One of the most dominant athletes in any sport in a career spanning 22 years, Slater is likely to announce his retirement from full-time competition at the end of the event.

Parkinson has emerged as the major obstacle to a dream farewell for American Slater in enormous waves at the Billabong Pipe Masters.

Neck-and-neck in the rankings, Parkinson reached the quarter-finals on Sunday while Slater had yet to surf in round four when the event was called off for the day.

"It's turning into a bit of a foot race between Joel and I but we're not going to come up against each other until the final, if we get there," said Slater. "We're both just trying to put it out of our heads as much as possible.

"If you're thinking about it out in the water, you're taking your eye off the ball at Pipe. There's a lot to think about because it's such a challenging wave.

"You have to be clear minded and be making good decisions and that means concentrating on what's in front of you."

Slater and Parkinson were left as the only world title contenders following the shock elimination of Australia's Mick Fanning in round three by veteran American Shane Dorian.

Fanning was thrown onto the reef by a mountainous wave and required seven stitches to his left foot.

"Shane has been a hero of mine ever since I started surfing," Fanning said. "It was an honor to be in the water with him."

'INSANE SURFER'

Parkinson and Fanning have been close friends for two decades, growing up together on the Gold Coast of Australia.

Battered, bruised and bloodied after a brutal heat in surfing's gladiator's pit, Fanning said he would stay in Hawaii to support his countryman.

Fanning had left Parkinson devastated by beating him to the world crown in 2009 but his countryman was the first person to greet him at the water's edge.

Parkinson lifted Fanning onto his shoulders and helped carry him through the 10,000-strong crowd in a selfless act at the most sorrowful moment of his 12 years as a professional.

"I remember that so well - if Joel wins it, I tell you, I'll be doing the same for him," Fanning said.

"I'm the first one there. For him to do that was crazy, it was so big of him. It shows what kind of a bloke Joel is.

"Now I'm out of it, there's nothing I'd rather see than Joel being world champion. He deserves it. He's just an insane surfer.

"I've got stitches in my foot and I'm limping round like an old man but if Joel gets it done, I'll be right there for him because he did the same for me."

Hawaii's Sebastian Zietz was a standout performer on Sunday, defeating Pipeline specialist John John Florence to claim the VANS Triple Crown, which tallies points from the prestigious events at Haleiwa, Sunset Beach and Pipeline through the winter.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Chicago had opened the lockout-reduced season with a 6-0-0 record to tie San Jose for the best record in the NHL, but Minnesota ended the run thanks largely to a 28-save relief appearance from goalie Niklas Backstrom

Cullen scored the opening goal early in the first period before Andrew Shaw and Jonathan Toews replied for the visitors to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead and chase goaltender Josh Harding from the game.

Minnesota's Cal Clutterbuck equalised 59 seconds into the second period to usher in 44 minutes of scoreless action that passed through overtime and into the shootout.

After each team scored once through two rounds, Cullen slipped his shot past Corey Crawford before Patrick Sharp hit the crossbar to end the contest.

The Wild (4-2-1) have now won two straight since dropping three in a row and are 4-1-0 at home.

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien)

On his second day on the stand, Fuentes, who denies involvement in doping, said he could identify to whom the blood in the numbered bags belonged, prompting a request by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), represented at the trial in Madrid, that he do so in court.

Judge Julia Santamaria said she would not prevent him from revealing the names but would not force him to do so, saying it would infringe the rights of those implicated.

Fuentes and four other defendants, including his sister Yolanda, are appearing in court almost seven years after anabolic steroids, transfusion equipment and blood bags were seized as part of a investigation code-named "Operation Puerto".

The closely-watched and much-delayed trial began on Monday and when Fuentes took the stand on Tuesday he told the judge he had clients in sports other than cycling, including soccer, tennis, athletics and boxing.

The proceedings have attracted international scrutiny because anti-doping authorities, who along with CONI and several sporting organizations are taking part in the trial, are hopeful it will finally lead to evidence of wrongdoing by athletes in other sports being made available.

A World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) request for access to the blood bags has been repeatedly denied by the Spanish authorities, and the body await the judge's ruling on their latest petition made this week.

Fuentes did reveal the name of one client on Wednesday, identifying former rider Jose Javier Gomez, now the president of Spain's association of professional cyclists (ACP) and the director general of a government foundation that promotes sport for young people.

Secretary of state for sport Miguel Cardenal said later on Wednesday Gomez had offered his resignation while noting that he was not the one on trial.

"If he (Fuentes) believes that his defense strategy consists - and I don't know whether truthfully or not - in accusing others, well that is part of his right to decide his defense," Cardenal added.

ABNORMAL LEVELS

Fuentes also told the court he was aware that abnormally high levels of erythropoietin (EPO) had been found in eight of the 92 blood bags seized in 2006 but said he had nothing to do with the presence of the artificial hormone.

"No product was ever added to the blood except legally established preservatives," Fuentes said.

"Such a small quantity (of EPO) can have no other explanation than that it was the remnants of a previous treatment."

Prohibited by anti-doping authorities since the early 1990s, EPO can help athletic performance by increasing the concentration of red cells and improving the amount of oxygen blood can carry to the body's muscles.

As Spain's current anti-doping legislation was not in force in 2006 when the police raids took place, Fuentes and his fellow accused are being tried for violating public health regulations and the prosecutor has asked for prison sentences of two years.

The blood bags were linked to more than 50 professional cyclists including German Jan Ullrich and Italian Ivan Basso, who were both excluded from the 2006 Tour de France.

Basso, a double Giro d'Italia champion, is due to give evidence next month along with Alberto Contador, the Spaniard stripped of one of his three Tour de France titles after testing positive for a banned substance.

Disgraced American rider Tyler Hamilton is also due to take the stand.

"I never put the health of the athletes at risk," Fuentes said on Wednesday.

"No athlete ever told me they had health problems and I was never the subject of a complaint."

On Tuesday, Fuentes refused to answer a host of detailed questions from lawyers representing organizations including WADA, the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) and the International Cycling Union (UCI).

With Madrid competing with Istanbul and Tokyo for the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games, the Spanish government hopes the trial will help to dispel the impression that the Iberian nation has been soft on doping, particularly in cycling.

Due to end in mid-March, it will put cycling's problems with illegal drug use back in the spotlight after American cyclist Lance Armstrong this month admitted doping on each of his seven Tour de France victories.

(Editing by Clare Fallon and Pritha Sarkar)

"Here we have a young man that fell deeply, romantically in love," McGraw told the television morning show "Today" to discuss his two part interview with Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, which will air on "Dr. Phil" on Thursday and Friday.

"I asked him straight up, 'Was this a romantic relationship with you?,' and he says yes. I said, 'Are you then therefore gay?' And he said, 'When you put it that way, yes.' And then he caught himself and said, 'I am confused,'" McGraw told "Today."

Te'o has said in a previous media interview he is not gay.

The fake girlfriend hoax involving Te'o, who was a finalist for college football's highest individual honour the Heisman trophy, caused a sensation when it was revealed earlier this month on news website Deadspin.com.

Tuiasosopo says he played the part of Lennay Kekua, the fictitious woman who was Te'o's girlfriend in the hoax. Te'o, 22, had spoken about the woman in media interviews, and reports described her surviving a car accident and then dying of leukaemia in September.

Te'o has said since the hoax was exposed that he was the victim of an elaborate prank, that he never met Kekua and that his acquaintance Tuiasosopo admitted to him that he was the one who played the part of Lennay.

Dr. Phil said in a segment on "Today" on Wednesday that after an extensive interview with Tuiasosopo, he believes Te'o had no role in creating the hoax.

"Absolutely, unequivocally, no," McGraw said, in pinning the blame for the scheme on Tuiasosopo.

The NBC morning program also showed some comments Tuiasosopo made in his interview for the "Dr. Phil" daytime program.

"There are many times where Manti and Lennay had broken up," Tuiasosopo told "Dr. Phil."

"But something would bring them back together, whether it was something going on in his life or in Lennay's life, in this case in my life," Tuiasosopo said.

Tuiasosopo, 22, is from southern California and played high school football in 2005 at Antelope Valley High north of Los Angeles, according to media reports. Tuaisosopo's attorney had previously told reporters his client was behind the hoax.

Before the hoax was exposed, a photo of a woman who was described as Lennay Kekua was presented in media reports about Te'o and his struggles to overcome her death and that of his grandmother, who actually did pass away.

But the photo of Kekua was taken from a Facebook profile of a California woman who said she was unaware of the scheme, according to Deadspin.com.

Te'o told Katie Couric in a broadcast of her show "Katie" last week that he received a telephone call from the person claiming to be Kekua on December 6 - two days before the Heisman presentation. But he said he was not really certain she never existed until Tuiasosopo's later confession to him.

The linebacker, during the Katie Couric interview, presented a voice mail he received from the person he said he thought was Kekua. "Doesn't that sound like a girl?" Te'o told Couric.

Te'o also told Couric he is not gay. "No, far from it," he said.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Andrew Hay)

BIG DECLINE: Soft demand for a key industrial pigment and solar energy products, coupled with increased spending on growth initiatives, led to a sharp drop in the DuPont Co.'s fourth-quarter income. But the results beat Wall Street's expectations.

LOOKING AHEAD: DuPont chairwoman and CEO Ellen Kullman said the company is stronger than it was a year ago, having recorded nearly 2,300 new product introductions in 2012, an increase of 30 percent.

STOMPING WEEDS: One-time items included $135 million to resolve legal claims stemming from the use of DuPont's Imprelis weedkiller on trees such as Norway spruces and white pines. It has now spent $750 million on Imprelis claims. CFO Nick Fanandakis said DuPont wants "to bring closure to this as soon as possible."

NOAA will list as threatened two distinct bearded seal populations one in the Beringia region, which includes Alaska, and one in the Okhotsk region of Russia's far east and three subspecies of ringed seals (Arctic, Okhotsk and Baltic). Another ringed seal subspecies found only in Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia will be listed as endangered. A fifth subspecies of ringed seal, the Saimaa in Finland, is already listed as endangered under the ESA.

Forecasts predict that sea ice will be substantially reduced within this century, and there is potential for the spring and summer ice edge to retreat to deep waters of the Arctic Ocean basin. Bearded seals live on sea ice during critical months for breeding, whelping, nursing and molting. Ringed seals also use sea ice for molting and they build snow caves on top ofto shield their pups from freezing temperatures and predators.

"Our scientists undertook an extensive review of the best scientific and commercial data. They concluded that a significant decrease in sea ice is probable later this century and that these changes will likely cause these seal populations to decline," Jon Kurland, protected resources director for NOAA Fisheries Alaska region, said in a statement.

NOAA officials said the decision will not result in any immediate restrictions on human activities, though their next step is to evaluate potential protected habitats for Arctic ringed seals and the Beringia bearded seals (those that live in U.S. waters), which already has oil and gas companies in Alaska miffed. In a statement, Kara Moriarty, executive director for the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, criticized the decision for being "based on how climate change might affect these species 100 years from now, despite their populations currently being healthy and abundant." The group is concerned that potential habitats could raise costs and cause delays with oil and gas development, .

NOAA officials said the new listings were based on the best available science, including climate models developed by the(IPCC). The agency also pledged that any future habitat designation will fully consider the economic impact and will aim to avoid unnecessary burdens and costs on states, tribes, localities and the private sector.

in the journal Geophysical Research Letters warned that while the mid-winter snowfall rate is expected to increase slightly by the end of the century, Arctic sea ice is expected to start forming later in the season. This means that heavy snow falling earlier in the winter will drop into the ocean instead of piling up on the ice, the researchers said.

Drawing on 10 different climate models, the researchers predicted that the area of the Arctic that gets 8-inch accumulations of snow will drop by almost 70 percent during the 21st century. This would significantly reduce the area where Arcticcan build sufficient caves. Earlier snowmelts and increased rainfall will also threaten to dissolve the seals' caves before the pups are ready to venture outside on their own, the researchers said.

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Instead, the view out the windows of a vehicle traveling through hyperspace would be more like a centralized bright glow, calculations show.

The finding contradicts the familiar images of stretched out starlight streaking past the windows of the Millennium Falcon in "Star Wars" and the Starship Enterprise in "Star Trek." In those films and television series, as spaceships engageor hyperdrive and approach the , stars morph from points of light to long streaks that stretch out past the ship.

But passengers on the Millennium Falcon or the Enterprise actually wouldn't be able to see stars at all when traveling that fast, found a group of physics Masters students at England's University of Leicester. Rather, a phenomenon called the Doppler Effect, which affects the wavelength of radiation from moving sources, would cause stars' light to shift out of the visible spectrum and into the X-ray range, where human eyes wouldn't be able to see it, the students found. []

"The resultant effects we worked out were based on Einstein's theory of Special Relativity, so while we may not be used to them in our daily lives, Han Solo and his crew should certainly understand its implications," Leicester student Joshua Argyle said in a statement.

The Doppler Effect is the reason why an ambulance's siren sounds higher pitched when it's coming at you compared to when it's moving away the sound's frequency becomes higher, making its wavelength longer, and changing its pitch.

The same thing would happen to the light of stars when a spaceship began to move toward them at significant speed. And other light, such as the pervasive glow of the universe called the cosmic microwave background radiation, which is left over from the Big Bang, would be shifted out of the microwave range and into the visible spectrum, the students found.

"If theexisted and really could travel that fast, sunglasses would certainly be advisable," said research team member Riley Connors. "On top of this, the ship would need something to protect the crew from harmful X-ray radiation."

The increased X-ray radiation from shifted starlight would even push back on a spaceship traveling in hyperdrive, the team found, slowing down the vehicle with a pressure similar to the force felt at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. In fact, such a spacecraft would need to carry extra energy reserves to counter this pressure and press ahead.

Whether the scientific reality of these effects will be taken into consideration on future Star Wars films is still an open question.

"Perhaps Disney should take the physical implications of such high speed travel into account in their forthcoming films," said team member Katie Dexter.

Connors, Dexter, Argyle, and fourth team member Cameron Scoular published their findings in this year's issue of the University of Leicester's Journal of Physics Special Topics.

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The spending plan, which would be a 1.9 percent increase, or $2.5 billion, from the current fiscal year, must be approved by state lawmakers.

The state's fiscal year begins April 1, three months earlier than most.

To close the gap, the state would save some money by keeping total spending increases below 2 percent for a third straight year, while tax collections are projected to increase by $3.5 billion, or 5.4 percent from fiscal 2013 estimates.

New York could save nearly $974 million because of government cost control efforts, including by shrinking planned spending increases for some programs and agencies, Cuomo said.

Included in that figure are some closures and consolidations of excess facilities - including an empty prison - as well as controls on hiring.

Cuomo's proposed budget would reduce spending for public safety agencies by 10 percent in fiscal 2014, mostly due to a retroactive labor contract settlement for correction officers in the current fiscal year.

Cuomo, a Democrat, also proposed shuttering what he said were the two least efficient prisons in the state. One, the Bayview Correctional Facility in Manhattan, which remains vacant after being evacuated during Sandy.

Prison closures would eliminate more than 432 beds and save $18 million in fiscal 2014 and $62 million in fiscal 2015 if the state can sell the Bayview prison, according to budget documents.

The state also hopes to save an estimated $755 million over five years as it continues consolidating back-office operations, like business services, into a central location.

In September, New York State Budget Director Robert Megna ordered state agencies to plan for "zero growth" in their budgets for fiscal 2014.

Excluded from the spending freeze were two areas that are subject to different caps on growth: school aid and Medicaid.

PLAN WOULD SPEND ON EDUCATION, SANDY RECOVERY

Some other states have also begun clawing their way out of the post-recession funk, with California Governor Jerry Brown saying on January 10 that his state's deficit is gone after years of financial troubles. He proposed increased spending on education and healthcare.

And on January 16, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick proposed raising the commonwealth's income tax rate and lowering sales taxes as part of a plan to invest nearly $2 billion in education and infrastructure. He is slated to present his budget on Wednesday.

In New York, Cuomo's budget plan would fund an array of new housing, economic and other initiatives he proposed during his annual State of the State address on January 9. And it would increase money for education by $889 million, up 4.4 percent from current levels.

It also includes $21 billion in appropriations for recovery, rebuilding and mitigation projects after Superstorm Sandy ripped into the coastline on October 29.

The state expects to receive about $30 billion of a $60 billion federal relief package that is still being finalized in the U.S. Senate, with neighboring New Jersey to get most of the rest.

Cuomo also said that the so-called "design-build" approach - a kind of public-private partnership being used to build a new Tappan Zee Bridge - should be expanded to all state agencies and authorities.

Design-build projects call for the same private firm to design and build a public project, rather than having companies bid on the different phases of construction separately, which critics say can make projects take longer and cost more to build.

And Cuomo proposed a five-year extension to the $420 million annual tax credit for the film and television production industry, beginning in calendar year 2015.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, also a Democrat, said his office would provide a detailed analysis of Cuomo's budget in the coming weeks.

"Our budget has only stayed in balance because the state limited spending and used one-time windfalls," DiNapoli said about the current budget. "We face stubbornly slow growth in our economy, significant out-year budget gaps and a debt burden that is among the highest in the nation."

(Reporting by Hilary Russ; Editing by Richard Chang, Tiziana Barghini, and Tim Dobbyn)

Obama's ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol was filled with traditional pomp and pageantry, but it was a scaled-back inauguration compared with the historic start of his presidency in 2009 when he swept into office on a mantle of hope and change as America's first black president.

Despite expectations tempered by lingering economic weakness and a politically divided Washington, Obama delivered a preview of the priorities he intends to pursue - essentially a reaffirmation of core liberal Democratic causes - declaring Americans "are made for this moment" and must "seize it together."

His hair visibly gray after four years in office, Obama called for an end to the partisanship that marked much of his first term in the White House in bitter fights over the economy with Republicans.

"We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate," Obama said from atop the Capitol steps overlooking the National Mall.

Looking out on a sea of flags, Obama addressed a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people that was smaller than the record 1.8 million who assembled on the mall four years ago.

Speaking in more specific terms than is customary in an inaugural address, he promised "hard choices" to reduce the federal deficit without shredding the social safety net and called for a revamping of the tax code and a remaking of government.

The Democrat arrived at his second inauguration on solid footing, with his poll numbers up, Republicans on the defensive and his first-term record boasting accomplishments such as a U.S. healthcare overhaul, financial regulatory reforms, the end of the war in Iraq and the killing of Osama bin Laden.

But fights are looming over budgets, gun control and immigration. Obama, however, has sounded more emboldened because he never again needs to run for election.

SECOND TIME TAKING OATH

When Obama raised his right hand and was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts, it was his second time taking the oath in 24 hours - but this time with tens of millions of people watching on television. As he spoke, the president beamed as chants of "Obama, Obama!" rang out from the crowd.

Obama had a formal swearing-in on Sunday at the White House because of a constitutional requirement that the president take the oath on January 20. Rather than stage the full inauguration on a Sunday, the main public events were put off until Monday.

It was another political milestone for Obama, 51, the Hawaiian-born son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas.

During a triumphant parade down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, the president and first lady Michelle Obama thrilled cheering onlookers by twice getting out of their armored limousine and walking part of the way on foot, as they had done four years ago. Secret Service agents kept close watch.

In the evening, the couple visited the two formal inaugural balls - down from 10 in 2009 - to celebrate with supporters. At both, Obama and the first lady danced to Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," performed by singer Jennifer Hudson.

In his 20-minute inaugural speech, Obama sought to reassure Americans at the midpoint of his presidency and encourage them to help him take care of unfinished business. "Preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action," he said.

The crowds on the National Mall were enthusiastic, but the euphoria of 2009 was gone.

"Four years ago, it was the first black president," said local resident Greg Pearson, 42. "It doesn't have the same energy. It's more subdued. It's not quite the party it was four years ago. Our expectations are pretty low (this time): let's not default on the national debt, keep the government running."

Organizers had given various estimates of the number of people they expected would jam the mall for the ceremony. An inauguration official estimated the crowd at about 1 million.

Touching on volatile issues in the speech, Obama ticked off a series of liberal policies he plans to push in his second term.

Most surprising was a relatively long reference to the need to address climate change, which he was unable to do in his first four years. "We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations," the president said.

On gay rights, Obama insisted, "Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law."

In a nod to the fast-growing Hispanic population that helped catapult him to re-election in November, he said there was a need to "find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity."

U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who declared in 2010 that his top goal was to deny Obama re-election, congratulated the president and expressed a willingness to work together, saying a second term "represents a fresh start."

But some Republicans responded skeptically. "It was a very, very progressive speech, to put it in the best possible light," said Republican strategist Rich Galen. "He's not running for election anymore."

PERSISTENT PROBLEMS

Obama, who won a second term by defeating Republican Mitt Romney after a bitter campaign, will now face many of the same problems that dogged his first four years: persistently high unemployment, crushing government debt and a deep partisan divide. The war in Afghanistan, which Obama is winding down, has dragged on for over a decade.

He won an end-of-year fiscal battle against Republicans, whose poll numbers have continued to sag, and appears to have gotten them to back down, at least temporarily, from resisting an increase in the national debt ceiling.

Obama faces a less dire outlook than he did when he took office in 2009 at the height of a deep U.S. recession and world economic crisis. The economy is growing again, although slowly.

But he still faces a daunting array of challenges.

Among them is a fierce gun-control debate inspired by a school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, last month, a tragedy he invoked in his speech.

He said America must not rest until "all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm."

Obama's appeals for bipartisan cooperation will remind many Americans of his own failure to meet a key promise when he came to power - to act as a transformational leader who would fix a dysfunctional Washington.

His speech was light on foreign policy, with no mention of the West's nuclear standoff with Iran, the civil war in Syria, dealings with an increasingly powerful China or confronting al Qaeda's continued threat as exemplified by the recent deadly hostage crisis in Algeria.

Obama's ceremonial swearing-in fell on the same day as the national holiday honoring slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. - and the president embraced the symbolism. He took the oath with his hand on two Bibles - one from President Abraham Lincoln, who ended slavery, and the other from King.

Once back at the White House, Obama watched the parade featuring more than 100 marching bands, groups and floats from a bulletproof VIP viewing stand in front of the White House. He flashed the Hawaiian "shaka" sign of friendship to the band from his high school alma mater, the Punahou School in Honolulu.

Afterward, the Obamas joined thousands of supporters at the inaugural balls, where entertainers included Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Katy Perry, Brad Paisley and Smokey Robinson.

At the ball honoring the military, he spoke by satellite videoconference with troops serving in Afghanistan and thanked them for their service.

"When you get back home, you are going to be greeted by a grateful nation," Obama told them. "You will be on our minds tonight and every single night until our mission in Afghanistan is completed."

(Additional reporting by Margaret Chadbourn, Anna Yukhananov, Roberta Rampton, Alina Selyukh, Mark Felsenthal, Steve Holland and Patrick Rucker; Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)

After a long lockout delayed a new season that was scheduled to start in October, the Kings finally hit the ice prior to their opener against the Chicago Blackhawks to accept championship rings and unveil the banner before a full house at the Staples Center.

They paraded the Stanley Cup around the ice helping fans forget about the long void, then accepted the championship banner from Kings standouts Marcel Dionne and Rogie Vachon plus the Greene family from Sandy Hook, Connecticut, whose daughter Ana was a victim in the recent school shooting tragedy.

Los Angeles became the first team to win the Stanley Cup from the eighth seed in 2012, putting together a remarkable record equaling 16-4 record in the postseason.

Perhaps even more remarkable is the fact every player from the triumph has returned to try to do it again.

Conn Smythe Trophy winning goalie Jonathan Quick signed a 10-year extension, captain Dustin Brown, top scorer Anze Kopitar also return.

Even coach Darryl Sutter and general manager Dean Lombardi were rewarded with multiyear contract extensions on the eve of the opener.

"We get a little celebration," Quick said. "But you don't want to stay on the past for too long."

(Editing by Gene Cherry)