Good times all around

This falls under the category of “obvious,” but it’s still worth pointing out. The level of fun around the Kings, whether it’s on the ice in practice or in the locker room after practice, has increased significantly this season. There’s more joking around, more chatter, more guys hanging around the facility, and just a general better feeling.

Clearly, winning breeds that type of an attitude, but I wondered how it must feel to a guy such as Drew Doughty, whose rookie season had to be miserable in terms of wins and losses, but now is able to enjoy some fun and success in the NHL…

DOUGHTY: “Coming to the rink every day is a lot more fun than it was last year. Last year, you would come in here and everyone was a little quiet. You didn’t want to say too much, because we were losing and obviously we were down and not having fun losing. But coming in here every day, it’s fun. we’re loud, having fun in the locker room and the music is blaring. When you’re having fun at the rink, you’re going to perform a lot better on the ice, and the way it’s going right now is pretty awesome.”

At the same time, Doughty is aware of how quickly that can vanish, and how a team that has too much fun, and stops working hard, can risk having those good feelings go away very quickly…

DOUGHTY: “I don’t think anyone is going out there and being lackadaisical or being too cocky or thinking we’re too good for anyone. We’re still sticking to our system and staying with hard work. I think, due to that, and having fun, that’s why we’re winning games.”