The Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League, an affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, today signed Dan Cloutier to a professional tryout agreement. Cloutier is still on the books with the Kings, as $1.033 million of the buyout of his disastrous contract still counts on this season’s salary cap. Cloutier hasn’t played since two seasons ago with the Kings, when he…well, you know…
In other fomer-King news, Colorado’s Tom Preissing was supposed to be assigned to Lake Erie of the AHL today if he cleared waivers this morning. I presume he did, but I haven’t seen anything official on that.
Preissing was sent to Lake Erie today (and added to their roster), per theahl.com
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OFF TOPIC ALERT: Sorry guys I won’t be able to type for the next 20 hours as I’m going to listen to radio static at full volume until game time tomorrow so that the ringing in my ears will prevent me from even thinking about putting the volume on tomorrow night to hear Brian Hayward’s “analysis” (as Bob & Jim have the night off since it’s at the Pond…I refuse to call it the Honda Center. Ducks swim on ponds, case closed…plus my dad rechristened the team “The Ponders” many years ago and I always liked that)
Brian Hayward is the single most important crisis that America faces today.
Ducks suckingly yours,
- Shakes
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shakes i agree. hayward is the biggest homer. i can’t stand him always complaining about the calls. oh and thanks rich for bringing up cloutier, i was having a good day. everyone do a google search “dan cloutier” and check out the images. it will make your day. my favorite is the giant puck one. priceless.
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some advice on the game. watch it on tv and listen to the kings radio. timing may be off but you will be better off.
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Rich, The Cloutier signing was one of the worst GM decisions in recent history.. DL started off his tenure with some inconceivably horrible signings.. Cloutier and McCauley, and there was one more (Nagy?).. All of these players had documented serious injuries before they were re-signed by the Kings.. Just really, really bad signings. The org is still paying for Cloutier.. I almost wish you hadn’t brought it up
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3Bcrown
I’m SOL out here. I’ll just need to suck it up for 2.5 hours, and hope the Kings beat the Quacks so bad that Hayward is reduced to tears. I do have to admit that I do like this play-by-play guy more than the one they had in the early 90s.
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Surprised he didn’t go the Europe/KHL route (like Storr).
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AZ King
i guess i am lucky that i don’t remember the color guy from the early 90′s. you don’t have a AM radio? i don’t get 1150 where i live but i listen on 1220 (when not on tv) as long as they don’t cut away to high school sports. anyone remember avery’s war of words with hayward. that was priceless.
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I think the European teams are bribing the Beachball to stay OUT of Europe.
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If I hear the play-by-play guy say one more time that a skater “lost a wheel” when he falls down, I’m going to bellow incoherantly at my TV…..or invent a drinking game perhaps.
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Did anyone see Ballard two hand Vokoun across the head? They are on the same team mind you. What kind of suspension will be handed down?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAdyZFfFehc
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that turkey actually found himself another team?? and kings still be paying him?? wow! since he still on payroll we should of kept him to sell popcorn in the stands or clean the locker room lol
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My most hated duckism “oh there’s the paying officials calling another penalty”.
I wish Avery kicked the crap out of Hayward when he had the chance!
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Shakes–
Going with your off-topic warning…
I was listening to the Phoenix-Quacks game on the XM radio on Sunday night, and the second intermission carried an interview with the Orange County Register Ducks reporter. The conversation got around to the ‘new’ rules of reporting, the 24 hour-7 days per week internet, and (ugh) blogs.
While acknowledging that blogs DO exist, the only substantive comment was to say that blogs don’t often have accountability to facts, like, say, reporters. Understand, reporters actually cover the team by FOLLOWING the team from city to city, you see, so that they can TALK TO THE PLAYERS. The Ducks announcer and the OCR reporter did not mention the Kings or Rich (of course). They were simply smarmy, slimy sounding and oh-so superior in tone.
The interview made my drive from O.C. to Bakersfield palatable, as their pitiful discussion was obviously an attempt to connect the Ducks fans with the OCR in the same way that you do, Rich.
Pitiful.
That interview was another sign how much the status quo is being disrupted here with what you have done for us Kings fans. This incredible forum keeps us up-to-date in a way ALL NHL TEAMS will eventually be forced to do someday, Rich. It is the combination of access, information and REAL REPORTING that make this blog what it is. I count my lucky stars every time I read what you say Rich, or I find myself with something to add to the discussion. I have never felt more involved or more interested in the daily details of any sports team, and I follow a lot of them.
…Again, thank you Mr. Rich Hammond!
P.S.:
I don’t think the Ducks are ever going to get this, if that interview is any indication of the future.
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some teams will do anything to build confidence in their forward prospects.
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Or my favorite when the puck goes out of play:
“Well we lost a puck, but gained a face off”
urgh
Oh and Shakes: Way to hijack this thread! nicely done.
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cry baby – nice vid. i would say no. but i wouldn’t disagree with one. did you guys see ovechkin finally hurt someone with his knee on knee hits… himself. see a suspension on that one? being who he is… probably not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FfxSWmgRvI
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Are there any Super 8 motels in Rockford?
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3Bcrown–
Betcha they DO suspend Ovie this time!
a): He hurt two people (himself and Gleason; Gleason may be worse off than Ovie);
b): Second time, five games, same offense;
c): If Ovie is out with a knee sprain, 4-6 weeks, then the Commish can safely suspend him during the same period without changing his availability;
d): The Olympics are coming. Suspend him, and send the message that if he is okay for the Olympics, he can sit for awhile when everyone comes back.
e): Its the playoffs that they want him for, anyway. Let Ovie get healthy, and go crazy during the playoff season. Washington will get in, without him.
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3Bcrown-
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll check out 1220 to see I can pick it up.
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I watched the Capitals game and Ovechkin deserves a suspension. The question is does he serve it while he’s out hurt or do they wait until he’s healthy?
Crybaby> Watched the video all I can say is ouch and wow Ballard must feel really bad watching his own goalie carried out on a stretcher because he got carried away with his emotions. Does the NHL ever force players to go to anger management?
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Good to see that Dan can “battle” on someone elses ice! Battle away, Dan…Battle away!!
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Dont forget Val Bure in the early DL signings!
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Val Bure came in on Taylor’s watch… maybe you’re kidding?
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@ macdup: there are 5 things which bring all Kings fans together, no matter what the thread:
1) bashing Brian Hayward
2) hating on Anthony/figuring out if he/she/it is related to Khanon
3) agreeing that the Cloutier episode is one of the sadder paragraphs in this chapter of Kings history
4) lamenting the lack of secondary scoring
5) the perverse desire to sorta want to have a lovable loser in our lives like Cubs fans do…only this current team has the capability of breaking our hearts because they’ve got talent now and when they play like it and they’re gonna give some teams a lot of trouble if we make the playoffs
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RenoKingsFan – Yes, the NHL does send players to anger management – Sean Avery.
And Ovechkin will be suspended.
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Brian Hayward’s catchprase is “Well, John, he really sold that one to the ref.”
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I don’t know how you guys could miss the Ducks’ play-by-play guy’s “lookout cookout.” What a gem.
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What ever happened to Tom Preissing… he was incredible until he came to the Kings… his career died in LA, still cant figure out why
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For those out of LA OC counties fm band. Listen to Nick and Daryl
http://www.progressivetalk1150.com/main.html
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I will be at the game tomorrow so that i don’t have to hear Hayward’s rant. He is the most one sided person on the face of this planet. He does NOT belong in hockey period. One thing is much worse than Hayward though……..”Smucks fans” as 99% of them have no clue what a hat trick is. Kings need a win here in the worse possible way!
GKG!
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preissing’s numbers were boosted by that top line ottawa.
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“The teams making whole sale player changes”, and my favorite, “He put the biscuit in the basket”.
These were probably used elsewhere before, but it adds a whole new level of irritation to hear it from the Quacks broadcast. It’s almost as irritating as listening to Hayward lament about his glorious goaltending career. At least Darren “Holy Jumpin” Pang can make fun of himself.
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The funny thing is that Quacks fans have such little knowledge of the sport, they actually think Hayward and Ahlers are better than Bob and Jim.
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Luckily I’ll be at the game, so I don’t have to listen to the Scmucks’ announcers
One good thing about living in Orange is that the Ponda Center is down the street from my house and there are enough people who buy season tickets just to sell them around here……. I’m laughing because they have ZERO attendance now that they suck and they can’t get rid of them for profit anymore!
Typical OC d-bags! ( Wow, I sound very self loathing…. At least I BLEED purple! )
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151 i would hate myself if i lived in oc!! haha. i hope that means that they stay out of staple center too! …ponda center thats good.
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@kingsfan131 & Brymarsh: be careful of any Duck fans lunging for a stick giveaway. It could get violent.
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I think my chances of getting blasted in the head by a t-shirt launcher from that dumb wild wing thing is more likely. I wish he would jump though flaming hoop again.
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i think cloutier is backing up hnilicka…
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3Bcrown – What do you think the 151 stands for??? HaHa
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Brymarsh – That stupid duck on fire is my screen saver at work! Classic photo!
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Hayword … ug.
“That’s what Sean does.. he starts fight and lets other players finish em”
regarding avery giving a shove then skating away after it appeared the quack wasn’t going to go at it.
Avery was many things but a coward? Nope.
There will be no audio on the game for me as well…
just hoping someday we get a better radio station for the AM.
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Vokoun was taken off on a stretcher. That was one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen in sports, let alone hockey. It’s inconceivable that a professional did that to his own player. Talk about friendly fire!
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I would say that the Brian Willsie signing was almost as bad as the Cloutier signing.
Deano had a streak where he hardly did anything right (Cloutier, Willsie, McCauley, Thornton, Marc Crawford et al) but fortunately those days are behind us. Not every move is going our way, but the overall trend is very good.
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Are the Kings still paying Blake and Gretzky or did AEG pay off all that debt?
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I’ve listened to most of the TV and radio announcers around the league, and even allowing for my natural bias against Anaheim I think Hawyard is the worst of the lot.
It’s not just his whining, it’s his mild-mannered calls for vengeance against any opponent who dares to throw a check against the Ducks. I also hate the way he starts talking immediately after a goal is scored, rather than letting us hear the roar of the crowd. The guy definitely needs lessons from Vin Scully.
Unfortunately the new color guy on the Ducks’ radio broadcasts isn’t very good either. He has some good comments but he’s just too bland. I really like Steve Carroll, and I thought he worked well with Brent Sevryn.
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OFF TOPIC ALERT!!!!
I found Westy’s girlfriend while cruising peopleofwalmart.com:
http://media.peopleofwalmart.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/599.jpg
Could be related to Brian Hayward.
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Here’s the actual page it’s on, but it might move down a notch by the time you read this. Page 4. ‘Westy Side’
http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/?paged=4
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Cynic, man, that’s just freaking nasty!
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I can’t listen to the ducks broadcast team call the game as I find myself yelling at the TV way too much…haha
“Rubbing sweaters in the corner”…ugh!
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D- That is mild compared to the REST of the site. There’s this one lady with back cleaveage that will blow your MIND! LOL. Check out the rest of the site, but I warn you, once you start, you will not stop until you’ve seen them all. (It’ll take hours. Look at them with friends. GUARANTEED Fun!)
And they you’ll go back every week to see what’s been updated. It’s crack in the worst way.
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Cynic> funny stuff, discovered that site about a week ago, the lady with the back boobs is classic.
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Thanks for ruining the next few days of my life Cynic as I page through the hideous walmart race!
That site is… well… its something.
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Cynic,
I did go through a couple dozen pics (and yea, it’s addictive) – must be a reason I’ve yet to set foot in a Walmart. Instinctive I guess!
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It’s like a virus JDM, I have to pass it on.
It just amazes me that those are all REAL people man. Dude with the scorpion shaved in the back of his head with the pony tail, Chick with the hoody and the undies, family with the stuff on top of the cart with the baby frikkin inside, underneath all that? DAMN! That made me ILL!
Walmart is now more fun than ever to visit. My cameraphone is always ready.
OK, sorry to interrupt. Back to what really matters. I just hope that when Westy DOES get the call that he leaves that girlfriend at walmart.
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Danny! We’ll leave the light on for you.
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“Talk about friendly fire!”- good one Wavesinair! I saw the clip on tv and I thought Ballard (funny, I live in Ballard in Seattle) was angry at Vokum for letting the puck in so he whacked him!
From a different angle you can see he was going for the post. Maybe that is what Cloutier and LaBarbara needed when they were with the Kings!
I felt so bad for Ballard, poor guy hitting the wrong target.
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Since this topic is about former Kings, some strange injuries last night including 2 to former Kings.
The first was mentioned earlier in the topic. Ovechkin went knee on knee against former King Tim Gleason. OV & Gleason had to be carried off the ice. OV received 5 for kneeing and a game misconduct, but the injury looks like he may be gone for a long time, not to mention the suspension he should receive. Gleason returned to the ice later in the period, but if that knee swells up he could miss games too.
Also in that Carolina game former King Joe Corvo went to check Washington’s Karl Alzner into the boards. Alzner’s skate came around and caught Corvo behind the ankle. Corvo had to be helped off the ice and couldn’t put any weight on the leg. He was taken to the hospital and may need surgery. Looked like it could have been his achilles.
But perhaps the most bizarre injury was in the Atlanta-Florida game. Kovalchuk scored on a breakaway beating Florida defenseman Keith Ballard. Ballard was so ticked off that he went to break his stick over the cross bar of his goal, but instead caught Florida goalie Tomas Vokoun right in the side of the head. Vokoun had to be removed on a stretcher and was taken to the hospital. He apparently suffered a lacerated ear. I believe he flew home to Florida with the team.
Glad the Kings didn’t play last night.
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BTW, Barry Melrose had a good point about the Ballard/Vokoun incident. If Ballard had done that to a player on the other team we’d be talking about a 1 year suspension or maybe even a lifetime ban. It wasn’t intentional but it was still a pretty brutal hit and certainly one of the dumbest incidents in NHL history.
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I think Ballard would have to be suspended. It wasn’t intentional, but your’re responsible for your stick. I would think 10 game ban.
Even after he nailed him, he still swung his stick and cracked it on the post.
Lugnut
Obviously, they were brutal signings but remember the time that they were signed. Nobody with a half brain and skill was signing with the Kings at that time. We were a horrible organization with no future whatsoever. Those were the only players willing to sign with this Godforsaken organization.
Thanks to the brilliant work of DL and the Kings management, we now have a top flight system with top prospects littered throughout the land waiting for their chance.
Also, those signings did not and have not set back the org one bit. We’re under the cap. The only downside as you mentioned is that they’re still paying for Cloutier. It’s only fitting the AEG should be forced to pay his contract long after he’s gone. That makes up for the years of putting a lousy product on the ice and the indifference that they’ve shown over the years.
Seems to me like a win-win deal!
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I am the only one that thinks its ridiculous that Ovie is getting all this attention for a very dangerous play that he caused. The way NHL.com was writing it I couldn’t even tell Gleason got hurt at first. I understand how important Ovie is to the league, but anyone else would be lambasted for doing what he did. Instead he gets the top headline.
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oops, meant to say – Am I the only one that thinks this is ridiculous.
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you’re right AZ King
The NHL has always had a double standard when it comes to their superstars…
Guys like Ovechkin and Crosby are going to be able to get away with dirty plays more than other guys will.
It’s wrong, but it’s always been like that.
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Shakes, that was hilarious, ty.
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Willsie put up better numbers then our 4th line has this year. He had scored 20 goals one season playing with Ovechkin; the Caps had Willsie room with the rookie O, which IMO says good things about W’s character. W was not signed to some huge contract by the Kings; he and they knew he was a NHL depth player. A bit undersized without NHL level strength and speed.
Give Clouts some props for guts. His play has sucked yet he keeps coming back. The fight fans should love the guy: he’s the guy whose been beat up 10 times straight, took a real bad beating the last time, rested up a month, and comes back wanting to fight again. Even after a month, his facial bruises are only almost healed. The whole neighborhood is saying, please dude don’t. Yet here he is, riding the AHL bus even thought he Kings are paying him over $1 mill. Gutsy fellow. (Or delusional.)
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Off topic even more…
Someone pointed out that they saw Westy’s girlfriend, well I saw Quispy in the parking lot!
http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/?p=5533
Just needs a mural of Dean’s face on the hood!
-Dave
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Bryan Hayward is one of the better ones in the industry. He tells it as it is, doesn’t sugar coat, doesn’t try to constantly teach viewers, and loves the rough stuff! The guy is a straight shooter and I would take him over the ultimate homer Jim Fox anyday. Bob Miller, on the other hand, is the man, and I wouldnt’t take anybody over him.
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Remember, Handzus was signed with a bad knee and it took him a full season of playing to rehab to 100%, so he could have been another of the many mistakes, but now he plays a tough game and is doing great. Lombardi only continued a tradition, but he does have a long list of bad signings, Cloutier was at the behest of Crawfish, Crawfish himself was a terrible choice, and MacAuley was a homer form San Jose that got a sweet deal for who knows why. Nagy, Roenick, Calder, Anson Carter, on and on and on, through Taylor and all the way back. My personal view is that the reason we went through a period where no good players would sign with us dates back to Jason Allison. Allison suffered an obvious knee-on-knee hit that wiped him out completely, an obvious season ending and potential career threatening hit. There was absolutley no penalty, there was no review for suspension, and worst of all there was zero reaction from the Kings on the ice or in the game. That actual moment was the single worst moment in my being a fan since 1987. In today’s game, Colin Campbell would have had to suspend the guy for that hit even if it was his own kid, but back then it was just “tough luck” for a premier center in the game whose only crime was playing in Los Angeles where the league viewed us as dilettantes, and after Gretzky, as wannabe New York Yankee type spenders inflating salaries. Sure, I am a homer, but there is no way that somebody could have done that to Yserman and not been either immediately beheaded on ice by his teammates, or later banned to Siberia by the league. After that, even I, myself, wouldn’t have ever signed with the Kings.
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completely off topic
remember the FSW commercial for the Bail Bonds company..well too bad the Kings couldn’t get this company sgined up..
Jail Sucks Bail Bonds
I kid you not..this is the name of the bail bond co that secured the release of the cop killer in WA.
Bad subject but might be the best company name I’ve heard.
I think it’s time for the Kings to play again!
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I FIGURED IT OUT EVERYONE!!!!
…KNANON IS BRIAN HAYWARD, IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW.
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Khanon
I knew you were a closet Ducks fan!
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Khanon is a contrarian, just to get attention.
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@nykingsfan
DL got off to a very rough start and Cloutier is part of his legacy. I am a fan of what he has done with the draft and the rebuilding effort.. He is not very good with signings and that may be as you say due to the org’s rep being terrible. On the plus side, Ryan Smyth was a brilliant pickup since the team also dumped Preising’s salary.. Quincy was hard to give up, but since there is a lot of depth at D in the org, its an exceptable sacrifice for someone as valuable as Smyth (if he can remain healthy).
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Do I need to be a duck fan to favor Hayward and dislike Fox?
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Khanon? You must be watching the Duck games with the mute on and sub-titles!
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Player-X,
If you go back and look at my previous posts regarding Jim Fox, you will see that I have always maintained the same stance. I don’t know what it is, but it just seems like Hayward fits very well with the whole Duck culture and the culture DL keeps on talking about; whereas, Fox is kind of stuck in the past, the ugly King past. Imo, he gives King fans the wrong impression on the game of hockey, but thats just my opinion.
I’m not looking for attention. I’m stating my opinion in a non-repetitive way.
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khanon, we’ve all always known you were a closet ducks fan, or should I say the “Stanley Cup Ducks” as you used to call them
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Lugnut
another really good signing was the Zeus contract.
As crazy and as bad as it looked originally, it actually turned out to be a smart move on DL’s part.
It sure didn’t look that way after the 1st season though.
Khanon
“Do I need to be a duck fan to favor Hayward and dislike Fox?”
Answer: YES
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to the tune of “you give love a bad name”…
SHOT THROUGH THE LEGS, CLOUTIER’S TO BLAME;
HE GAVE THE KINGS A BAD NAME!!!!
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I notice the thread has gotten away from Clout-less, but I like the dialogue. nykingfan, I agree. Zeus was definitely a good grab. I was talking to him at a Tip-a-king a couple of years ago and then he told me he would do better. He certainly has done that.
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Oh yeah zeus was the other injured signing.. yes it turned out OK in the end. He’s been a good mentor for Simmonds and is a responsible defensive forward.. slow as molasses though.
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DARKO25 ahahaha! “Khanon is Hayward!” classic…
Finkle is Einhorn….Einhorn is Finkle!!! laces out!!
ahahaha!
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How could we forget beach ball? “He who has gloves made of Jello.”
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Reno,
I am not a Duck fan.
Do I appreciate the “Duck/Flyer” style of hockey? Yes.
Do I want the duck to perform better than the King? No
I don’t know about you guys, but Jim Fox’s voice can get awfully tiresome.
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Khanon, No disrespect here, but Haydork over Jim Fox? At least Foxy had an NHL career, Haydork’s claim to fame is that he had the first S.J.Sharks goalie mask.This guy rode pine for the better part of his career.(if you can call it that).And he’s even a worst announcer. This guy said back at the Quacks loser parade in ’03 “that Kings fans could kiss their a$$”. This guy is just like the Quacks, and their fans a total joke.
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OH YEAH! Forgot about that one Mac.
Picture a photo cutout of Dean’s face, the only one we’ve ever seen of him smiling, and put it on the front fender of that car with his head tilted to the right.
Fly.
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Khanon…
just my 2 cents on the Hayward/Foxy debate…I think most of us Kings fans might agree that sometimes Foxy gets…errr “exciteable” and can be almost bubbly, but Hayward isn’t true to the theme of being a journalist. He favors the Ducks so heavily in his analysis that its sickening. Foxy will call out the Kings and point out where guys should play better, explain the strategies clearly, etc. Hayward’s analysis is always pro-ducks, even when a penalty is called against anaheim and its right on the money…he’ll find a way to spin it into a bad call. Its maddening that he gets to comment at all in the NHL in my opinion. I don’t relate how bad he is to the Ducks. Its a seperate issue that he chooses to work with them.
But ya…Foxy’s voice sometimes cracks me up with his “happy happy” approach. However…most importantly…Foxy never insults the opposition. Hayward has on repeated occassions. To me, thats unprofessional.
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I have another idea for Quispy’s car Mac. You know that ‘Laugh Now, Cry Later’ sticker that Vato’s like to put on their Impala’s with the acting masks, one happy, one sad?
Quisp needs to create that sticker with this picture of Dean on the left: http://cdn.nhl.com/kings/bc/images/storyimages/lombardi_Dean.jpg and the frowning purple Kool-Aid dude on the right. I’m not a photoshopper or I’d do it myself. I can’t see that not being a top seller here…
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TB,
Whats wrong with insulting the opposition? Since when does being a color comentator entail “staying true” to journalistic values? I like it when Hayward calls out the refs for making bad call because, lets face it, most calls are bad calls.
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Chiming in on Hayward.. He makes good observations about the game, but that is totally overshadowed by incessant whining about penalty calls and his general homer bias for the Ducks. FoxSports should not allow the Ducks team to call King’s/Duck’s games — they are just too biased and make watching the game on TV torture for King’s fans.. while Bob Miller and Jim Fox are two of the least homer announcers I’ve ever encountered.
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Khanon,
You started it with your comments, and now you have to defend yourself? Come on man. Hayward is the biggest HOMER around. Have you actually watched him on NBC telecasts? Not bad, but behind the Ducks mic …….. sickening. When I’m watching TV and my wife and kids don’t here any sound they automatically say “Up, dad must be watching the ducks game” !!!! I just cant stomach those two whiners. It’s gotten to the point now when they show them on the screen I have to change the channel. LOL
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khanon…I think the root of the issue has just been found. Publicly insulting anyone is not ok. Especially in the NHL or any pro league. Why do you think Avery got nailed to the wall for his Phaneuf comments?
Color commentators are journalists. There is even a union that they are a part of defining their role as journalists. The main theme of journalism is neutrality in reporting the facts, and when opinions are offered, they are to be done while maintaining respect for all parties involved.
Truthfully, many calls are arbitrary, but not “bad calls”. Emotionally speaking, as fans we may not like the calls being made, but for the most part, the refs are spot on more often than they get credit for. And the example I made about Hayward and the bad calls is only one element of his disfunctional evaluations. He is condiscending towards anyone not in a Ducks jersey, whether it be a ref or an opponent. Its not ok Khanon. Its not professional. If you want trash talking opinions, watch coach’s corner on HNIC. But during the game, its just not the place, and it alienates fans of the opposition. Not just Kings fans. You won’t find any other commentator in the league taking the stance Hayward takes. And as pointed out before, it wasn’t an earned right like Don Cherry (stanley cup champ, who knows a thing or two about the game). Hayward barely broke into the NHL, and didn’t stay long. Why is he such a champ analyst? What does he know that adds value? And forget the game…why is he insulting in the first place? But I guess if you’re ok with it…its probably because you see insulting someone as acceptable.
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Grinder,
Lets face it. Almost every comentator is a homer, and Jim Fox is definitely a homer. To be honest with you, sometimes when the Kings are on TV, I think of muting the TV, turning on the radio and tuning in to Nick Nickson and Daryl Evans. I understand the love affair that most of you have for Jim Fox, so there’s no need to talk about it anymore; its a battle I cannot win here…
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Re Preising…..I think it was some very personal matter between him and Murray and or the Kings organization that caused his release. Never revealed. He was an excellent D, with good numbers.
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TB,
I haven’t heard Hayward insult anyone to the extent Avery has, period. He usually calls out the duck for not going after opposing players that take runs at the ducks- is that an insult? I wish Jim Fox would take that stance. Like I said, no more Jim Fox talk out of my mouth.
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Khanon,
I respect your comments. But sometimes we need to watch what we post. Remember, this is a KINGS BLOG.
That said, I will respect Rich and drop the conversation.
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The best deal DL has ever made? Picking up Quincy off waiver wire for nothing and getting Smyth for him.
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Khanon…obviously not to the same extent as Avery…come on man. Its ok that you’re a Hayward fan, its a free country. But lets be clear that as a majority we agree that its unpleasant when that guy has the mic.
And regarding your point about Hayward calling out ducks for not going after guys that take runs…a perfect example actually…a lot of times, those awful runs Hayward is talking about isn’t a big deal…which is why many times, the players aren’t reacting to the hit. Even the players aren’t interpreting it the way Hayward sees it.
Anyways, I’m done with that topic. The horse is way dead and we just keep on whipping. Please post something new Rich…we’re dyin over here!
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we can agree on one thing, our D-man doesn’t attack our goalie with his stick
Ballard takes his stick to Vokuns dome
http://flpanthers.fandome.com/video/116675/Florida-Panthers-Goalie-Slashed-In-The-Face-By-His-Own-Teammate/?q=c
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Teeder,
Preissing sucked as a King…and being sent to AHL seems to say he is sucking on the Avs too.
The only thing personal was his inability to play solid D.
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My favorite topic.
“AEG, DL, DT, and the state of the franchise.”
Some erroneous information swirling about, however.
DL did not take over a lost franchise.
We had players like Demitra, Conroy, Norstrom, Avery, Gleason, Belanger, etc.
Already in the system were Brown, visnovsky, Frolov, Cammy, Kopitar, Quick, Parse, Boyle.
The Kings barely missed the playoffs 3 straight seasons due, in large part, to the entire top line suffering career threatening (ending) injuries.
There was no
Cap, and DT couldn’t even get funding to hang on to players like Boucher from AEG.
DL, on the other hand has had money to throw around on players like Preissing and Calder. Way too much money. Meanwhile, he won’t reward players like Cammy and Brown, who went through
The tough times when the NHL talent just isn’t there.
AEG’s greatest acheivement is getting King’s fans to beleive they are
Putting a professional team on the ice.
Plus, just as in the MLS, they have the financial power to control decisions at the top, and were able to maneuver the salary cap into place, hoping to become competitive by weakening the league.
IMO, the NHL is worse off for it, and instead of a great league full of great NHL talent, we’re getting more on-the-job training. Just look at the lack of experience on the King’s roster.
We also have “Stars” we have to pander to in order to “sell” the league (just revisit Ovechkin’s hit on Brown at “Staples” last season.
Cloutier is just one example, a microcosm, of the things DL does wrong. He buys a “past history” rather than building a dream. Crawford and Murray show this as well.
And, the system is not chock full of promise, per we, any more than it was 4 years ago.
When Bud Grant took over the Vikings many years ago he promised to make the Super Bowl in 4 seasons and he delivered.
4 years after DL took over I
Still don’t know if we’ll make the post-season, in a capped-for-parity league where you don’t even need to be middle of the table to make the playoffs.
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Cynic, if I have some time later I am going to into Illustrator/Photoshop and make this happen, stay tuned, unfortunately “the man” has got me pretty busy today.
I am from the Inland Empire so I know this sticker VERY well.
Khanon: I am with you on the Foxy thing, I never wanted to admit it on a Kings centric blog but ever since the beginning with his Ruc Lobitaille calls the guy makes me giggle from time to time. My mom calls him Gym Socks. I have met up with him at different Kings events though and he is a great guy who loves his job and Kings hockey so for that I admire him. I do really enjoy Nick and Daryl on the radio though and think they are two of the best out there.
Shakes: Again way to go on getting 100+ comments on a Cloutier thread!
-Dave
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Hey Christobal… I’m a Kings fan too and can be frustrated with the franchise, but talk about the glass being half empty! I think you’ve reduced it t0 90% empty. A lot of hockey people who do it for a living certainly don’t agree with you.
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#6 –
I’m warming to DL, but in 4 years, other than Simmonds (who I love, but want more muscle-weight) he hasn’t drafted any impact forwards to help
This team.
I’ve said many times that DL was a draft-and-trade-for-vets guy, and I beleive I’m correct. It shows in his SJ history.
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Kings are 2 lines short (6 forwards) of being a Cup contender
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How about his drafting from the backend out..goaltending and defense?
You know, the things that championships are built around.
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A blind squirrel would have drafted Doughty or Bogosian (and Doughty’s defense needs some work.
All that drafting of defense and 4 years later our defense is a weak point, especially on the PP.
Hickey is a wild card, Teubert should have been Myers, and the costs were high — 3 seasons of humiliating hockey for the great young forwards to endure, clear-cut style trading that moved out many NHL-caliber players (Sopel, Avery, Corvo, Cowan, Kostopolous, Garon, etc.) still playing, and a 40ish goal scoring Cammalleri.
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Dayman – thanks for the link! Didn’t realize I could listen online.
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Call him what you want, but he drafted Doughty, who now has the chance to be a perennial Norris trophy candidate. I’m sure previous Kings regimes would have traded the pick for some of those “superstars” you mentioned…I take that back..none of the guys you mentioned fit into the category of aging former star. Boy that Avery’s really helping the Rangers, who I believe currently reside at the bottom of the Atlantic (division that is). I liked Kostopoulis a lot, but he’s a 4th line player…not someone you build around. Garon? cmon, he’s struggling to remain a backup in the NHL.
As for Cammy..Calgary sure went a long way with him. They thought he was so valuable, especially at his cap#, that they held the door to make sure his butt didn’t hit it on the way out of town.
Since there wouldn’t have been enough room to fit Cammy and his cap# along with Smyth, who’s the better fit with the Kings?
btw..if not for the wretched Leafs, the Canadians would be occupying the same space in the standings as the Avery-led Rangers…
While we’re on Cammy, an I’m certainly not a proponent of +/- but how the heck was he as -2 on Calgary last year? And this year he has 22 points in 26 games. Doughty has 20 points.
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There is absolutely no way to argue wether “previous regimes” would have traded the 2nd overall pick, but it takes being really bad to get that pick. Personally, I doubt Taylor would have traded it.
The (your) contention was that this team had nothing when DL took over. It’s totally false.
The team had “just” missed the playoffs (you can’t deny the injuries played their part) and Taylor made trades he thought would strengthen the team, just as DL did trading Quincey for Smyth.
What Cammy’s or Avery’s teams are doing now rests on the total makeup of the team (in the new capped league) but it doesn’t hide the fact that they are NHL worthy — which we still don’t know about players like Purcell and Lewis and Moller and Clune, etc.
Mainly, I beleive Cloutier and his sort point out DL’s flaws and mirror other problems he has brought along.
This is why I beleive that Murray isn’t the long-term (or current) guy for the job. I feel DL put a square peg in a round hole.
BTW, it’s also untrue that players wouldn’t come here.
AEG just wasn’t paying, and now with a history of recent failure it’s worse because you have to look closely to find a reason. Doughty’s promise is one, but mainly it’s Kopitar, and then Brown and Fro.
If you want proof that Lombardi isn’t considered the messiah outside of LA, just ask yourself why top talent isn’t beating down the door when he’s got more funding than Taylor ever dreamed of.
But, I think the Smyth deal was worth it, I just wish many of the other moves were more like it. Sometimes you have to trade some good youth to swim at the present time.
Finally, look at the team that Taylor took over and you’ll see that his job was a much more difficult one, and he got in the playoffs relatively quickly.
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We can go back and look at Taylor’s successes and failures, but in the end, he didn’t do what we needed done…build a winner. He had some good years and some lousy years. He had some good drafts and some lousy drafts..same with trades. He was never able to solve our long-standing goaltender problems…I believe he brought in Czechmanek(sp)…that’s an even exchange with Cloutier.
Dave Taylor was one of the great Kings of all time. I just think as a GM, your job is to build a winner and without help from AEG, he was unable to do that. Perhaps if he would have gone to them with a real plan to build a winner, they would have accepted it. he was basically going year to year with no long range plans.
DL was able to come in and convince AEG that his way is the best way to build a long term winning org. If you wish to base the results on playoff appearances, go ahead but it’s blatenly unfair. He stripped the organization down to its bare bones and has so far given the fans hope they hadn’t seen in a long while. I’m willing to look long term instead of the short term answers that lead to inconsistency from season to season. If his way is the right way and this team does begin to compete for the cup on an annual basis, then the early DL years of Willsie/Cloutier etc will be well worth it.
If we slip back into the abyss, it will be adios to DL.
So far with the help of a good head coach, this team has made positive strides over the last 2 years.
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In Taylors defense I beleive he did build a winner.Nobody could have forscene all the injuries we would suffer in such a short span of time.I thought Andy Murry was a good coach.He did hire Vanboxmere though.I agree DL is a good GM.He’s been consistant with his vision.
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I liked Andy Murray as a head coach, but when that team took a nose-dive from 1st to last in 1/2 season and he couldn’t pull them out of it, it seemed that he lost the players.
I still didn’t see the type of talent in that era that I see today.
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Just for a laugh I wish the Monarchs played Rockford this year. Would love to see Mr. Beachball at his finest.
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you make valid points about DL convincing AEG, but as someone who feels they know the game better than Leiweke and Anschutz, he has yet to “sell” me on his ability to do anything of genius.
Taylor’s record isn’t spotless, heck, he traded Huet for Garon and held on to Andy Murray way past his sell by date; but, he was absolute genius on finding Kopitar and to varying degrees with Brown, Frolov, Cammy, Visnovsky, and maybe Quick.
I give DL an “A” as a salesman, but he’s maybe average at GM’ing, IMO.
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I agree on Taylor’s grades..maybe a bit lower on the gm portion.
His later draft seemed to show he had something going. They just couldn’t wait to find out. I couldn’t blame them for not waiting. the collapse and lack of any competent injury replacements doomed him.
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To everyone who thinks they will be forced to listen to Brian Hayward, go to http://www.ktlk1150.com. click the listen live button and listen to Nick Nickson and Darryl Evans call the game while watching. Just mute the video.
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