A couple of the Kings’ more veteran defensemen spoke today about what went wrong in Game 3 and how to correct it. First up is Willie Mitchell, who know something about overcoming playoff adversity. In 2003, Mitchell played for the Minnesota Wild, which became the first team to rally from 3-1 series deficits twice and advance. The Wild faced elimination games against Colorado (in the first round) and Vancouver Minnesota (in the second round), but won three consecutive games both times to advance. Today, Mitchell talked a bit about what he took from that experience, but first addressed how things got away from the Kings last night…
MITCHELL: “We started getting away from our game, getting pucks in deep, getting a forecheck. We started throwing pucks away, and because of that we spent large amounts of time in our own zone. When you do that, it’s only a matter of time before a team gets chances. So I think we learned our lesson. I believe we have. There’s nothing you can do about it now. You’ve just got to move forward. You can’t change anything in the past. If you could, a lot of people in this world probably would.
“As individuals, you just have to worry about your own play. You can’t control anyone else’s play. I can’t control what Matt Greene does. Matt Greene can’t control what I do. I can’t control what Jonathan Quick does, just like Jonathan Quick can’t control (what I do), right? I’ve been around a little bit. I’ve been there. I’ve been in adversity one way, and I’ve been on the receiving end the other way. The reality is, we’ve had a couple bounces in this series and they’ve had a couple bounces. Those things happen over the course of a series. You just have to be really even-keel and patient and just stick to what you’re doing, not throw pucks away, not panic, and just kind of chill and relax, and that starts from all the way from the top to the bottom of our team. You can say it, you can act it as a player, but you can’t change that in someone else. Sometimes individuals have to go through that in order to know how to handle that. The roles have been reversed the other way. When we won 4-0 in San Jose it was the other way, right? So it’s a learning experience for some guys on this team that maybe haven’t been through that. Sometimes in life you have to go through those things to learn how to handle those.”
Question: You were a part of that Minnesota team that had the playoff comeback. Is there anything you can draw from that, in terms of overcoming some adversity?
MITCHELL: “It’s small things, within the course of a series, that don’t seem like big things at the time but end up being those big shifts in series. You see it, looking at each series, those defining moments. … In 90 percent of these games, it’s the mental game. It’s confidence. The team that is feeling the confidence, feeling good about themselves, is the team that wins. There are a few guys who have been around and had some long runs in here. Obviously I had some experience in Minnesota, when we were down 3-1 and came back against a team that we weren’t supposed to beat. When you play a smart team game, you’ll beat a team of individuals any day of the week. That was our identity, so to speak. That was our blueprint, to beat a team that some said was more skilled than us. That’s our identity as a team here, too, is a team that plays a smart, defensive game. We got away from that (in Game 3). As Scuds [Rob Scuderi] said earlier, we had some immaturity in our game. You just need to be composed and stick with our things. Another important thing is, you come to the rink today, you have some fun, you do the things that you know made you, as a team, successful, and you play with confidence. If you don’t have confidence in this game, if you don’t have confidence in life, you’re done. We’ll learn from it, and get back to the things that made us successful.”
Now that is captain material.
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kings4queens Reply:
April 21st, 2011 at 3:52 am
@Galen,
It’s all becoming clearer to me now…the veterans are screaming their lungs out to the immature players but they can’t hear because of the deafening roar of the crowd at Staples Center (the most rockin’ hockey stadium ever! Only really ugly worthless guys that wish they lived in So Cal don’t know that.)
But, I really love these guys and if anyone didn’t watch the interview with Dustin Brown, our actual Captain, his authenticity shows how devastated they all must have felt to let the fans down with that loss. Rich posted the video earlier today. I couldn’t even watch it until mid day because I was so upset about last night, but my anger and frustration immediately evaporated when I saw his pain.
And it gave me a new perspective of what these guys go through. As fans, it’s easy to see them as someone unlike us. They actually aren’t in the sense that most of us don’t have the tenacity, passion, intention, determination, grit, physicality, mental toughness, etc, and yet we are the ones who get to sit beck and make verbal mincemeat of them when they actually wear their hearts on their sleeves every night by either being great or vulnerable to their weaknesses. And when their weaknesses are revealed we pounch upon them like vultures looking for easy prey. I’ll be the first to say guilty. I hope no more now that I realize it.
Even though they showed Kopi in a suite at the game, I forgot about what a huge part of this team he is, because they have done such a great job without him. If only they had just sucked, like I thought they would, I wouldn’t be in this new dilemma. But no…they had to go and exceed my expectations, and show some flashes of greatness so that I expected it from that point forward. What is wrong with them? Can’t they be great all of the time, with or without Kopi? Why don’t they just dig deeper (as if they haven’t dug to the depths of the earth already to do what they have.) I’m going to do my best to show MY character tomorrow night by cheering them on and appreciating them, win or lose, because they have earned my respect and admiration.
Sorry Galen, it wasn’t something you said, I just got on a rant. GO KINGS!
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16,005 Reply:
April 21st, 2011 at 7:31 am
@Galen,
I was thinking the same thing as I read it. I have been a Brown fan for years, but his game has changed since putting on the “C”.
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Stud.
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I’m over it. Come to think of it, no I’m not.
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
@thustable,
But then again, no…
For us folks spinning notions post this L.A. Kings blow.
/Elton John, Your Song, twisted…
Couldn’t resist.
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thustable Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 5:34 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy, ?
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 5:42 pm
@thustable,
No entendre?
Excuse my distraction, por favor…
I’m going to let the Penner thing go for now… my anaylst says it’s best for me.
The problem in the 2nd period wasnt for a lack of effort, but that the younger guys just pANICED when things started going bad and forget everything they were taught all season. Watching the end of the 2nd, the only Kings who would settle the puck down and find some space to calm the attack were JW (he is always cool) Mitchell, and Scuderi. Simmonds tried to settle things a few times so I give him credit for not panicking as well, even if his execution wasnt perfect. Martinez played thru the craziness as well. Almost everyone else started running around.
This Kings team does seem to quickly become enamored with their skills- In the game after they won in a shutout during the regular season their record was 4-4 with a GA in those followup games of 3.25. The younger Kings just dont yet understand their talents wont win the game without playing smart and with 100% effort. Hopefully they are learning that, especially after last night.
Forget the circumstances and just look at being down 2-1, which any reasonable Kings fan would have said what the most likely situation after 3 games.
GKG! (Oh, and BOO Penner. Yes, Im having trouble letting go.)
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number 6 Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
@bbb7,
Hey bbb, you know that old thing? Manny being Manny? Well, our beloved Penns is just doin his thang.
Sorry but what the h am I supposed to say. Please don’t remind me of him anymore. If this turns around and he improves next year then I’ll say, well we were wrong but, actually, no I probably won’t.
I’ll probably say ‘he’s in a contract year…. what do ya expect’?
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bbb7 Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 6:08 pm
@number 6, Comparing him to Manny… well, are you trying to say, the way he’s been playing is because he’s taking fertility drugs? It would explain a lot.:p
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number 6 Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 6:10 pm
@bbb7,
Thats good. I just meant a bit of an enigma.
Unamailer Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
@number 6, it’s funny, as I’m reading your post I am watching the Wings Yotes tilt, and Bertuzzi is muscling every puck he gets to the net. Penner is pretty much his mirror image, minus the heart of course.
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Bkrs-Bud Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
@Unamailer, And the dirty play.
Hey Rich,
“The Wild faced elimination games against Colorado (in the first round) and Minnesota (in the second round), but won three consecutive games both times to advance.”
They Played Vancouver in the second round.
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Rich Hammond Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
Right-o. Thanks…
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Amen to that…Very well said Mitchell!
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That year with mitchell on the wild 2002-2003 was a great playoff year. Nucks were really good that year with nasland and bertuzzi. Sedins were just babies. Couldn’t grow a goatee much less aplayoff beard. Lol
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Now THAT is a mature human being. Thankfully he’s on our team.
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I have an idea, get rid of this “Back in Black”! These black jerseys have given us bad luck since last year with the Canucks. Bring back their normal home jerseys!
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Central Coast King Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
@Seattle757, Finally, Someone talking sense. I definitely second that proposal. GKG
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You’re not the first person I have heard say that. We should go to the old forum purple and gold. I heard that they are going to the all black or every home game next year and the purple and gold will be the third jersey
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Seattle757 Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
@Kings x, I’m not buying that ugly unoriginal black jersey. They should incorporate the Purple and Gold into the current jersey or just keep what we have. Just no more of the gangsta Raiders black jersey bad luck junk.
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Central Coast King Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 9:48 pm
@Seattle757, Ya, you’d think after it didn’t work for Gretz and the boys it won’t work for us either. I like the purple and black and the original purple and gold.
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jasel Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 11:40 pm
@Kings x, It would be awesome if the Kings had a vintage playoff night and gave out purple towels. Kind of like a “purple out” instead of a “black out” for one game.
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The Rangers were up end of 2nd 3-0 vs. Caps. Two goals in 7 seconds. So how stable are They gonna be now? Well, bad giveaway leads to first Caps goal, then less than a minute later blown coverage 3-2. Are the Rangers gonna be more like the Kings last night or how the Kings could be when they play the game ‘the right way’?
At least Tortorella called a time out. Didn’t say a word to the team, just let them settle down.
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
@number 6,
I feel KARMA coming on…
The Kings’ 2010-2011 story has not yet been completely written!
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
@number 6,
Timeout didn’t work.
3-3.
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Kyle Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
@number 6, Yep that time-out saved the game. Oops…
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Well, JQ does have mind control, so he might be able to control what other people do, right? Or is it just for pucks?
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Last game was the one they really missed Kopitar. Kopitar has been so good at taking control of the tempo of the game, and I think that’s why the Kings have been very rarely blown out in the last couple of seasons (compare those the the seasons before Kopitar matured and was seen as a leader.) I don’t think Kopitar would have let that second period happen (and it really irks me that Murray did.)
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