Lombardi discusses Sutter, struggles

Dean Lombardi left most of the talking at yesterday’s press conference to new coach Darryl Sutter, but later, Lombardi went more in depth about what he believes Sutter will bring to the Kings, and also shared some thoughts about the Kings’ struggles this season…

LOMBARDI: “I think the one thing he immediately gives your team is an identity. Having known him as a man, you know he stands for something. Usually when you have an identity and you stand for something, some people are going to like it and some people aren’t. But you’re going to stand for something. But that was the experience I had with him in San Jose, and I think he clearly had that in Calgary. As soon as he comes in, your team starts getting an identity. So it’s that intangible that you can’t define, that I can’t put into numbers, and I think that’s critical. think we’ve struggled with that a bit this year, and I think that if we’re ever going to get to that level we want to, I don’t care how good your players are, or whatever, you have to establish an identity and stand for something. This is the way we’re going to play, and away we go. I think you can say that in any sport.”

Question: Do you think this team has struggled with the expectations put on it?

LOMBARDI: “Yes. I alluded to that last year, that it was the first time there were real expectations. I think some of the struggles we saw, with the swoons, I think were a byproduct of that. And then I don’t know if we dealt with success very well, because we’d go on a run and then we would go the other way. Then, when I talked to them during this season — and this was a critical message — it was, yeah, you’re young players, but we do have some solid veterans in there, and if you’re going to get to the level you want to go to, you’re going to have to deal with expectations. Then I think what happened this year is, when you bring in Mike (Richards), whether they learned enough last year or not, now the bar gets raised higher.

“But it’s like I told them in Columbus, this is where you wanted to be. You don’t want to be a Cinderella team. And you see that all the time. I still go back to the Detroit example. When they were building, there was that period where they were struggling and they were going to trade Yzerman for Yashin. It was like, `Oh, this isn’t working,’ but they stuck it out and got through it, then boom, your culture is in place and everything else. This process, of dealing with expectations, I think any good team is going to go through it, and it isn’t going to be easy. But you’ve got to stick with it. Again, I think part of getting through it is getting an identity, and going back to basics. It’s not complicated. Yeah, the general manager has got to do a few things. I know what’s in the back of my mind. But, in the end, this is still a simple game.”

Question: Would you also say that this was a different team before Mike Richards got hurt?

LOMBARDI: “I guess you can say that. Or if you want to go to Drew holding out, and then getting hurt, and then Mike getting hurt. But the reality is, too, that every team deals with it. And that’s always going to be the case. So, hey, when these guys are out, Stolly, Brownie, Kopi, you’ve got to pick it up. Again, that’s part of the process. I don’t think you can use injuries, and I don’t think the players feel that. In talking to them a lot this week, I never got that sense that they were using injury as an excuse. I think they’re pretty good at, hey, we’ve got to be better.”

Question: What sense did you get, from talking to the players?

LOMBARDI: “The one thing about this group, and I think it’s critical, is that there’s no question they care. If you don’t care, then you’re not going to push and you’re never going to get to where you want to go. Monday was hard on all of us. Then meeting with them again on Wednesday, I don’t doubt that. Whenever you feel acceptable, there’s that sense, and I think they all respected Murph, as we all do. There’s no question that, to a man, they all thought he was a good man. In the end, I think I liked the way they handled it. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t an easy meeting on Monday. There were no punches pulled. But hey, sometimes the ones you get mad at are the ones you love the most.”

Question: Did you have to convince Darryl to do this at all?

LOMBARDI: “No. And I had no doubts. I know you can say, well, he’s been out of coaching, but how long has Bobby Valentine been out of coaching? Heck, he’s been out longer than Darryl, right? One, that I actually find attractive in all this, is that he was really good when we were in San Jose, starting from scratch there and building it a little at a time. But even then some coaches, and rightfully so, get really (narrowly focused). We come from the same background, and we’ve had our battles, but the beauty of it was, it was never about power, it was never about ego, it was about winning. So he really did show, in that building process, with a very different team from Chicago. That Chicago team had Roenick and Belfour and Chelios. This was a team that we were starting from scratch, and it was a piece at a time. He was good through that. I think the other thing that happens is, being a general manager does two things. I think he’s right, in that I don’t think they stop coaching. You hear that in the other sports, whether they’re in the broadcast booth or a general manager. It’s just instinct. I think, also, that they’re like war veterans. They can’t stand being on the mountain. They’ve got to be in the thick of it. They want to be right down there. So I really believe that, that they don’t stop coaching.

“Second, I think being a general manager, as he was, you do now get the perspective, particularly in this era, having seen how the cap works and all that. They know that every team is going to have holes, and it’s critical that it’s not like before the lockout, where those powerhouses really had no holes. I think, having gone through the general manager experience, you now can see that, OK, I’ve got to get to this guy. Thirdly, the year off, I find attractive. It’s such a high-intensity job, general manager and coach, and I know how I felt. Actually, a team called me right away, after I got let go in San Jose. It was a week, and I really couldn’t do it. I was not in the right frame. I was so wound up. To step away for a good six months, and going to work for Philly, I think it helped me immeasurably. I think it’s the right time (for Sutter). I wouldn’t want him to be with the bulls for three years, but I think this is good. So, with the broader perspective of being a GM, and the six months of watching hockey but not being in the battle, I see him invigorated. I picked him up at the airport. This guy cares, and he is emotional, and he’s going to show it to you. When I picked him up, I could see he was pretty jacked up.”