The Hockey News has learned Los Angeles Kings veteran defenseman Rob Blake will undergo season-ending hip surgery Friday morning and faces up to five months of rehabilitation before he'll be able to return.

That would still allow him to be ready for the beginning of next season if all goes well, but there is little doubt that the surgery is a major procedure. It will be done in Vail, Col., by world-renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Marc Philippon, who has done hip surgeries on the likes of Alexander Mogilny, Tie Domi, Dan Cloutier and Ryan Kesler.

Blake has sat out the last three games with a neck injury, but said the hip has been an issue for some time.

''There has been something going on there for a while,'' Blake said. ''It's pretty bad right now and I figured I would get it fixed as soon as I could.''

Blake acknowledges that he faces a summer of ''pretty extensive rehab,'' for a period of at least three months, but perhaps as many as five.





''It all depends on how much the cartilage needs to be repaired,'' Blake said. ''They weren't able to pinpoint the exact extent of the damage from the MRI.''

Blake last played in a 4-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks March 27.

The 37-year-old defenseman, who rejoined the Kings this season as a free agent, played 72 games this season, scoring 14 goals and 34 points.

Going into Thursday night's NHL games, his minus-26 was tied with Derian Hatcher, Joffrey Lupul and Patrice Bergeron for second-worst in the league.