Jonathan Bernier will be perhaps the most-watched player in Kings training camp. Off the ice, he might not be as easy to recognize as in previous years. Bernier buzzed off most of his hair, the result, he said, of a minor accident that caused him to have a couple stitches in his head. On the ice, though, Bernier looks familiar, making saves as the Kings’ top goalie prospect.
The presumption by many pundits, going into camp, is that Bernier will bypass Erik Ersberg and become the Kings’ No. 2 goalie, behind Jonathan Quick. Terry Murray has declared the competition open and Bernier, who was the top goalie in the AHL last season, might end up playing 25 games with the Kings if he beats out Ersberg. This is Bernier’s fifth training camp with the Kings, but the first in which he is truly a favorite to make the team.
“I still have the same approach,” Bernier said. “I want to be the best I can be and work as hard as I can. All of my years, I think, have helped me for this training camp. I’m obviously more confident after playing those three games last year. I think that gave me a little boost for the whole summer and coming into this year.”
Bernier said he didn’t change much in his training this summer, but did spend considerable time with goalie coach Marco Marciano. Coming off a season in which he mostly dominated AHL competition, Bernier smiled slightly when asked if he thought he had anything left to prove at the AHL level.
“I don’t know,” Bernier said. “That’s not for me to decide, I guess. It’s from up top. Hopefully I’ve done what I needed to do, and they think I’m ready to play at this level.”
Some league observers have predicted even more for Bernier, surmising that it’s only a matter of time before he rises to the No. 1 spot with the Kings. That spot, clearly, is now held by Quick, and Bernier said he has no problems with Murray’s frequent declarations that Quick is the No. 1 goalie and that the spot is not open for the taking.
“Yeah, I respect that,” Bernier said. “He earned his spot and he has been tremendous for this team. He brought them to the playoffs, so I have a lot of respect for him. For me, I’ve just got to do my job and not really worry about that.”
If Bernier does make the team, his challenge isn’t necessarily done. In his past two seasons, Bernier has played 54 and 58 games, respectively, for the Monarchs. Ascending to the No. 2 spot with the Kings, under Murray’s plan, would have Bernier playing less than half of those totals this season.
“If he’s that guy. It is a big adjustment,” Murray said. “He just has to fall back on his experience in the game. When he’s going into Lewiston [junior hockey] as a youngster, he’s doing that. He is that backup guy, and he gets himself ready and adjusts to that rotation. As you take the next step, you go through that process again. So I believe, if he’s the goaltender in that position, he will have no problem making the adjustment.”
Bernier said he didn’t believe the adjustment would be a problem.
“Yeah, obviously it’s going to be a good test for me, going back from 60 to 20 or 25 games,” Bernier said, “but you never know what can happen. I’ve just got to go day by day, and game by game, and just do my game and what I can do. The rest, I can’t control.”
interesting
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/12316/jonathan_bernier_leads_youth_movement_for_los_angeles_kings/
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PRMan Reply:
September 19th, 2010 at 3:45 am
@jet, From the article:
“He has the athletic ability, positioning, and quickness to be a top-10 starter in the NHL. ”
Shouldn’t he be a 9.0B then? According to their rankings, he’s looking to be closer to Hasek than to Sean Burke.
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When Quick stumbles early, Bernier will take over as #1. I imagine by Christmas Quick will be riding the pine. His play would have to improve so much over what he showed in the 2nd half and the playoffs in ’10 for him to be able to retain that spot.
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mikey Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
@Garrett,
His stumble could mostly be attributed to his ridiculous play time. Same thing happened to Henrik in NY. Having a real goalie in the #2 spot can only help him to stay rested and up to par on his play.
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oldmanlalande Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
@mikey, I agree!! and don’t forget he’s a papa
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holly Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
@Garrett,
Combine the amount of time he played with having a newborn, and I think you kind of have to expect a burn out.
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Kenny Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
@holly, Don’t forget that Quicker played many games with a broken rib too.
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PRMan Reply:
September 19th, 2010 at 3:28 am
@holly, Don’t forget the Olympics either.
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AZ King Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
@Garrett,
Wow way to be positive there pal. You’re so quick to point out the end of the year, and seem easy to forget how well he played during the the rest of the season (including stealing games we had no business winning). How is it that people are so willing to put all their faith in Bernier after all of 3 games, but are already writing off Quick after he set a new franchise record in wins. Really….?
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KC23 Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
@AZ King,
Don’t worry, those are the same people that would throw Bernie under the bus after his first poor game. Last year was his first real season and he did one heck of a job under a lot of distractions (baby, olympics).
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AZ King Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
@KC23,
Funny how that works isn’t it?
Old Time Hockey Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
@AZ King, because they are in love with the kid and think he is the 2nd coming of Ken Dryden. I agree with you wait till he makes all those road trips that are real road trips and not just one or two hour jaunts up or down the road. Three games does not an NHL goaltender make. 98% of the players here in the NHL are here for a reason, they can play the game at it’s highest level, Down in the “A” I would say about 15% can do it and when they do, they aren’t in the “A” very long. Now he’ll see real talent.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
September 20th, 2010 at 9:56 am
@Garrett,
That’s the cool thing, isn’t it? We’ll get to see. Having them both on the bench is going to make them both better. If Quick does have a slump, we’ll get to see Bernier come in and show us how ready he is. If Quick gets more chances to look at his fundamentals, he’ll probably be sharper more of the time. I hope they both impress the living crap out of us!
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What AZ Kings said!
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I like quick, and he was good for us last year, but way to many bad goals. Makes a great save then really bad goal, almost one a game. He’s good but I don’t think he’s the guy to lead us to the cup. I thing the organization feels the same way.
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AZ King Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 7:51 pm
@Pesus,
Ok, but by my count Quick has gotten us closer to winning a cup than any other Kings goalie in recent history. At the same time what has Bernier done, up to this point, to prove he is any more qualified than Quick?
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Once again the coach has named Quick his #1. He never gave Ersberg a chsnce last year. Is he going to do the same th Bernier this year? Wh doesn’t he wait until he sees what is what at training camp? We had enough of his infatuation with certain players (like Jones) and beating up on others (like Frolov). Coaches should be objective based on performance…not on his personal likes and dislikes
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holly Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
@poe,
The difference between Ersberg and Bernier is that one of them has the talent to be a number one and the other doesn’t.
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I am SOOOO looking forward to Bernier on this team. We’ve been waiting a very long time for this folks. It’s going to be beautiful.
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AZ King Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
@KingNewfie,
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Bernier is still an unproven asset at the NHL level. This could still end up being a complete bust. There have been plenty of goalies that came out the blocks on fire, but never recaptured that magic again. Remember LaBarbra was a stand out AHL goalie also.
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Chris P. Bacon Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
@AZ King,
no, LETS ABSOLUTELY GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES. How many years have we developed Bernier? I’ve been too emotionally invested in this thing.
He’s ready to take over. Quick isnt that great of a goalie. Too many bad goals, amateurish fundamentals, shoddy instincts, relies too much on athleticism. Bernier at average will still be better than Quick at his best. You can quote me on that.
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Tom in Colorado Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
@Chris P. Bacon, No, Chris, he’s NOT ready to take over. He’s ready to take the next step. I think Lombardi learned not to rush Bernier a couple of years ago when he showed he wasn’t ready to play much at all in the bigs. The Kings are taking the right approach with him — he truly has nothing left to prove in the AHL, and I think he’s ready to assume the backup role in LA, until he proves he can carry a bigger load. Quick will be a better goalie when he doesn’t have to play 72 games a season. And if Bernier proves he’s a better goalie, THEN make him a starter. But right now, Quick has earned it.
it’s only a matter of time before hockeybuzz.com reports that Bernier had brain surgery in the off season
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holly Reply:
September 18th, 2010 at 10:43 pm
@Marc Nathan,
Well, he did show up at camp in with a shaved head because he needed to get stitches…
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@Chris P. Bacon, Geez, bacon, so sorry he didn’t throw the Staples Center on his back also. You don’t know jack about goaltending so just cool your jets. You have tunnel vision and you must never watch any of the other NHL goaltenders and that includes Hall of Famers who have screwed up and looked like an amateur, made shoddy plays and I want to here you scream when you find out the “Kid” is TOO MECHANICAL. Go back and look at some old time tapes, like from the 2000′s til now.
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@ Tom in COLORADO
I agree with your post the team will do it the right way.
@ The Blog NAZI’S please remember everyone on the site has a right to their own opinion.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
September 20th, 2010 at 10:03 am
@Bkrs-Bud,
I could invoke Godwin’s law, but instead I’ll point out that the idea that someone else’s opinion is completely uninformed and off-base is…just another opinion, which you’re affirming everyone “has a right to.”
I, for one, and going to enjoy seeing the two of them on the same bench, where they belong, at least for this season.
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In my personal opinion, I think it’s going to be Bernier than Quick in the long round. Quick has the mental durability, but Bernier is more technically sound.
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There is no way that JQ isn’t the #1 goalie coming into camp, that’s how it works everywhere when the incumbent who led you to your 1st playoff appearance in years returns. If Bernier proves during the season that he can play at the NHL level like he did last year in Manchester, then that’ll be a good problem for the team to have.
Speaking of which, there is no doubt that Quick is the more team-oriented of the two. In the above interview Bernier never mentions the team, and has yet to convince me and more importantly Justin Brown and the leaders of the team that he still isn’t the prima donna he was when he first got to LA. For all this notion of him paying his dues last year he won’t be the #1 guy until he shows that he can not only win at this level but that he’s committed to the guys in the room. Quick has it all over him there and is popular in the room. How Bernier handles playing once a week on the other 6 days will go a long way toward him proving that he’s not only an NHL goalie, but an LA King goalie.
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Bernier does not have what it takes to be in the nhl. he is not strong enough to do the travel and late nights etc. this is not the ahl where you buzz up and down the road 2 times a week.
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