Other than Mike Richards, if anyone with the Kings knows Jeff Carter best, it’s assistant coach John Stevens. Stevens was the head coach of the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms when Carter joined them late in the 2004-05, after his junior eligibility expired, and helped them to the Calder Cup. Then, Stevens took over the Philadelphia Flyers and coached Carter from 2006-09. Stevens also coached Richards during that time, and today Stevens talked about how the two players fit together…
STEVENS: “They are very different players, but they have skills sets that seem to complement each other very well.’’
Stevens talked about, from Carter’s perspective, the value of having familiarity with a new team after a trade…
STEVENS: “Even with Darryl coming in here new, the first thing you want to do is develop a relationship with your players. You want to give them direction, but you want to give them respect and let them play the game. I think the fact that we have a relationship in place kind of helps him feel comfortable, and I think it’s easier to communicate with those guys right away, instead of going through a feeling-out process. I think it’s helpful that I know Jeff and that some people are familiar with him in the organization, and the fact that he’s got a guy like Mike Richards that he’s very, very familiar with. They’re good friends and they talk all the time, so I think that will help Jeff get settled quickly.’’
Also, click below for some video interviews with Justin Williams and Willie Mitchell, with their reactions to the Carter trade…
I wonder why they even asked MR about Carter personally. They are pals. What’s he going to say? “Too much Jim Beam. Stay away.” Like asking the waiter if the filet mignon is any good.
I’m glad they got them though.
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ILLEGALSTICK33 Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 5:30 pm
@LA_1968, I bet Richards picks up Carter from LAX. As they ride of from the parking lot Richards looks at Carter and Says “you ready to do this?” He then hits play on the CD player and cranks up Tupacs California Love….
California knows how to party, California knows how to party
In the city of L.A, in the city of good ol’ Watts
In the city, the city of Compton
We keep it rockin’, we keep it rockin’
Now let me welcome everybody to the wild, wild west
A state that’s untouchable like Elliot Ness
The track hits ya eardrum like a slug to ya chest
Pack a vest for your Jimmy in the city of sex
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Mars Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
@ILLEGALSTICK33, That is awesome, I hope so.
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Adam Reply:
February 25th, 2012 at 12:44 am
@ILLEGALSTICK33, LOL
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Wayyy off topic, thought it was interesting. Just found out Daniel Tosh(Tosh.O) is a ducks fan. So cross that off the list right next too oggi’s pizza.
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g smith86 Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 5:28 pm
@jeffreyryan, yea …youre not missing much there, but Tosh O can be wickedly funny and I am not going to stop watching his show because of what Hockey team he likes
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SDGolfer Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 6:23 pm
@g smith86, Tosh O is NOT funny
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JD Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 7:03 pm
@SDGolfer, Sometimes he’s funny
number 6 Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 8:31 pm
@SDGolfer,
I saw him once. I think he said a funny joke because i think i laughed…. or at least i smiled….
……… well, my mouth opened.
DirtWeeaZle Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 10:58 pm
@SDGolfer,
He is more naked than funny on his show…
MindGeyser Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 5:30 pm
@jeffreyryan, I knew I didn’t like him for some reason as soon as I saw him.
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ILLEGALSTICK33 Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 5:32 pm
@jeffreyryan, Tosh O is also attracted to Penner…….
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Mars Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 7:12 pm
@ILLEGALSTICK33, I wouldn’t doubt it.
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Carter will hopefully have the antidote to the poison that has infiltrated the composite material in the sticks of all the Kings pl;ayers…or maybe he has a syrum that will make him rise above the confines of an out-dated system of hockey to find the back of the net inspite of it all
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number 6 Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 8:32 pm
@g smith86,
How dare you G. It isn’t that out-dated. It’s only twenty or twenty five years old….. think of how long hockey’s been around. It’s all relative.
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RLane420 Reply:
February 25th, 2012 at 8:36 am
@number 6, outdated refers to something that is no longer relevent.
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BAllen Reply:
February 25th, 2012 at 8:54 am
@RLane420, ummm…sarcasm
RLane420 Reply:
February 25th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
@RLane420, @ BAllen DUH.
Carter has to play wing…we already have like 5 guys playing out of their natural positions…oh, make that six
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number 6 Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 8:33 pm
@g smith86,
oh yeah, that doesn’t matter either…… i think they were doing that twenty years ago as well……
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All the focus should be on digging ourselves out of 10th in the west and take it one game at a time.
Calgary and Dallas are not going to let up
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Duncanz Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
@408kingsfan, add Colorado..
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Dont forget last season boys and girls….just watch, as soon as the Kings start a scorin …the Quicker will start allowin….just like the other night in Phoenix….he’s not dependable…seen too much of him in the last 3 years to trust him. Just watch…his goals allowed is going to shoot through the roof now…just my humble prediction
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YoBro Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 10:05 pm
@Kings93, So far , you can set your watch by his Feb/Mar swoon …. Please prove me wrong Quicker.
Go Kings
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Blah blah blah. See u guys on the ice. Gonna miss Loktionov. Stoll better do something good finally.
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If Sutter doesn’t put an all former Philly line together, I’m gonna lose hope of ever seeing one. Surprised it hasn’t happened yet with all the Philly obsession by Dean.
Carter-Richards-Williams, then if Gagne comes back Gagne-Richards-Carter. $ out of our top 6 are former Philly players, so if it doesn’t happen, I know Sutter is doing it on purpose. lol
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Dominick Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Darn it! 4 out of our top 6.
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crashin' da net Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 6:04 pm
@Dominick, that’s a helluva line!
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furrylats Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 5:59 pm
IIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNN WEST Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days.
(Actually I was born in Cedars Sinai, but you get the point)
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Mars Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 7:13 pm
@furrylats, HAHA! Love it.
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number 6 Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 8:35 pm
@Dominick,
Dean isn’t obsessed with Philly. He’s only obsessed with the IDEA of Philly. Which aspect I’m not sure. It might be something as simple as Kate Smith singing God Bless America. Hey Dom, that would be wicked. How about if we suggest that….. and then we can get that video of her singing it….. and they can mix it with the laser light show at Staples.
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YoBro Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 10:08 pm
@number 6, Or the aspect could be… “It’s ALWAYS sunny in Philadelphia”
Go Kings
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KC23 Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
@Dominick, Williams and Carter are both RW.
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will DS play them together….took DS a long time before he had Richards with Gagne….
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number 6 Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 8:36 pm
@neil,
There is a really knowledgeable guy who does a Philly blog. He really liked Carter alot, but that said, mentioned that he didn’t blend well with Richards…. so Kopi would be my guess.
Either that or the ghost of Loktionov. His ghost makes wicked passes.
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Jeff_R Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
@neil, Wasn’t Gagne injured before DS took over? I know Richards had just got back.
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So it looks like JJ is going to wear #7
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furrylats Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 5:59 pm
@Who Knows, he should wear minus 7
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MickSorley Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 6:11 pm
@furrylats, Ziiing!
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Christian T Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 7:27 pm
@furrylats, Kinda funny that I keep hearing about one of the most misleading stats all the time.
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furrylats Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 9:12 pm
@Christian T, It’s only misleading when the PP/SH numbers equalize. Say, if you were a minus 10 but would have been even if it included your 5 PPG and PPAssists.
It is very relevant when you dont cover opposing team’s forwards in front of the net. That’s usually bad
number 6 Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 8:37 pm
@furrylats,
Oh God
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Jeff_R Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
@Who Knows, I wonder what JJ’s plus/minus would of been had we actually scored goals?
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Great to see we moved on and re-signed Mitchell. Is it just me, or does it seem like we were balancing the checkbook (in a way) before going on a shopping spree?
I want to address the thought of “Being a King.” Everyone knows what it means to be a Red Wing or a Canadien. You relish the opportunity, and jump in with both feet. You own it. You take pride in it. It defines you. It tells people the kind of person you are and what they can expect from you before they even meet you. You wouldn’t dare dissappoint the people of your kingdon in any way. You don’t just go the extra mile, you live in the extra mile. Philly has a proud history, and Richards represents that still. Even though he has not exactly “set the world on fire” since he’s been here, he has made a difference. He has made the people around him better players in many isolated circumstances. He has a chance to spread his culture to the rest of this team.
I LOVE DUSTIN BROWN as a man, and a hockey player. I’m not sure he is the right guy to be our captain – our “KING of KINGS.” Brownie broke into the league during a time when the team was bad, and losing was acceptable. He never learned to win the big games, and never was very vocal. Leading by example is admirable, but it’s the “leading” that counts as a captain. I don’t see a lot of people following his lead. Sometimes it’s just easier to trade your captain away than to demote him…maybe it is time to let Dustin go on to greener pastures, and find the right captain to lead this team toward a new culture of winning, a culture of excellence…
Remember guys, even though we don’t hear it enough, “This is LA, our CITY our HOME…”
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MickSorley Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 6:16 pm
@GKG, That post makes a lot of sense. and I whole heartedly agree. I mentioned a DB trade scenario in another thread and was accused of something like “tearing down the banners from the rafters, firing Luc and burning down The Forum and Staples center” (not the exact quote but something like it)
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Duncanz Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 7:56 pm
@MickSorley, Lol, maybe that guy was running for president, or something!
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KC23 Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 9:02 pm
@GKG, We got a funny way of balancing the check book. JJ’s cap hit is about a million less than Carter’s.
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dodgervern Reply:
February 25th, 2012 at 12:12 am
@GKG,
yes-draw the line and can the facewash.We need a more physical players that actually fight back when the other teams start belting the Kings around.Not all fighters,just more determined and willing to scrap in front of opponents net.The season isn’t over yet and we still can make the playoffs.Get hungry.
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Thought for sure when I saw Mitchell got extended I would shortly see that Bruwnie got dealt and WM was the new captain. I’m glad that didn’t happen, but WM would be a natural choice for the C if it came available. . I don’t put a ton of tangible value on the Captain’s duties anyway. I care more about goals. Remember those?
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Rich,
Are you busy or weren’t you told Willie Mitchell got a 2 yr extension?
Can you give us details?
This move makes me REALLY REALLY HAPPY. WM is the best D we got. Period
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Rich Hammond Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 6:20 pm
http://lakingsinsider.com/2012/02/24/mitchell-extension-2-years-7-million/
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SDGolfer Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 6:24 pm
@Gustavo, Wow
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bbb7 Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 6:36 pm
Youre not keeping up with current blog events, gustavo :p
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i am distracted by the bottle of gatorade magically suspended to the wall over justin williams’ shoulder
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YoBro Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 10:15 pm
@paige, I know, Haw! And was thinkin’ maybe if we could transplant Darryl’s Guns onto JW. Man!
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CBJ is getting walloped by Colorado 5-0. Welcome JJ! In all seriousness, I really do hope JJ finds success in Columbus.
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rick Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 6:31 pm
@MickSorley, Clearly, the loss of Jeff Carter has sunk the Blue Jackets team spirit.
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Dang maybe Daryl Evans can be our enforcer…the guy is ripped!
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Mars Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 7:15 pm
@Cruiznblue, He reminds me of a Lomita or Carson Sheriff.
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Is Carter playing tomorrow? How do I find out if he in LA tonight.
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MrMister Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 10:11 pm
@DrA, hang around the bars in Manhattan Beach…..
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This one trade is not going to do it for the Kings. We have one of our top guys get hurt and are we right back where we started from?? Hows about Nash?
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Jeff_R Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 11:40 pm
@Todd Santora, Unlike last year when Kopi got hurt we had no Centers to take his place, now we got Richards and Carter. SO we are in a good place if one gets injured for any length of time (G_d forbid)…..
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