Forgive the Toronto media if they’re not exactly up on the Kings. It’s been more than four years since the Kings played here, and as those of you East Coasters can attest to, it’s sometimes hard to get the Kings on TV. So that has led to a few questions, over the past couple days, along the lines of, “What’s going on in L.A.?” (The other questions, in case you’re wondering, are, “How good is Drew Doughty?”)
So here’s what Terry Murray told our friendly neighbors to the north about the Kings’ development this season…
MURRAY: “I love the way the situation is starting to unfold, where you have to respond to pressure. It’s good for our team. It’s good for the growth of the young guys on our hockey club to have to go through it. The response has obviously been good. We had pretty good play, over the 60 minutes, against (Buffalo and Detroit), and the young guys are a very big part of that, logging big minutes in critical situations. As a coach, you talk about it before the game and try to present it the right way, as to what the expectations are, but to have young guys go through and live it, and come out on the other side the right way, for personal growth it’s tremendous.
“I want to keep the bar very high for this team. I don’t know what the top is going to be with this group in particular. It looks pretty good. I really want to see us get into the playoffs, and we’re going to keep pushing toward that. The one area that we seem to slip is, whenever we get back home after a long road trip, we lose that physical and mental intensity, and kind of wait to see how the game is going to unfold. Then we have to turn it on late in the third period to turn things around and, inevitably, the clock runs out sometimes. Again, that’s part of the process of learning how to play the game the right way, as a young group.”
Okay, TM:
But now I’m going to want to know whether this team can come out strong in a game they are supposed to win easily, make a statement early with physical and mental intensity… and, CLEAN THEIR CLOCKS!
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…and i thought those hockey brianiacs up in leaf country were soooo knowledgeable anout their national sport…?!?!?
hopefully, after tomorrow night, they will start to take notice…
i’m not one to make predictions….but…
i get the feeling fro has a huge game tomorrow night…(!)
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Echo Bako here-
NO LETDOWNS IN INTENSITY! I don’t care if you have to implore some Jedi mind trick on the team into thinking those blue jerseys are red and the maple leaf is a winged wheel. I want to see playoff intensity from the get go and for 60 minutes.
2 points is 2 points no matter who we play.
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Bako,
There’s no easy win in the NHL
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TM speaks as a proud Canadian. I hope he can get some kudos from the hockey world if the team plays good tomorrow night…
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Steve S:
Unfortunately WHEN the Kings win the news in TO will be more about how the Leafs suck rather than how good the Kings are
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khanon:
You are too right.
But look at it, this way. The Kings will be favored to win, due to the status of the Leafs in the standings. Yes, the Kings could pull a BOS and get flattened like they were by Carolina yesterday.
Can you imagine the Toronto headlines the next day? This is the environs where many Kings players have relatives. TSN has done its usual hatchet job on the Kings (ranked 14th below the Canadiens!). “Paupers, not Princes!” I can read the headlines in my mind’s eye already.
This is a statement game, in spotlight territory, on the road after a big win.
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by the way, ZamboniGate is on NHL power play, right now!
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I wonder if TM will start Ersberg versus Toronto
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Have to get the win in Toronto, have to. The Leafs are just not as good of a team as the Kings are right now.
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…The announcers blame the Kings: On the ice too early!
But they give the Kings props for being roudy…
Their glass is half-full. Just like Leafs Nation…
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Don’t be too hard on the Toronto media. Up until a few weeks ago Helene Elliott didn’t know who any of the Kings were.
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Ouch Mike, she must have done something horrible to you in a past life
The mainstream TO media may not know too much, but there are some damn smart hockey people there, possibly the best in the world (why else would instant replays all go to TO lol). So its not like we will surprise very many people by being good.
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Quick needs to be more alert in the first few minutes. I”m getting tired of those first goals in the first 15 seconds.
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I don’t expect much to be said about the Kings in Toronto. After all, they have way too much to be angry/depressed about with the Leafs
If they start thinking about how good a team the Kings are, and how much better they’ll become, they’ll only get worse. Let them focus on their Toronto Make Believes for the time being.
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Given the win in Detroit, I dont think its entirely unreasonable for me to expect a 4-1 trip, with the lone loss to NJ. The Kings are **statiscally** better than Toronto, Columbus and Boston. Am I being unrealistic for expecting 8 out of 10 points?
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VanKingsFan:
The Kings better…!
(surprise very many people by being good)
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Fellow Kings fans, don’t feel so offended about the lack of attention out of Toronto. A big reason is the three hour time difference and of course, the fact that Toronto only cares about Toronto! Hell, ask most Toronto media types something about the Ottawa Senators, and you’ll get the same blank stares!
War #Moolay and DL landing Ilya
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I’m gonna guess 6-7 points and hope for 8
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Twenty games in Jan-Feb:
Kings just went 6 wins in ten.
Kings need to go at least 6 wins in ten.
Twelwe-thirteen of twenty:
35-36 Wins before the Olympic break…
On pace for 47-48 wins, at least 97-99 points.
Lots of happy Kings fans!
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Why should the Toronto media care about the Kings? The Kings have been nonexistent and starless. Until the kings consistently win and make the playoffs, you can’t expect otherwise…
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Success for me will be watching the media scrum after the Kings work the Leafs in all ends, and watching Ron Wilson have an anxiety attack with the media (again…).
Seriously…the funniest scenes in hockey right now by far are the daily scrums with Wilson.
The other night he blew up at a reporter for having his mic too close to his face! I love it! Give ‘em hell boys! If anything, give Wilson a reason to hide from the media…
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At some point you would think that the TO press and fans would learn the Copernican principle. It seems they are just too busy staring at their belly buttons.
Do they also think the world is flat?
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@khanon: Based upon your statement, why should the Toronto media care about the Maple Leafs? LOL
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They had 4 Kings players on Off the Record and I missed it dammit.
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Skebo:
Not if they spend a lot of time staring at their belly buttons. Them bellies be ROUND…
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As bad as the Kings have been, I thank God every day for not making me a fan of the Make Beliefs (and yes, that was grammatically incorrect on purpose).
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And by the Kings being bad, I mean until this year.
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Late afternoon Toronto Maple Leafs snark…
I guess I should stop, but what the hey?
Keeps one smiling, the afternoon through!
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Okay so it was Ryan Smyth, Rob Scuderi, Brad Richardson, and Jarret Stoll who were on Off the Record.
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Definitely agree with TM on the loss of focus or intensity at home. Another area they need to work on is not playing to the competitions level. The good teams don’t scare me the lesser teams do because we seem to play at the opponents level instead of our own. I’m not one who uses “youth” as an excuse for shortcomings in ones game, but this area is truly based on youth. So I’m confident we will improve and only get better.
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Every year when I talk to my Leafs friends, the only leg they have to stand on is… “at least they are always better than the Kings” … Not anymore BABY
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Hey Rich:
For us hockey fans out here in L.A., it’s more like, ‘Who are those Leafs guys?’
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There was a guy who used to post around here that would rant about how far ahead the Leafs were in their rebuild and that the Kings could learn a few things…
I don’t think so.
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I think the only thing the Leaf fans know about us is we have the other Schenn.
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6 points in 5 games on the road with this schedule is very attainable but I’d really expect 7-8.
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Hate to rain on everyones parade but if things play out like they have all season, the Kings will lay an egg tomorrow against a team that they should beat handily. If the Kings take them lightly like they have others, it could be a long night.
When they start beating the snot out of the Toronto’s and other teams below them with some regularity, only than will I buy into us making the playoffs and doing some damage. I dont expect us to win the cup this year but I don’t just want us to make the playoffs only to get schooled in the first round.
After the game they played against Detroit, this team should put a hurt on Toronto tomorrow…when that happens we will all know this team has really improved and is ready for a playoff run!
Go Kings!
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I just hope they don’t broadcast the game on French. Come to think of it, that might be better. At the very least, I won’t have to listen to them homer announcers whine.
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Bako is right, old habits die hard.
Can another “Curse of the Kings” (the “gimme night daze”) be broken?
Is it feast on a team low on the food chain or whispered talk of April Tee times?
The Leafs are the only sub-.500 team on this rotation. Good teams feast on giveaway points.
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listening to the wilson interview just to hear the Kings sticks haha…At least we know OD was involved (it’s right at the end of the clip)
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PakiFro,
No, not unreasonable, but any of these teams can pop goals in bunches.
Since Pulford and Melrose fans have waited for a Kings team that they believed could win on any night. We are edging closer.
The Kings may be charting their season on this swing. Accordingly fans have high expectations.
With all the one goal games and come backs, wow! This swing could create a lot of believers — or worse.
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The situation in L.A right now is great compared to toronto.
Toronto, from what i know is what L.A was about two seasons ago.
canadian hockey analyst and commentators seem to be real bias. We all know Rich,Bob, Jim are king fans but they
dont go all pyscho and nutty when talking about them.
they definetly dont mistake what a player is with what that player wont ever be.
if you read some stuff on there team you would think kessel is Ovechkin/gretzky/lemuiex rolled into one.
And
then the fans get shocked And surprised when Doughty makes the Canadian team.
Doughty?? is he really that much of a mystery. That should be the fault of the bias reporting that the hockey media does up there.
LEAf’s WHO??
i expect the kings to play hard and come out with a good showing. AND show who doughty is while there at it.
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“How Good is Drew Doughty?”–#1 on the list of things not to ask Jack Johnson right now.
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Just went back a few threads and read this gem by Variable:
“good win and now the wild and wacky hockey circus that we call toronto is ever-present…”
Less than 24 hours before the game, and it sure has been wacky! Good call, V!
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Off the subject for those that can’t afford NHL Center Ice the NHL Network will be reboadcasting the Tuesday Kings at Toronto game at 4 am ET or 1 am PT the night of the game.
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The Leafs are like the Kings 3-4 seasons ago. Terrible team with bad management. No one wanted to play there because of that. Well except for one-knee-slapper.
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Thanks Luc20
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