The Kings have officially announced the hiring of Darryl Sutter as their new coach. As noted yesterday, Sutter will coach tomorrow’s practice, starting at 10:30 a.m. at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo. Afterward, Sutter will be introduced by general manager Dean Lombardi at a 1 p.m. press conference, which will be streamed live on LAKings.com. The link to the Kings’ news release, and more information about the news conference, can be found by clicking here.
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No Lets Win some more games Go Kings Go.
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Man, I hope this guy can bring this team to the next level. Going to the game on Thursday against the schmucks. GO KINGS!
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Pogi Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:38 am
@chuckrocks, me 2 hope we have duck for diner
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QUICKsilver Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:45 am
@Pogi, Duck is a very appropriate Christmas Dinner…especially if you’re Jewish
We’ll be there too.
GKG!
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Weasel Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:04 am
@QUICKsilver,
Chinese food on Christmas!
IceGuy Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 4:38 pm
@QUICKsilver,
“Fa=ra=ra=ra=rahhhhh
Ra-ra-ra-rahhhhh”
DanD Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:59 am
@Pogi, At the Dallas Stars game last night, they alleged sold roast duck on a stick at one of the concession stands according to the Stars color commentator. Kings need to do that!
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petemagoop Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:28 am
@DanD, looking at the empty seats they probably couldn’t give it away
TeamJMFJ Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:43 am
@chuckrocks, i’ll be there too! cant wait to yell “Ducks SUCK!”
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QUICKsilver Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:47 am
@TeamJMFJ, Even my three year old daughter gets into that yelling “DUCKS SUCK” thing
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Practice starts at 10:30. Any bets on when Sutter has his first meltdown?
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858King Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:37 am
@40YearKingsFan, 10:30:01
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Bean32 Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:41 am
@40YearKingsFan, before they hit the ice for practice
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Lake Forest Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:44 am
@40YearKingsFan, Who says it hasn’t happened after getting the scouting reports? lol
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Mikey J. Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:51 am
@40YearKingsFan, What kind of meltdown we talking. Throwing chairs?
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40YearKingsFan Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:04 am
@Mikey J., Throwing chairs would count! Or hockey sticks or water bottles.
But even just one of those yelling things with his hair dishoveled, turning red, and making that Bitter Beer Face.
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wavesinair Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:53 am
I’m not into yelling coaches but I have to say I’m looking forward to a coach who shows some emotion behind the bench. Maybe it will wear thin quickly, but any emotion is an improvement over TM’s cold exterior.
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fsd1 Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:58 am
@40YearKingsFan, My bet is it doesnt happen. Lets not live in his past. If the team plays every night like it did the last 2 periods last night there will be no need for meltdowns.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:29 am
@fsd1, Of course they won’t play every night like last night.
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Sebastian Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:06 am
@40YearKingsFan, if he watched the Detroit game on TV, hes probably already had 8 meltdowns!
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DEH Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
@40YearKingsFan, he was supposed to coach the Toronto game but had a stroke after the Detroit game
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Those two cycles last night that lasted for minutes were a thing of beauty. I’m still thinking about them. Good job all around. Good luck Mr. Sutter.
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fsd1 Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:59 am
@LA_1968, It was the way hockey is supposed to be played, it truly was a thing of beauty. I think it totalled about 4 minutes.
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Harrison Merkin Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:48 am
@fsd1, You mean “the right way”…?
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fsd1 Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
@Harrison Merkin, of course!
Sebastian Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:13 am
@LA_1968, that was great to see…only problem is they didnt capitalize on them, and didnt do much of it in the 3rd. but it was a good sign, and probably the most zone time theyve had in the offensive zone all year, counting powerplays too.
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Kinda anti-climatic. Good luck Mr. Sutter, serve up the crow to the blog’s negative nancys for me. I personally have no idea what to expect, so you got a clean slate by me.
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Lake Forest Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:45 am
@KC23, Agreed! Hoping for the best!
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Michael J. Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:48 am
@KC23,
I’m expecting good things from this point forward.
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wavesinair Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:56 am
@KC23,
Expect accountability and direct challenges to players. Expect guys to sit if they loaf it.
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PRMan Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
@wavesinair, This alone will improve us substantially.
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Hockey & Rocky Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:58 am
@KC23, So far,the most hopeful comment I have heard is “Sutter coaches players, not a system”. Get is out of them DS!
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Raunq12 Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 11:46 am
@KC23,
Here’s to hoping fellas! Cheers!
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I’m excited about this move. IMHO, it’s the right hire.
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Is Kompon fired?..He stinks!
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40YearKingsFan Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 9:49 am
@dave, I would think/hope that would be the first thing Sutter did when he sets foot on US soil.
I’m just crossing my fingers and hoping Sutter has someone he knows and trusts to run an offense and a power play.
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rogiesbackup Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:58 am
@dave, From what I heard he is really good in operating the VCR in team sessions!!!
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Alright, let the Darryl Sutter era begin.
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Best of luck Coach Sutter. We’d all be happy to see you succeed. And when you do, I’d like a side of fries with my crow.
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good move, now keep Stevens and get rid of Kompon. Time for Sutter to light the Kings on fire.
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I didn’t realize but as a wing D Sutter averaged .40 gaols per game. 32 per season if at today’s 82 game schedule.
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PRMan Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
@LA_1968, Funny that other posters are describing him as a gritty plugger. I remembered him being a 25 goal scorer pretty consistently.
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He’s known as a defensive coach so I’m not sure how much different his system will be from Murray’s. Personality wise it will be night and day. Maybe he can scare the team into scoring three goals a game.
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wavesinair Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:01 am
@KingsCast,
System, shmistem. It’s much more about their lack of cohesion. The scared guys can take a hike. The guys that don’t mind a coach demanding their best will rise to the challenge. This team should and needs to be better than they’ve shown.
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40YearKingsFan Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:15 am
@wavesinair, The Kings we saw last night would have done well against any team in the league and the “system” had almost nothing to do with it. It’s all about the swagger.
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DLB Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:28 am
@wavesinair, It doesn’t have to be black and white, all one or the other. Personally I thought Stevens played an active role last night and coached a fine game. Putting them in a position to succeed breeds confidence.
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Dave's a Killer Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:31 am
@wavesinair,
You know, I’ve been saying this to myself for a long time. I never posted any comment about it because it would have fallen on deaf ears. Ever argue with a girl friend/wife/whatever? Facts and common sense are ignored and emotion rules the day. Hockey is a fluid game and any system provides a starting point. It’s up to the players to read and react,
System, shmistem indeed.
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PP Anybody? Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:35 am
@wavesinair, Well, they did seem to make some adjustments to their system, mainly in regards to their cycle, and it seemed to be more successful. I would say that maybe the swagger came from doing something that caused them to be more successful. That’s just me though.
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PRMan Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
@PP Anybody?, Not to mention guys cutting through the slot on the PP was refreshing…
John Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
@KingsCast, This isn’t surprising since our GM has the same mentality. If we don’t want a defensively-minded team, then DL is the wrong guy.
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Not sure if anyone has seen or posted this already but this is interesting..
Scott Burnside’s take on the Kings’ hiring of Sutter, thinking the Kings are “misguided.”
http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7370718/hiring-darryl-sutter-coach-los-angeles-kings-looks-misguided-calculation
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Weasel Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:11 am
@Scot,
Thanks for the link – read the story. Not sure his reasoning is all that significant. The line about the cattle operation made no sense at all. Hope for the best. After all it’s now DL’s turn on the hot seat so he must believe in Sutter a lot.
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KC23 Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:17 am
@Weasel, All the takes I’ve seen that Sutter isn’t right have been weak generalizations. All the takes I’ve seen saying he will be good have been backed up by his results as a coach and previous player/coach accounts.
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Michael J. Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:40 am
@KC23,
“The broader one’s statements, the narrower one’s mind.” – Charles Dickens
Scot Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:23 am
@Weasel,
I’m with you.. I’m hoping for the best, & Darryl has a clean slate with me. People deserve to be judged by what they do now, not by their past. Just thought it was interesting, because people post Scott Burnside/Pierre LeBrun articles sometimes on here, & he’s pretty well respected.
Looking forward to a fresh start on Thursday!
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PP Anybody? Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:15 am
@Scot, What he said.
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JWR Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:27 am
@Scot,
I would go more with LeBrun’s take in the same article. So far only St. Louis changing to the vet coach in Hitchcock is the only coaching change to make a difference. We all hope that bringing in a Vet coach in Sutter will do the same for the Kings.
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DLB Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:31 am
@JWR, St Louis had great shot differential to begin with, though. They were already a strong team, just went through some bad luck early like Detroit.
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PP Anybody? Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:37 am
@JWR, LeBrun didn’t say he agreed with Lombardi’s hiring, just that he understood why DL made the choice he did.
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Goodluck Sutter, lets turn this ship around and make teams scared to face us. I have a good feeling about this hiring, he will make the players accountable and he will be a hard ass, this will equal wins.
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I am still disappointed with this hire. DL had a chance to get someone new with some real energy and a true concept of today’s league and its players. Instead, we got a retread who never won the Cup, yells alot and hasn’t coached in 5 years. I have been a big DL supporter the last few years, but I think he failed here. That said, I wish Coach Sutter the best of luck because if he is successful, then the Kings are successful. GKG!!!
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Weasel Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:12 am
@DesertKing,
Who else was available that looked good to you?
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wavesinair Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:21 am
@DesertKing,
To be fair, he was a GM for the past 5 years, which might of had something to do with not coaching during that time!
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Sutter? Wow…I didn’t expect him to get the job. I’m shocked…I didn’t see that coming.
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You know what they say, the 20th time is the charm.
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Has there been a Sutter sighting yet?
No where I’ve seen has anyone been able to get a quote, or even a picture of this guy. He seems awfully good at laying low for a guy headed to LA. Anyway you slice it, it’s going to be entertaining, for awhile anyway.
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jess Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:39 am
@40YearKingsFan, It was announced on NHL on the Fly this morning.
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So the Sutter era begins!!! Let’s all hope it was just a coaching issue for the slump. Go kings go!!
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Well actions speak louder than words, here we go, a long time Kings fan here, since 89, lets see what will happen now.
We do not need luck, nor to wish it, only hockey in LA should be played like hockey all over, if they same the time is now, let us see it?
Let’s get it started in here let’s play hockey Go Kings Go, we LA fans have waited long enough, Thanks
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Seems like only yesterday…
http://www.insidesocal.com/kings/2008/07/1-pm-press-conference.html
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Michael J. Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 10:47 am
@Sebastian,
Awesome dude.
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wavesinair Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
@Sebastian, Nice pull!
I love nykingfan’s comment:
“Anthony you’ve outdone yourself on this one, You’re nominated for most ignorant post of the year award.”
LOL. Those were the days of a little more back and forth.
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I’m interested to see Sutter’s full coaching package with the hope we retain our goatending ooaches. Next I’m wondering if Brown will stay Captain. And next I wonder what irons DL has in the fire regarding bringing us a top winger. In that order..
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40YearKingsFan Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 11:07 am
@jess, Yeah, good point. Bill Ranford was actually behind the bench last night for us. That guy has done an exceptional job! Gotta keep him in place.
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TM’s coaching reign ended, due to the failure of getting the bottom six to score. The first two months all problems were masked by the addition of Mike Richards. Teams were put in a difficult position on who to put ther top defensive players against, Richards or Kopi giving either one room to move and create, especially on the PP. When MR went down then opponents put there top defensive guys on Kopi, as there was nobody else to step up and take the pressure off of Kopi. This was the death of TM as coach. His failure to get other guys to step up and score consistently. Hopefully Darryl Sutter can get the bottom six going, as he has shown in the past his success of getting the bottom guys to pitch in scoring. I also hope that it isn’t much longer for MR to be out.
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PRMan Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 3:21 pm
@jeff, Brown, Williams, Penner and lately, Gagne aren’t in the Bottom 6.
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Good luck Mr Sutter…I hope that in the short term you can find away to motivate these guys to play for 60 minutes…even through the success this team has accomplished over the past couple of seasons, they had very rarelly put together a full 60 minute effort…that has been amplified this year and with the lack of goal scoring the Kings have been unable to “get away with that” this year…If anything, they have forgotten how hard they need to work throughout the game in order to be successful…If you could get this team to perform to anywhere near the level that the Flames did in 2004 (in particular, their playoff run) then Kings fans will be rejoicing all over…Again, best of luck…were all pulling for you now
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Ultimately, this will be looked on as the beginning of the end of the Lombardi era with the Kings.
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g smith86 Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 11:22 pm
@Capt Jam,the glass is definitely half empty
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