Hammond Out at Daily News

Rich Hammond, the veteran Los Angeles Daily News hockey writer, has announced he will be leaving the paper to take a job as a columnist with the Los Angeles Kings, where he will write for the team's official website. He starts with the Kings on Oct. 1.

LINK: http://kings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=499502&navid=DL|LAK|home

Hammond has been at the Daily News for more than 10 years and previously did duty at the Orange County Register and the Torrance Daily Breeze. Hammond's move follows the departure of Daily News Inside UCLA writer Brian Dohn (in early August), online writer Jason Kandel (in July), education writer George Sanchez (in May), Dodgers writer Tony Jackson (in May) and publisher Ed Moss (also in May).

Reporter Jerry Berrios, who was laid off earlier this year from the Daily News has been hired to fill the online position and sports writer Jon Gold has been hired to takeover the UCLA coverage at the paper.