Forum answers IV

The fourth set of “Open Forum” questions and answers…

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MK Ultra asked: When Wayne Gretzky or any other former “star” players attend a game at Staples, do they have to buy tickets? Are they given tickets by the Kings? What goes on here?

Answer: I don’t know for certain, but I’m relatively certain that someone such as Gretzky wouldn’t pay, unless he’s bringing a dozen guests with him. I have no idea what the policy is on such things, but I’m sure one exists.

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MK Ultra asked: If the Kings ever go deep in the playoffs, round 3 or 4, do you see Bob Miller joining Nick Nickson on the radio broadcast since he can’t do TV coverage at that point in the playoffs?

Answer: No, I don’t believe that would happen.

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drew asked: 1. Did you actually see Anschutz at the last game and if so, did you request an interview? If not, why not knowing how much of a lightning rod his absence and perceived indifference is for the many fans you represent? 2. Terry Murray suggested that the season was a successful one. I disagree. Back to back 1st round exits and no second round since 2000 does not seem positive to me. What are your thoughts? 3. Lombardi said Murray will remain and Murray said his system will not change. Even though a coach should alter his system to suit his players, that does not seem possible here. Why is Murray so inflexible? 4. Why should Jamie Kompon be retained as power play coach aside from his contract? 5. Dustin Penner said he hard time learning the Kings system after coming over from the Oilers. What exactly is the Kings’ system other than dump and not chase, and how complex could the Oilers’ system have been considering they were last in the league in almost every category?

Answers: 1) I did not personally see him, although several people did, sitting in the corner near the ice. Anschutz has not done an interview, about anything, since 1974. This is a documented fact. I don’t ask for an interview for the same reason I don’t walk onto an airplane and ask the pilot if I can fly it. Everyone already knows the answer. 2) You’re entitled to your perspective. Fans of the Detroit Red Wings wouldn’t call that success. Fans of the Florida Panthers would. Success is subjective. To me, in this NHL environment, if you put yourself in the playoffs, you put yourself in position to win the Stanley Cup. That’s the only measure of success. If Chicago had scored in overtime of Game 7 the other day, would Vancouver have had a “successful” season? 3) You’re asking me to analyze something you have asserted to be a fact, which is actually your subjective opinion. I’m not going to analyze your opinion as a fact. 4) Because the head coach wants him to remain on his staff. 5) Dustin Penner never gave me that quote, and I don’t remember reading it anywhere. Every NHL team has a system that is at least slightly different, so in general it would stand to reason that a player would require time to adjust to any new system.

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Dominick asked: 1) Should TM have called a time out in game 3? 2) Should TM have pulled his goalie on that 5 on 3 in game 4? 3) Best California burger, Has it changed? 4) Are you ever going to write a book? 5) Do you have other hockey pundits that you enjoy reading?

Answers: 1) If you’re asking me if I believe it would have had a significant impact on the result of the game, no. If he wanted to do something to make it look like he was doing something, sure, I suppose. 2) If you’re asking me if I believe it would have had a significant impact on the result of the game, no. If he wanted to do something to make it look like he was doing something, sure, I suppose. 3) You know, I actually don’t know if I’ve been on record with this. I cheat on In-n-Out with Tommy’s, and vice versa. They’re perfect in their own ways. 4) Not at this point. I can’t imagine it would be that interesting. 5) Yes, a lot actually, but it gets dangerous to list people, for fear of accidental omission. I’ll just throw four names out there for now (in alphabetical order): Craig Custance, Pierre LeBrun, Jim Matheson and Bob McKenzie.

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Alex asked: So what’s the exact deal with the uniforms next season? Has it been confirmed by the team that it’s the black alternate for the home primary next year, a white version of that for the road primary, and the current black crown home for the “new” alternate? I recall your post on it, just want to know if this is %100 the plan. And if so, any info on when they plan to reveal the new set? Thought they could have done a little better, especially for a big uniform change like this.

Answer: Nothing definitive yet. At the end of last year — the 2010 calendar year, I mean — teams had to notify the league that they intended to change their jerseys for the 2011-12 season. What I heard most recently is that the Kings would go to the black/white jerseys as the primary jerseys, then use the current home jersey as a “third” jersey and, also, would have the option to wear the purple-and-gold jerseys at home three or four times, just like this season. To the best of my knowledge, that plan has not changed.

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Mike J. asked: A couple player questions. With the skill set that Jack Johnson has, has there been any talk of moving him up to a wing? I know there was talk years ago about Phil Housley moving up to a forward and with the plethora of defensemen in they system, why not give it a shot? In keeping with his skill set, why did he “fall” from the top shooters in the shootout? Also, do you think that Alec Martinez will change his number from 53 to a more respectable number for a defenseman like #6?

Answers: 1) No thought to that at all, no. He’s a defenseman. And, basically, he “fell” from the top three because he stopped scoring in shootouts this season. I just think it’s as simple as that. 2) There’s probably a good chance of that, yes. The Kings seem to dislike those high numbers — expect for veterans who have worn them for a while — so given that Martinez seems to be a keeper, I wouldn’t surprised to see him change.

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408KingsFan asked: Rich, can you set something up for Frozen Fury similiar to suite night? Obviously there arent any suites at MGM but it would be cool if us fanatic bloggers (and you know who you are) could sit in the same section. Thanks

Answer: Honestly, I’m not the one who sets up the suite nights. That is all the creation of folks on the blog. I don’t have any special power to get a block of seats, but if someone contacted the arena and tried to make it work, they could certainly give it a shot.

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Rainman asked: Two questions…Do you think the Kings will win the Stanley Cup before Bob Miller turns 100? If anyone deserves to be front and center with the Cup it’s Bob. If they have a parade in LA, then Bob should definitely be in the car with the Cup! Secondly, I’d like to get your opinion on the subject of diving. I feel the NHL needs to take a much stronger stand on this issue and really penalize the Players who are guilty of diving.

Answers: 1) I thought about that, also, when I saw Bob after Game 6. I couldn’t agree with you more, in terms of wanting to see Bob enjoy a great moment after all his years of work. 2) I don’t like it either, but every sport has to deal with some type of deception like that, unfortunately. You get football players pretending they were held or interfered with. You get basketball players trying to draw a charge. You get baseball players pretending they were hit by a pitch, etc. So I’m all in favor of enforcement, but I don’t think you’ll ever eliminate stuff like that from sports.

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john asked: Here’s a “league question”… on the NHL Network, there is a special that I believe is called “Behind the Stripes”. I think it was a halfhour long, and it spent a few days behind the scenes with Nhl and Ahl refs. The refs were mic’d. We got to hear them explain penalties to players, scold players, and even apologize to players for missing a call. I think tshe show is awesome, and would love to see it more often. Who could I e-mail my request too? The show is way too good to be a one-time thing.

Answer: I really don’t have a contact person on that for you, because I don’t know anyone at the NHL Network. It’s likely that their website has some type of feedback email address, form or something of the like, so I would suggest notifying them that way.

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Kingsfanone asked: What were your expectations or thoughts about this blog before you got handed “the keys”, and did you expect such a response and/or following? What were your thoughts on the response to the Suite Games? What are your thoughts moving forward about this blog, say about expansion or tweaks you are thinking about?

Answers: 1) No, to be honest I did not expect such a large, and positive, response. I was relieved and excited by it, certainly, but I didn’t expect it. Through the coverage at the Daily News, I knew I had built up a certain audience, and my only hope was to maintain that. Clearly that has grown by a significant margin, and I’m extremely grateful for that. 2) The suite games were outstanding, from my perspective. I hope everyone who attended felt the same way. It was great to meet people, put faces with names and see everyone enjoying themselves. 3) I do have occasional ideas for different additions and tweaks, so we’ll see during the summer. Suggestions are always welcomed.