockey, we
decided to move back to LA since our family
had some experience living in the South
Bay area. We tried to find the right fit for
our kids – schools, activities. El Segundo
was a great fit with its size and it is such
a nice community. We enjoy living in this
town.” Modry noticed that El Segundo has
changed quite a bit since he initially lived
here, specifically due to “all the businesses”
that have arrived in recent years.
The Los Angeles Kings continue to call El
Segundo their headquarters, with the Toyota
Sports Center facility entrenched on Nash
Street. Upon returning to the South Bay after
retiring from playing, Modry coached for the
Los Angeles Jr. Kings “AAA” program and
led the 16-U team to a California Amateur
Hockey Association state title last year.
He also remained involved with the Kings
Alumni Association to help out with charity
events. “I do enjoy working with youth,” he
said. “I learn a lot and try to give kids good
experience to play this game.”
However, Modry heartily welcomed the
chance to return to a professional hockey
environment. Prior to joining the Reign, he
also coached with the Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute as an assistant in 2011/12. But
he admits that coaching wasn’t something
he specifically plotted out to do. “It just
happened,” he said. “I have been around
the game all my life and it’s just another
step to stay involved and pass some of the
experience to the next generation. I am just
getting started in coaching.”
Meanwhile, Modry discovered hockey at a
very early age growing up in a country that
is a hotbed for the NHL and the birthplace
of many notable star players such as all-time
greats Jaromir Jagr and Dominik Hasek. Born
in Ceske-Budejovice, Czechoslovakia, he
started playing the sport at the age of eight
and reported that he loved it from day one.
Did he realize as a kid that he might make
a successful career out of it? “As for thinking
of doing it for a living, I guess later I
wanted to represent my city club and then my
country,” he said. “But when the opportunity
came to go to try out in the training camp
of an NHL team, I did jump on it.”
While still a teen, Modry indeed joined his
local club and played for three years before
moving on to Dukla Trencin in 1990. The
New Jersey Devils made him the NHL’s
179th pick in the fourth round of the 1990
entry draft and he played a full year for
their minor league affiliate team in Utica
in 1992-93. He made his NHL debut with
New Jersey in the 1993/94 season and then
came to the Ottawa Senators via trade two
years later. The Kings acquired Modry just
before the end of the 1995/96 season and he
bounced around between the big squad and
the minors for a few seasons. But by 2000/01,
he finally settled in full-time as a key cog in
the Kings defense with his playmaking skills,
quickness and savvy. He left the Kings for
the first time after the 2003/04 season and
had brief stints back in Czechoslovakia and
with two other NHL teams before returning
to Los Angeles for one more go in 2006.
Looking back at his Kings career, Modry
enjoyed a number of highlights. When asked
to name a couple of the most memorable
Jaroslav Modry
The El Segundo Police Department were grateful to Casey and Dani Cline for an amazing Thanksgiving spread! Photo: ESPD.
See Jaroslav Modry, page 2
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