Darryl Sutter’s postgame thoughts…
(on the game…)
SUTTER: “When you hold a team like that down, and score three goals, you should win.’’
(on the breakdowns on the late goals…)
SUTTER: “Mike (Richards), instead of putting it back (in his zone) on the tying goal, should take it out of the zone. It’s simple. They’re at the end of their shifts, all three of them, him and Robbie (Scuderi) and Drew (Doughty). I think it was the same thing on the last one, too. It was the same three guys down low in coverage. Franzen makes a great play to Helm, and the Zetterberg line was pretty good all night.’’
(on the missed opportunity…)
SUTTER: “I thought we played pretty well here tonight. The way we played tonight, if we had played that way last night, we would have gotten points last night. That’s how I think we responded.’’
(on whether he is worried about the team’s psyche…)
SUTTER: “We have to get ready for Chicago.’’
(on Mike Richards’ struggles…)
SUTTER: “He’s playing a lot of minutes. We need our big centermen. We talked again this morning. You need your centermen to be dominant players in the middle of the ice. Kopi, I didn’t see the minutes tonight, but Kopi and Mike and Jarret, they’ve all got to be major contributors.’’
(on Jeff Carter’s game…)
SUTTER: “Power-play goal and good opportunities. It was a tough night for him last night, going back into that building. It was probably harder than anybody talked about. I think he responded really well tonight.’’
Richards cost us the game………
Defense needs to wake up!!
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uknojata Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:50 am
@KingsFanFTW, doughty and scuds were on the ice for all four goals against.
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King Cobra Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 7:12 am
@KingsFanFTW, I can no longer defend Richards play, but DOUBTy cost us the game!!!
Drew Doubty SUCKS!!! The guy was right in the middle of every single goal breakdown.
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SpunkyTheBeagle Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 8:22 am
@King Cobra, I know we signed him to a boat load of $$$$, but to make a point, DS should sit him. Definitely not playing like one of the best D men in the league. He needs to “man up”….
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 9:02 am
@SpunkyTheBeagle,
I thought sitter would bench him after that stupid drop pass late in the second on the pp. He did it to kopi and brown…why not drew and Richards?
pitty Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 8:49 am
@King Cobra, In that game Doughty made me miss Modry. He struggled all night and yet he’s out there at the end of the game. To be honest i miss those days when a coach didn’t worry about a players confidence if you didn’t play well you didn’t play. Coaches now a days are more like their mothers ie your doing great get back in there don’t worry about your mistakes it’s about having fun. Great coaches like Bowman would never survive today.
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Duncanz Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 3:52 pm
@pitty, Mike ‘I’m still right here if anybody needs me’ Keenan also sends his regards.
I am going to trade in all of my gold stock and buy stock in anti-perspirants because DL and the coaching staff have got to be sweating like crazy.
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Duncanz Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:04 pm
@DesertKing,
(on whether you and the brass will be sweating …)
SUTTER: Not really. If you can play games in Florida and get through a tough lambing season, you don’t really sweat much.
(on your best players being your best players …)
SUTTER: Well, you got Brownie out there getting a few shifts in and we don’t have best players and others. The kids can be your best players too … right?
(on the devastating cold snap blanketing Western Canada possibly killing off large numbers of livestock …)
SUTTER: If they lived in Florida they’d be doing just fine. We’ve got a game In Chicago to get ready for.
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TheAcaciaStrain Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:15 pm
@Duncanz, hahaha
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DesertKing Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
@Duncanz,
Very funny!
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Kissmyblarneystones Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:33 am
@Duncanz, Genious!!!
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Chrtistian T Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:20 pm
@DesertKing, I doubt it. The owners would not have allowed Sutter to be hired if they were letting Dl go at the end of the season. A pretty good core group of guys has been put together. There is good salary structure and while there will be changes I’d expect to see it at the player level.
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:57 pm
@Chrtistian T, Another reason why I dont think DL is fired is he was allowed to bring in a guy for 10 years in Carter. You don”t sign off on a trade like that if you are thinking of firing your GM.
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Stuart Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:01 pm
@Jeff_R, too true. And I wouldnt mind when he stays as long as he becomes a litte more flexible with his “philosophy” because the roster is only a small few pieces short of stacked at this point. I will trust DL for one more year.
FroFan Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 8:17 am
@Jeff_R, I completely agree. That’s not a contract ownership takes on if DL is on the hot seat.
Jeff_R Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 8:31 am
@Stuart, I do feel that DL is flexible and has allowed or listened to DS in opening up the offense, especially with the addition of Carter. They are playing a more wide open game now, going to the net more and the slot and working through the middle of the ice more then the boards. It is a work in progress, probably the biggest reason for our lapses defensively and uncharteristc mistakes. I do believe they will fix these defense problems and mistakes and go forward to the playoffs. If by chance they don’t make it they will be disappointed, but if they continue playing like this next season and opening up the offense even more while keeping the defensive structure they will have a much better year next season.
Waterndirt Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 7:10 am
@DesertKing, Anyone interested in hiring a sky writing company to help us fans convey our thoughts about the coaching staff/philosophy to management? Just think how fun that would be…!!!!
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You cant be serious, blaming Richard’s troubles on his ‘playing a lot of minutes.” He’s averaging less TOI than he did his seasons in Philly. His ability to make quick decisions and quick plays is way off; face it!
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 9:02 pm
@bbb7, well he did made a pretty good goal by his awesome pass to Detroit that ended up back of our net…
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Jose Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 9:05 pm
@bbb7, Doughty…Richards and Scuderi were horrible. Richards had a chance to make up for his horrible mistakes and he misses TWICE in the slot toward the end! I loved Doughty’s game a couple of years ago, but man he is overated and OVERPAID!
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:01 pm
@Jose, To blame Scuderi and Drew on the 3rd goal is absolutely wrong. That goal is on Richards. I have no idea what he was thinking passing it back into the zone instead of passing it out. The last goal was basically the same. You have to keep your shifts short and make better decisions at the end of long shifts so that you dont put your defenseman, Scuderi and Doughty in bad positions.
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TiredOfIt Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 1:15 am
@Jeff_R, You mean like the position Drew was in the night before when he was behind the net alone when a goal was scored? Of course
vinny Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 1:35 am
@Jeff_R, turnovers happen and in the end scuds left the front of the net to go after the guy in the corner and doughty got beat to the front, so not absolutely wrong to blame them. gotta make smarter decisions out there for sure by all
NE kings fan Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 6:15 am
@Jose, win and lose as a team I know its corny but quick should of made some saves too he’s been great but that doesebt mean he can’t slip tim to time if he was playing lights out iike he was earlier we would be the /th seed not the 9th but thanks quick for atleast carrying the team to this point let’s go out and score 4 goals a night and hope quick won’t let in 4 goals on 15 shots
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I like Sutter. He still protects his players even when they don’t play well. But I can tell you, that won’t last long.
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This loss wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t choke away another game against a team that they should’ve beaten last night. For as much of a Lombardi supporter as I am, I can see the writing on the wall for Dean. The locker room needs to change. They need to get guys in there that know and will beat teams they should and beat playoff teams. I have questioned the locker room leadership and these two losses I’m looking at you Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, and Matt Greene. You guys are just too soft on the team and need to public show how ticked off you are when you lose. I don’t see leadership that hates to lose, they just accept it. That is truly unacceptable.
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Stuart Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 9:18 pm
@Mike J., to be a fly on that wall… Who thinks there was yelling and hashing things out? I personally think it was as quiet as a morgue, players just getting ready to get out of town and play out the string. No emotions, no talking, no hearts. That’s truly how I see this thing going down… in the MR quotes he said he was a leader on this team? I wonder how…
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northern fan Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 6:43 am
@Mike J., Kopi ia soft – on and off the ice. Why would you expect leadership off the ice when he doesn’t show it on the ice?? With his toi he should be able to give alot more that he is at present. When do you ever see him battle along the boards or in the corners and come up with the puck??
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crashin'da net Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 10:18 am
@northern fa what? unfortunarely that’s all he’s been doing andhe’s tired of it.
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Every time the got a lead, they failed to put the puck in the offensive zone and keep it there.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 9:07 pm
…they…every time THEY got a lead…
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bbb7 Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 9:22 pm
@What’s the frequency, Kenneth?, They used to be good at protecting leads, now they seem lost. DD especially seems to have no concept of game situation and constantly skates out of position when he should never let someone get inside on him in the slot. He’s not trustworthy in game-on-the-line situations, nor is Richards at the moment.
I sometimes wonder about DS’s philosophy, When the Kings are trailing in the lat stages of the 3rd period, he’ll still send out his checking lines, and when they are AHEAD, good fast checkers like Lewis sit.
I didnt see Clifford much in the 3rd; perhaps he’s in the doghouse?
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na na na na, na na na na hey hay dean good bye.
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Shuchuk Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 9:51 pm
@soureen, Because you can’t fire the players.
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Gut-check game…
Same as it ever was, season flowing underground…
Not enough will to win on this team.
DET scored 4 goals on 15 shots…
The tying & winning goals were made on willpower alone.
Kings do not have what it takes to face down a good team in a big game.
I am bitterly disappointed.
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rick Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:56 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy, Well said. This has been the most painful year I can remember in many years of watching the Kings. Many offseason changes needed in management and in the locker room. It was one thing when we didn’t have talent. It is a bigger problem when we don’t have heart, I am disgusted.
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does anybody remember seeing Paul Coffey in his last year in the league? remember the way he skated around the ice? That’s exactly what MR looks like lately. Something is wrong with him.
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Dominick Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:02 pm
@Stuart, That was painful to watch. Come to think of it…..
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Stuart Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:03 pm
@Dominick, dude it was humiliating for the HOFer! I distinctly remember thinking “how can he need the money this bad?”
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northern fan Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 6:45 am
@Dominick, Maybe he is finding out that the west is a much tougher conference than the east. Maybe some time on the pine would act as a motivator
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Hat trick Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
@Stuart, I think he’s been bugging Deano about a trade for the past several months.
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Couple of lucky bounces…..bad calls….bad non calls….its a tough league…..I guess we already parked and now we need to ride…..
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Kings lost a HUGE game to team with their “B” players.
We were less then 5 minutes away from being in the 7th seed and now we are 10th!!!!
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“I thought we played pretty well here tonight”
Are you kidding me? Why, were we trying to lull them to sleep? And when we needed to play our best 20-minutes of the season we had how many shots in the 3rd? If that’s playing pretty well, against Detroit’s farm team, for these guys, then we need some new guys next year!
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crashin'da net Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 10:32 am
@KingsOfLA, he cannot expect anyone to believe that can he? We were absolutely humiliated, insulted, made out to be the total total buffoons that we are. I am digusted with this yeam right.now. Can’t even beat the DET farm team. I cando that for $7mm in my spare time. Grand theft.
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Well let’s see what this team can do next year. As of now they are not a playoff team.
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adanac Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 9:44 pm
@Dazed N Confused, And we have no draft picks. We poured everthing but the sink into what we now have on the ice.
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Fire Lombardi, & have him take Kompon, Sutter, and this God-awful system of his with him. May God help this cursed franchise.
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The team played an absolutely great game, until the end. 4 goals strait down the middle from a team that prides itself on being a puck possession team, and making plays between the dots. I’m shocked that no on the Kings coaching staff saw that coming, and tried to figure out how to stop it.
Chicago is another possession team. Lets not have the same problem the next game please.
Also, I’ve been saying since the summer, the Kings play better when the tempo is fast, and get dominated when the tempo is slow. Fox mentioned that Detroit had slowed the game down constantly tonight.
Seems like the last couple of teams have figured out how to play the Kings perfectly, and neutralize them without a lot of talent in the line up.
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Stuart Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 9:38 pm
@Dominick, you’ve been saying “teams have figured out how to play the Kings perfectly” for a long time now Dom, it almost sounds like you’ve come to peace with it…
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Dominick Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 9:48 pm
@Stuart,
Teams definately know how to defend against their offensive game. Everybody talks about how great we are defensively, but no one mentions how great teams play us defensively. Being 29th (30th most of the season) means that even though we defend well, teams equally defnd us just as well, so we gain nothing.
Screw this defense first system. I don’t want to be the Florida Panthers of the 90′s. I want a system that wins cups.
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PP Anybody? Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:17 pm
@Dominick, How can you say it’s system? We have Crater now.
PP Anybody? Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:18 pm
@Dominick, Haha. Crater. Or is it Carter? Hmmm…
Duncanz Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:38 pm
@Dominick, How about them ’95, ’00, or ’03 Devils?
Now those were teams with a system!
Dominick Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:55 pm
@Duncanz,
The Red Wings have played a Possession Left Wing lock system since the late 80′s. That system still holds to the same principles of puck possession today, and as shown tonight, can still win with a skeleton crew.
How many Cups have they won since? How many times have they been dominant in a season? Vancouver switched to a Left Wing lock system, and has dominated the league ever since they made the change. No cup yet, but my point is still valid.
Nearly all the highest scoring teams in the league play a Possession style. The only 2 management teams (Philly, and Boston) aren’t even complete management teams, but hybrids.
I want a Possession game, with plays down the middle of the ice like Detroit did to us 4 times tonight. Not 29th in offense, and 3rd in defense. Heck! Detroit is 4rth, and yet they score goals. They don’t play defense first, but are defensively sound while being dangerous offensively.
Defense first can win, but Balance wins more.
Duncanz Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:59 pm
@Dominick, I guess I caught you in a pretty sober state of mind. I feel the same deep down.
I couldn’t agree with you more on your ideals.
It would be great to be a freer-wheeling offensive shock-and-awe (sorry) type of outfit. I love watching the DETs, VANs, BOSs, PITs at their blustering best.
Of course, as we stand, we are more apt to aspire to a smothering, shutdown, less-is-more type of minimalism like the NJDs were in the 90′s, teams I also admired very much, by the way. And sure they did only win 3 times, but they won, with great players, coaching, organization, etc,etc. The argument is endless.
I know that deep in your heart you comprehend only too well where we are after tonight’s affair, as far as our immediate realistic chances.
So without resorting to complicated technical jargon (which I’m not very good with), can you answer me this;
Why does it look to me like my/our players (systems aside) are sandbagging as if they actually wish to lose???
I’m not kidding. If I were a smidge more paranoid, I’d be screaming conspiracy right now?
Am Iosing it?
Dominick Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 1:42 am
@Duncanz,
Without getting too technical, it comes down to imposing your will.
Some of it is Coaching.
If a team knows how you are going to move the puck, they’ll figure out how to slow you down, and make it impossible to move the puck. Imagine your on a football team, and the other team has your play book. No matter how hard you work, or how well you execute your plan, the other team will always be 1 step ahead of you.
In Columbus, they were blocking everything the Kings were throwing at the net. Is Columbus perticularly good at blocking 2/3rds of the shots in a game? No. They new the Kings concentrate their shots from the point, and look for rebounds, and they were 1 step ahead of the shooters all night long.
Some of it is players.
Even in a flawed system, players have to score when they have an open net. When their 30ft out, and it’s just them, and the goalie, they have to beat that goalie.
Some of it is organization.
The Kings play teams that they scout well (and tonight they had Detroit scouted out well, but lost it at the moment of truth). Teams you know they haven’t scouted well are the teams that they have no answer for when the game starts.
Some of it is adjustment.
Detroit in the first got schooled. In the second, they made adjustments, and the play was a little more even because the Kings didn’t adjust well. In the third, Detroit figured out how to make their system work, and took over when they got down. The Kings didn’t adjust well again, and Detroit scored all 4 of their goals from the middle of the ice.
Letting in the first 2 goals from amazing plays down the middle (it happens), but with the game on the line, they let Detroit score 2 more, the exact same way, and lost.
Duncanz Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 2:26 am
@Dominick, Ok! Ok! I got it the first time!
I didn’t mean to be removing any of your corsican (that might’ve been one of @Stuart’s) fangs or anythin, but that was a lavish breakdown from your celestial dimension.
In the meantime, I am suffering my own breakdown from not being able to get past this on-ice sandbagging impression I’m getting from certain ‘I’m-not-Maurice’ quarters …
There’s no actual sabotaging in hockey is there??
Anyhow, cheers Buster. Info-licious!
I guess
It’s a time for a few important words, not a whole lot of talk. So…Can we get Terry Murray back? Can we get Pee Wee Herman to replace Dean Lombardi? I can’r remember if Pee Wee Herman is still alive but that won’t make any difference. Should we prefer a certified orpse, we can get the guy from “Weekend at Bernie’s.” He even looks just like Lombardi.
Lombardi has been building and building his perfect playoff team for years and then decided to break it up even before it was finished. And no angst is heard from Tim Leiweke. He’s too busy building another Anschutz arena in Outer Mongolia.
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Stuart Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
@Royal Throne, and odds are that youl’ll see uncie Phil at a game there before you see him at a game at staples…unless there happens to be a shareholders meeting on the same night as a Kings game…
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Jack Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 8:27 am
@Royal Throne, i dont know how he can build anything if he never played it or coached it…That is mind boggling.
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Mr. Sutter, if players are supposedly accountable, scratch MR. He’s been stinkin’ up the join for some time now. Much love, MmmmYummy
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You guys are right Richards does look lost and different ever since that concussion against Florida he hasn’t been the same but that’s the kings luck that happened to Jason Allison & Adam Deadmarsh they both suffered concussions and there careers ended that looks like that will happened to Richards and already had happen to Gagne …..The Kings should trade Richards for Paul Stanley of Colorado or a prospect in the draft to get younger
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Hat trick Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:11 pm
@filip88, “The Kings should trade Richards for Paul Stanley of Colorado or a prospect in the draft to get younger”
So that’s what he’s been doing when he’s not fronting for his band Kiss anymore?!?
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Duncanz Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:12 pm
@filip88, The problems really started when we traded Gene Simmons away to Philadelphia!
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Why is Fraser still playing put back Nolan please it should be like this
line 1 Brown Kopiter Williams
Line 2 King Richards Carter
Line 3 Penner Stoll Nolan
Line 4 Clifford Richardson Lewis
Take out Frasier
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Cruiznblue Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:40 pm
@filip88,
Agreed…Nolan should be in the lineup…big body w/ skill.
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Stuart Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:47 pm
@filip88, I’m tending to agree with you at this point. Fraser provided a spark earlier in the season, but maybe e-he’s a few too many head shots? I could see that 4th line, with TL in the middle.
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TiredOfIt Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 1:21 am
@filip88, Fraser is a constant mistake out there…how do you sit a kid like nolan for fraser? Ridiculous
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vinny Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 1:43 am
@TiredOfIt, bring back lokti!
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mike Richards and Dustin penner both suck and are the worst trades in kings history
Go KIngs
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Not a negative word about Richards. Call out Kopitar, call out Brown but don’t call out the guy that has one more goal than i do in 2012.
Ridiculous.
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Kingstane9 Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 1:57 am
@Dave,good one, so true man…
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KC23 Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 11:57 am
@Dave, Amen.
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Let’s face it Richards is Way Overrated. He was good for the team in the beginning but he’s fallen off a cliff so much that he’s almost invisible. And with that really stupid play down low it cost the team a win. Good job there Richards you’re the man!
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Sure would be nice to hear what Ownership thinks of this team….
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Duncanz Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:07 pm
@John Roy Morgan, Profitable
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TheAcaciaStrain Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:18 pm
@Duncanz, Great answer
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Cruiznblue Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:40 pm
@John Roy Morgan,
Looks like games are selling out…so I’m sure they’re content…
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crashin'da net Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 10:39 am
@Cruiznblue, not next year
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TiredOfIt Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 1:23 am
@John Roy Morgan, Keep buying season tickets and the answer will take care of itself
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I can’t believe it! kings had the game! Lost to the jackets! 4pts gone! Sorry, 30 years same old same old! Except for the 1st five years the great one was around!
I’m just glad I’m a hockey fan 1st, suffering less being a King fan, well, not true
2nd I’m a king fan, but it’s getting sickening…
3rd I love Cali hockey & it looks like all 3 Cali teams are going to be out of playoffs, not good for califorina hockey!
Just tried of this team that hasn’t done much since 1967! now clippers are more popular! WOW! Sad…
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Duncanz Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:26 pm
@Sammuch, It’s ok. Just imagine if you were a LAKERS fan right now!
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Now that my blood pressure is down, the way I see it is:
Overall, progress has been made, Since the trade, we are in almost every game but we still lack the great skating skill players that can create separation and finish. Detroit displayed them at the end and that was the difference. Carter and King have been a huge help but we are still a couple of stars short. Even last year we did not belong on the ice with St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, San Jose and Vancouver. This year, even before the trade, we were much more competitive. We have closed the gap, skill wise, but there is still a gap. Richard’s and Gagne’s oncussions have had a significant impact.
This team is not a fixer-upeer, but it still needs upgrades
The organization is surely at fault for still being this far away after all this time. Most likely AEG dose not supply the resources necessary in scouting, drafting, player development, etc. that it takes to compete with the elite teams. In every sport, organizations identify, acquire, develop, coach and retain or dispose of talent, scout opposition, provide actionable information, and nurture a culture of excellence. As fans we can see the play on the ice, but lack access to to the internal guts of the organization. So we can only judge results without the ability to pinpoint specifics. But the failure to timely build a winner, much less win consistently, points directly to AEG. Organizations win championships. It is surely not for lack of available financial resources but for lack of priority and focus. A big free agent or two are not enough. You need stars in the IT dept. in the front office, in the back office, in the weight room, on the road, etc.
Not too many champions are built by owners who live in another state, who only occasionally talks to a few people in the organization, rarely bothers to come to the teams games, never talks to fans or the press, has no personal roots in the community and for whom the team is practically a footnote on his financial statement.
Imagine a general who didn’t visit the battle field, never talked to the troops, didn’t supply the best equipment and was part-time in the military while pursuing another full time occupation.
Any reasonable King fan should adjust his/her expectations of what can be achieved by this broken business model and enjoy hockey for hockey’s sake, conceding that as long as AEG owns this franchise, the Kings fortunes will fluctuate between mediocrity and marginal success (maybe).
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Dominick Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:42 pm
@JackKent Cooke,
AEG is spending $63.671 million, and some change on this teams pay roll. They also bank roll one of the deepest pipelines in the league, and I believe are one of the only teams in the league to own their own minor league teams to support their parent team.
They built own, and operate the Kings practice facility, and own the building the Kings play in, and have developed the surrounding area so that it’s a thriving metropolis instead of the ghetto slums we used to drive through to go to Kings games.
They have stayed out of the Hockey operations for the most part, and any financial backing DL has asked for, he has got. There might be more to it, and that part of the franchise I don’t look at as deeply, but these guys care, and want a winner.
These have, been hands down, the best owners we’ve ever had here, and I wish just like with Bob Miller, we could give them a championship they so richly deserve. Unfortunately, I don’t see it happening unless a miracle graces our presence this season. We’ll be lucky to make the playoffs (which in itself will be a miracle), but the owners are doing their part.
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Duncanz Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:12 pm
@JackKentCooke, @Dominick,
Two very thoughtful posts there.
Congrats, guys.
I’m going to leave it to reknowned, sporadic blogster @AEGwillnotwinthecup (or something to that effect) to cast the deciding vote here!
Incidentally, being a whippersnapper, and therefore not around at the time, how was JKC actually as an owner? I’m curious.
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JackKentCooke Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:50 pm
@Duncanz,
The problem with both Cooke and then Buss as owners of the Kings, we’re that they both concurrently owned the Lakers who were successful from the beginning so most of their focus and resources were devoted to the Lakers. They never invested adequately to provide quality management or competitive players for the Kings. Cooke was a colorful character whose background was newspaper publishing in Canada; hence the name Forum (as in Montreal) which he built in Inglewood. At the te he bought the Kings there were 300,000 Canatians living in So. Cal. and he thought the Kings would have a Built-in fan base. Attendance for King games struggled during his ownership, and after he sold them he said he concluded that all the Canadians who had moved here must have done so because they hated hockey.
Cooke had an owner’s box just above the first level of seats that accommodated about 20 people. He dresses like an English gentleman and his wife and friends were mostly refined.
When Buss took over, the make-up of the owner’s box took on a new character with Buss in jeans an a different harem of girls 25 and under nightly. Life isn’t fair as we King fans know all too well.
To buy the Lakers, Kings ans the Forum, Mariani Buss sold substantial Samta Monica real estate holdings. The buyer was Don Sterling who still owns them all as well as many more.
Sorry for rambling on. Be careful when asking an old coger about the past.
Stuart Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:46 am
@JackKent Cooke, nice bit of info there, thanks for the read.,
Duncanz Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 1:10 am
@JackKentCooke, Ha ha haa, the divide probably isn’t as much as you’d think.
I wonder what it would be like if Carlos Slim moved here and turned Staples into the New Azteca or something.
Pity the treasonous snowbirds gave him the snowboot in his freshly pressed rump like that, wasn’t it? Must’ve set So Cal hockey back a bit. At least we didn’t paint our skates golden yellow and become like The Seals!
I didn’t get the timeline but why was he partial towards The Lakers? Was he more a businessman than a patriot? I guess that is self-evident really.
Thanks for that rambling and fascinating retrospective.
I guess consulting Robbins might be a good way to escape the confines of the Wildesque one-liners.
It could also be something you hit upon.
Good job. Tonight you were the forum-most authority!
Kissmyblarneystones Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 1:21 am
@Duncanz, Very True!!! The Kings bore the brunt of the operating costs of the Forum, while the Lakers represented the gravy. After the Lakers/Celtics cash bonanza of the mid 80′s, Dr. Jerry saw a way out and at first sold to a portion of the Kings very astute Canadian coin merchant with very good ideas. I’ll never forget the day Gretzky was traded to the Kings. We in LA had never seen anything like it before. Gretzky scored within 3 minutes of his first game as a King. He was special, but for me McSorley was the show. He let it be known immeadiatly that things would not be the same in LA. And I/We all ate it up. His first year I think he recieved 386 PIM. Nicholls, Luc, Taylor became scoring machines, and if any of them got touched, Marty was there to sort it out.
Those were great times for LA Hockey and sadly we’ll never see it again, mostly because it has become a skill league. No more smash mouth hockey, with the result being fewer dominating franchises. I get teary eyed just thinking about it.
Duncanz Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 1:52 am
@kissmyblarneystones, Ahh yes … #33 was doing his dastardly darnedest when I first appeared on the scene. I even got to attend a few games at the forum and although I have only foggy memories I will always cherish the experience.
Wow, August 1988 must have been electric, people celebrating in the streets, etc!
Incidentally, McNall was supposedly born in Arcadia, CA, but I wouldn’t necessarily believe that either, without an authenticated long-form certificate to prove it!
Kissmyblarneystones Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 11:08 am
@Duncanz, My bad bro!! I lived in Toronto for a period in the mid 90′s and he was in the press so much due to his affiliation with #99, I could’ve sworn he was being passed off as a “Real Canadian”, eh?
Stuart Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:13 pm
@Dominick, I don’t know Dom, this battle will wage for ever. I’m not a big fan of PA and AEG, others disagree. Its not something to attack or defend it just is what it is.
@JackKent Cooke, I like what you’re saying and agree with a lot of it…but until we know what is paid, on average for different tier orgs, around the league and match up figures with Uncie Phil we’ll never know if AEG is skimiping on the nuts and bolts, just falshing around the fiberglass body… otherwise, I’d just like to keep assuming blindly that there are more so-so scouts than great/consistently lucky ones and the Kings organization has just never lucked out in that department…
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JackKentCooke Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:08 am
@Stuart,
Temporary success can be a function of luck. Sustained success never is.
Atlanta and St . Louis in baseball are examples.
JackKentCooke Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
@Dominick,
Respectfully, the things you mention are largely real estate related which is the real focus of this ownership. The things I’ m referring to are operational. It’s like someone built a state-of-the- art theater only to run B-movies. Professional sports is littered with great stadia and losing or mediocre teams. No one ever said, “If you build it, they will win”.
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KC23 Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:00 pm
@Dominick, Excellent take. The Kings have a lot of problems, but ownership is definately NOT one of them.
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Kings x Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:06 am
@JackKent Cooke, Get rid of doughty and gagne and the
We can afford a couple of stars. Cause neither of them are helping us win games
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TiredOfIt Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 1:31 am
@JackKent Cooke, I see that all the replyers cleverly left out the fact that the best owner this franchise ever had was Bruce McNall. Say what you will, but at least his heart was in the right place
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TiredOfIt Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 1:33 am
@TiredOfIt, Sorry Kissmyblarney…I missed your Canadian coin merchant comment
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Kissmyblarneystones Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:28 pm
@TiredOfIt, No Probs, But I stand corrected. He was actually a closet Canadian fron Arcadia, Calif.
Dominick Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 2:02 am
@TiredOfIt,
I have mixed feelings when it comes to McNall.
His heart was in the right place, and he wanted to win more than anything, but his financial troubles left this team in disarray, and financial ruin (not to mention bankrupcy) for what seemed like an eternity for those of us who lived through it.
Watching owners come in, just to sell the team off in pieces to stay afloat. Watching the McMaster fire sales. Seeing Gretzky (a major Mcnall achievment) retire a Ranger.
He will always be a great owner, and a destroyer of franchises both in the same breath. We didn’t recover, and move to Staples, and have the farm system that we have until the current owners bought the team.
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Kings Fan In Temecula Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 8:33 am
@Dominick, Thats kinda sad to realize, thats just the way this teams been run and ran, seems like we cant catch a real break
KC23 Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
@Dominick, McNall was a theif first of all and that is all that needs to be said. No end justifies that means ever. Absolute disgrace.
Kissmyblarneystones Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
@Dominick, @KC23. There’s no getting around that one.
Choke all the way. Richards had opportunities to win and lose the game. We all saw what happened. Call it like it is. This team is fading when it counts.
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I thought we are comfortable with one goal lead going into the 3rd period. Tonight we had a late 3rd period goal, and all we had to do was shut it down for 7 minutes but blew it. I haven’t seen the breakdown like this for a long time. Some people said this team’s defense was improved after the trade. Clueless, aren’t ya? This is why you don’t say a thing before it’s proved to be true.
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Dominick Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 10:26 pm
@goldielocks, lol
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Duncanz Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:15 pm
@Dominick, You’ll get yours.
Grrrrr.
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Tell a guy a 100 times to double back with a pass back into your zone to regroup because it’s the safer play, then get mad when he does it and it turns out to be the game losing move. Bravo. I see where this whole season and management team is headed..
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bbb7 Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:11 pm
@PP Anybody?, Double back, sure, but geez look where you’re passing! He gave it directly away. His play is so sloppy nowadays.
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Dominick Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:24 am
@PP Anybody?, Ya know? I was thinking the same thing when he did it. That regroup is very ingrained into these guys now, and that was exactly what it looked like he was doing. That play where DD just left the puck on a drop pass in the middle of the ice with an opposing player skating at him 5ft away. The whole team is making automatic plays, without reading the situation.
Their reacting instead of thinking, and relying on auto pilot, instead of reading, and making plays. Very uncreative.
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Duncanz Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:43 am
@Dominick, You make them sound like total automatons ….
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PP Anybody? Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:58 am
@Dominick, Exactly. That’s what really gets to me this season. All the positioning is so scripted, and there is no room for error. Same non-reads/automatic things happen in the offensive zone, too. The in on the fore-check, retrieve the puck, pass back up along the boards to the blue line is such an automatic, that the guy digging the puck out often throws it blindly up when there isn’t even a guy stationed at the point to hold it in so it comes back out into the neutral zone. Regroup back into the D-zone, wait for the perfect breakout, repeat. Also, these plays are so automatic, that every other team has obviously scouted them out, too. All a team has to do, is send a guy to the half boards on any given cycle, and just wait for the puck to come up to him. They also can keep five guys down low against the cycle, because there is no threat of a D man coming down the middle of the slot as a trailer, or even cheating in 10 feet from the blue line for most of the game.
I dunno, maybe Sutter will look at that move and realize that players making reads is more important than following structure. I guess that’s all we are left with at this point.
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Dominick Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 10:44 am
@PP Anybody?,
Agree! That is what I’m seeing as well.
I’ve noticed all the space at the points, but as soon as the puck travels up, the opposing players collapse into the shooting lanes. With all that room, the D should attack the slot before the pass. Then the other team would have to collapse to the slot instead, and do it earlier.
If the other team doesn’t collapse, the D is open in the slot. If they do, the wingers have more space along the boards during the cycle.
Damn! Richards should have cleared the zone. So close, should of had that one.
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How many STUPID plays did Richards make tonight??? I really cannot stand to see the guy on the ice any more. I know he is a fixture on the team, but would love to see him gone next year.
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Hat trick Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:17 pm
@rick, I wouldn’t be surprised if he asked management for a trade. He looked great in the beginning but now he’s close to worthless. Then his complete boneheaded plays.
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Mike Richards….
That sucked.
Pick up your game flatfoot. If I start saying anything else, I will not stop typing and the post will never be seen.
Rest of the team was fine.
I get the feeling if we make the playoffs this year, it’ll be because San Jose and Colorado lose more than we do down the stretch.
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King Cobra Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 7:29 am
@Cynic, I can no longer defend Richards, but you have got to be kidding me “Rest of the team was fine”!! Drew worthless pile DOUBTy lost the game for us. He choked on defense on every single one of there goals. He gives away the puck in our end constantly and he is horrible. He is always out of position and can’t even push a guy of the puck in the slot EVER!!!
SO OVER THE GUY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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First off I want to say about Mike Richards. He is an amazing player. The guy exhudes heart and soul and works his butt off. Yes he is having a tough time of it, but he will get through it and get back to the Mike Richards we all expect him to be. Now on to the game tonight. This was a tough loss yes. Tonights loss was the toughest loss out of all there losses this season. They played a great game and 99% of the time would of come out of it with 2 points. This is a make it or break it loss. The team could go in two directions from this. It can either galvanize the team, since being the most disappointing loss of the season, they will not want to feel this way again. They will do whatever they can to not feel this way again. This is the kind of loss that leads to long winning streaks just so they dont feel this way again. I expect this team to show up the next 15 games and to a division title. I do not expect them to take the other direction, which is to pack this season up and go home. That is not what I expect to happen nor do I think it will. This team is too good now to let that happen. A lot of cup winning teams get through a disappointing loss like this on there way to winning the cup. They end up coming together as a team so that it doesn’t and wont happen again.
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Hat trick Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:27 pm
@Jeff_R, Assuming that 93 is the magic number that means 19 points for the remaining 14 games. I’d say they’re all making their tee times right about now.
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 7:51 am
@Hat trick, 15 games left.
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Hat trick Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 9:14 am
@Jeff_R, Last time I heard there’s 82 games in a season. They’ve played 68 so far.
Sammuch Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:29 pm
@Jeff_R,
WOW! you gave hope! Thank you for now.
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:39 pm
@Sammuch, Your welcome. This kind of loss will be the one this team learns the most from. I expect them to learn and take it to the playoffs.
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Stuart Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:49 pm
@Jeff_R, by the hockey gods man, I hope you’re right.
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Mikey J. Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:54 pm
@Jeff_R, Yeah, it did seem like one of those games.
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Kings x Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:04 am
@Jeff_R, Dude it’s the kings. They will win two games in a row and then snap your heart in two like the girl in high school. The kings are the redsox. Except we have the curse of the mcsorely
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:17 am
@Kings x, The Red Sox broke there curse….Twice.
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Duncanz Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:36 am
@Kings x, If they made a movie out of us they could call it ‘Deangue Fever Pitch’.
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JackKentCooke Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:25 am
@Jeff_R,
Come on Tony Robbins, we know that is really you.
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Kingstane9 Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 2:00 am
@Jeff_R, not so amazing for a while now…
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I am gonna say it and being a Kings fan, it’s unfortunately a cliche, but I think this year just isnt the year and there is always next year.
When one reflects, we really shouldnt have placed such high expectations on this season. There were MAJOR moves in personel, sytem direction and now to a lesser degree coaching that make up this team in what amounts to about 1 year.
First off, the players themselves have not lived up to expectations. Richards is not the Richards DL traded for thus far. Gange was a gamble that didnt pay off. Penner has been…well…Penner. Bringing in vets like Moreau, Hunter obviously failed. Young players that were expected to contribute more and grow have not met those expectations (Lewis, Clifford). Thats alot to overcome in terms of individuals.
In addition, the Kings are transitioning system wise from a basically puck management team with a defense first and foremost system depending on “dirty” goals all the time to now a more balanced approach.
There are some bright spots though. Quick and to a lesser extent Bernier through no fault of his own have really solidified the Goalie position. The Defense and by extension, the PK, has also been great. And the kicker is, thats what we have for next year as well as they are all under contract AND we have solid prospects in both those areas for depth coming up!
The major question mark I see and what will likely ultimately decide if DL is successful enough to see this thing through is what happens up front. Alot of money and years invested in Kopi, Richards, Carter. Kopi and Carter Im not worried about currently, bur Richards is hard to figure out. His offensive drought seems to make Kopi’s llok good! and now he is making defensive mistakes and not capitalizing on grade A chances. But I digress, it isnt all doom and gloom, luckily, there is a significant amount of cap room coming off this summer with Stoll, Penner and possibly Gagne if he retires to sign someone like a Parise. Young guys like King and Nolan have shown promise. Carter is showing early that he has made a difference offensively. So all is not lost up front, but I feel the lynchpin is threefold, the play of Richards, what DL does with the cap room and the development of the young forwards.
Ultimately, I do have faith (yes, it has waivered at times) that DL can pull this together. I do strongly feel he does get the chance at one more year , but then it’s over.
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Went to a Reign game tonight and a Kings game broke out. 1-1 tid that went to a shoot out which the Reign lost. Had a good time and it was good to see Mark Hardy behind the bench.
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Stuart Reply:
March 9th, 2012 at 11:48 pm
@DesertKing, well it was less heart break than you would’ve witnessed.
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Houston, we have a problem…
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DesertKing Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:09 am
@jess,
…we’ve lost ignition and one of the astronauts passed gas in his space suit, hit the relief valve, and is now stinking up the place. We went for a reset on the brains of the PowerPlay converter but keep getting a red light failure indicator. Analysis indicates a Kompon relay switch, the PP operation, has failed and is sending faulty signals to the other circuits. Problem? hell no, we have a catastrophe. Fail safe plans recommend we eject the Kompon core into a black hole with the hope that it lands in Anaheim. It also recommends we suit up a monkey as a replacement astronuat since they will work for bananas and be just as effective as some of the astronuats we have in there now. That is all.
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Duncanz Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:23 am
@DesertKing, I heard that particular monkey is also not averse to working for handfuls of deep-fried, corn-based snack products of Mexican origin!
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jess Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:33 am
@DesertKing,
Maybe mangement can fashion up some kind of autonomous plastic nano feminine applicator with solar panels? Oh sorry, they’ve already had that program in orbit for like 5 years.
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DesertKing Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 8:24 am
@jess,
Lol
Who are we supposed to route for? PHX or SJ
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Jeff_R Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:19 am
@Mikey J., This is one game I wish they go back to Ties at the end of OT.
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Trade doughty in the offseason and get major offensive talent for him. Change the style of play. Bring in a different kind of coach. Partial rebuild is in order. Otherwise it’s like trying repair a leaky roof with paper
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Duncanz Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:25 am
@Kings x, Didn’t work for the Japanese either, alas..
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PP Anybody? Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 1:02 am
@Kings x, Change the style of play, keep DD. Different game plan is working for JJ, same will happen for DD. Guy is terribly misused on this team as it stands.
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King Cobra Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 7:45 am
@PP Anybody?, It has nothing to do with what team he is on. Drew DOUBTy is a defenseman and he can’t play defense 80% of the time, HE SUCKS at defense!!. He chokes up the puck on giveaways in our end every game and and can’t clear guys out of the slot before they score (like last night)!!!
He is a good offensive d man 1 out of every 6 or 7 games. For this he should not be paid 7 million a year and be the highest paid player. PERIOD
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PP Anybody? Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 11:45 am
@King Cobra, !!
Soureen Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 9:29 am
@Kings x, Lol well said, I support that idea also fire dean
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Devastating loss.. Forget the playoff guys.. Dont have anything else to say.
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Christian Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 4:36 am
@Robb, Agreed. I think these last two games more or less settled it. First a must-win against the worst team in the league (lost), afterwards a game against a top team where we were ahead until the last burning minutes when they pass us (due to mistakes and poor goaltending). This can be survivable in the beginning of the season or if you’ve more or less secured a playoff spot, but in this situation? A killer…
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Those two losses just ruined any chance at playoffs…
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No reason to fire or trade anyone at this time. Yes I think Mike Richards may need to be re-evaluated. Seems a little spacey at times and behind the play a lot. Very uncharacteristic of him. If that’s the case then in all reason is why he is floundering. Drew Doughty….well he is still only 21. Yes he makes 7mil. He’s still a kid and only human. But that’s the leagues fault and each teams fault, not to mention the agents. To pay such a young kid that much money anytime is, and always will be a problem no matter how talented they are. As for Jack J? We scored huge with Carter, and well Jack?……he’s a good player, on a bad team….in Columbus…with Dad & son matching Ferraris….living with his parents.
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I meant his parents living off him…..
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Let’s face it the Kings have not heart. Richards is overpaid and underachieving player. He was a good player when he was with a very good team (Philly). The Kings need to get some on ice leadership and a couple of players who have chips on their shoulders and who want to win.
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King Fans . . . it was a bad loss. no doubt about it . . . red wings banged up. but quit pointing fingers at this guy or that guy. truth is, quicker gave up a few easy ones too. when the kings put a few things together on any given night, they win or get a point. that includes power play and good goaltending . . . good defense and opportunistic offense. best players show up and quicker tough . . . our best players are not even having average years. converting murray’s culture to sutters in mid stream was a move of desperation. i think the acquisition of carter was the best of all. he will be a world class player. in my humble opinion, kings need a personality of character and grit. not of a captain who has 5 great games and then goes dormant. of kopi being ok but not great. and the defensemen have to become more offensive. though they just get rid of a pretty good offensive defensemen in JJ. team searching for an identity. but say what we want but if they can get into the playoffs they will scare somebody because of their talent pool . . albeit and underachieving bunch.
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Rich, you are always make rude comments when you land in Detroit… How is the View from Detroit now?
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Rich Hammond Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 6:45 am
Looks exactly the same.
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frankie Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 7:30 am
@Rich Hammond,
yep view is the same, Wings easily make playoffs, we don’t
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Belexes Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 7:27 am
@frankie,
Detroit looks much better as your plane is flying out of it…
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After last nights loss we all were Heart Broken again. This team continues to rip at our heart strings. Yes on any given night the Kings can play with any team, but this year has been snake bit. All season long it’s been game after game of “Just Missing”, coming up short and “we played a good game” This type of rhetoric does not equal wins. We have a tough team, we have guys who want to win, yet we come up short in the games that matter. So here we sit still with the playoffs in our sites, but then what. Do we make the playoffs and suddenly we catch fire and the team who couldn’t get it done, starts getting it done. Well Yes of course that’s the outlook to hold on too. What are we going to do? I’m still going to root for my team come Sunday. Every game from here on out we want to win, will it happen? Not!!! It wasn’t that long ago when a Flyers team made the playoffs on the last day of the season and rode that right to the Finals. Does this team have that type of magic? Will we be the team that EVERYONE has given up on, only to raise like a Phoenix! Something keeps pulling at us, it’s like we are waiting for this team to turn some sort of corner, yet they keep running into light-poles. Yes we are still in this thing, the season is still going. they remain is the real mystery. This has not been a great season, but it could be a great finish. I guess we have to just wait and see. Our team has dung themselves out of holes all season. Just when you think we are finished we come back and win a game. Sunday is yet again another chance to see what we are made of. I still have your back Kings!!! No matter what. Even when the stakes are down and all else fails We still got your back. I choose to ride this car until the wheels fall off and after that we walk.
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Blade17 Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 9:16 am
@King Charles of Salt Lake, Ya, it’s tough being a fan. 3 times this year I’ve said “No more, I’m done, not watching anymore”, but havng been a casual fan since ’67 and an avid fan since my first in person game in ’73, I’m all in. Having said that, IF we get in, the only hope to advance past first round is to finish 3rd (division win, huge longshot) or 6th (doable) thereby playing the Pacific Division winner. This team cannot beat anyone else in the top 5 right now in a series. Our only hope is to play another crappy Pac.Division team in round 1.
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the best and most appropriate line is used often by foxy and even ds . . . “our best players have to be our best players”. how rarely has that happened this year. this is the ultimate problem. has been and continues to be. let’t tell it like it is please.
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bizarre season.
We don’t give up goals, but we can’t score any..
We score a few but can’t stop giving them up..
Lost points again!
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So mathematically – is it over???
Are we finished for the year?
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I don’t believe it, the Sun came up this morning. The Kings are going to win the next 10day straight, lock up a play-off spot, struggle through the play-offs but create a storybook ending and win the Cup. Penner will also get a hat trick. Boy do I love ambien
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King Cobra Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 8:38 am
@DesertKing, That little pill makes my wife talk nonsense as well :]
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Kings Fan In Temecula Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 8:40 am
@DesertKing, i’ll have whats he’s having, even then i’m not the optimist lol
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jess Reply:
March 10th, 2012 at 12:22 pm
@DesertKing,
I crashed at my buddy’s place one night after some serious partying. He gave me one of those and said I got up at like 4 am and was galloping up and down the hard wood floors of his place with a bottle sherry shrieking like an escaped lab monkey. Great product.
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I hope the Kings were taking notes…all 4 Wings goals scored by guys going hard to the net. Don’t know if somebody posted this yet, if so I apologize for the redundancy. For a eam with a reputation for pretty plays and finesse hockey, those were four of the most beautiful “dirty” goals I’ve seen all year vs. Kings. 12 shots against, not one from the point.
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