The Kings and Phoenix Coyotes combined for 62 penalty minutes last night — including four fights — but there was no carry-over to today, as the league office didn’t issue any supplemental discipline (none was really expected). Today, I asked Darryl Sutter whether he thought anything in last night’s game crossed the line, or whether it was just a physical game…
SUTTER: “I think Doan and Brown, that’s two captains that play hard, and one guy responded to the other one. That’s a respect thing, right? Then (Mike) Smith just reacted. I’m not sure if he thought (the contact from Kopitar) was late or hard or what. It was just one of those things. It was all a spin-off of (Brown’s hit on) Klesla. I really didn’t put it into anything but that. The fight in the third had zero to do with anything.”
Question: Was the hit on Fraser (by Raffi Torres) late?
SUTTER: “Torres? He’s half a second late, a lot.”
Jarret Stoll, who watched the game from the locker room, give his take on the on-ice nastiness.
STOLL: “Shane Doan is a great captain and Brownie is a great captain, and they did a great to get the game underway like that.”
One source of amusement, in all the craziness, was the fight between Mike Richards, listed at 5-foot-11, and Martin Hanzal, listed at 6-foot-6.
STOLL: “That was interesting to watch that, but he [Richards] did a great job, I thought. He has a little pit bull in him. He can hold his own against the big guys.”
Stoll maybe the rest of the team can start backing each other up.
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I wanted to throw Richards a ladder
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KingsGuy Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:06 pm
@Whodawat, HA!
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USHA#17 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
@Whodawat,
Just seeing the size difference I have to credit Hanzel as a good sport and honest player. He took it easy on Richards, just held on and didn’t make much effort to throw.
Hanzel could easily have clobbered Richards and sent him back to the concussion ward…
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 8:34 pm
@USHA#17, I’m guessing he figured things would go badly for him if he did that, and he’s probably right. Shanny seems to be more interested in who gets injured, not about why.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 8:35 pm
@USHA#17, To be clear, Richards comes out of that game with a concussion, things play out differently today.
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Kissmyblarneystones Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 1:06 pm
@USHA#17, Took it easy on him? Hanzel Pearl harbored Richie 5 seconds earlier by placing richies jaw between the glass and his shoulder. Westy should have beat his ass first chance he had!!
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Rich? Does this mean no one expects the NHL to look at those 2 hits? Just wondering.
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PRMan Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:09 pm
@fsd1, I thought the hit on Richards definitely targeted the head.
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The Puck Stops Here Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
@PRMan, He definitely targeted the head, but he (mostly) missed. Shannahan usually won’t suspend based solely on intent.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 8:33 pm
@The Puck Stops Here, That’s related to my big problem with Shanahan. He seems to be more interested in the outcome than the behavior. The outcome is somewhat random, but the behavior is what matters in the long term.
Richards has the heart of a lion. Richards and Quick have more heart than the rest of the team put together.
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puckhandler Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 2:59 pm
@KC23, True story
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variable Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:16 pm
@puckhandler,
it just makes me roll my eyes when peeps on here start talking about regretting the ricker deal…i loved simmer and still do…and give props for utilizing simmer in the situations they do…but we needed to make that deal…and i can’t imagine where we would be without richards on this team this season…he will continue to be a two-way force in the years to come…
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The Puck Stops Here Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:26 pm
@variable, PREACH!
pautna Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
@variable, Word.
puckhandler Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:43 pm
@variable, agreed on that. people can look solely at the numbers and say it was a bad deal for us, but richards has added a lot to this team. don’t get me wrong, I was a big fan of simmonds as well, but we needed a guy like ricker.
InTheCrease Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Agreed. I’d love to get Simmer back someday, though.
DD8 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:08 pm
@KC23, YEP!
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Simarosa Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:44 pm
@KC23,
Boy ain’t that the truth….
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tacomakingsfan Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 5:10 pm
@KC23,
Ditto!
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I love Lokti but he’s needs more time in Manchester…
Also, I’m still wondering why Lewis can’t hit the net for his life…
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zulov Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
@Paul G, Disagree. Lokti is at times the most effective forward on the team. It’s not his fault that our multi-millionaires can’t score. He is doing a great job on the 3rd line with a couple guys who are not known for their finishing touch. He has not been a defensive liability at all, and he hussles as much as Lewis.
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number 6 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:34 pm
@Paul G,
Because he was drafted by Dean Lombardi? He hasn’t been exactly tearing it up drafting forwards who put holes in the back of the net. In fact, virtually other than Justin Williams he hasn’t been responsible for bringing in One single twenty goal scorer in six years.
Am I correct about that? Yes almost positive that I am. Oh, sorry. Smyth scored 20+ the two years he was here. OK. So two years of Smyth and then the two permanent players would be JW and Mike Richards. Well, that’s assuming that Richards gets to 20. No guarantee he gets there as of the moment.
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number 6 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
@number 6,
btw, was referring to comments about Lewis here…. not Lokti. He is more of a playmaker and we know that going in.
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MindGeyser Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 3:23 pm
@number 6, add Handzus and Stoll.
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Kings x Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 12:15 am
@Paul G, Lewis has stoll-itis
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No problem with the festivities. That’s hackey. I did have a problem with the refs interpretation of the noncalls in a few instances. That Hanzal hit on Richards? The refs are complletely blind. It was inteference, and they blew it. Richards didn’t even have the puck, and Hanzal left his position to take a run at Richards.
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zulov Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
@Dominick, Agreed. Shanny is out to lunch though.
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KC23 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:04 pm
@Dominick, I’ve always been suspect of officials and the NHL owned Phoenix. A bit of a conflict of interest in my mind. A lesson in how to keep ownership interest up for a team the NHL is shopping.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 8:30 pm
@KC23, I’ll just say I’ve got big problems with several calls last night, and most of them involved clean hits by Kings and dirty hits by team dog poo. ‘nuf said.
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McSorleyfan Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 10:49 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, +1
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 8:31 pm
@KC23, To be clear, none of that is any excuse for the Kings getting all wrapped up in it and failing to play offense until late in the game.
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USHA#17 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:50 pm
@Dominick,
A lot of missed calls and bad calls last night. In one instance I figured the Kings were due a “makeup” power play for a bad call and instead Mitchell gets sent for a ticky tack.
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crashin'da net Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 5:30 pm
@Dominick, my point last night. And he took a run at his head but only got 50%. I’m wondering hoe MR is feeling….
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Sutter probly wishes he never left the farm. Those fights last night with the exception of the richards fight were boring. Hockey players from the old school im sure laugh at what the game has turned into. A bunch of over priced sissys scared to take a big hit or give one. Sorry im just so dissapointed in this years team i guess im just negative about everything. Hard life of a kings fan!
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von_swine Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:37 pm
@king1jason, yo man,..I feel your pain,..keep keepin real. nuthin wrong w/wanting more out of the squad after all of these years bein a fan w/no hardware to feel proud of,..Westgarth w/Nolan and Loktionov on the Power Play NOW!!!… go Kings!
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Deadendcruiser Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
@king1jason, Good post, totally agree on the over priced sissy comment. Put down the purse and drive towards the net! Get in the goalies face and ultimately in his head!
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Great physical game last night.
The only right way to respond to cheap shots is to score goals.
MR is an animal. he doesnt give a you know what who takes a cheap shot at him, he will fight for himself.
Earlier yesterday I predicted King or Nolan getting into a fight. haha They were the only two who didnt!
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KC23 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:36 pm
@Lake Forest, My guess is that King and Nolan figured and/or they were told … if you want to stay, score … tuff to do from the penalty box.
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Lake Forest Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
@KC23, I concur, but they didnt do either!
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If only Richard’s heart could score goals…he’d be leading the league.
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Sutter: The fight in the third had zero to do with anything.” He talking about Westgarth?? Guess Westgarth had to show why he is on the team? Funny he didn’t go after anyone who caused pain to his team mates, just went after the Coyote’s enforcer. That will show the other team not to mess around. :-X
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vegasking Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:45 pm
@John Roy Morgan, Agree, Westys’ presence is needed
for that reason
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nykingfan Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:05 pm
@John Roy Morgan,
That fight pissed me off. We had control of the puck in the offensive zone down a goal in the 3rd and he lets Bissonette goad him into a fight.
He needs to use that Ivy league brain right there!
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Kenny44 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 9:19 pm
@nykingfan, Exactly what I thought and posted last night. We had all the energy going for 2 straight shifts, and then our “enforcer” gives all that up and for what? To dance and duck and toss a few muffins at the body of a guy who’s not even in his class. Just awful
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Jim Martin Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 11:39 am
@John Roy Morgan, Westgarth is the biggest phoney in the NHL. The guy is a waste of a roster spot. When he is involved in a fight, he looks scared. How many times this year has he gone to bat for a teammate, NONE!
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I hate to say it, but I have a feeling Richards was playing up to the camera when he got in the fight. Were they still filming NHL 36? If so, it probably meant the Kings were playing to the cameras a little too much.
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KC23 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:43 pm
@BluLiner,
Richards reacted exactly the same way with the Florida forward gave him his concussion eariier in the season and there were no NHL 36 there. If you know anything about Richards, you know that is what he would do under the same situation with or without cameras.
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vegasking Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:48 pm
@KC23, Very true, dude,(Richards) is an animal when he needs to be
cameras or not
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BluLiner Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:56 pm
@KC23, Richards was laughing on the bench after he got out of the box. He didn’t do that with Bergenheimer.
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KC23 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 5:31 pm
@BluLiner, He had a concussion with Bergenheimer as you might recall.
BluLiner Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 7:14 pm
@KC23, we differ, thats cool.
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King Cobra Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 6:00 am
@BluLiner, You could not be more wrong. RICHARDS has that type of heart and grit every game.
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I really like Sutter, but ‘m very concerned about the Kings. Here’s my summation. I don’t care if they have 20 fights or play patty cake. They needed to win that game and didn’t. There are no moral victories. All the offensive players that have been dealt away are catching up with this team. Simmonds scored twice yesterday and has 20 goals. How many does Schenn have? 8? That’s 28 v. Richards 12? Didn’t like the trade when it happened, don’t like it now. Philly scored big. Quick continues to demonstrate he can’t win in the clutch. this is the 3rd straight year. Smith beat him yesterday, plain and simple. Yes, he gave up only one goal, but he lost when his counterpart didn’t give up any goals. Sorry, if we have an all star goalie, he needs to win like an all star. Again, no moral victories. Kings need wins. Until Quick wins when it counts, I say he is suspect to pressure performance. That’s why I keep wanting to see the Kings put Bernier in a pressure situation just once. You guys can say what you want, but until Bernier gets a chance, we won’t know if he’s better.
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vegasking Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:50 pm
@Poorman, Quick can’t win in the clutch????
Really???? IMO… disagree
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JD Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 8:16 pm
@vegasking, 0 for career in playoff series = can’t win in clutch
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Poorman Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 6:46 am
@JD, Exactly, plus stretch run performances every year. Most recent 3 games, 1 win.
QuicksDaMan Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:52 pm
@Poorman, I’m speechless.
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Ashykon Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
@Poorman, So you think bernier will have a shut out every game unless his team scores a goal? The only thing that could do that is a brick wall blocking the whole net that loses a net per goal scored. This game wasn’t by smith or lost by quick, this was a failure to capitalize when necessary. 18 skaters lost this game and quick wasn’t one of them.
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Poorman Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:04 pm
@Ashykon, Disagree. The other goalie played better. He didn’t give up any goals. Came up with a bigtime clutch winning performance. A year ago Quick losses 3 in OT in the playoffs. You all talk about how great he is. He hasn’t won 1 playoff series, and he’s faltered in stretch runs. He’s now lost two of three. I just want to see Bernier get 1 start when it really counts. Until then, it’s all speculation.
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Kings x Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 12:20 am
@Poorman, Lame
Stuart Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 8:18 am
@Poorman, gotta call BS on this one Pobre… If Richardson had any belief in himself, or maybe never played under TM, he gives that give-and-go one more go back to JW and it’s an easy back-door tap in for the 1st goal of the game and we’re up, the roof blows off the staples and we go on to win and probably go on to bigger better things… Not JQ’s fault at all, as were none of the other 7 shutouts the Kings had not shown up for…
KC23 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:57 pm
@Poorman, “I really like Sutter, but ‘m very concerned about the Kings. Here’s my summation. I don’t care if they have 20 fights or play patty cake. They needed to win that game and didn’t. There are no moral victories.”
Agree with that part.
Don’t need to comment on the rest because if I did I’d be running the risk of being moderated.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 8:28 pm
@KC23,
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Blurker Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:34 pm
@Poorman, On this team, in this system, Simmonds has 6 goals. If that many.
On the Flyers, Quick probably has 32 wins by now and the Kings are looking at a lottery pick come June.
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KinginVA Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 5:19 pm
@Poorman, Your bro-mance for Bernier is clouding all reason and sanity
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Chap Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 7:25 pm
@Poorman, I don’t understand how you can call out Quick????? Every shot we had was right at the chest of Smith…just like every other game….if we had any finishers on this lousy team Quick would be holding a Vezina trophy at the end of the year!!!!!!!!!!!
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Duncanz Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 8:05 pm
@Poorman, Dude, all that sand kicked up on Bikini Beach has gotten between your ears !
; ]
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 8:25 pm
@Poorman,
“Quick continues to demonstrate he can’t win in the clutch. this is the 3rd straight year.”
It’s stuff like that which makes no sense at all. The guy’s been playing like a man possessed, and his GAA went DOWN. You cannot pin that loss on Quick. I can’t believe you’re even serious in trying to. That, or you’re not right in the head–your pick.
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McSorleyfan Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 11:05 pm
@Poorman, Get over it; the kid’s trade bait. In fact, at this point I look forward to seeing him traded so I don’t have to see this stuff. Quick was at the blue line last night wanting to get into that scrap. Think Bernier would have? Oh wait, you’re right. We’ll probably never know, because he’s trade bait…
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Stuart Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 8:20 am
@McSorleyfan, as I told @puck73 yesterday, pobre can always become a CBJ fan and bug their blog…
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Quick sure has been itching to fight lately hasn’t he?
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crashin'da net Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 5:33 pm
@USCPsycho, he’s got a lot of pent up angst due to the no scoring!
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KC23 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 5:34 pm
@USCPsycho, Yep, the guy has heart and I believe his thinking is perhaps he can wake up his team mates. Been watching the Kings since 69 and I’m pretty close to declairing him my favorite Kings goalie of all time.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
@USCPsycho, I think he thinks when the other team’s goalie attacks someone, and everyone else on the ice finds a dance partner, it’s an unfair fight. I can understand that. As far as I’m concerned, when a goaltender goes after a player, he should be penalized, because if a play goes after him it’s going to work out that way. That, and the other goaltender has to watch and do nothing.
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Couldn’t agree more with DS about Westy’s fight in the 3rd. Didn’t accomplish a thing. Westy’s fights rarely do. Now I’m not saying that Westy is any great player but he actually is a halfway decent hockey player with a hint of ability. I don’t mind seeing him out there trying to play like a real player. But, if we’re keeping him around to “enforce”, it’s a waste of time. Frankly, he’s not very good at it.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 8:21 pm
@ZimPuck, I didn’t read him saying that. I read him saying it didn’t have anything to do with anything…that they mutually decided it was a good idea, for the hell of it or something. I didn’t read him saying anything about any effect or lack thereof.
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Wow MR’s scrap with that tall Yote last night was crazy! It reminded me of Rocky VS Drago. “If he dies he dies”. Gotta love MR’s response for a shot to the head. I just wish we weren’t on the PP.
Question? If we sign Carter do we have to change our team name to the Los Angeles Oil Flys???
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KC23 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 3:59 pm
@ILLEGALSTICK33, We’d be one step closer to a new GM.
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IceGuy Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:33 pm
@ILLEGALSTICK33,
Love the handle!
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Kenny44 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 9:24 pm
@IceGuy, I still can’t believe that actually happened, and why no one on the Kings went all George Brett over it.
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Scene from the movie Coyotes
[The final horn sounds, Kings get shutout.]
Fraser: That’s great. That’s just great, man. Now what the heck are we supposed to do? We’re in some real pretty poop now, man!
Richards: Are you finished?
Westgarth: I guess we didn’t win then?
Brown: I’m sorry, Westy.
Westgarth: You don’t have to be sorry. It wasn’t your fault.
Fraser: That’s it! Game over, man! Game over! What the heck are we gonna do now? What are we gonna do?
Richards: Maybe we could build a fire and sing couple of songs, huh? Why don’t we try that?!
Westgarth (in a little girl’s voice): We’d better get back to work because it’ll be Saturday soon, and they mostly score on game day. Mostly.
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KC23 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:04 pm
@wavesinair, Probably my favorite scene in Aliens. You got it a bit mixed up on who should say what and you missed the line … “why don’t we put her in charge” , but funny non-the less.
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wavesinair Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:50 pm
@KC23,
Great line, but different scene.
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vicarious Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:34 pm
@wavesinair, Funny, I thought the line was,
Westgarth (in a little girl’s voice): We’d better get back to work because it’ll be game day soon, and we mostly get shut out on game day. Mostly.
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wavesinair Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:50 pm
@vicarious,
Much better line!
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Deadendcruiser Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 5:21 pm
@wavesinair, LMFAO! that’s a classic blog right there!
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Kenny44 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 9:29 pm
@wavesinair,
TM as the aliens, haunting their every move.
Liwieke (as Ripley): I say we take off, and nuke the team from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
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Other than Kopi, who has been a consistent scorer for the Kings in the last several seasons? I see Brown as 20-30 guy and Frolov as the ONLY other guys that have scored at a consistent pace. Why is that? Brown is high on energy/effort and semi-talented (as pros go). Frolov was low energy/effort and high on talent.
I guess my point is that everyone on this roster is expendable aside from Kopi, Brown (and now Quick).
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I hate when we lose games! I guess we have to ride this season off as, “one bad regular season” If we make the post season, and that’s a big IF, maybe things will be different. I just can’t understand why the puck does,nt go in. DD binged one off the post, King misses from point blank range. All season it’s been like that. The chances are there. Every night it seems we run into the next hottest goalie. Mike Smith played great last night. Who in the hell is Mike Smith. Quick does his best, our “D” plays great, then JJ flops a puck up into the crowd, Boom we lose 1-0. For the love of God, life is hard being a Kings fan. Yet I sit here still with hope. I sticking by our team. I don’t care how bad it gets, I’m staying the course. I understand fans frustrations and everyone has a right to their opinions, but remember that in the playoffs the season starts anew. It’s all about making the top eight. We will be better next game and the goals are going to come. It’s called having faith!! No time to jump ship now. We all must hang on with all we got. Our time is coming!!!
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KC23 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:06 pm
@King Charles of Salt Lake, I wouldn’t of believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself. It does seem like we are snake bitten. So many chances this season and it just won’t go in.
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nykingfan Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:08 pm
@King Charles of Salt Lake,
Way to go man!
I’ve never seen anything like this before. They have golden opportunities but somehow the pucks won’t go in.
It has to stop, doesn’t it?
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BluLiner Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:27 pm
@King Charles of Salt Lake, see my post under “Friday Morning Light Skate.” I feel your pain man!
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“The fight in the third had zero to do with anything.” Finally a coach that calls it like it is.
When has Kevin Westgarth ever have a fight that’s meant anything? There’s nothing I’d like more than to see him on the waiver wires with Hunter. He’s a waste of a spot on our roster. By the way… Wayne Simmonds scored his 19th and 20th goals last night. And probably got in a fight that “meant something” too.
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This team will continue to fail until the definition of success is revised.
If you ask the players/ coaches/ management what their criteria for success is for 2012, the only answer with any clarity is likely about “making the playoffs”.
We all know that AEG is not happy that they did so the last 2 seasons only to get bounced out of the first round. However, when was the last time you heard DL/ Sutter/ TM/ Luc/ Hextall/ anybody in the organIzation explicitly state that not getting past the first round in the playoffs would be considered not reaching their goals?
What does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Everything…
The lack of urgency with the Kings in the recent road trip is due to the false sense of security in seeing that they were “in the playoffs”. My point is, as long as they set the bar this low, being within the top eight in the conference, this is all you’ll get.
In other words, until management actively sets the bar higher, these players will only do enough to get in under the “8-team” wire. How pathetic!
For a group with little or no heart, this is the wrong message.
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If there was any urgency with this team, they should have scored when they got PP time early in the game.
If there was any heart in this team, they would have continued making life difficult for Smith right after he lost his temper and bear-hugged Kopitar. Instead, the Kings backed off…
Like it or not, the Coyotes came to LA and made them their (own)!
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ILLEGALSTICK33 Reply:
February 17th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
@FdoFmFull, Kopi should have used that moment to spark his play as well! He went into a shell. He shrunk. We need the old Kopi back! The one who went hard in the dirty areas and croseed the crease hard from the boards.
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Stuart Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 8:29 am
@ILLEGALSTICK33, how far back do we have to look for that “old Kopi?” when he played in Sweden? Since he’s been a king I could probably count using both hands the number of times he took it hard to the net (not when he’s burned a Dman and had a clear path to the net, but actually took it to the crease while it was occupied by defenders)… it’s just not AK’s game and i’m afraid it never will be… the only upside, and I mean ONLY, is that he doesn’t take the punishment and rarely gets hurt.
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Kings x Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 12:22 am
@FdoFmFull, He said scored, that’s funny
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No suspensions? How about that elbow to the head on Richards from Hanzal?
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Kings x Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 12:22 am
@Kings4Life, same with Torres on frasier
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“Torres? He’s half a second late, a lot.”
Bingo. He needs more severe punishment than he’s gotten so far.
Richards had some real guts, taking on Hanzal.
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Stuart Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 8:32 am
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, I didn’t know Hanzal was a feared scrapper??? I think DB had more guts accepting Doan’s invitation. DB must’ve known he would take that beating, much respect to DB for that. Yes, Hanzal had 2 feet on MR, but MR handled it well and actually snuck more than a few hits in there while Hanzal did not.
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The problem with the Kings is the first line. Kopitar is not a playmaker. The Kings have tried a lot of forwards with him and their production on the first line falls off. At best he is a second line center. He doesn’t like to do the things it takes to be a first line center. He doesn’t like to get his hands dirty. How many times have you seen him crash the net or drop his gloves. A goal tender kicked his butt the other night and he did nothing but put a spark in the opposing team. Its time for the Kings to evaluate what they have in Kopitar and make adjustments on this first line.
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Stuart Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
@Jim Martin, if he wasn’t homegrown, I’d think he’s be the 2nd center by now.
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MindGeyser Reply:
February 18th, 2012 at 3:40 pm
@Jim Martin, when those same forwards move to a line with a different center (Stoll, Handzus, Richards, Richardson, Lewis), do they improve their scoring (hint: not really)? I think Kopitar has a fair amount of growth left in his game, but let’s not get crazy here.
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