After two days off to recover from the Western Conference Finals, the Kings started the engine for practice this morning and were on the ice for approximately one hour. As Darryl Sutter notes below, the first day back is primarily focused on getting the legs going again. Two days off the ice isn’t a terribly long time, but coaches ease into things on the first day back, to make sure players don’t push themselves too hard and pull a muscle, or something to that effect. Tonight, the players and staff will watch Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals intently, to see if the New Jersey Devils will join the Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals or whether the New York Rangers will force a Game 7, which would be played Sunday. Either way, the Kings will continue to practice for the next two days, then fly East.
Of the return to practice today, Anze Kopitar said, “It’s always nice to get on the ice after two days off and just, I guess, get the feel for the puck again and try to snap some passes around and gets some legs underneath you.’’ Sutter talked about what he tried to get accomplished today…
SUTTER: “The risk is the two full days off. You talk to the players about it first, because it’s the bigger guys, always, and the older guys, when you have two full days without anything. But to be honest, there were a handful of guys that needed it, just because the farther you go — even though you’ve had it once or twice already — the farther you go, it’s more taxing on some guys, as far as injuries and recovery. So, today is really, when you look at it from a body standpoint, a machine standpoint, today is the toughest day for them, getting going again. That’s the toughest day for them. Then you can get back into your proper practice habits and reinforcing stuff.’’
Question: Are the goalies the ones that you have to watch the closest, to make sure they’re getting enough work?
SUTTER: “Well, we’ve got lots of practices to do that. It’s like I told Jonathan Quick on the ice, normally we’re playing tonight.’’
Did I just hear Granato will coach the Oilers?
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jonsey Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:22 pm
@Jack, Whaaaaaaaaaaa?
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:34 pm
@Jack,
Oh boy…another bottom season for them. What exactly has he accomplished as coach?
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Stuart Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:39 pm
@FKA PakiFro, I’m with you, but I could’ve sworn there were some insiders ready to hand over the keys to him when TM was let go…
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vplaza Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:48 pm
@Stuart,
Maybe the keys to the equipment closet.
cjms Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
@Jack, Cammi?
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I think Sutter should be praised for the way he’s handling the off days and getting this team ready to play game 1. 8 days is a little longer than usual but i think the kings will have a lot more time to scout and prepare and maybe work on that PP during this time…
as jim said, starting on the road should also help them get into game speed right away.
couple of other random notes:
–dicks sporting goods has a great selection of kings gear, there’s even a nice little “western conference champions” markered on store window glass.
–In case you need more LA KINGS songs in your life, i’ve written and recorded one:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOW2yaixdbo
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losingsand Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:26 pm
@losingsand, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOW2yaixdbo
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SLIM Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:56 pm
@losingsand,
Good song..Great guitar…
Band sounds strong…
So…Keep it up…
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Duncanz Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 4:43 pm
@losingsand,
Said it last time. Your band has a bright future.
Well played!
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:35 pm
@losingsand,
8 days off is one thing, but the kings will then have two more days off right after. 1 game in 10 days. Nuts.
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Stuart Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:41 pm
@FKA PakiFro, I think Bittman did that to give the eastern team another day to try and figure out the kings after they go down 1-0!
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Itchy Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:39 pm
@losingsand,
Kings are just hustling, holding back on the PP, like they hustled us about not score goals all season. During the regular season the were second to last in goals for; in the playoffs they are tied for second in goals for. They’re going to surprise NJ or NYR when they score on 5on5, on the PK AND on the PP. Minds will be blown.
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Duncanz Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:46 pm
@Itchy, If Kings even score 3 PP goals the whole series my mind will be blown.
But since they’ve been throwing us for a loop for a good 3 months now, it would probably only be about as blown as badly Rozsival’s knee.
Thank heavens for melodrama, and for both of us!
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Do you think Jones being added is also to give the team a sneak peek to see if he’d be a good choice as the back up next year? If they felt confident in him it would allow them to move Bernier. And since Schneider is probably off the market now, Bernier should become more expensive to any team trying to pry him away.
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FKA PakiFro Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:35 pm
@Weasel,
Not til Quick is signed.
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Sebastian Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:39 pm
@Weasel, i think they only brought Jones to have 2 goalies on days Quick is not on the ice for practice, morning skates etc. I dont think it means anything more than that.
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BEARD WATCH!
I can’t seem to grow a real one… It is more of a neck beard but its coming in. I know I’ll have it for another 2 weeks and I love it! GKG!
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Sebastian Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:40 pm
@Jgomez, I have to go to the airport to pick up some friends on Sunday. Im worried about getting through security!
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Stuart Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:42 pm
@Sebastian, LOL!!! classic beard post
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Itchy Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:45 pm
@Jgomez,
This playoffs I’ve learned that my beard grows noticeably faster on the left half of my face than my right… weird.
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Duncanz Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
@Itchy, You’re a right-handed scratcher, Itchy, is why!
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Kingsfan602 Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
@Jgomez, last time i shaved was in Amsterdam on April 11. My friends say i look like penner kuz i as well have a missing tooth lol.
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370455VinSD Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
@Jgomez, I had to shave mine to go to my Goddaughter’s baptism at the end of the Vancouver series per family request (insistence, actually). I would be rivalling Penner at this point if I hadn’t. You can almost hear my beard growing.
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LOL Cryotes fan are still crying about Brown hit and saying we had 10 players on ice which means 4 the referees on our side..
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Luongo asks for trade. Do you guys think we had anything to do with this? Haha GKG!
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fsd1 Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
@Kingsfan602, guess Alain spoke too soon
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Just heard Lombardi on 710 ESPN. He was happy to be on Mason & Ireland because as you know it’s Lakers all day every day on the radio. Ireland says he told Altieri that he’ll take any interview he wants to send them..then they go right back to talking the Lakers.
That’s whey I’m here..Kings talk 24/7 here and no better place for it!
GO KINGS GO!!
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John Roy Morgan Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:47 pm
@KOHO, AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Kopi Bryant Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
@KOHO, LA sports redio is a complete joke when talking about the Kings. Of course now that they are in the finals and the Lakers and Clippers are gone all of a sudden they want to talk hockey even 710 ESPN’s plug says that they are the home for the Kings and their cup run and anything on the Kings stay tuned to 710 ESPN when just a week ago they were saying to stay tuned for a Laker/Clipper possible WCF showdown and hardly had anything to say about the Kings. Just kinda makes me mad that these guys on the radio act like they know about this team when they really don’t.
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Kopi Bryant Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 2:58 pm
@Kopi Bryant, *radio
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KOHO Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 3:16 pm
@Kopi Bryant, They like to talk about how rabid of a fan base we are and how we deserve a Cup and that our fandom can’t be matched in LA as if they have to kiss up to the hockey contingent so they don’t get called out on their poor coverage. We all know where hockey stands on the pecking order in print/radio/tv in LA.
I just hope that if we do win it all we don’t get bandwagoners defacating on our moment by vandalizing the city and giving our great fanbase and the players that represent this team and thier achievement a big black eye.
King Alex Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 4:52 pm
@Kopi Bryant, Petros should play the live version of Fred Flintstone. He looks & sounds just like him!
King Alex Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 3:21 pm
@Kopi Bryant, The only local sportscaster that knows anything about the Kings is Petros. All he knows though is pitching Barry’s Tickets for Kings playoff games. I’ll give him credit though, at least he pronounces Kopitar’s name right in his sales pitch.
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Stuart Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 3:23 pm
@King Alex, DDD was on their show yesterday…
Kopi Bryant Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 3:55 pm
@King Alex, Petros has got to be the most annoying person on the radio. He’s always yelling and that voice is so damn annoying and he’s always saying he’s from San Pedro when he is not. He grew up on that hill right above San Pedro.
Stuart Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 3:58 pm
@Kopi Bryant, Ice Cube made millions saying he was from CPT and he was not… but about Petros, he’s a love him or hate him type of guy. I think he’s funny and his voice just conjures an image of his face, which is also very comical! I think his bags are as big as Kopi’s!!
anyway, no point here, just burning out a friday work day.
GKG!
Kopi Bryant Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
@King Alex, Actually Ice Cube never really proclaimed to be from CPT just that NWA as a group had their roots from there he always said he was from south central but yeah like you said just burning out a friday work day.
GKG!
bbb7 Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 5:21 pm
@King Alex, I dont think Petros knows nearly as much as Money Smith, tho their board op(producer?) seems to be the real hockey fan. Petros is all college and HS sports and the Lakers.
Adamic39 Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 6:53 pm
@KOHO, Mason and Ireland had Richardson on last week, Richies phone dropped out and they had already reverted to lakers before Richie called back 15 seconds later. When his phone dropped again they laughed and right back to boring lakers. Very disrespectful I thought.
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brian spain Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
@KOHO, I played in a Buddies birthday golf and John Ierland told me after I asked him why they never talk about Hockey. He said they are told they are nopt allowed to talk about Hockey, How things change when a Team gets hot in the Playoffs, I am so happy the Lakers and Clippers are out. Kings you have the full attention of Southern California, Do it boys!!!
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It’s going to take more than an hour and getting their legs under them to get the power play going…
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Article from LA Times about Lombardi on the Game 5 ending vs Phoenix:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-coyote-ugly-lombardi-said-that-smith-incited-crowd-after-game-5-20120525,0,54711.story
He says Mike Smith should be suspended.
He says they [Phoenix Coyotes players] incited the crowd to throw stuff by becoming unglued.
He says they threw a beer can at Daryl Sutter and Dustin Brown.
He says he feels bad for Brown because he has waited a long time to get to where he is.
That’s basically it…
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SLIM Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 3:07 pm
@TheAcaciaStrain,
To further this conversation…
E.J. Hjadek had an opinion that Dean
Shoulda just shut his mouth…
I’m glad Dean had something to say about this charade.
EJ continues to go down on my like list..
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Stuart Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 3:16 pm
@SLIM, B.J. Hadik should turn his mic off forever! Dean is right in saying that the crowd fed off of the players antics. If they take their knee, skate to their bench, gather around Smith start the lineup and thatnk the crowd, I bet hardly any of that stuff gets thrown on the ice. I blame the PA/house announcer and ushers too… where were they? Obviously ok with what was going on…
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Duncanz Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 3:26 pm
@Stuart, I can vouch for the fact that the ushers are a little stand-offish at the Job.
Most of the ones in the lower bowl at least were quite happy to stand their ground at the top of the stairs when anything slightly funny was going on, although I did hear of a few (Kings) fans getting thrown out for heinous retaliation with hot dogs and the like.
I don’t really blame them, though. It’s up to trained security to deal with things when it reaches those levels. Apart from a couple of cops here and there, I didn’t notice too many people genuinely qualified to get involve in riot prevention.
Duncanz Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 3:17 pm
@SLIM,
I didn’t hear that. Of course, now, we know that “wishy-washy” EJ wouldn’t deliver things in anything like those terms.
He’s much too nice and inoffensive to be that not nice and offensive, I reckon.
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Hradek is a nobody Reply:
May 26th, 2012 at 2:18 am
@SLIM,
EJ who?
He is and has always been…. irrelevant
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vinny Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 4:11 pm
@TheAcaciaStrain, lmao thanks, i didnt feel like reading
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Speaking if playoff beards, did anyone see the feature they had (on I forget, Ch 9, I think) last night with CF interviewing other players about their post-season harvests.
Penns’ is perennially the most proliferate of course.
Brownie’s was agreed upon as being worst, although Teddy’s boy was sure struggling to get things going.
I’m sure @Stuey would consider his peach fuzz not playoff ready, but I think it will develop over the course of the Final(s) into an accomplished and respected part of the (non-)shaving lineup.
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Stuart Reply:
May 25th, 2012 at 3:43 pm
@Duncanz, I don’t think Noly has shaved since he got called up!
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Anyone know what time practice is tomorrow? Open to the public?
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What time is the practice Saturday and Sunday ?
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go KOPI go! snap them passes around..lol
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