Darryl Sutter’s postgame thoughts…
(on whether this was the Kings’ best game with him as coach…)
SUTTER: “I think we’ve been playing pretty good. If you got a chance to watch the Chicago game or the Winnipeg game, there’s a lot of steps that we’ve tried to make. Tonight we got contributions from different guys, which was really good.’’
(on Kopitar breaking his scoring drought…)
SUTTER: “He scored a big goal, so that makes him feel good again, because he’s been struggling to score. He’s getting lots of shots, and we’ve been trying to reinforce to keep shooting. Really, we had two or three of those plays. Mike Richards had that same type of play. I thought Stoll’s line had a lot of those opportunities as well, and the kids, Lokti’s line, they were all good. Hey, if we don’t play that way, they’re going to kick your (butt), quite honest.’’
(on the Kings buying in, on the penalty kill…)
SUTTER: “Well, that really doesn’t have much to do with me. The penalty killing itself has been what’s kept them in it this year. That had nothing to do with me. That’s a commitment from some really diligent penalty-killers.’’
(on trying to play a faster, more aggressive game…)
SUTTER: “We’re just trying to get everybody to do that. It can’t be hit and miss. We need everybody to do it. We all have different levels and skill sets. If you can all try and do that little bit more of a push, then we can all play at a higher level.’’
(on whether he might keep Richards with Kopitar and Brown…)
SUTTER: “We’ve talked about it. Lokti, somebody asked the day before yesterday about how Lokti prefers to play center, but he has to do what we want him to do as a centerman. You know what, I trust that they’re going to do that. It’s easy to switch guys around. Lokti, Colin Fraser, Brad Richardson. Tonight, there was a lot more of using three as a group than probably in any other game we’ve done.’’
(on breaking the power-play drought…)
SUTTER: “I never really thought about it like that. We were playing three lines on the power play. That’s my only focus. Those five guys, the Stoll line, Mitchell and Voynov, were pretty good 5-on-5, and they play the power play as if it is 5-on-5. It wasn’t a fancy play. It was, win the battle in the corner, cycle the puck. Slava gets somebody going to the net, and screen, tip, rebound.’’
It’s offical from Idaho, Happy New Year everyone!
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Kings are heating up. Keep it up boys. Go kings!
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Since Sutter being head coach of the LA Kings is now 4-0-2 and has been doing an King(sxcellent) job with the team.
The things I’ve noticed since Darryl Sutter becoming Head coach of the Kings is; 1. communication behind bench, enthusiasm behind bench, knowing when to call a time-out in a game, having the team create more of a buzz in the offensive zone (not just dump chase by then just having the players play in the lower percentage areas along the boards all the time, he doesn’t just narrow it down to one thing when giving credit to someone/something, but rather the broader side of things.
So good job Sutter and the boys for that awesome game tonight against the Canucks. A well 60min. played out game that had it all tonight.
Thanks for everything Rich Hammond of what you do on here.
Happy New Year to EVERYBODY!
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Duncan Reply:
December 31st, 2011 at 11:19 pm
@Brown23, Right on and loved the way he wouldn’t take credit for the PK’s success.
Thanks Rich and all the posters for making it such a compelling and fun site.
Happy New Year and on we march!!!
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Larry Boggs Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 10:15 am
@Brown23, What I see is more smart consist aggression. Everything else seems to be the same with the exception of the 4th line getting more playing time which is paying off because the players are not so spent. Defense is the same…really good and as Sutter has said , he pays Murry a lot of tribute for that, and for getting the kids to this position in the NHL.
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Woot can’t top off the ins year. Hopefully this new year veins slit of victories. Happy new year to all my KINGS brothers
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Hahah, Rich, I assume he said ass when you printed (butt). I think you can just print ass, I really don’t think anyone’s going to be offended by it.
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Duncan Reply:
December 31st, 2011 at 11:37 pm
@Zamboni, Yes, but RH has too much cl(butt), you see ….
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Shakes Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 10:17 am
@Duncan,
+1 ( it took me a few seconds to think about that one, but that’s pretty darn funny)
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Great game! Great win! Happy New Year to all in The Kingdom!!!! Now. It’s party time!!!!
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The Kings, IMO, are still a little hesitant with the lead…we all saw this at the start of the third period…Vancouver was controlling the play early on…Then the kings get a PP opportunity and cash it in and that seemed to settle every one down and it was easy from that point on…I think DS will not only recognize the fragile nature of this team, but will turn that around and make this team tougher mentally, as a whole…JQ is mentally tough, but we need that to translate throughout the line up…everyone needs to be on board and DS has already righted this ship…now it’s time to start sailing…GKG!
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AZ King Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 8:35 am
@g smith86,
I partly agree with what your saying, but you also have to consider that a team that is trailing at the start of the 3rd is going to come out with guns blazing.
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40YearKingsFan Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 9:32 am
@AZ King, I thought they did well weathering the storm that everyone knew was coming. How you play w/o the momentum is equally as important as how you play with it and it’s one of the trademarks of a good team. It was great to see them keep their composure and deal with the pressure. That really drove a stake through the heart of Vancouver. They lost all their composure after that.
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I can’t understand a word this guy says, but he’s doing a great job. Great game tonight.
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You know what the best part about leaving tonight’s game was? The notable silence from the mouthiest fans in all of hockey. I love when the Canucks lose, and even more so when it’s the Kings that beat them. The look on their faces? Priceless.
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g smith86 Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 12:00 am
@KingMe20, yessir…whiniest fans in the league…this chippy, dirty team they root for will NEVER win a cup because they don’t have the character that it takes to perservere….it’s official…happy new year!
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King Cobra Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 8:31 am
@KingMe20, I hope you let those Canucks fans have it! I can’t stand that team and their fans. We need to start buying up the tickets early for Canucks games. I am tired of the Canucks fans coming down and invading our building….
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justmyopinion Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 9:23 am
@King Cobra, I hope they didn’t. Why lower yourself to their level? If you do you are no better.
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KingMe20 Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 2:13 pm
@King Cobra,
I didn’t. All I did was smile, and let the Kopitar jersey speak for itself.
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nucks got owwwned, great game boys, my fav win of the year…. till 2012. happy new year! GO KINGS GO!
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Where is our replay, this lakers crap sucks…
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Shakes Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 10:18 am
@jess, Nuggets basketball isn’t exciting you?
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I was only able to watch the Canadian broadcast on CBC tonight, and it was hillarious to hear them whine about how the Kings kept taking “cheap shots” at the Canucks and how they were “taking liberties at every opportunity.”
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colo king fan Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 12:21 am
@DY,
notice how there was no mention of “cheap shot” when Ballard speared Clifford. I really want a pic of the Colonel basically bullying him like a 3rd grader as the wallpaper on my computer.
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DY Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 12:44 am
@colo king fan, Or when Burrows elbowed Greene in the face after Greene scored a goal. They also complained every time the Canucks got called for a penalty saying things like “Ooh, I don’t know aboot that one…”
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Sparman Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 2:15 am
@DY, it was the color commentator, Crikey she was BAD.
She actually makes Brian Hayward seem impartial.
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King Cobra Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 8:35 am
@DY, What a joke. Those ref’s let the Canucks get away with murder multiple times after whistles. What a sweet victory!!!!
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Alex Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 12:50 pm
@King Cobra, All you need to do when u play vancouver what Bostan did to them in the playoffs. Give them a taste of there own medicine and they are not that tough anymore.
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Alex Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 12:51 pm
@Alex, Boston
:):) Oops.
anonandonanon Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 9:07 am
@DY, Cannots fans. Maybe large scale public disobedience can change the outcome. Burn Baby Burn!
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Happy new year -the Kings look like a new team ready to go deep.
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That was the most fun I’ve had watching a hockey game in a while. Thanks for the effort boys. SO satisfying to watch Vancouver lose and it’s sooooo much better when its my Kings doing the beating.
Happy New Year from Colorado, Kings Nation!
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DY Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 12:45 am
@colo king fan, Happy New Year from Seattle, we can all sleep well tonight!
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TiredOfIt Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 1:58 am
@colo king fan, Happy New Year from Kinglandeles. GKG…GKG
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Duncan Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 2:50 am
@colo king fan, HNY from NZ (by way of Bellflower, CA), mate!
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Someone explain to me how is it possible to have played FIVE more games than the sharks. Crazy.
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5-Hole Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 1:33 am
@FKA PakiFro,
I don’t know either, but let’s hope it means the Sharks have a lot of back-to-back games in the second half of the season.
go Kings go!!!
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Duncan Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 3:00 am
@5-Hole, They’re inconsistent and play some really passionless games, esp at home (I know, sounds a lot like us up till recently) but if we can just capitalize on this dynamic momentum and Gagne comes back refreshed and newly inspired I reckon we can properly overhaul those guys and take the Division for a top 3 PO spot, eh?i
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King Cobra Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 8:37 am
@FKA PakiFro, No worries as long as we keep playing like this. This is the team we love!
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Happy New Year to all Kings fans and especially to Insiders everywhere! We ended 2011 #1 in the Pacific Division and #3 in the Western Conference and on we march together! Let this be our year!!
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great WIN coach…wish i could tell DS personally how happy i am that he is our coach……..
go kings go
happy new years to all of you!!!!
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Boooya! Happy new mr. Hammond and to all the insiders!
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Tim from the OC Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 1:50 am
Ahhh…”new year”…sorry….cocktails…. @Tim from the OC,
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During Murrays’ rein, the Kings tried to slow play down too much, and the Kings have been terrible against Possession teams because of it. I noticed the speed was better against Chicago, and I felt that keeping that type of tempo would help. Skating with a team that moves with speed through the puck will help you keep up with them. Then your not always chasing the play.
Good job, and Sutter is doing a great job in identifying what adjustments need to be made to the Kings game (even if it’s still gonna take some time to work out the kinks). Just like I called it before the game, skate with them, and attack.
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KC23 Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 4:26 am
@Dominick, Seems weird though with Sutter’s MO being a grind it out defensive guy. DS is whole lot deeper thinking than what a very large part of the NHL world gave him credit for.
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Jack Aubrey Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 8:42 am
@KC23, …including ME (said between bites of crow). Like many, I didn’t think he had the right set of attributes to right the course of the team. Wrong. Full props to DS. Great win, great coaching. GKG.
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bbb7 Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 10:40 am
@KC23, I also didnt think DS would be a good fit cause Ive complained for two years here about the Kings’ lack of tempo and thought it would be more of the same from him, so it’s very exciting to read from DS and the players that speeding up their decisions/plays is a focus of DS’s practices and philosophy. Murray had strait-jacketed the team waaaay too much, Exhibit A being his decision to bench Richardson and Lewis in favor of slow ‘heavy’ grinders.
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Choralone Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 12:24 pm
@KC23, Yeah, I was listening to the naysayers at first, but someone from Calgary put it in perspective for me: Sutter ran a grinding defensive style there because of the type of players he had available. He leveraged the assets he had. He’s doing the same thing now with a more talented team – making their style match the personnel and not the other way around.
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I encourage King’s fans to go have a look at the posts on the tsn.ca site under the Kings/Vancouver result. The whining about how the Nucks got jobed by the officials and how dirty the King’s played. Great, great comedy. Do enjoy, I know I did.
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bonvivant1 Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 6:42 am
@KC23, Could be another great rivalry brewing.
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King Cobra Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 8:40 am
@KC23, Your kidding right!!!??!!
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40YearKingsFan Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 9:38 am
@KC23, I would but it would be bad for my blood pressure. My doc says I can only handle Vancouver in small doses or I’ll explode. Whiny fans and a chippy, dirty, diving team. If their fans can get behind that they must not have much else to do up there.
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puck73 Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 11:02 am
@KC23, Yah, I read it. What a bunch of myopians !
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happy new year everyone.
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Happy New Year everyone. I love the intensity in the O zone. To me it looks like the the Kings are expecting and capitalizing rather than waiting and hoping. The Sutter era looks like a great one.
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http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockeynightincanada/afterhours/video/#id=2182448184
skip ahead 7 minutes or so – Richards interview
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Kings Fan In Temecula Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 7:37 am
@petemagoop, it still sounds like he’s still hurting from the philly trade, cuz he’s a emotional guy D: Great player tho, luv how he’s contributing to the team
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Mikey J. Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 9:42 am
@petemagoop, It’s really easy to like Mike Richards. Real down to earth guy. Always a good interview. Sure is a joy to have him as a King.
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Coach looks like an intense Jeff Spicoli.
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Still can’t get over how awesome the game was. The energy in that building was amazing. Alcohol probably had a lot to do with it, but the place was loud and very, very happy. Lol We had a lot of help from the team, but the kings fans absolutely shut the Nucks fans down. And it was carried out the door afterwards too… Chanting didn’t stop til I closed my car door. I’ve never been to a playoff game, so this was the best crowd I’ve experienced. If playoffs are even more awesome, I can’t wait to get my first taste… But that means the team has to make it to the second round as I’ll be up north during the first.
Hope everyone had a safe, but crazy night.
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Happy New Year everybody. The game was the best part of my New Years eve! Love schooling the pussy Canucks abd their whiney fans! Going to the Avalanche game Monday and really looking forward to it. I give a lot of credit to Sutter. This is potentially a great team but we needed leadership to bring it out. He is giving them confidence and they are responding at all levels. Should be a good second half. GKG!
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Darryl great job waking the boys and making them men and condenders……………..
All we needed was some emotion and drive to play again, Kopi was actually dragging guys around on his back last night…….the old Kopi has returned and with Richards look out NHL…………
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40YearKingsFan Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 9:08 am
@Harty, Different team, hey Harty? Aside from shuffling personnel around and X and O changes on the whiteboard that I wouldn’t fully comprehend anyway, everyone in the lineup seems more engaged and aware of their role. It seems to me that above all this team is finding an identity. I even see it on the lines. It’s like they are becoming teams within a team. I’ve always felt that if you could inspire these guys to scratch and claw for 60 minutes, the rest would fall into place. I think they understand that after solid wins over Chi and now Van. Time to dig in and feed off the momentum.
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Awesome game…..best so far. Watched the game on CBC and they are a bunch of homers. Cassie Campbell should be fired. It was the same in the finals last year. Had to watch it on the US station because Craig Simpson, Jim Houston and Glen Healy were so biased it was sick. Love the way we played and pushed them around. Easily could have scored a half dozen goals. Quick was great again. Keep it going boys and a happy new year to everyone.
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40YearKingsFan Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 8:40 am
@Joemv8, It makes me thankful for the integrity of Jim Fox and Bob Miller. They are Kings without a doubt but they call the game honestly and with humility. No one likes Vancouver and you can tell Fox and Miller don’t either but the effort is still there on their part not to slant the calling of the game. They are the best in the business ,,,,,, maybe in all of sports.
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Jack Aubrey Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 8:54 am
@40YearKingsFan, I agree — there is no better sports tandem than Bob Miller and Jim Fox. I also really appreciated Foxy’s comments on Ryan Kessler (one of the few Nucks I actually appreciate), who’s known at a diver. Foxy called him out a couple of times during the game. He also called out, who was it, Bolland? The guy who speared/high-sticked Clifford and then wouldn’t fight? But then, later in the dogpile, they showed Bolland punching at Cliffy thru the pile when Cliffy had no ability to hit back because the linesmen were laying on him. Classless and unmanly, especially since he would go 1 on 1 with Clifford when challenged, and Foxy called him on it. Good stuff.
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40YearKingsFan Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 9:48 am
@Jack Aubrey, I think the Ballard/Clifford incident should be reviewed by the league and suspensions handed out to both Ballard (for his cowardly behavior on the pile) and the referees who chose to ignore both the stick intentionally up around Kyles throat, and the unsportsmanlike conduct on the pile. I always say this but,,, let’s say the Kings pulled that kind of crap, what do you figure the league response would be?
Scarletcat Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 9:21 am
@40YearKingsFan,
Totally agree about Bob and Jimmy.
Jimmy’s been letting his purple and gold come through once in a while. There was a post game show or two last year where it was very obvious he wasn’t happy with the team’s play. But, it was POST game and he wasn’t whining about the Kings being on the wrong end of calls. He was being a fan and expressing his frustration with the game played. In the past week though, there’s been two or three times when we’ve heard him cheer during game play! It’s funny because it doesn’t phase Bob in the least who continues the play-by-play without the slightest pause!
It’s been said many times, Los Angeles has been blessed with the absolute best in sports announcers: Bob, Vin, Chick and Jaime Jarrin.
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Happy New Year!
Wow! I kept telling my wife LAST SEASON the Kings needed a new coach when their play was getting very sporadic and they stopped “taking the body” on the ice.
Seems to me that our new coach is doing a excellent job so far! Great job Mr.Sutter! I am really liking the way your coaching the team! THIS IS HOCKEY! KNOCK THE OTHER TEAM OFF THEIR GAME AND WE PLAY OURS!
Thanks!
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Nice job Coach Sutter. Richards to the Kopi line and Lotki centering the speed line was absolutely brilliant. Little things. I want to call him Coach Darryl Subtle.
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Jack Aubrey Reply:
January 1st, 2012 at 8:55 am
@40YearKingsFan, Coach Subtle. Well played, sir.
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Every hit early in the game was like a body shot in the early rounds of a boxing match. They pay dividends in the third because the Cannots wanted no part of chex in the third. They wanted out of Los Angeles.
HNY. GKG. GJG! (Quickster!!!)
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New Year. New Coach. New Team.
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