Getting Uncomfortable – What It Means, From The Players

When Jim Hiller was hired as the team’s permanent Head Coach over the summer, Rob Blake gave what you might have called an impassioned plea to his team.

He spoke about the need to “get uncomfortable” and to “up the desire to win.”

Many were encouraged by it. Others mocked it. Lots were perhaps not exactly sure what a buzz-phrase looked like in reality.

During the first day of training camp, we saw a scrimmage that looked different than it did in past seasons. Players were more physical towards their own teammates. There was a greater intensity than we’ve seen in seasons past. In that process came more goals, with a 5-3 final score compared lots of those 3-1’s we’ve seen in previous seasons. It also came situations like what we saw between Tanner Jeannot and Warren Foegele, two players lauded for their compete who were brought in this season. While it was not as serious as it was perhaps played out to be on Twitter, there were a couple of comings together, driven by physicality, board battles and intensity on Day 1, between two players who are both looking to help the team in those departments. ‘

After hearing what we’ve heard, seeing the transactions that were made over the summer and now witnessing what we’ve witnessed across three practice sessions and a scrimmage, the question is flipped to the players.

What does it mean to “get uncomfortable”.

It’s clear, first and foremost, that there are both on-ice and off-ice changes that the Kings know they need to make.

“Getting uncomfortable is getting out of your comfort zone sometimes to do stuff that you might not have done necessarily but helps the team win,” forward Anze Kopitar said after Day 1 of training camp. “It’s one of those things that comes through in each and every individual to chip and pull their own weight, make sure we’re all pulling in the same direction.”

We all have parts of our job we don’t want to do. For many of us, in different industries, it’s easier to downplay those things or perhaps get to them when it’s convenient for us to do so. For professional athletes, though, those things need to be done each and every night to win, especially come the postseason. The Kings have gone from pushing a series to seven games to bowing out in five this past spring. Blake felt that certain areas lacked when it came to doing those things that players don’t want to do.

The message seems to have resonated here this fall, at least early in camp. The players seem to understand what they want to do, with a clearer vision perhaps of what it takes to actually take the next step.

“It’s doing some things you don’t necessarily want to do every day,” defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “It’s things like giving a little bit of yourself for the better of the team. If you’re an offensive guy, maybe that’s playing a little harder defensively, blocking a few more shots, making hits or taking a few more hits. I think part of that, today, is getting uncomfortable, helping us play more physical.”

Anderson called the Day 1 scrimmage “the most intense camp game we’ve had since I’ve been here.”

That’s not necessarily surprising when looking at the players who were added and the message that has been communicated. Adding players with size, with jam, with intensity and with compete was a clear focus of the Kings over the summer. Not only did those players show up on Day 1, but it seemed to rub off on others as well.

A big part of that is physicality. It’s an area that the Kings haven’t always had enough of in the past, but are better equipped with now.

“I don’t know that we had enough of that throughout our lineup,” defenseman Drew Doughty added. “We had some guys, obviously, but a lot of times we could get pushed around a little bit. I don’t see that happening anymore.”

Another part of it is mental, it’s mindset.

When we spoke with Assistant General Manager Nelson Emerson over the summer, he pointed to the resolve of the Florida Panthers, losing Games 4, 5 and 6 to see a 3-0 series lead evaporate. It took something to regroup and win Game 7 for the Stanley Cup. The Kings are not at that point yet. In fact, there’s a ways to go. But there seems to be a better understanding of what it might take to get there, not just physically but mentally as well.

“It’s having maybe a second personality on the ice, get more mean, play together, play a little harder, it’s got to hurt to win some games and you’ve got to do it every single night and a big part of it is mental,” forward Phillip Danault said. “Physical as well, but the mental part is big, it’s a huge part of the game and we have to be better this season.”

The third part of the equation is what happens behind closed doors, the part that we don’t get to see.

If a player sprawls out to block a shot, we’ll see exactly how they impacted their team. If a player calls out a teammate in the locker room, we don’t get that same level of understanding. They’re both “uncomfortable” to do and in speaking with a couple of the players who have developed into leaders within the room, it’s a big part of what getting uncomfortable means.

“It’s hard, we’re all tight in the room, but it’s different when you have to have uncomfortable conversations, things might get, I don’t want to say personal, but you might get into it a bit to try and better off the team,” Anderson added. “We have a good, tight group where we can have those hard conversations and have guys take it in stride, don’t take it to heart and we’re all just trying to better off the group.”

Anderson has always been vocal beyond his years, but he’s part of the team’s leadership group behind more veteran players. For forward Adrian Kempe, he wasn’t always comfortable vocalizing his thoughts. Last season, Kempe wore the “A” when Danault was injured, a big honor for him and a sign of the growth he’s shown as a team leader. Kempe pointed to both components – on and off the ice – as being important when it comes to moving the team forward.

“I think it’s stepping out of your comfort zone, whether it’s on the ice or in the locker room, speaking up whether you’re a young guy or if you’re Kopi or Dewey,” forward Adrian Kempe said. “Caring about the team more than your own game sometimes is going to be huge. I think as a team, we need to take another step to become the team we want to be. Getting uncomfortable out there and in the locker room is going to help.”

Ultimately, just as it was when Blake spoke about it, talk is cheap.

This is a results-driven business and the Kings will be judged on their ability to do these things during gameplay, in hopes of winning more hockey games, earning more points and ultimately having success come the playoffs. It’s clear that the players agreed there are steps to be taken in many areas. Some of which were personnel driven, some rooted in mentality, some concerning systems and others within the room.

Day 1 of training camp felt like a strong step forward in those areas. Many steps still to be taken, however, as the season inches closer. Hoping to see the intensity, above all else, continue throughout camp.