Development-camp bonding experiences aren’t only for the players. On Monday, after the work was done at the practice facility, Kings management members, coaches, scouts and staffers split into two groups — golf and fishing — and went on their respective excursions. There was no reliable report from the golf course, but there were plenty of fish stories today. Not surprisingly, it turned competitive. Jack Ferreira got off to a quick start but was surpassed by vice president and cap guru Jeff Solomon. An anonymous source indicated that Ron Hextall won the award for most-quantity, lowest-quality, as he “caught 36 fish for a total of about two pounds.” Who landed the big fish, right before the end of the trip? Dean Lombardi.
Back to hockey…Lombardi shared his thoughts today about the development camp and the progress he saw…
LOMBARDI: “The one thing I see, in particular, is that the second-year guys — the Kozuns, and even the Toffolis and those guys that got to Manchester in the end — I’m really impressed by the kids’ commitments. Even on the beach. Yesterday they did 2,000 yards of lunges down on the beach. That’s pretty hard. They all hung in there. I’m not sure I would have seen this, to this level, six years ago. So it’s starting to filter down. Players have been through it, and it’s handed down, that this is the way you do things. I was really impressed the way these kids have been so focused. I really think our instructors, the development guys, have really — the way they’re working with the coaches now — it’s top-notch. We’re really in sync now, with putting these programs together. All these (workout) stations are going all day, and it goes like clockwork. It’s pretty good. I think we’re at that level that I’ve always wanted us to get to in this area.
“The college kids, like (Derek) Forbort, you can see he has already grown, and (Kevin) Gravel. I think those kids, it’s a little harder with the NCAA guys, but they seem more committed. College kids, we can’t get our hands on them, but those guys seem to be (improving). We have four kids that are going to be at that U.S. (junior selection) camp this summer. That’s pretty good.”
Speaking.of culture change. I think the organization has done a great job all the way through. Im very excited, this is great.
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Player-X Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 8:09 pm
@Icecrown, Yeah, totally agree…Hey look ma, we got culture!
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Stuart Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 9:55 am
@Player-X, can I get a Tab and a Twinkie?
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kingfish Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 11:27 pm
@Icecrown,
yep probably the single best thing DL has done is to create a culture here where there wasnt one before. It was a franchise where there was no winning tradition and seemed like guys just wanted to collect a check. The culture he has put in place is a huge part of the turn around on his watch.
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Kings x Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 11:18 am
@Icecrown,
correct me if i’m wrong but didn’t this all start with Dustin Brown, showing committment in the offseason to trainging in LA….it slowly grew in numbers, then AK joined in….Not saying he’s the best captain, but it all starts with leadership….we would not have had the culture change without respected players leading the way
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Can’t wipe the smile off my face…. Come on October!!
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Cutty Sarkn3ss Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 11:41 pm
@LAPD Line, THIS
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I can just read it now:
Hexy probably just scooped up the bait and put it in his bag and called them ‘Prospects’.
Dean went big and landed a Striped Gagne and a Calico Richards while throwing back the Mulletfish.
This could go on…
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jess Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
@Cynic, nice
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anonandonanon Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
@Cynic, Ahhh, a picses working for scale.
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Player-X Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 8:10 pm
@anonandonanon, regnad kcin. Where’s the fire, Danger?
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IceGuy Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
@Player-X,
“Don’t crush that dwarf! Hand me the Pliers!”
Deke'r Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
@Player-X, …I wonder where Ruth is?
anonandonanon Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
@Player-X, Ohhh! You mean the old Same place. Ya can’t get there from here.
Cavy Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 9:47 am
@Player-X,
Firesign theater… very nice
Player-X Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 10:13 am
@Player-X,
Nick Danger:
“No one can hear us in here, Nancy.”
Nancy:
“What?”
Steven Jaime Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
@Cynic, The only sad thing about Deano ‘s fishing stature is that.. while he was reeling in that Calico Richards he was letting a Rainbow Bordson break free of his line. Dammit! If he could have only landed both.
Good Try Dean-O
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So that raises the question, Golf or Fishing? Which does everyone prefer? Which do you prefer Rich? I’m guessing you’re a Golfing man. Although with you being a Cubs fan, you might also prefer an activity where you mostly sit and wait for something to happen, and drink lots of Beer! I prefer Fishing myself, mostly because I can’t seem to get the ball to go in the direction I want it too.
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jess Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
@CB14, I could do either:)
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Osaka Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
@CB14, FISHING!!!
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408kingsfan Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
@Osaka, I just go to Lake Havasu and golf in the morning and fish in the evening
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Osaka Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 8:55 pm
@408kingsfan, There you go, you got it figured out. My brother keeps his boat in Parker.
paganhagen Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 10:56 pm
@408kingsfan,
Aha quin where the river goes to die!
Goring 19 Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:01 pm
@CB14, fisherman here. 12000 foot high lakes in the Sierras for the California State Fish-The beautiful Golden Trout
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
@CB14, If we rounded out the choices to a trio including “watching paint dry,” I’m all for watching paint dry.
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xeropoint Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, Wouldn’t you know it, that’s Terry Murrays pastime! Slap on a coat of semi-gloss, pencil in ALL possible line combinations and think about shot mentality for a couple hours. Good times.
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FREAKSHOW Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 12:01 am
@xeropoint, LMFAO
catcherman Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
@CB14, Um… fishing. No doubt. But those of you who know me know why.
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CB14 Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
@catcherman, Your name fits perfectly!
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red49er Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
@CB14, I just fish at the golf course ponds after a grueling 18 holes.
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Osaka Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 12:54 am
@red49er, Don’t laugh, when I was a kid I would sneak onto the golf course by my house at night and fish the ponds. Don’t knock bass fishing on a golf course til you’ve tried it. Some of those ponds have huge bass.
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Subby Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
@CB14, I golf, second to hockey of course ;p
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KindSir Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 3:05 am
@CB14, Fishing
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Dave's a Killer Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 7:38 am
@CB14, I seem to do both at the same place…fishing for golf balls in those ponds
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monkeyboy Reply:
July 18th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
@CB14, Fishing because you don’t keep score and as long as you can throw your pole over the side of the boat, you can drink all you want. And there’s no puking in golf. But ppl get seasick all the time and “chum” while fishing (way more fun).
And the main reason…PONYO!
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did they catch the fish “The right way” ? Was it ” Heavy”?
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CB14 Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
@neil, Did the fish battle hard the whole 200 feet of line and 60 minutes it was being reeled in?
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LuckyNumber20 Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
@neil, And more importantly was it the “Right Fit”?
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Steven Jaime Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:38 pm
@LuckyNumber20, Yeah for real ….. how does TM feel about the fish?
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408kingsfan Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 8:49 pm
@neil, Probably good hook managment and north south casting
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Goring 19 Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
@neil, Deano examined each fish for the “right fit”
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39scars Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 11:09 pm
@Goring 19, Low to high is my guess
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some fan Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 1:32 am
@neil,
The fish’s dot-to-board play wasn’t good enough so they threw him back.
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KindSir Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 3:05 am
@neil, I wonder if the fish had a “high compete level”
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16,005 Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 8:17 am
@neil,
It had a bite-first mentality
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ciscoc Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
@neil,
I believe they passed on fish 1 and fish 2 and waited for F3 in the high slot.
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I was really expecting more jokes about Dean landing the “Big Fish”…
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bryanagee Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 7:52 pm
@Helvetica,
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Osaka Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 8:56 pm
@Helvetica, Besides Richards?
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Um, ok, so I played my NHL 2011 today and relized that half of my team is no longer on the real Kings, and I was thinking of all the good players they lost, but then I remembered all the even better players the Kings got to replace them, and then I was happy. Dose anyone else smell that? I think I smell a Stanley Cup brewing. GO KINGS!
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chuckrocks Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 7:56 pm
@chuckrocks, Does????oops, thats the beers.
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Definitely fishing. Fly-fishing, that is. No bait dunker here.
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jess Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 8:17 pm
@lowegirl, couldn’t agree more
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Osaka Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:02 pm
@lowegirl, Try free spooling a live sardine out in the current and have a bluefin tuna attack it and scream the line off your reel….. bait dunker…..
I do love me some fly-fishing too though
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jess Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:25 pm
@Osaka,
haha good visual –think she was talking about peeps who use power bait in mud puddles
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There is a real good chance the Kings will the cup this year as I am moving out of state in May!
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Osaka Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
@Cry Baby, I’ve already greatly increased their odds.
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Kingsation8 Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
@Osaka, JINX
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Now I want to go fishing. Catch and release for me. Maybe I’ll wait till October, there’s something about that time of year….
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Hockey and fishing – I’m in heaven. Wait, I’m in Minnesota. This place was made for me. Rich, can you tell some more about the trip? I assume they went saltwater fishing. What were they catching? Were there any photos taken? I need a summer desktop background for my laptop.
Tell those guys the next time they visit MN and have an extra day I’ll set them up on a great freshwater fishing adventure.
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I herd DL cought a Tuna but instead of keeping it, he called the Ducks and told them how sorry he was and said he would pay all the hospital bills to stitch Cory Perry’s mouth back up
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You da man rich! Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 3:07 am
@Ravens, ahhhhhh………. The floundering fairy fish. Although the mouth injury was self inflicted when fairyfish tried to be tough and bit off the head of a simmonds bobblehead! Other facial damages were caused by an earlier run-in with the deep diving datsyukfish…sorry all in the kingdom, it’s 3 am on a Wednesday and I’m 3 sheets. Ahhhh only 3 hours til work!
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If thew Kings win the Stanley Cup this year I am getting the banner tattoed on my backk
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KindSir Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 3:07 am
@Subby, Tramp stamp?
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The fish was injured and it wasnt reported so they threw the fish back in the ocean….
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It was neat to see how many of the Kings scouts were at the scrimage today and not just the junior scouts but the NHL scouts also. This is becoming a top class event. There were a number of cool things about the camp. I will post my thoughts tomorrow.
Hey, hats off to Mr. Petry and his sacrifice for us. We have too few real heros any more. He is one.
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I wonder if Deano got a glimpse of the ever elusive Doughtyfish? I hear the Doughtyfish basks in the sun this time of year & is spotted in the cool pacific waters from Canada all the way Mexico. This Doughtyfish is proving harder to land than what was originally thought!
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Here’s all the video I shot from today. In includes everything I already posted but in HD, plus the 2nd workout and some of the Dustin Penner interview from afar. Enjoy!
http://deepinsidethekings.com/2011/07/development-camp-video-hd/
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YHarry Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 10:43 pm
@wavesinair,
Thanks for sharing!
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Mark Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 10:53 pm
@wavesinair, Thank you
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Deadmarsh Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 8:18 am
@wavesinair, much appreciated! Thanks waves.
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jet Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 4:21 pm
@wavesinair, hilarious, your background talk about the King beeing interviewed. I went through the same process of elimination, but more from how the player looked.
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wavesinair Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
@jet, glad you caught that! thought it was funny too.
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Do you think they’ll offer anyone from development camp a contract? What are your thoughts on Rob Mignardi, the reigning Wayne Gretzky award winner for the MVP of the playoffs in the OHL this year?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwGDCUJrCSc
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CB14 Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 11:22 pm
@Mike, LOL. The best line was, “Imagine if Cincinnatti and Cleveland had brother and sister relations and popped out a special needs child, that’s Columbus”. Freakin Hilarious.
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gmo Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 11:34 pm
@Mike,
lol wow funny
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DL should wrap that fish up and mail it to Tambelini.
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Is it October yet?
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LittleRhody Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 1:50 am
@Cutty Sarkn3ss, “Wake Me Up When September Ends”
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why do we get a better team the Days goes by slow…..Y GOD Y?!?!
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Did I miss something yesterday? My local newspaper is reporting that we signed Brad Richardson to a 2-year deal for $2.35 million. It says the Kings announced the deal yesterday.I didn’t see it on the website and nothing hear on the Insider?
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Rich Hammond Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 8:50 am
http://lakingsinsider.com/2011/07/12/richardson-signs-two-year-contract/
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DesertKing Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 9:48 am
@Rich Hammond,
Thanks Rich, I need do pay more attention!
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It’s interesting to see the progress that this org has made over the past 5(?)years with DL at the helm.
We’ve gone from an organization with little talent on the NHL level and even less talent in the minors/Juniors, to having probably the deepest talent pool in the league.
Incredible job by DL building this from the ground up.
Now here we sit with a real legitimate chance to win the cup this season.
Great to be a Kings fan these days, isn’t it?
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Kingsfanone Reply:
July 13th, 2011 at 5:52 pm
@nykingfan,
I think the same as you! I used to go 10 minutes away to Long Beach Arena to watch some of the Kings loaned out to the Ice Dogs way back when. Now the Ice Dogs don’t even exist anymore. I guess along with progress comes some bad things, but I still have some Ice Dog stuff, and those were some fun times going to their games.
Boy, I can hardly wait for the new season to start. It really is great to be a Kings fan now!
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Hi Rich, I’m curious about the talk of the culture around the team. Have you been around the team enough over the years to add some commentary on if you’ve seen changes in the atmosphere around the players?
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Where did they go fishing
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Next we’ll be hearing that DL went noodling and caught a 150 lb catfish…..he named it moeller and threw it back
correct me if i’m wrong but didn’t this all start with Dustin Brown, showing committment in the offseason to trainging in LA….it slowly grew in numbers, then AK joined in….Not saying he’s the best captain, but it all starts with leadership….we would not have had the culture change without respected players leading the way
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It’s nice to know they used duck meat for bait.
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