alt="LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond" />I see that the questions are coming fast and furious, so here’s the second set of Open Forum questions and answers…
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LAKingsFan26 asked: Rich, my apologies if this has already been asked. Do you know in the 43 years of the teams existence if they had ever had an undefeated road trip (min 4 games) before? I have been a fan since the early 1980’s and don’t recall such an accomplishment.
Answer: Your memory serves you well! That was the first perfect Kings road trip of more than four games. They have also won seven consecutive road games, one short of the franchise record set in 1974-75.
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Matt R: That leads me to something i’ve been wondering about. Do any of the other NHL teams have games that aren’t televised?
Answer: Oh, yes. Most teams do not have every game televised. The teams that have partnerships with networks — the Rangers and MSG, for instance — have every game televised, but I would estimate that the Kings, with 65 games televised, are certainly in the upper half in terms of number of games televised.
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JJ4Pres asked: Do you think the acquisition of say Ilya Kovalchuk may stunt the progress of other players and teamates could fall into the trap of depending on one person to score versus an overall team scoring as we are witnessing lately?
Answer: No, I don’t think so at all. If anything, having that big “target” — in terms of the perspective of opposing teams — helps free up ice for other players.
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PaulCat asked: 1) What kind of vibe do you get from this team? They are obviously close and I wonder if you have picked up on any tension with all this trade talk and whether you think messing with this chemistry right now is a good idea. 2) There has been a lot of talk about Quick and Bernier really seems to be living up to expectations. What is the future here? Is it realistic to have both these guys stay with the Kings? I can see at least a year of having Quick and Bernier on the roster with Quick as the number 1 and Bernier getting into 30 games or so but that can’t last long can’t it?
Answers: 1) My experience, from any sport/team that I’ve covered, is that “chemistry” is great during a winning streak and bad during a losing streak. I think it’s high on the list of the most overused phrases in sports. It’s a nice catch-word for “we’re playing well.” I do think that this is a close group of players, but if a player walks in the door who improves the team’s chances of winning, he will be accepted in a heart beat. 2) It’s realistic in the short term, but probably not hte long term. I think the scenario you wrote is definitely plausible, although I’m not sure I would see Quick sitting for 30 games. Maybe 20. Eventually, whether it’s one month from now or two years from now, it’s going to be a very delicate decision. Which goalie will the Kings stake their future to, and will it be the correct one?
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Belexes: I mentioned this a month ago and got thrashed by the locals, but here goes. I believe Night Train should seriously consider losing the shield. That way he wouldn’t feel obliged to drop his helmet with his gloves, giving him more protection against a head vs. ice collision while being wrestled down. It would also allow him to be more spontaneous, without having to worry about the “visor rule” while defending teamates. What are your thoughts?
Answer: No, I don’t necessarily agree. If a player feels more comfortable wearing a visor, I would never encourage him to take it off. I don’t think Simmonds’ visor prevents him from “mixing it up” at all. It takes two seconds to toss off the helmet — which almost always comes off during a fight anyway — and in 1 1/2 seasons, the visor had never been an issue before this weekend.
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Matt George asked: What possible advantage does GM Waddell get by not allowing teams to negotiate an extension with Kovalchuck? I can only surmise one, that Kovalchuck has every intention of playing in the KHL next year and revealing that would obviously lower his trade value (if not kill it altogether). Am I wrong on this?
Answer: I don’t think you’re totally off base about the KHL, but I think there’s one more reason. If Waddell allowed teams to negotiate, the power would move from him to the agent. Suddenly, the agent would be able to dictate Kovalchuk’s destination, and that could significantly impact Waddell’s ability to get good returns. Either way, Waddell isn’t in a particularly good spot, but apparently he thinks this is the best way to go with it.
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kingswings asked: Rich — apologies if this has been answered before, but I’m still confused about Patrick O’Sullivan’s citizenship. Up until he was traded to Edmonton, his birthplace was always listed as North Carolina. Once he was traded to Edmonton, and as late as last week, his birthplace is listed as Toronto, Ontario. I understand dual citizenship, but he couldn’t have been born in two different places. He’s played for the US in international competition, so I’m just wondering if you can enlighten me?
Answer: It’s my understanding that O’Sullivan was born in Toronto and raised in North Carolina, and that any references to him being born in North Carolina were incorrect.
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Larry Green asked: As i just about drove off the road yesterday while listening to the incredible ending of the Devils game, Nick Nickson mentioned Bernier’s second shutout in two days. That led me to comment to my Brother in Law (not a big hockey guy from Oregon) that I could see Bernier plus JJ for Ilya being a viable trade. His response was shy mess with the enormous chemistry that seems to exist on the King right now. Interesting point….thoughts?
Answer: My thoughts? Way, way too much for a rental player, even one of the best rental players imaginable.
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McPuck asked: Did you see Don Waddell and Dean or Ron Hextall talk with each other at the New Jersey game? If not do you know if they met?
Answer: No, I did not see them talking but I don’t know if they met or not. If you ask me, I think it was skillful posturing on Waddell’s part. Every GM has a cell phone and a TV. If Waddell wants to talk to a GM or scout, he can do it by ways other than showing up at a game in the New York market. Waddell isn’t dumb. He probably knew that by showing up, it would fan the flames of Kings-Atlanta talk — hello, Internet rumors! — and potentially get other GMs jumping.
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tullskull asked: Also, do the kings ever address the mental side of the sport? By this, I mean do they use sport psychology, positive mental attitude counseling, etc?
Answer: No, I’m not aware of anything along those lines, at least not as a team.
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WTFK asked: We’re all glad to see Quick playing well, and the team supporting him well, but with that comes the fact that Ersberg, who TM now claims to have faith in, has been squeezed out of a few opportunities to play. Do you think Ersberg will suddenly get a lot of opportunities down the stretch, or do you think TM is going to try to use Quick’s Olympic break (providing he doesn’t actually play) as a chance to rest him?
Answer: The latter. Unless Quick’s play takes a significant dip, or unless he suddenly decides he wants some rest (highly unlikely, given his competitive nature), I don’t think you’re going to see a significant change in the way the goalies are handled. The West race, almost certainly, is going to come down to the very end, whether it’s for a playoff spot or for playoff positioning, and Quick seems to enjoy playing a lot. As Ranford pointed out the other day, the Olympics will give Quick a mental rest, if not a physical one. I don’t think the goalie play has changed Lombardi’s thoughts on trading one. It would be a big mistake to do that. I know many people are excited about Quick, but he still hasn’t made it through a full season as a No. 1 and he still hasn’t played in a single playoff game. Going forward, this is the biggest decision Lombardi faces. It’s not time to make it yet.
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MrMach5 asked: Why does our power play suck? Our 5 on 3 sucks and the 5 on 4 isn’t that much better. The Kings are playing great and I don’t want to take anything away from that but in the playoffs we are going to need to score power play goals.
Answer: The Kings’ power play, entering today’s games, is ranked No. 9 in the NHL in efficiency. That’s not exactly terrible.
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Macdup asked: Do the Kings have a nutritionist that provides meals for the players? I saw a story out of Vancouver that Canucks have one and it looked like a good idea. Please do not report back that they hired Kopi’s Grandma to make pancakes! haha
Answer: No, not specifically. The strength and conditioning coach monitors meals and liquids in general, but team meals are either provided by hotel catering or a catering company that provides meals for the flights.
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oldthunder asked: Rich, a few weeks back you mentioned something about a few kings players reading the blog. Have more of them looked in to see what us fans are saying? If so, who reads it now? Secondly have you thought about doing a live blog with a kings player or DL or TM? It would be great to do a live chat with some of the players every few weeks.
Answer: I really don’t know if any more players read now. Nobody has particularly mentioned anything to me. And yes, we have looked into the idea of doing live blogs. Lombardi…probably not, because two questions would take 45 minutes, but Murray and the players, yes, the potential is there for that.
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Bob Bobson asked: 1) Are you just as surprised as I was about the blockbuster “hockey” trades Burke was able to pull off ? Don’t see too many of those nowadays. 2) How many of the NHL team blogs listed on the right do you follow ? 3) The Kings seem to be so focused on winning right now but do you sense any concern from the players about whether they will be traded ? 4) Do you think the “dominoes will start to fall” now that Burke made his trades ? Or do you think that was more of an exception to the current trade environment ?
Answers: 1) The Calgary trade, yes. The Anaheim trade, not so much, because it wasn’t too hard to see that one coming. But the Calgary trade, I think, shows how much desperation can accomplish. Burke wanted to make a big splash, and Calgary basically thought it needed to do something big, with its season starting to circle the drain. 2) I follow the blogs of the Pacific Division teams pretty closely. The others, I will check them out in the days leading up to Kings games against those particular teams. I read the Puck Daddy Yahoo blog a lot. 3) No more than usual. Every year, around this time, players will start wondering what will happen with the trade deadline. Most of them know better than to pay attention to the Internet rumor-mongering. 4) I tend to think it’s unrelated to the rest of the stuff. Certainly, Phaneuf was a big name on the market, but I tend to think the talks will be big during the break, and then the trades will come after that.
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Mark C asked: Any movement on an iPhone app for the Blog?
Answer: That one is a little out of my hands, but last I heard, they were trying to make smartphone versions of all the Kings-related sites.
LAKingsFan26 asked: Rich, my apologies if this has already been asked. Do you know in the 43 years of the teams existence if they had ever had an undefeated road trip (min 4 games) before? I have been a fan since the early 1980’s and don’t recall such an accomplishment.
Answer: Your memory serves you well! That was the first perfect Kings road trip of more than four games. They have also won seven consecutive road games, one short of the franchise record set in 1974-75.
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Matt R: That leads me to something i’ve been wondering about. Do any of the other NHL teams have games that aren’t televised?
Answer: Oh, yes. Most teams do not have every game televised. The teams that have partnerships with networks — the Rangers and MSG, for instance — have every game televised, but I would estimate that the Kings, with 65 games televised, are certainly in the upper half in terms of number of games televised.
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JJ4Pres asked: Do you think the acquisition of say Ilya Kovalchuk may stunt the progress of other players and teamates could fall into the trap of depending on one person to score versus an overall team scoring as we are witnessing lately?
Answer: No, I don’t think so at all. If anything, having that big “target” — in terms of the perspective of opposing teams — helps free up ice for other players.
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PaulCat asked: 1) What kind of vibe do you get from this team? They are obviously close and I wonder if you have picked up on any tension with all this trade talk and whether you think messing with this chemistry right now is a good idea. 2) There has been a lot of talk about Quick and Bernier really seems to be living up to expectations. What is the future here? Is it realistic to have both these guys stay with the Kings? I can see at least a year of having Quick and Bernier on the roster with Quick as the number 1 and Bernier getting into 30 games or so but that can’t last long can’t it?
Answers: 1) My experience, from any sport/team that I’ve covered, is that “chemistry” is great during a winning streak and bad during a losing streak. I think it’s high on the list of the most overused phrases in sports. It’s a nice catch-word for “we’re playing well.” I do think that this is a close group of players, but if a player walks in the door who improves the team’s chances of winning, he will be accepted in a heart beat. 2) It’s realistic in the short term, but probably not hte long term. I think the scenario you wrote is definitely plausible, although I’m not sure I would see Quick sitting for 30 games. Maybe 20. Eventually, whether it’s one month from now or two years from now, it’s going to be a very delicate decision. Which goalie will the Kings stake their future to, and will it be the correct one?
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Belexes: I mentioned this a month ago and got thrashed by the locals, but here goes. I believe Night Train should seriously consider losing the shield. That way he wouldn’t feel obliged to drop his helmet with his gloves, giving him more protection against a head vs. ice collision while being wrestled down. It would also allow him to be more spontaneous, without having to worry about the “visor rule” while defending teamates. What are your thoughts?
Answer: No, I don’t necessarily agree. If a player feels more comfortable wearing a visor, I would never encourage him to take it off. I don’t think Simmonds’ visor prevents him from “mixing it up” at all. It takes two seconds to toss off the helmet — which almost always comes off during a fight anyway — and in 1 1/2 seasons, the visor had never been an issue before this weekend.
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Matt George asked: What possible advantage does GM Waddell get by not allowing teams to negotiate an extension with Kovalchuck? I can only surmise one, that Kovalchuck has every intention of playing in the KHL next year and revealing that would obviously lower his trade value (if not kill it altogether). Am I wrong on this?
Answer: I don’t think you’re totally off base about the KHL, but I think there’s one more reason. If Waddell allowed teams to negotiate, the power would move from him to the agent. Suddenly, the agent would be able to dictate Kovalchuk’s destination, and that could significantly impact Waddell’s ability to get good returns. Either way, Waddell isn’t in a particularly good spot, but apparently he thinks this is the best way to go with it.
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kingswings asked: Rich — apologies if this has been answered before, but I’m still confused about Patrick O’Sullivan’s citizenship. Up until he was traded to Edmonton, his birthplace was always listed as North Carolina. Once he was traded to Edmonton, and as late as last week, his birthplace is listed as Toronto, Ontario. I understand dual citizenship, but he couldn’t have been born in two different places. He’s played for the US in international competition, so I’m just wondering if you can enlighten me?
Answer: It’s my understanding that O’Sullivan was born in Toronto and raised in North Carolina, and that any references to him being born in North Carolina were incorrect.
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Larry Green asked: As i just about drove off the road yesterday while listening to the incredible ending of the Devils game, Nick Nickson mentioned Bernier’s second shutout in two days. That led me to comment to my Brother in Law (not a big hockey guy from Oregon) that I could see Bernier plus JJ for Ilya being a viable trade. His response was shy mess with the enormous chemistry that seems to exist on the King right now. Interesting point….thoughts?
Answer: My thoughts? Way, way too much for a rental player, even one of the best rental players imaginable.
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McPuck asked: Did you see Don Waddell and Dean or Ron Hextall talk with each other at the New Jersey game? If not do you know if they met?
Answer: No, I did not see them talking but I don’t know if they met or not. If you ask me, I think it was skillful posturing on Waddell’s part. Every GM has a cell phone and a TV. If Waddell wants to talk to a GM or scout, he can do it by ways other than showing up at a game in the New York market. Waddell isn’t dumb. He probably knew that by showing up, it would fan the flames of Kings-Atlanta talk — hello, Internet rumors! — and potentially get other GMs jumping.
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tullskull asked: Also, do the kings ever address the mental side of the sport? By this, I mean do they use sport psychology, positive mental attitude counseling, etc?
Answer: No, I’m not aware of anything along those lines, at least not as a team.
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WTFK asked: We’re all glad to see Quick playing well, and the team supporting him well, but with that comes the fact that Ersberg, who TM now claims to have faith in, has been squeezed out of a few opportunities to play. Do you think Ersberg will suddenly get a lot of opportunities down the stretch, or do you think TM is going to try to use Quick’s Olympic break (providing he doesn’t actually play) as a chance to rest him?
Answer: The latter. Unless Quick’s play takes a significant dip, or unless he suddenly decides he wants some rest (highly unlikely, given his competitive nature), I don’t think you’re going to see a significant change in the way the goalies are handled. The West race, almost certainly, is going to come down to the very end, whether it’s for a playoff spot or for playoff positioning, and Quick seems to enjoy playing a lot. As Ranford pointed out the other day, the Olympics will give Quick a mental rest, if not a physical one. I don’t think the goalie play has changed Lombardi’s thoughts on trading one. It would be a big mistake to do that. I know many people are excited about Quick, but he still hasn’t made it through a full season as a No. 1 and he still hasn’t played in a single playoff game. Going forward, this is the biggest decision Lombardi faces. It’s not time to make it yet.
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MrMach5 asked: Why does our power play suck? Our 5 on 3 sucks and the 5 on 4 isn’t that much better. The Kings are playing great and I don’t want to take anything away from that but in the playoffs we are going to need to score power play goals.
Answer: The Kings’ power play, entering today’s games, is ranked No. 9 in the NHL in efficiency. That’s not exactly terrible.
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Macdup asked: Do the Kings have a nutritionist that provides meals for the players? I saw a story out of Vancouver that Canucks have one and it looked like a good idea. Please do not report back that they hired Kopi’s Grandma to make pancakes! haha
Answer: No, not specifically. The strength and conditioning coach monitors meals and liquids in general, but team meals are either provided by hotel catering or a catering company that provides meals for the flights.
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oldthunder asked: Rich, a few weeks back you mentioned something about a few kings players reading the blog. Have more of them looked in to see what us fans are saying? If so, who reads it now? Secondly have you thought about doing a live blog with a kings player or DL or TM? It would be great to do a live chat with some of the players every few weeks.
Answer: I really don’t know if any more players read now. Nobody has particularly mentioned anything to me. And yes, we have looked into the idea of doing live blogs. Lombardi…probably not, because two questions would take 45 minutes, but Murray and the players, yes, the potential is there for that.
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Bob Bobson asked: 1) Are you just as surprised as I was about the blockbuster “hockey” trades Burke was able to pull off ? Don’t see too many of those nowadays. 2) How many of the NHL team blogs listed on the right do you follow ? 3) The Kings seem to be so focused on winning right now but do you sense any concern from the players about whether they will be traded ? 4) Do you think the “dominoes will start to fall” now that Burke made his trades ? Or do you think that was more of an exception to the current trade environment ?
Answers: 1) The Calgary trade, yes. The Anaheim trade, not so much, because it wasn’t too hard to see that one coming. But the Calgary trade, I think, shows how much desperation can accomplish. Burke wanted to make a big splash, and Calgary basically thought it needed to do something big, with its season starting to circle the drain. 2) I follow the blogs of the Pacific Division teams pretty closely. The others, I will check them out in the days leading up to Kings games against those particular teams. I read the Puck Daddy Yahoo blog a lot. 3) No more than usual. Every year, around this time, players will start wondering what will happen with the trade deadline. Most of them know better than to pay attention to the Internet rumor-mongering. 4) I tend to think it’s unrelated to the rest of the stuff. Certainly, Phaneuf was a big name on the market, but I tend to think the talks will be big during the break, and then the trades will come after that.
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Mark C asked: Any movement on an iPhone app for the Blog?
Answer: That one is a little out of my hands, but last I heard, they were trying to make smartphone versions of all the Kings-related sites.
How do you see the kings current style of hockey holding up in the playoffs? lets pretend the season ended today, we’d be matched up against the yotes. How far do you think we’d go?
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I’d love to see a count of how many questions had the words “Kovalchuk” or “Williams injury update” in them.
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Hi Rich, Can teams have team practices during the Olympic break? I was aware of the trade freeze during this time but TSN’s event calendar also shows an Olympic freeze on training – how are teams supposed to keep their players in game condition (or as close as possible considering the 2 week layoff?
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Kovalcuck for Williams, straight up
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haha thanks WWAMD
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Hello Rich.
I only wanted to warn you to fire up some more servers, because if the trend continues, the servers won’t just go down, they’ll be catching fire!!!
As for DL answering questions from everyone, yeah, that’ll take all day, especially right now! Anyone else barely gets a word in edge wise at the Breakfast With The GM except DL, and that’s not usually at times when the Kings are streaking like crazy or massive trade talks happening.
Am I proud of the boys doing what they are doing? Hell yes, but the job isn’t near to being finished, and we want a CUP, so lets leave DL to do his job like he has been doing and cheer our boys on for what they’ve been doing!!! Nice job you’re doing, Rich, thanks!
A team full of character? PRICELESS!
GO KINGS GO!!!
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What is training plan for players who aren’t going to Olyimpics? Is there a plan to hit to gym and play some game?
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If Bernier is being groomed this year for the big club, then how could you reconcile Quick’s need for lots of games with Bernier’s need to develop. I could only forsee Bernier playing just a bit more than Ersberg. Quick would continue to get the bulk of the starts. How do you see that shaking out?
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Sweet!!! Smartphone app for the Kings! Great idea!!!
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re waddell and ik’s agent -
although i totally agree with rich that the main reason (maybe he didn’t say main reason, but I think it is) waddell won’t let anyone talk to the agent is control, there is another reason to do it this way:
waddell knows that there are two tiers of offers, rental offers and signed-sealed-delivered offers. by keeping the agent out of it, all offers are rental offers, so he establishes a floor, which then gets raised as soon as he says, okay, you can speak to the agent now. if the agent conversations happen from the beginning, waddell doesn’t get to establish a floor. by doing it this way, at the very least he gets more information. and he knows that a deal is more likely to happen closer to the deadline anyway, since teams want to wait, in order to whittle down the actual amount they have to pay IK this year.
or i’m nuts. either way.
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Anybody seen Ryan Millers mask?http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Have-a-look-at-Ryan-Miller-s-Team-U-S-A-goalie-?urn=oly,216353
I’d like to see Quick’s mask
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Hiya Rich, and thanks for this blog! I want to second #27’s question about what days the teams will be forced to be off and what days they can practice during the Olympics break. I cant imagine they would now allow keeping the non-Olympians in game shape. Would they allow a scrimmage against say a minor league team (say the Kings scrimmaging against the Reign) for sharper practice?
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Rich, what do you think of the Kings going after Patrick Marleau in the off-season? I believe he is a free agent this summer and there hasn’t been too much talk about him being a rental due to him being an integral part of the San Jose juggernaut. I know San Jose will probably try to keep him but if they can’t fit him under the cap or they fail to win the cup this year, maybe he will not be scooped up by the Sharks. Might be easier to sign than a kovalchuk.
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Hey rich I really like these open forums. They are a great idea. My question is more of an idea for you and your blog. Would it be possible to have an “open forum” to gather questions to ask a player and then have you sit down and ask them some of the questions? I know it would take a lot of time out of both yours and the players busy day but…
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@MattR: I have the Center Ice package so I have a pretty good read on what games aren’t televised. Tonight’s Quacks/Panthers game isn’t being televised by either team. It seems like about 1 or 2 games a week doesn’t get TV coverage by one team involved.
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Haha just saw the question someone else possed on chatting with a player. I guess my idea is still a little different. Good idea oldthunder.
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Hey Rich, What’s the injury status of Thomas Hickey & Andrei Loktionov? When do you expect them back in Manchester? Are they still in LA?
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To anybody
can the NHL commisioner block a trade from happening? If so, why does he have that power?
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Rich,
I would think that some of the players not going to the Olympics would be sent to the AHL if eligible – Parse, Moeller, Segal come to mind. Are there any special rules during Olympic years that allow players who would normally have to clear waivers go to the AHL for conditioning during the break? And if not, do you know which players would be eligible to go to Manchester and come back in a couple weeks without clearing waivers?
Thanks, and keep up the great work you do!
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thanks 3b, I think it would be awesome to chat with the players once and a while. The MLB blogs do it with the dodgers and those are pretty cool.
Anybody thinking of setting up a trade prediction chart?
My bet is on a second line forward for depth and a 1 year rental veteran playoff goalie just in case Quick is worn out.
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Was going to make a remark about how Miller’s mask lacks any GOLD! on it… but then i realized that Americans aren’t actually expecting to medal in hockey so its all good!!
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Eventually, this season is going to end. Whichever way it goes, the team will come back from a road game either in a position to appreciate encouragement for the next/last game here, or to appreciate congratulations on a well fought campaign. In ‘93 I wished I had known how to meet the team when they came back from Montreal after game 5, just to stand there and hold a sign showing support and saying thank you. Is it possible to arrange that, not now of course, but in the future would it be possible to arrange for a “surprise” support rally?
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Yo VanKings, smack this buddy…
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@Dayman: I’d assume the NHL has some sort of veto power over trades. The ONLY way I could see them invoking that power would be in the case of a violation of the CBA in terms of contracts putting a team over the cap or something like that. I doubt the NHL or any pro sports league would ever void a trade on grounds of “fairness” because it sets a terrible precedent. If it’s fair to the teams involved and doesn’t violate any rules or regs, the trade will always go through.
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Hi Rich, they have a plugin for wordpress that will convert the site for smart phone users. It wont affect the layout for any normal viewers. Here is the website: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/
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@Player-X: IF the Kings still fly the way they did back in the early 2000s, they fly in and out of the old Imperial Terminal at LAX. It’s a tiny little annex on Imperial Blvd. where they park their cars in a locked parking lot and board their plane right next to the lot. Back in the ‘01 and ‘02 playoff runs a group of us used to go out there to meet the team, some nights well after midnight, and they always seemed to appreciate the welcome. I believe it was a group of guys on letsgokings.com that used to organize those welcome parties. I don’t know if they still do it or not. And I’m sure Rich could answer if the Kings still fly out of the Imperial Terminal.
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http://www.ontheforecheck.com/2010/2/1/1287143/strength-of-schedule-could-make-or
The Kings have the 8th easiest schedule in terms of opponents’ points-per-game percentage the rest of the way, and th easiest among all Western Conference teams. The teams around the Kings in the standings have a much harder go of it. The Coyotes have the 11th most difficult. The Canucks have the 9th toughest. The Wings have the 8th toughest. Colorado is 5th (including all 5 meetings between them and the Kings). Calgary is 4th. The Stars have the hardest remaining schedule of all NHL teams.
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Rich-
Apropos of your discussion about Lombardi being Kings-Devils game, is it safe to assume that unless Dean has something else compelling to do (scouting somewhere else, GM meetings and the like) he travels with the team and goes to all the games? Or does Dean pick and choose which games to attend based on if he just feels like showing up that night?
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Oh Van….
Even someone as smart as you should understand that the reason there is no GOLD on that helmet is because there is plenty of gold playing within it.
I think it would have been even better if Ryan Miller’s Uncle Sam had a leafblower instead of a stick. Much more direct. LOL!
I’m going to feel real bad for you if the Red Leafs lose to Slovakia, Sweden or Russia and they end up going for bronze. The meltdown would be ENORMOUS! Unfortunately, I see it happening.
I like being the underdog. No pressure. USA ALL THE WAY!
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Rich,
1) Can you ask the king’s marketing department if they will put some type of playoff travel plan together for fans who want to travel to playoff games — like a booster club? It’s been eight years since we tasted the playoffs and I know a lot of people would be up for it; 2) if Kovalchuk gets traded to another team other than the Kings, is it possible you can ask DL if it is okay to reveal what he offered ATL? 3) I’m unclear how the lack of faith in Ersberg works? For example, if Quick goes down with an injury, does Ersberg play that night and they immediately recall Bernier?
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@Quisp (or anyone)
re: gm control
Can Waddell allow only one team to talk to Kovi’s agent? Or is there an all or none type of negotiating rule?
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@Paul from Oxnard – The old Imperial Terminal is now a small museum of aviation. Private flights going into and out of LAX are probably handled by one of the fixed based operators farther east on Imperial. If you exit on the Sepulveda off ramp from the 105 you can sometimes see the private planes for other teams parked just west of Sepulveda near the fence. The Red Wings, for example, have a white plane with their icky logo featured prominantly that is easy to spot.
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hey Rich, with all the crazy stuff on cable T.V. these days don’t you think that the CENSORSHIP OF HOCKEY MUST STOP, I mean, they show us the fights, why don’t they show us all the scrums and cool stuff that happens in front of the net? I’m sick of them going strait to a close up of the goaler’s mask or the coaches face when these confrontations happen, what do you think about it? I say SHOW ME THE GAME!!! WE CAN HANDLE IT!!!
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Garret, good stuff on the schedule remaining. Another positive for the Kings is only 3 back-to-back sets, whereas some teams have as many as 7 due to the compressed post-Olympics schedule.
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Any chance on scuderi replacing Martin on US team? That would make 6 from the kings? What team has the most Olympians?
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VanKingsFan, you’re color blind (oops, sorry; colour blind…forgot you’re still under the Queens skirt), look again.
just sayin…
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Rich
Wanted to know how J Quick feels about beating some of his teammates in Vancouver
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Ahh, just thought of a question that I keep forgetting to bring up…
Any idea (and if not could you ask) why Jim Fox hasn’t been blogging for the Times lately? If I’m not mistaken, his last blog was November 17th! I really enjoyed them and hope he resumes.
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Rich,
I’m sure the Kings keep all kinds of crazy stats. Do you know, beside normal published stats, what other type of stats the keep record of?
Thanks
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@lilcarp: I wasn’t aware that they changed how it worked down there. Thanks for the tip.
I’ve seen the Dead Wings plane before. The day after game 6 in 2001 (the game after the frenzy on Figueroa) I was plane spotting at LAX and watched the Wings plane take off. They were of course heading back to Detroit with their tails between their legs. I was SCREAMING at the plane for them to go back to Detroit! Doubt they heard me though. :D
Good memories. Sure hoping the Kings can create some new ones this year.
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Dudes, this far in and no one has asked Rich about Mikus?
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Holly-
Rich knows as much as we do about the legend that is Juraj Mikus. The reason he can’t do interviews with him is because he can’t keep his consciousness whenever he speaks or sees him. Now Rich being as tall as he is, that a pretty long fall to endure when fainting on a regular basis and the Kings can’t afford the insurance. They have a salary cap to worry about.
It is a tragedy that we don’t know more of the truth about this incredible player, so for now, we’ll have to listen to the folklore and enjoy the mystery.
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Rich,
Thanks for all you do, and keep up the great work! The recent blog crash reminded me of a question I’ve been meaning to ask. When you were with the Daily News someone (I believe it was Cynic but I’m not sure) posted a link to the Kings website for some survey that allowed comments to be added at the end of the survey. It was suggested by the person who posted to have everyone take the survey and suggest the Kings hire you. So my question is (assuming you were aware of this) did that survey have any impact on getting you hired by the Kings?
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@3bcrown
I think San Jose has 8 players headed to Vancouver, but with Martin withdrawing, the Kings now have the most players on the U.S. squad. Mike Komisarek might also be pulling out with an injury, so there might be two spots open. I think Ryan Whitney of the Ducks will be on the list of replacements, too.
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How is Williams recovery process going? Is he looking toward the start or end of March to re-join the club?
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thanks paulfromoxnard and lilcarp, we gotta set this up when the time comes, great result or other…
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waves -
waddell is free to allow one team to talk to the agent, I think.
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