The Kings announced today that they have signed defenseman Thomas Hickey, forward Stefan Legein, forward David Meckler and defenseman Jake Muzzin to one-year contracts. All four players had been restricted free-agents. The only other Kings restricted free agent, Justin Azevedo, has agreed to play in Europe next season.
Also, the Chicago Blackhawks today announced that they have hired former Kings assistant coach Jamie Kompon as their assistant coach. Kompon worked with current Chicago coach Joel Quenneville in St. Louis, when Quenneville was the Blues’ head coach and Kompon was a video coach.
Watch out for the Blackhawks’ PP this season.
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Gustavo Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 12:52 pm
@Pili,
HA!
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Weasel Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:06 pm
@Pili,
Actually this is a good opportunity to see if Kompon really does have a negative effect on PPs. One of these arguments has to be true (1) The Kings knew that Kompon wasn’t a negative influence of PPs or (2) The Kings felt he was good at enough other things to make him valuable enough overall.
Obviously, that now applies to the Blackhawks.
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luc20rules Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:52 pm
@Pili, There is no mention of what Assistant Coach Position he will fill. With St Louis he was a Video Coach. If he is not the Special Teams Coach, I wouldn’t expect him to have much impact on the Chi PP or PK.
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jake1000 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
@Pili, I really don’t know why you guys are so quick to blamed Jamie Kompon for kings bad PP. It’s the players responsibilies to execute the PP. I don’t get there’s so much hatred against Kompon. I guess there are a lot of genius here, and knows how to solve the PP.
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Pasadena Hockey Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
@jake1000,
I agree Jake, for what it is worth I have heard he is a very nice guy from guys that play against him in the Toyota Center Hockey League. We won the cup, I wish Jamie Kompon the best of luck.
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Bonvivant Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 5:59 pm
@Pili, If the Hawks make him responsible for the pp coach Q ought to have his head examined.
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Gary Reply:
July 18th, 2012 at 8:40 am
@Bonvivant, I tried to find corrolations between bad PP percentages with Kompon, and good ones with Tippett, a couple of years ago, and found nothing. I think the Kings PP, would have been better next year, with or without Kompon. I think confidence, and DS’s coaching would help, regardless. TM had everyone so worried about being in the exact position they were supposed to be, all the time, that they became paralyzed. Once DS arrived. We didn’t hear the same old phrases as often (ie “They’re trying to pass it into the net”, “We need to go high-low”, We need more traffic”)
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devilmachine Reply:
July 18th, 2012 at 9:45 am
@Gary, Guys, remember 2 playoffs ago against Vancouver and they couldn’t stop our PP? I believe it was Mark Hardy running it then and they were awesome! any thoughts on that?
luc20rules Reply:
July 18th, 2012 at 7:30 pm
@Gary, Come on you can’t tell me you don’t miss the term “We have to Play Heavy” making it sound as if all would be fine if we started 19 guys the size and shape of William “the Refrigerator” Perry.
EasyBob Reply:
July 18th, 2012 at 11:27 am
@Pili, Good luk, Jamie.
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So we will get to see how the Kings power play matches up against the Hawks power play next season. All in all it hasn’t been a bad year for Kompon. He gets his name on The Cup, a ring, and is quickly re-hired after being fired.
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USHA#17 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 12:50 pm
@Forum67,
Yes, and now his ring will stand out as the weak link.
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ryuko_22 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 12:59 pm
@USHA#17, we have the CUP….and your bashing the guy???
I’d say show some class & wish him well.
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TripleNickel Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
@ryuko_22, Good call.
puck73 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:42 pm
@ryuko_22, Show Kompon some class? On this Blog? Let me ask you something, honestly, have you ever seen any blogger on this site give a glowing review of Jamie Kompon?
Look, I’m not saying your wrong about wishing him well, all I am saying is, is that if you have scrolled this blog over the past 3 seasons, that kind of negative comment about Kompon shouldnt surprise anyone..
BTW, stay tuned to this blog for more cutting edge, “Bash TM” commentry !
Duncanz Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:42 pm
@ryuko_22,
Class?
Last time I heard that word I was in one – for the 5th year in a row!
Duncanz Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:45 pm
… along with @purge73, apparently.
Gustavo Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 12:55 pm
@Forum67,
In JK’s defense, he was not fired. He simply was not rehired after his contract expired. Semantics, I know. But technically, he was not fired. That’s one more sign that the LAK front office is a class act.
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Michael_DD8 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
@Gustavo,
As a happy and loving i am of every staff member, fan and player of the LA kings cup run, Jamie Kompon moving on was also a highlight to the season. I think there are better coaches out there, but i do wish him the best of luck in CHI.
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MattG717 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
@Forum67, Yeah, good for Jamie. I wish him well, just not against us. We’ll probably never know what was really wrong with our power play. But we do know, if it gets good, we could have two cups next year, President’s and Lord Stanley’s!
Go! Kings Go!
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A sucker IS born every minute… if he does for the CHI PP what he did for ours, he might still have to be on our payroll! LOL
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Now THAT will be the joke of the off-season by Chicago hiring J. Kompon.
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Asst coach or pp coach?
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john Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 12:40 pm
@neil, assistant coach
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neil Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 12:54 pm
A@john, as a video guy or asst. he might be good….just keep him away from the pp.Also we dont know how much of an influrence tm had on him and the pp.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
@neil, … or vice versa!
Good for Jamie, best of luck to him!
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PARKING_053 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
@pautna, Agreed! When it came down to crunch time in Game 6, we converted with 3 goals on the five-minute major! Sometimes I think coaches either get too much credit or too much blame. The onus really belongs to the players out there executing – i.e., we may get a lot of shots on goal during the PP, but if we don’t score the stats will blow and it will be the coach’s fault.
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Gustavo Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 12:58 pm
@PARKING_053,
By the time that PP came in Game 6, JK had long been relieved of his PP coach duties and sent off to the video room. Nichols and Sutter were running the PP since before the regular season ended.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 12:59 pm
@PARKING_053,
Then there is the argument of whether you even need coaches at all.
Far be it from me to decide …
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Stuart Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
@PARKING_053, I don’t think JK was at the helms at that particular point in time:
“The Kings also lost what was perceived as dead weight in Jamie Kompon. While Kompon’s power play responsibilities were taken away a while ago, relinquishing him of blame in that department, fans and pundits alike felt he was a null addition to the coaching staff.”
taken from: http://thehockeywriters.com/shj/repeat-ability-can-the-kings-do-it-again/
taken away from him AWHILE AGO… I really don’t know what Jamie was doing for the Kings during the PO’s…
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Deke'r Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
@Stuart, ….staying out of the way….
PRMan Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:17 pm
@Stuart, Video review. He’s pretty good at that.
Duncanz Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:17 pm
@Deke’r,
You sure aint “Parseing” your words!
puck daddy has clips from the championship DVD, and it’s kind of funny because in some of the interviews, the players look a little…like they celebrated harder than they played: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/first-look-la-kings-stanley-cup-dvd-clips-170403495–nhl.html#more-38137
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This is old so many of you may have already seen it but it is hilarious:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qdJp5-g69go
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Gustavo Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
@370455VinSD,
Somehow I still get the goosebumps and the teary eyes watching ANYTHING like this.
DO IT AGAIN, KINGS!!
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370455VinSD Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:07 pm
@Gustavo, Pretty sure that was meant for @paige’s comment above mine, unless the sight of Don Cherry’s Christmas suit makes you cry.
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Deke'r Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:17 pm
@370455VinSD, …..almost all Cherry’s suits make me cry…..
Chicago just Komponded their problems.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 12:51 pm
@JackKentCooke,
Maybe he will end up being Kompony for the fishes in Lake Michigan.
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Whoever got let go to make way in Chicago, maybe we could hire this guy!
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I wish Jamie the best but, unless he can get a little more creative with the PP, I suspect that the Hawks (and their fans) will quickly sour on this guy.
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Glad we got Muzzin and Hickey back! Just adds to our depth!
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I heard $98 Mil for 13 years, with his best buddy, the other JQ!
Could this be right?
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Stuart Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:03 pm
@Duncanz, no, that’s what Hickey signed for! Now the blogger is known as @13MforHickey…
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Stuart Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
@Dratz, put the wrong digits in there LOL!
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Duncanz Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
@13PENNIESforStuart! (for 98 years) …
Stuart Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
@Delousedz, I’ll take 96 tears for 26 half-moneypennies!
Duncanz Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
@Scuttled,
Too many turnovers
For one coach to be cryin’
Too many turnovers
For one coach to carry on
You’re gonna cry, cry, cry, cry ….
7MILforHickey Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 6:52 pm
@Stuart,
To me, the teams with the most creative power plays over the last two seasons have been Tampa Bay and Columbus. For some reason, against the Kings’ strong penalty kill, they seem to have an open man somewhere, often to left of slot, just waiting for a pass. They haven’t always connected but those two teams seem to get the best chances against us.
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@The Puck Stops Here,
Yes, lest we forget!
Welcome back Hickey, Legein, Meckler and Muzzin in no particular order, except alphabetical.
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Ian Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 2:16 pm
@Duncanz, I prefer to list players alphabetically according to height.
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neil Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
@Ian, csn and y are not in any order….
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Duncanz Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 1:18 am
@neil, Yes they are!
Neil is at the end … appropriately..
Good luck to JK..
I think we were way too harsh on the guy here on the blog.
The PP was certainly nothing to write home about, but I saw enough times where guys had the puck on their sticks in prime scoring areas and couldn’t convert. The coach takes part of the blame, he wasn’t very imaginative but the players also have to take responsibility.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:13 pm
@nykingfan,
I put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the players for failing to have the imagination to imagine his imagination.
And I’m sure @Shotongoal will back me to the hilt on this one!
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nykingfan Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
@Duncanz,
Can you imagine that?
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Just our luck, kompon will end up getting Chi pp on the top of the charts… just like when players like Purcell and Molson have had better luck else where. Oh well, best of luck but hope the don’t do well against us!
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Stuart Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
@Tim from the OC, maybe he’ll end up coaching their PK since he knows how to shut down a PP…
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puck73 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:45 pm
@Stuart, Ha Ha !
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Sebastian Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 1:57 pm
@Stuart, LOL!
I know its still early, but this wins “The best post of the day” award.
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Tim from the OC Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 2:21 pm
@Stuart, AWESOME!
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bmova Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
@Stuart, That’s debatable. That game against SJ when Clowe stuck his stick out; didn’t we score and also give up 3 or 4 PP goals in the same game? I thought for a second that JS and JK had switched positions.
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Stuart Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
@bmova, yes, that was one heck of a bizarro game! I’ve never been one to believe that things happen for a reason, but Clowne’s stick was a hockey-gods send!! I can say that now, kinda comfortably lol
crashin'da net Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 9:52 pm
@bmova, Kompon taught Clowne that move….
I like the depth signings, too bad they were all 1 year deals. Lessens the trade value as assets and also creates UFA or RFA situation again next year.
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Kings Win, Ducks Lose Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 2:22 pm
@luc20rules, They are all RFA’s again, so it doesn’t matter to the Kings whether they get one or two years… Players don’t hold the cards until they are UFA’s… Unless you are DD8 or Shea Weber that is
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luc20rules Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 8:52 pm
@Kings Win, Ducks Lose, Ok, I have been waiting for to see Hickey get called up for so long I figured he would be UFA in a year.
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Good to see everyone is returning to the organization except Justin Azevedo. BTW, I wanna wish Justin Good luck in Europe. He has been in Manchester for awhile and got better, unfortunately for him, we are just too deep, and he is probably a little too small for the NHL. As time goes on, maybe we will see him in the big dance in a couple of seasons. You never know, remember, Derek Armstong was small, and didnt make it til he was 29.
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vplaza Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 2:17 pm
@puck73,
I don’t think anyone is surprised that he was heading to Europe. It would have taken a bunch of bad breaks for the Kings for him to make it on the ice with the big club.
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kb Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 6:45 pm
@vplaza, Yeah Talented Player, wish him all the best.
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Go Kings Go!
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Off topic: Anyone know what store is selling the Kings blu-ray that came out today?
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vplaza Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 2:16 pm
@Ian,
Yes, please, more info on this!
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DanielC Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 2:20 pm
@Ian, I thought they come out on the 24th?
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Ian Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 2:23 pm
@DanielC, I guess it got pushed back a week. Everything used to say the 17th.
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luc20rules Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 8:40 pm
@Ian, You can order it from the TeamLA Store’s online site. Also NHL.com site.
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Let him go, komp a great trade to the Hawks, great day for Kings to score on the PK when we play Hawks!
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I believe Kompond is likely only one of many issues that held back our pp.
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In other news, as of 3:30 today there were Broguiere’s Quick bottles at the Whole Foods in Glendale.. In Chocolate.
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Kompon got that job? I didn’t even know there was an opening! I’m tellin’ ya, I can watch a mess of hockey video.
I might have to sue Monster. Anybody in for a class action? Their only possible defense is that I’m overqualified for the position.
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Good luck Chicago, you’re gonna need it.
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awwwhhhhhh yeaaaaaaaahhhhhhh :3
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WOW ! a lot of genuis here, blaming Kompon for the Kings PP. I blamed the players for the poor power play stats. It’s so easy to blamed the coach when things don’t go the right way, but for ou guys to blamed this poor guy…that’s really clasless.
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luc20rules Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 8:50 pm
@jake1000, The coach implements the strategy. The movement on the PP was too stagnent, which leads me to believe a umbrella scheme was being called. I maybe wrong in my assessment, but we seemed to score more when players are cutting toward the goal, or creating a overload situation constantly causing the PK to move and make instant decisions. I haven’t attacked Coach Kompon as a person, and have given him credit when the PP has good movement, but it just seemed to be stale with very little motion most of the year.
I have been blasted for crediting TM for player development in his 3.3 yrs here. I would have to say he gets a much worse critizism for the job he did here. At the same time I would say TM got fired at pretty much the right time. Personally I hope they both have personal success in the future, but not against the Kings.
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CB14 Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 10:41 pm
@jake1000,
I’m “classless” for blaming the PP’s struggles on Kompon? Alrightythen. Well then, lets figure out how to get class. I guess the only way to do so is to compare myself to the man that I have insulted, Mr. Jamie Kompon.
Here goes: So in comparing everything that I know, to everything that Jamie Kompon knows, I have to say yes, I have missed a class. Thus I am “classless”. The class that I have missed is the class that teaches you how to screw up a Power Play. I’m sure Jamie Kompon has passed that class.
I will take that class as soon as humanly possible so that I am no longer “classless”. Thanks for your help!
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very excited about the four Manchester signings. Legein could really be a sleeper among the group. Showed some great skill at times during the season.
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