Dean Lombardi left most of the talking at yesterday’s press conference to new coach Darryl Sutter, but later, Lombardi went more in depth about what he believes Sutter will bring to the Kings, and also shared some thoughts about the Kings’ struggles this season…
LOMBARDI: “I think the one thing he immediately gives your team is an identity. Having known him as a man, you know he stands for something. Usually when you have an identity and you stand for something, some people are going to like it and some people aren’t. But you’re going to stand for something. But that was the experience I had with him in San Jose, and I think he clearly had that in Calgary. As soon as he comes in, your team starts getting an identity. So it’s that intangible that you can’t define, that I can’t put into numbers, and I think that’s critical. think we’ve struggled with that a bit this year, and I think that if we’re ever going to get to that level we want to, I don’t care how good your players are, or whatever, you have to establish an identity and stand for something. This is the way we’re going to play, and away we go. I think you can say that in any sport.”
Question: Do you think this team has struggled with the expectations put on it?
LOMBARDI: “Yes. I alluded to that last year, that it was the first time there were real expectations. I think some of the struggles we saw, with the swoons, I think were a byproduct of that. And then I don’t know if we dealt with success very well, because we’d go on a run and then we would go the other way. Then, when I talked to them during this season — and this was a critical message — it was, yeah, you’re young players, but we do have some solid veterans in there, and if you’re going to get to the level you want to go to, you’re going to have to deal with expectations. Then I think what happened this year is, when you bring in Mike (Richards), whether they learned enough last year or not, now the bar gets raised higher.
“But it’s like I told them in Columbus, this is where you wanted to be. You don’t want to be a Cinderella team. And you see that all the time. I still go back to the Detroit example. When they were building, there was that period where they were struggling and they were going to trade Yzerman for Yashin. It was like, `Oh, this isn’t working,’ but they stuck it out and got through it, then boom, your culture is in place and everything else. This process, of dealing with expectations, I think any good team is going to go through it, and it isn’t going to be easy. But you’ve got to stick with it. Again, I think part of getting through it is getting an identity, and going back to basics. It’s not complicated. Yeah, the general manager has got to do a few things. I know what’s in the back of my mind. But, in the end, this is still a simple game.”
Question: Would you also say that this was a different team before Mike Richards got hurt?
LOMBARDI: “I guess you can say that. Or if you want to go to Drew holding out, and then getting hurt, and then Mike getting hurt. But the reality is, too, that every team deals with it. And that’s always going to be the case. So, hey, when these guys are out, Stolly, Brownie, Kopi, you’ve got to pick it up. Again, that’s part of the process. I don’t think you can use injuries, and I don’t think the players feel that. In talking to them a lot this week, I never got that sense that they were using injury as an excuse. I think they’re pretty good at, hey, we’ve got to be better.”
Question: What sense did you get, from talking to the players?
LOMBARDI: “The one thing about this group, and I think it’s critical, is that there’s no question they care. If you don’t care, then you’re not going to push and you’re never going to get to where you want to go. Monday was hard on all of us. Then meeting with them again on Wednesday, I don’t doubt that. Whenever you feel acceptable, there’s that sense, and I think they all respected Murph, as we all do. There’s no question that, to a man, they all thought he was a good man. In the end, I think I liked the way they handled it. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t an easy meeting on Monday. There were no punches pulled. But hey, sometimes the ones you get mad at are the ones you love the most.”
Question: Did you have to convince Darryl to do this at all?
LOMBARDI: “No. And I had no doubts. I know you can say, well, he’s been out of coaching, but how long has Bobby Valentine been out of coaching? Heck, he’s been out longer than Darryl, right? One, that I actually find attractive in all this, is that he was really good when we were in San Jose, starting from scratch there and building it a little at a time. But even then some coaches, and rightfully so, get really (narrowly focused). We come from the same background, and we’ve had our battles, but the beauty of it was, it was never about power, it was never about ego, it was about winning. So he really did show, in that building process, with a very different team from Chicago. That Chicago team had Roenick and Belfour and Chelios. This was a team that we were starting from scratch, and it was a piece at a time. He was good through that. I think the other thing that happens is, being a general manager does two things. I think he’s right, in that I don’t think they stop coaching. You hear that in the other sports, whether they’re in the broadcast booth or a general manager. It’s just instinct. I think, also, that they’re like war veterans. They can’t stand being on the mountain. They’ve got to be in the thick of it. They want to be right down there. So I really believe that, that they don’t stop coaching.
“Second, I think being a general manager, as he was, you do now get the perspective, particularly in this era, having seen how the cap works and all that. They know that every team is going to have holes, and it’s critical that it’s not like before the lockout, where those powerhouses really had no holes. I think, having gone through the general manager experience, you now can see that, OK, I’ve got to get to this guy. Thirdly, the year off, I find attractive. It’s such a high-intensity job, general manager and coach, and I know how I felt. Actually, a team called me right away, after I got let go in San Jose. It was a week, and I really couldn’t do it. I was not in the right frame. I was so wound up. To step away for a good six months, and going to work for Philly, I think it helped me immeasurably. I think it’s the right time (for Sutter). I wouldn’t want him to be with the bulls for three years, but I think this is good. So, with the broader perspective of being a GM, and the six months of watching hockey but not being in the battle, I see him invigorated. I picked him up at the airport. This guy cares, and he is emotional, and he’s going to show it to you. When I picked him up, I could see he was pretty jacked up.”
Identity. Exactly. Jacked up with emotion. I like it!
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Capt Jam Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:14 pm
@jess,
All I want out of tonight is enough emotion and discipline to beat a team on a gorgeous 3-14 run at the moment. That’s it.
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OT: A very interesting article, including an interesting part at the end about “unilingual Anglophones.” About two-thirds of it is Kings-specific.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=nc-cotsonika-3periods_malkin_giroux_100_points_122211
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Weasel Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:47 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?,
Good article. I’ve been beating the Simmonds drum all season. But I guess it’s really the net presence from all three guys.
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Seano Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 10:02 am
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, They also were great along the boards and (especially MH & RS) keeping possession of the puck under pressure in the offensive zone. With what “system” the Kings ran under TM, this was as important as going to the net.
Poni has 7 goals in 35 games (after 5 all of last year), Simmers 10 goals is no shock, expected really. That’s what TM did to players, kill their O. Great that they are doing better.
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Imagine if stevie Y for Yashin would’ve happened?? wow.
nonetheless
GKG!!!
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:23 pm
@Stuart,
Perhaps the Sens would have beat the Ducks and the world wouldn’t be as screwed up as it’s been since.
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ike Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:03 pm
@FKA PakiFro, Hahah! Nice one.
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Valentine hasn’t proven squat yet, just because he was out of coaching and recently got hired doesn’t mean anything. No one knows if he can still coach or not. Just like no one knows if Sutter can relate to these guys or not. Bad analogy from DL there.
Seems to me like the DD contract negotiations still don’t sit well with Lombardi.
Hey Dean, please don’t bring up Sutter’s time as GM when referencing why you believe Sutter will work out as Head Coach. He was an absolutely HORRIBLE GM. That’s like saying Isiah Thomas is going to be a good Head Coach because he spent all those years as the Knicks GM. IT single handidly destroyed the Knicks in his time there. Just keep the positives to his time as a Head Coach and don’t bring up the GM part of it.
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jess Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:11 pm
@CB14,
The other analogies may not be the greatest, but in his reference to Sutter’s GM experience, he is merely pointing out that Sutter comes in as coach with a better understanding of a GM perspective, having been in that position himself once before which I believe is valid, regardless of his performance in that position.
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Dominick Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:56 pm
@jess,
I agree with you, but where’s the relevance? (not by you but Dean) Just because Sutter was a bad/good GM doesn’t improve his coaching from a systematic point of view. He still has to make decisions on wether a team plays dump and chase, regroups in the nutral zone, forechecks from the boards, and so on. He still has to read who’s on the ice at any given momment, and decide how to break a teams mommentum.
I know many believe these things have nothing to do with coaching, but these are major issues to me, and even if Sutter was stepping back from the game, if he didn’t learn how to change with the times, he’s gonna end up just like Melrose did in Tampa. My only hope is that DL hired him because he knows Sutter has, but I think he’s more motivated by the fact that Sutter hasn’t.
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jess Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:07 pm
@Dominick,
Reading between lines, I look at it from a standpoint that a guy like Sutter, having been in the GM position, probably knows he’s not cut out for that role, and may appreciate rolling up his sleeves and getting behind the bench where he belongs that much more.
dMan Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:18 pm
@Dominick, I think Lombardi answered this; the relevance is that he can now understand that teams will have holes (i.e. not the players you can always get) you need to be able to get more out of a player; spot the strengths but also identify and address their weaknesses in order to fill those gaps with the personnel you have at hand.
Dominick Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:22 pm
@dman,
Babcock was never a GM, and has a pretty good grasp. I understand that he has to get to knaw his players strengths and weaknesses, but being a former GM doesn’t give you a special insight into how to use them in game situations is all I’m saying.
jess Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:41 pm
@Dominick,
Let me give you a boring comparison. I have been president and vice president for several entities in the past. I now realize that I’m better suited in design, new product development and marketing. But having served in those roles previously helps me understand the larger mechanics of how a company runs, and thus that previous experience helps me to be more effective and to better serve people in those positions because I have an idea of what they’re dealing with. I’m sure they appreciate it as well. IF that is what DL is referring to here, than I can see the validity in what he is saying.
PP Anybody? Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:59 pm
@Dominick, I’m of the mind to just not think about any of this stuff and just see how it plays out. I can only hope that there are enough differences in Sutter’s style of strategy that can benefit the Kings. He’s here now, and all we can really do is hope for the best.
Dominick Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:59 pm
@jess, I hope you guys are right. I have coached at lower levels before, but haven’t a clue how to run a teams finances, or manage their equipment. The decisions on how I made my players play, was completely based off of my perception of what my players have to accomplish on the ice, and how I managed their talents. If his overall knowlege of the inner workings in management is an asset, then hopefully that serves us well.
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fsd1 Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:40 pm
@CB14, Really CB14? You dont want to know the whole story? Perhaps what he learned as a GM will make him a better coach. I think he has taken the bull by the horns and his job is to create intensity and an identity. (sorry bout the bull reference) Exactly the 2 things this team needs.
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OneTimer Reply:
December 23rd, 2011 at 6:31 am
@CB14,
You completely missed the boat on this one.
The sheer fact that he WAS such a horrible GM gave him “experience for the position” within the workings of the franchise (and the cap, and the draft, and the league, etc etc.) And it’s that experience (whether good or bad) which has given him NEW PERSPECTIVE which Sutter can now apply to his coaching duties going forward (where he’d proven himself more successful anyway.)
It’s simply something he didn’t have in his toolbox prior – and now he does. Frankly, I’m kinda glad he was such a crappy GM- because it means the “cuts” of the lesson went that much deeper for him to reflect upon.
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“Man of the earth” comes to mind, when thinking of Sutter. The rancher in him just cannot be subjugated. I think that’s good.
“But hey, sometimes the ones you get mad at are the ones you love the most.” I loved that. That’s where the passion comes from.
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Doesnt anyone have a problem with do hiring a coach he fired? I certainly do
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DanD Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:21 pm
@linny, Care to elaborate?
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Stonewall Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:27 pm
@linny, Nope. None at all.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:30 pm
@linny, I thought it was “interesting,” but recall the players “made him fire” TM. Maybe the Sharks players “made him fire” Sutter.
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Christian T Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:36 pm
@linny, No problem here either. As we have just seen, sometimes you have to fire a good person. And then things change and you can hire them again. This is sports, not real life.
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fsd1 Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:41 pm
@linny, Billy Martin anyone? LOL
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BigMikeonD Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:54 pm
@linny, As Little John would say “What?”
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I wonder if we are going to see a “mouth” on Sutter tonight
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I look at it this way. If I was about to get into a bar-room brawl, who would I pick to have my back, Sutter or TM. I think TM would just stand there with a blank look on his face, but Sutter on the other hand would probably break off a table leg and start swinging for the fences. Nuff said.
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Weasel Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:52 pm
@jess,
Whoa that TM comment is really uncalled for. He had a 10+ year career bouncing between the AHL and the NHL. He had to be reasonably tough to last that long. And in those days everyone fought, as in one fight started and if you were lucky you got to see 5 bouts plus the extra special goalie fight too.
Now TM might not help you until the fight broke out while DS might yell at the other guy and scare him away so you didn’t have to fight.
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jess Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:02 pm
@Weasel,
Well, granted it is a fictitious scenario, but I’m only trying to point out what I see is a visible difference between the two. I like TM personally and it’s really not about that in my far-fetched analogy. It’s about having someone behind the bench with a nose for blood, a killer instinct and the will to win. With hockey being possibly the toughest sport in the world, Sutter is a welcome change from that perspective, IMO.
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Weasel Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:15 pm
@jess,
Hey, I’m with you there – I just didn’t think you should have used a fight scenario as an example.
jess Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:19 pm
@Weasel,
Like it or not, hockey is a “fight scenario” just about every game. If we were talking about figure skating, then you may have a point.
LAK27 Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:52 pm
@jess, more like break a bottle on the bar top and yell, “hey you guys!”
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jess Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:12 pm
@LAK27, Well that’s the right attitude in my book
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Kings Fan In Temecula Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:16 pm
@jess, i get the same inpression, hope sutter brings some grit and intensity
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There is something that Lombardi says that I don’t get.
He says Sutter brings a team an identity.
Is he suggesting the Kings had no identity under TM?
I have heard him say numerous times that the KIngs now have an identity under TM .
I thought their identity was a defense first team that played a north-south game with hard play dot to boards possessing a shot mentality.
What’s their new identity going to be?
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KingsGuy Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:52 pm
@bitter, They lost that identity when he let them have more free reign on offense.
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Weasel Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 3:53 pm
@bitter,
Yup that’s what he’s saying. They lost their identity but Sutter brings one with him. The usual description of Sutter’s preferred team identity seems to be “Grinding”
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I think Lombardi is just as jacked up as Sutter! Me? I’m jacked up too! Some may say I’m drinking the DL coolaid but to me, DL has built what we have so far so why would I not be optimistic about landing his favorite coach?
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Jim S. Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 5:04 pm
@LA_1968, Agree 100% I drink the kool-aid too!
I think it’s simple. DL built the team he wanted. Now he adds DS the coach (I believe) he’s wanted since day one. Now these two veterans are out to prove that they still got what it takes to win it all in the “new” NHL. Of course they’re stoked… and I’ll enjoy the ride!
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Sutter looked stoned in the press conference
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Weasel Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:16 pm
@408kingsfan,
Well heck, it is CA. Maybe he has a magic medicine card.
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jess Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:16 pm
@408kingsfan,
He may have had to get “a little irie” to deal with the press, mic and flashing bulbs.
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Kings Fan In Temecula Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:16 pm
@408kingsfan, wouldnt you? lol
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408kingsfan Reply:
December 22nd, 2011 at 4:20 pm
@Kings Fan In Temecula, I am right now lol
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Completely Off Topic: Rich, you really need an avatar, your site is the only one without a graphic in my bookmarks bar. That’s pretty weak considering I visit this site more than any other. Even a simple crown would suffice…
GKG, can’t wait to slaughter the water fowl!!
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Dont know if anyone already mentioned this in this thread but…
Does anyone else read into that first paragraph regarding an “identity” and “standing for something” as a slam or nock on Terry Murray.
Kinda sounds like that to me.
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“I wouldn’t want him to be with the bulls for three years”. Classic quote!
Rich, you must have a gremlin in your blog service which removed the Yankees reference and replaced it with a Red Sox reference.
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