Here’s the transcript of the press conference today with Dean Lombardi and Darryl Sutter, starting with Lombardi’s opening comments…
LOMBARDI: “I think it’s safe to say, as far as Darryl, that we’re very similar but yet different. We’re both the same age and we grew up in different environments, one the son of a factory rat, the other the son of a farmer. The values are the same. If you work hard, you will be rewarded. You have an identity. You stand for something, and as long as you work hard and you’re a good teammate, we’re going to have all the time in the world for you. As far as what Darryl has accomplished, and what type of man he is, you just have to look at his background. Coming out of junior hockey with the Chicago Blackhawks, an 11th-round draft pick. They didn’t want to sign him out of junior, so he went to Japan to play. He had a scholarship to Princeton University, turned it down to pursue his dream as a player. After the Blackhawks signed him, where did he end up? A 40-goal scorer in this league, a captain of one of the most storied franchises in the National Hockey League. As a coach, he has seen each end of the spectrum.
“When he took over the Blackhawks, it was a good team and he immediately led that team to the second-highest point total in its history. When we were in San Jose together, we took over a bad team. We improved it six years in a row while getting younger every year. Then, his last tour, he took over what essentially, probably wasn’t a very good team. He basically willed them to the Stanley Cup Finals. So, in the end, with this type of background, what I’m really excited about is, I think this guy is in his prime, and I really think the best is yet to come.’’
Sutter then took pictures with a Kings jersey, presented by Lombardi, and made an opening statement…
SUTTER: “Thank you, Hall of Famer, for introducing me. Thank you, Dean, for his comments. I want to thank Mr. Anschutz, obviously, for the opportunity to coach a good hockey team. I’m excited about it, looking forward to it. I think we have, it goes without being said, five or six of the best young players in the game, and a good, solid core of veterans, a lot of guys who have won championships, and that’s important. A lot of guys I can identify with, I think. I know it’s been a tough couple weeks for them, but at the same time I know we’ve got lots of ground to cover and I know they’re capable of doing that.’’
Question: Obviously offense has been a problem here. What do you think needs to be done, to start producing goals?
SUTTER: “I think, number one in all that is, you have to be careful not to over (emphasize) that. I think there are some players who have had trouble scoring this year, that aren’t guys that are going to have trouble scoring, over their careers. I think it’s just a matter of time. There are small things involved in the game, and guys here will understand that, Jimmy (Fox) and Daryl (Evans), guys who have played the game. There are little areas of the game that we can be a lot better at, and we’ll score more goals. In the big part of it, this league is a 3-2 league. It’s not a 5-2 or a 5-4. It’s a 3-2 league. There’s still a tremendous amount of impact by being good defenders, and not spending as much time in your own zone, spending time in the offensive zone, controlling the neutral zone. There are lots of parts to it. It’s not just because we haven’t scored enough goals.’’
Question: You’ve been away from coaching for a little bit. What persuaded you to come back?
SUTTER: “It’s a couple things. Number one, I always told my family that if I had the right opportunity, I was going to go back and coach. I wanted to stay in the game in that capacity. For me, I wanted to go with people that you’re familiar with and think the same as you do. Also, you think it’s a good hockey club. I’m not a person that sat and waited for another job, or one of those guys that hoped there would be change somewhere. I didn’t expect the Los Angeles Kings to be looking for a head coach, that’s for sure, just because of the type of team they have. I was ready for it, but I just think we’re a good hockey club. That’s the way I look at it.’’
Question: Can you talk about your style of coaching, and how you want to incorporate that?
SUTTER: “I think really honest, firm, try to get the most out of them. You hear about overachievers and underachievers. Really, overachieving is getting the most out of yourself, and I think that’s what I can help a lot of guys with. There are a lot of guys who have a lot of growth going forward, and for the rest of their careers. And I think there’s a veteran group that we have to push to help our young players get better.’’
Question: How much have you had a chance to watch this team of late? Also, an area of concern has been the power play? What’s your first step in addressing that?
SUTTER: “First off, I watched the last five games on TV live. Dean had sent me seven games, going back to the start of the season. So, if you take the last week, I’ve coached those games. That’s the way you do it. So I’m pretty familiar with the group. As far as the power play goes, I think there are areas, clearly, that they can improve on. There’s talent with the guys in there, so it’s a matter of getting it to work together and doing the things that are necessary to score goals. Quite honestly, if you look at the game against Toronto, that’s a good example of what they need to do.’’
Question: What was it like being back on the ice today? Second, what was the overall message you sent to players? SUTTER: “Well, we met with the team, prior to going on the ice, for quite a while, to review their season, where they’ve been, what’s going on, where we have to go, what we need to do, the `seize the moment’ type of thing and how we have to approach it, being really straightforward and understanding what they’re going to put into it. It was awesome. On the ice, someone asked me after and I said I felt 25 (years old) out there.’’
Question: Will you be bringing in any assistants, or will you stick with who is on staff? SUTTER: “First off, with the existing staff, I think Johnny (Stevens) has done an awesome job, helping the team through this. I was really proud of him. With Billy Ranford, I know him from the past, and he’s from up in our area and does a lot of work. Right now, we just want to focus on — especially being close to the holidays — I just want to focus on this group. That’s the best way to put it, I think. I’m satisfied. Those guys are familiar with the team, and that really helps.’’
Question: What you do you say to people who think that a disciplinarian style doesn’t work with today’s players? SUTTER: “I don’t think it comes into play at all. I think it usually gets blown out of proportion. I think, as long as we’re on the same page with it, it’s really not that big of a deal. I know some of the older guys, and some of the kids, through the national programs and so forth, so that’s a side issue. And they always are side issues. Quite honestly, players need to be pushed and pulled. Sometimes you get pushed, sometimes you get pulled. It’s simple. They want it. They want success.’’
Question: You had real good defensemen in Calgary and you have Drew Doughty on this team. How can you help him get back to the level he was at, and to the next level?
SUTTER: “I think the last few games, he has competed at a really high level. I think if it’s only measured in terms of offense with those young guys, in terms of numbers, then you really get in trouble with the other parts of the game. You have to concentrate on being the full package and being good players, which he does, and then excelling at it and being a big part of special teams, which he is. It takes a little bit of time. He’s just a kid. We can help him with that.’’
Question: What was it like, being away from the game?
SUTTER: “In Canada, you watch three or four games a night. The tough thing, being a coach in the past, is that every game you watch, you do, instinctively, coach. It’s the hardest thing to do. That was always one of the hardest things to separate out. In terms of experience and learning, I think we’ll all be better tomorrow if we work at it. I don’t feel like I’ve been away. I feel like I coached yesterday.’’
Question: When you talk about it being a 3-2 league, is that the same no matter how much talent you have?
SUTTER: “Those are just the stats that tell you the truth. If you take the year, and all the goals for and against, that’s basically what the league is. It’s simple. You might win 4-1 one night, or lose 2-1 or 2-0, but the fact of the matter is, it is a 3-2 league. So, we have some ground to cover to get to that.’’
Question: What’s it like, being a cowhand versus a coach?
SUTTER: “I’ve kind of done both, hand in hand, for a long time. I guess I don’t get to see the cows for a while.’’
Question: Is there any update on Mike Richards’ status?
SUTTER: “He was cleared for full participation, and he did fully participate today. We’ll just take it from there.’’
Thanks again Rich!
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Let’s do this now!! GKG!!
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Thanx, Rich! Appreciative of what you bring us!
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i think we can safely say that Kompon won’t be around for much longer and Stevens and Ranford should be safe, for a while at least.
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Ike Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:23 pm
@Dave, Yeah I got that too.
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Glass banger Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:25 pm
@Dave, Ditto
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Good2bKings Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:31 pm
@Dave,
Reading between the lines… I’ll fire him (Kompon) after Christmas.
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He Shoots, He Scores Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:59 pm
@Good2bKings,
Exactly how I interpreted as well. Good mentions of Stevens and Ranford, then tailed off with Jamie, then added the sensitivity of the holidays.
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RobSD Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 4:23 pm
@Dave,
Notice when he was asked about the coaches, he said they are fine for now and than mentioned it was Christmas.
I have a feeling Kompon will be a goner by first week of January.
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Cruiznblue Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 8:07 pm
@Dave,
Haha I like how he dodged mentioning Kompon.
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Well, say what you want about the guy, but I am fired up for the rest of this season.
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I didn’t get to see the presser, but it seemed kind of telling when DS talked about the assistants… sounds an awful like come after the holidays, it’s bye-bye-Jaime…
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Trip Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:29 pm
@Stuart, exactly what i thought too.
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Interesting note.. not sure anyone caught. Darryl stated he watched the last 5 games live. We have only played 4 since Murray was fired…… Interesting
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wavesinair Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:32 pm
@flakingsfan,
We may never now but I was just telling variable the same thing…that I’d bet Sutter was given the heads up earlier than any of us suspect. Not that TM would be fired but that if things continued to go south, there may be a change…so start scoutin’ coach!
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variable Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:51 pm
@wavesinair,
there’s always video…so he could have watched all the games after the fact…
but as WAVES eluded to, we discussed the possible fact that dl and sutter had talks “in confidence” about the possibility of him replacing tm…
i don’t question sutter’s coaching intellect…nor his desire to win…
i’m just not sure how creative he will be – or even can be…
he had said it’s a 3-2 type of league…and i’m completely in agreement with him…but that should not limit his ideas and/or mindset to at least try and get the most offense out of the current roster…
i tend to think 10 games is a good amount of time for him to assess what the team has got…
my friend and colleague, CYNIC, is willing to give him 20…if sutter has already watched the last five, does that…or should that count…?
probably not…
but he’s got his work cut out for him…and even though i have doubts about what he can do for the kings, i’m looking forward to his first game…and hope that whatever doubts i had going into his hiring, become ill-fated fodder for a bonfire, as the team begins its climb forward, and removing the taste of the team’s first 33 games from my mouth…
sutter…
i hope that you got da flava…(!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90iaLaPMa9g
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LAK27 Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 4:33 pm
@variable, it’s not video. he said he watched the last 5 games on TV live. he already had the heads up
Gustavo Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 8:36 pm
@variable,
There is tape for all 30+ games the team has already played. Why should Sutter need to wait another 20, 10 or even 5 games to evaluate what the team already has?
Steve W Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 4:07 pm
@flakingsfan, I believe he said that Dean sent him seven games going back to the start of the season.
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flakingsfan Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 4:14 pm
@Steve W, Yes he did but he said he watched 5 games live and was sent 7 others.That would mean he watched the last game Terry coached. coincidence? Man on a farm watching a Kings game… I’m not black helicopter guy conspiracy theorist i just think it was interesting to hear that. i believe Dean reached out to Darryl but i’m not sure that he was allowed to do so.
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Dominick Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 5:07 pm
@flakingsfan,
Dean is free to explore any coaching change he wants. Even now, he could look and contact people if he chose too. If Sutter had been watching the Kings 5 games pryor to Murray being fired then it would surprise me that DL shopped so long, and didn’t pull the trigger.
If Sutter new a couple of days before TM was fired, it is nothing that should be taken as conspiracy because that is nothing out of the ordinary. I would be ticked if Dean fired TM than spent a month looking for a coach.
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 6:05 pm
@flakingsfan, I don’t think sending asking a friend to watch a hockey game is a problem. Asking him to consider coaching would be. If the question is whether he tampered with a Calgary product, I think all he’d have to do is keep it friendly and not mention possible plans.
Question: Will you be bringing in any assistants, or will you stick with who is on staff?
He compliments “Johnny” Stevens and “Billy” Ranford, yet makes absolutely no mention of Kompon. Then he says well, its the holidays and we just want to fucus. I don’t see that as a good sign for Kompon (nor should it be). Today was a feel good day, so I’m guessing around the first of the year Jamie3 will be looking for a job or pushing the Play button on the DVR again.
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Kenny44 Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 4:33 pm
@40YearKingsFan, I sure hope you meant “focus”
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justmyopinion Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 11:22 am
@40YearKingsFan,
Actually, the comment about Kompon was somehow left out of this transcript. He was mentioned as doing a lot of things in the locker room. Watch the presser on NHL.com
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Let’s see if the team responds with a solid 60-minute game against the Quacks. At least I’m glad that the coaching question is settled and the team can move on.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 6:06 pm
@vplaza, I think the important thing is that when the Kings fail to have a 60-minute game, we won’t see a head coach giving us the deer-in-headlights look. He’ll be slapping backs and drawing diagrams.
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vplaza Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 6:08 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?,
That would be a welcome change.
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I’m excited! I’m hoping for the best…
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Cool… a coach who speaks in complete sentences.
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m_and_m Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:45 pm
@Matty Sewardchuk, Yes, and doesn’t use “compete” as a noun. He’s clearly not just a pretty face.
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Play2Win Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 5:52 pm
@Matty Sewardchuk, Does this mean the bloggers will lose the words “fire and trade” from their vocabulary at least until after Christmas?
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Matty Sewardchuk Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 11:40 am
@Play2Win, I don’t know about that, but I’m glad that I won’t have to hear “compete” or “look” again for a while. I liked TM, he did great things for this team, but it was clear that the team had tuned him out. At this point, I think Kompon is the only one who should be worried about being fired.
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We should all be excited. We finally got our new coach. We got Richards and Mitchell back. and most important we’ll kick all this off against the Ducks!
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Love this quote by Greene.
“There’s no looking back. You can’t have a room divided, with guys who supported Terry and guys who are sour that Darryl is here. You have to get behind Darryl now because he’s the guy who is leading us, he’s the guy who is here. If you’re not, then it’s not just going to be Terry who is gone, it’s going to be other guys going out the door as well.”
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variable Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:51 pm
@wavesinair,
united we stand…divided, we’re naught…(!)
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Good sign Number 1: He used “compete” as the verb it’s supposed to be.
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Welcome Darryl Sutter! All the best.
I have no doubt that this coach will make a number of much needed adjustments to this team that desperately needs it. Starting with responsibility and accountability to yourself and to your teammates.
Besides the obvious differences in style, where DS is more demostrative and intense. I also think he brings an element of common sense that was sorely lacking. For example, I think this coach will actually give these line combinations a chance to gel by giving feedback to each player what they’re doing right and what they need to correct, as well as to each line as far as what their role is and what’s expected of them. That’s not to say that changes will continue to be made, but I think there will be a more thoughtful, deliverate approach.
From what I hear from DS, he will also expect the veterans and leaders on this team to step up and be more active in promoting a team-oriented approach to both games and practices. All this should lead to better communications and coherence within the team. Add some good results and there should be a good vibe from this team by about 2nd or 3rd week in January.
GkG!
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Cry Baby Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 5:32 pm
@FdoFmFull, It must be cool to have locker room access and know what coaches do behind closed doors…Can you score me some access too? Must be awesome to be the fly on the wall we all wish we were.
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Choralone Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 7:12 pm
@Cry Baby, Well, he’s just basing it on what DS said in the presser.
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Roger Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 10:08 am
@FdoFmFull, He moved Richardson to the first line.
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I’m looking forward to the Kings being more in front of the net and more aggressive in their play.
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Kompon is gone after Christmas. That’s the vibe I get from the above answer re: existing staff
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JWR Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:53 pm
@concussionman02,
I will predict it shakes out as Stevens being moving to offense which he has been in charge of for the last 4 games and they bring back Mark Hardy for the D in place of Kompon.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 6:11 pm
@JWR, I’d love to see Harpo get another chance here.
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loved that read. Good to see DL stick to what he believes in.
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Let the hunting season begin. I’m in the mood for some ducks. I’m going to have to say we make it rain and poor in 5 goals for our new coach. GKG!
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Ok,now, The Time Is Now! Feeling good about this
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DL said he was looking at 3 poeple as a new coach on NHL live. I wonder who other two were.
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wavesinair Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:55 pm
@goldielocks,
I think they were all from the same firm… Sutter, Sutter & Sutter.
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Who Knows? Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 3:59 pm
@wavesinair, Or how about Sutter, Sutter, and Sutter?
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wavesinair Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 4:08 pm
@Who Knows?, Good point. Or it could be the Sutter Twins & Sutter.
LAK27 Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 4:36 pm
@goldielocks, daryl sutter and daryl sutter
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Good luck to DS and to all of us.
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I’m optomistic that Sutter can turn it around. Hoping he can push the guys to be more than ‘an average NHL player’ and squeeze the most out of the talent we have. It’s more than just making the league, it’s making an impact during the small window of time these guys have in their prime. Guys like Dustin Brown, Richards, Penner, Williams, Stoll, and Jack J. are in their primes, or approaching their primes. It’s time for them to sh**, or get off the pot. Do you want to be great, or just average? Do you want to just make the playoffs, make a dent in the playoffs, or win it all? I’m sure if you asked each one of the players, they’d all say they want to be great and win it all…..but do they know what it takes to become that type of player? For all his faults, Andy Murray was great at extracting the best from each player, from Scott Thomas to Ziggy Palffy. I like Sutter as a solid student of the game and a leader…hoping he can push our talented, yet seemingly underachieving players to the next level.
Go Kings!
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40YearKingsFan Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 4:13 pm
@Cup B4 I Die, Love the name and agree with your posting.
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flex Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 6:57 pm
@Cup B4 I Die, ..Good post..,but who is scott Thomas??Andy was Detroit killer.Nice memorys.
If we play with tha same level of confidance we can do same type of killing.detroit first then the rest….
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Cup B4 I Die Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 8:24 am
@flex,
Meet Scott Thomas….1:30 of the video(scoring goal#1 of the Stunner At Staples), and 3:15 of the video(almost scoring the game tying goal).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjQyV73dv_8
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Still not 100% sold on this move, but at least it is done and we can get to getting to the playoffs!
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dl giving it a lil’ bit to ej and deb on nhl live today…
he sounded somewhat bitter in saying that they only want to talk to him when “the crap hits the fan”…
dl…
just be glad that they still want to talk to you and about the team at this point…(!)
(i kid, ’cause i care)…
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The more interesting question is: “What can we get in return for JMFJ”?
I guess we gotta wait for the roster freeze to expire …
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Dominick Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 4:34 pm
@Token, Not a chance.
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Christian T Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 6:38 pm
@Token, We won’t trade Jack. That would be crazy. Expect a lot out of him now that Sutter is here. He has played well for us this season and has a very friendly contract. We be making a big mistake moving him.
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Good luck coach!
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Here’s to new beginnings! Welcome aboard Coach Sutter & may the Hockey Gods be with you & the Kings. I feel like a little kid who just had the training wheels taken off my bike & getting ready for my first ride. I offer my thanks to TM for being the teacher we needed & I look forward to DS pushing & pulling the team into the players & team we know they can be!
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Dominick Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 4:49 pm
@King Alex, Yes, I think lost in this circus is that TM does deserve some thanks for his service to the Kings. Wish him all the best.
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It became painfully obvious as the season progressed that with all the talent the Kings have, that either a total lack of chemistry exists or coaching was that the problem. I have thought all along that the mix of veterans and younger players has been very good and that made me point the finger at coaching. I believe that Sutter brings the intensity and the positive attitude of “personal responsibility” to the team. He is and has always been a very intense no nonsense coach and I believe his style will immediately improve the King’s performance. This is my perspective but I have been wrong one other time.
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Dominick Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 5:14 pm
@plywood, Your not too far off at all. Although I have voiced concerns as to wether Sutter is the right man for the job or not, one thing was very apparent to me, the Kings do have enough talent to compete, but needed a change. Wether that change was motivation, or system, remains to be seen, but my hope is that Sutter will give us both.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 6:25 pm
@plywood, I think you’re right on. I never really bought into the “I have to fire TM because you made me” deal, and now I feel more confident about that. I also, unexpectedly after all the negativity with the Sutter choice, feel really comfortable with him. I think this is the right choice, about a half-season late. I get the distinct impression we won’t see those deep, distressing streaks in the middle of the season–at least not without seeing that DS has an idea what’s going on and what he intends to do about it. There won’t be any more blank stares, and probably not many canned comments about “shot mentality.” I still believe TM was the right guy at the right time, but that DL was too reluctant to let him go earlier. Maybe the loyalty thing shot him in the foot, but I’m thinking he should have seen what many of us saw, but much earlier.
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Christian T Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 6:48 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, I don’t think the loyalty shot DL in the foot. If anything I think the players along with current and future coaches will actually appreciate that loyalty. Everyone including Dean knew there might be a problem after last season but it would have been really reactionary to fire TM without giving him the chance to coach a talented team.
Maybe Murray’s biggest mistake this year was maybe listening to our whining? He gave up the constant line changes and left the top 6 pretty much intact and look where it got him.
Funny thing is Sutter comes and changes the lines and what happens… A lot of whining.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 8:25 pm
@Christian T, I see the logic there. On the line changes, I think you have to expect a new coach to try different combinations…after a while, though, I expect that to stop, or at least become very infrequent.
Is it a prerequosite to have either a deep or odd voice to qualify for the head coaching job in LA?
Think about it….Andy Murray sounded like BATMAN. Terry Murry, not bad but a deep tone, slow mannerism. And now Daryl Sutter and he’s got that deep odd voice.
I know, thats a really odd observation.
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petemagoop Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 6:49 pm
@Lead Feet, indeed
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 8:26 pm
@Lead Feet, Dunno. Crow won the cup, and he had a whiney voice, in comparison.
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plywood Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 7:07 pm
@Lead Feet, No one wants a HOCKEY coach that sounds like PEEWEE HERMAN.
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Ok, the way I interpret his first foment is as follows: “we’re both the same” (we’re both incompetent at what we do)…”yet were different” (our level of incompetence isnt the same, but very close)
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Reading the forum here, I just hope the players are just as excited (and transition that to the ice) as the fans here…..!
If you could bottle the online excitement and give them to the players (cleverly disguised as Kool Aid…. inside joke) they’d have the Cup soon enough…
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