Quotes from the Vancouver locker room after 4-1 loss to LA

New Years Eve had not been kind to the Los Angeles Kings, who had an all-time record of 5-8-3 on the usually festive night. Curiously, they had only hosted one of those games. Back in 1991 - at their former home, the Forum in Inglewood - the Kings led 3-0 entering the third period and then watched their opponent score five unanswered goals on goalie Daniel Berthiaume. Who did they play that night? The Vancouver Canucks.

So, it may have taken 20 years for the rematch, but it finally happened last night in downtown LA. The results weren't nearly the same. Vancouver scored the first goal of the game, then it was all Kings. They out shot the Canucks 33-28 and scored the next four goals of the game.

Afterwards, here's what head coach Alain Vigneault and team captain Henrik Sedin had to say...

Vigneault on the overall game - "I think you have to give LA a lot of credit. Both teams had basically the same schedule here for the last little while, but they seemed to have more jump and more energy and obviously better execution than we had tonight. They deserved to win. We tried to make a push in the second [period]. We had that four-minute power play that could have been a turning point in the game and we didn’t generate much. After that, they pretty much made it 3-1 and it was real tough coming back."

Quotes from LA locker room after big New Year's Eve win

It may have taken 20 years, but the Kings have finally exercised the demons of their only other home game played on New Year's Eve.

On that fateful night back at the Forum in 1991, then-goalie Daniel Berthiaume gave up five unanswered goals to the Vancouver Canucks in the third period - resulting in a 5-3 loss. This time around, the Kings flipped the script. They gave up the first goal of the game and then followed with markers of their own by Brad Richardson, Matt Greene, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams.

The Kings are now 4-0-2 under coach Darryl Sutter and after things were over, here's what he and a few stars of the night had to say...

Sutter on the overall game - "We’ve been playing pretty good. If you get a chance like the Chicago game or the Winnipeg game there are a lot of steps that we’ve tried to make and tonight there was contribution from different guys which was really good."

Sutter on Kopitar - "He scored a big goal and that makes him feel good again. He’s been struggling with scoring but he’s getting a lot of shots and that’s what we’ve been trying to re-enforce, keep shooting. We had two or three of those plays. Mike Richards had that same type of play. I thought [Jarret] Stoll’s line had a lot of those opportunities, too, and the kid’s, [Andrei] Loktionov’s line. They’re all good."

Greene on the overall game - "We’ve been having success on all four lines. That’s what we did. We got a big goal out of our third line tonight and that’s what it takes sometimes…They score and then we get one right away. That’s a confidence boost knowing that they’re not going to push us back and we’re going to keep going."

Canucks at Kings NYE primer with Doughty, Johnson, Stoll

Vancouver come to town tonight with a 15-3-1 record in their last 19 games. LA's home team has gone 3-0-2 in the Sutter Era and is looking to continue their climb back up the Western Conference standings.

The Canucks are a team that have given the Kings fits at times recently, including bouncing them from the playoffs two years ago. In their only other meeting this season, the Canucks beat the Kings 3-2 at Staples Center - in a game Drew Doughty scored a goal.

The talented defenseman has had his own challenges with the Canucks, posting a minus-9 rating against them since entering the league in 2008 (his worst against any team in the league) and has picked up 34 penalty minutes in those games (more than double his total against every team other than Anaheim...plus, if you take out the 10 minute misconduct assessed to him last March vs. the Canucks, the 24 minutes are still more than he has vs. any other team).

With a look ahead to tonight's action, here are some exclusive pre-game comments from Doughty, Jack Johnson and Jarret Stoll...

Doughty on the Canucks - "It's going to be a fun game. Every time we play Vancouver all the guys are really pumped for the game. As a team, we had a hard battle with them in the playoffs a couple of years ago. We're still disappointed about that loss. So, I think it's going to be a hard fought game with lots of checking and lots of chirping."

Jarret Stoll on his new linemates and their effectiveness

Center Jarret Stoll has been matched with just about every forward on the roster so far this season, except Anze Kopitar. He's seen duty at center, wing, on the second and third lines, and everywhere in between.

Lately though, he's had consistent linemates in Dustin Penner and Justin Williams. Here's what he had to say about things when asked about the line coach Darryl Sutter has kept together since taking over five games ago...

"It's been good. I think we have some chemistry going. Very few times we're in our own zone playing d-zone coverage. And that's what you want, you want to play the game in the offensive zone and try to create scoring chances and be buzzing, be hitting, getting loose pucks. I think we've been doing a good job at that. We just have to bare down a little bit more around the net and maybe get more shots. You can cycle all you want or try to control the puck down there all you want. But, if you don't get shots, it's really for not. That's probably what we have to be better at."

As for the match-up with Vancouver tonight - in 14 career games vs the Canucks, Williams has four goals...nine goals in 39 games for Stoll...and six goals in 32 games from Penner.

For more recent player quotes, please check the links below.

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Marco Sturm happy to move on from the lows of LA

Sturm in LA, January 2011 (photo: C. Ikiri)

When you've played over 900 games in the NHL, a 17-game stint with a team isn't exactly something that's going to stick out in your mind. Still, returning to LA tonight with the Florida Panthers to face his former team - and we use that term rather loosely here - stirs up a few emotions for Marco Sturm.

"It was definitely really short," he said, when asked if he ever even felt like a King. "It feels a little different (coming back here)."

That didn't stop him from having a huge smile when he greeted a few of the Kings training staff with big bear hugs after practice on Wednesday. "I love seeing some of the guys," shared Sturm. "Especially the trainers, they've been so good to me. That was definitely something I was looking forward to."

During his two month stay in LA, he spent plenty of time with them, as he was attempting to return to the ice after missing nearly a year of action following major knee surgery.

"The high was that I came back again from an injury. It probably wasn't the way I wanted, but I was playing the game again. I think that was probably the only positive I had," said Sturm when he reflected back on what's been a tough year. "I actually felt better and better towards the end of the season in Washington. There were a lot of lows, especially here (in LA) and leaving here - probably one of my lowest points and it was tough."

Courtney Force - she knows all about fast moving sports

If only everybody could just show up for their first hockey game, walk onto the ice following the National Anthem and drop the puck to start things off.

Life doesn't work that way for the average person.

Yet, Courtney Force was lucky to have that experience last night.

And although she's a native of Yorba Linda, she says she's not a Ducks fan.

"My brother-in-law is the biggest hockey fan, he's from Chicago and he plays all the time. I think this is going to be my new thing though. I've been watching it on TV and being around him and my sister, who are always watching it, I'm very intrigued by it."

Just prior to the ceremonial faceoff between the Kings and Canucks, we spent some time together, talking about where she's been and where she's headed. Sure, she's attractive, with her California blond hair and great smile. But, she's also charming far beyond her 23-years.

Even casual sports fans have probably heard of her father, John Force. He's one of the best drag racers of all-time. While it was Don 'the Snake' Prudhomme in the 70s and Kenny Bernstein in the 80s, it's been a sport largely dominated by Force for nearly two decades now, as he rewrote the record books and won 15 NHRA Championships.

As his career is slowly winding towards the finish line (at some point in the coming years), daughter Courtney's is about to begin. She's been testing in a funny car this season and is expected to debut next year. When, exactly, isn't clear though.

Quotes from Vancouver locker room after 3-2 win over LA

The Vancouver Canucks defeated the LA Kings 3-2 in front of a sellout crowd at Staples Center.

Here are some quotes from the visiting team locker room following the game...

COACH ALAIN VIGNEAULT:

On the overall game - "Tonight, the way the game unfolded with us getting an early five-minute power play and then following it up with an undisciplined penalty on Ryan Kesler we were able to make them pay. Getting off to a real good start, we had some real good chances and had some real solid chances in the second. Their goalie made some saves and made for an interesting last minute."

On the power play - "For us, our Ds have always been a big part of our attack whether it be 5-on-5 or 5-on-4. The importance of them jumping up in the play and they have an opportunity to get their shot through that’s very important. Tonight our guys played a solid game against a very good hockey team."

DEFENSEMAN AARON ROME:

Quick - 'You always have to be disciplined no matter what'

Goalie Jonathan Quick stopped 29 of the 32 shots he saw, giving up power play goals to Sami Salo and Andrew Ebbett, plus an even strength goal to Aaron Rome.

Immediately following the game, here's what he had to say...

On the overall game - "You don’t want to get down one goal, two goals, it doesn’t matter. You always want to score the first goal and we were unable to do that tonight. The next 50 minutes we were trying to get out of the hole we dug ourselves in but came up a little short there. I thought we fought hard to get back into the game and we did, we made it a game. We had a couple chances at the end to tie it up. We just have to keep battling the way we did there in those last two periods and things will turn around."

On the penalties - "A couple of those calls a few of us wouldn’t agree with but at the end of the day you always have to be disciplined no matter what. Even if you get a call you don’t think you deserved, it is what it is and you have to fight it off and you have to kill it off."

On the physical part of the game - "It happens. It’s part of the game. It’s a physical game. Guys are trying to get to the net and create stuff in front of the net. It’s going to happen. You just deal with it, that’s it. It’s part of the game and you expect it to happen from time to time and it does."

Comments from coach Terry Murray are on the homepage right now.

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LA Kings coach Murray liked the 'intensity and compete'

First round of post game notes.

Here is LA Kings coach Terry Murray on the overall game...

'It's very hard to dig out of a team like that, they're too deep, too good. They were the President's Trophy winner for a reason. We couldn't and that's the bottom line. We tried, we worked and I liked everything we were trying to do - from the penalty kill right through to the five-on-five in the third period. We did a real good job with intensity and compete. I thought we were carrying the play in the third period and trying hard to get back into it. We got close, but it's too hard to turn the tables sometimes."

To see what goalie Jonathan Quick had to say after the game click here.

More to come.

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Colin Fraser is pointless against the Vancouver Canucks

Ryan Smyth to Edmonton. It's the trade that just won't go away.

Last week, it was Smyth's return to LA as a member of the Oilers that dominated the headlines. Now, it's the other side of that trade that will be a focal point of tonight's game.

Colin Fraser, the player who was eventually acquired by the Kings - after Edmonton GM Steve Tambellini first tried sending Gilbert Brule, something that was rejected by the NHL - will make his debut in tonight's game vs. Vancouver.

Like Brule, Fraser was injured at the time of the trade and that's an ongoing issue between Kings GM Dean Lombardi and his counterpart with the Oilers. The entire he said-he said issue is a story for another day.  Let's focus on Fraser, who will center the Kings fourth line tonight.

Soon after he was acquired this summer, his former Oilers teammate Dustin Penner came on MayorsManor and had several things to say about the 26-forward - including 'He competes in every area of the ice. He's a third or fourth line center, who's good on draws. He'll do anything to help his team win.'

NHL 2011-12 season predictions - timing is everything

Predictions - everybody loves them and if you're correct about half the time, you're doing pretty well.

Two years ago I had the Los Angeles Kings finishing sixth in the Western Conference. Nailed it.

Last season, I slotted the Kings at fourth during my NHL season preview article. That's certainly where they should have finished, if not for their horrible losing streak in November. As such, they ended up seventh - three notches back.

Further, as noted at the time... If GM Dean Lombardi added a high-end player before the trade deadline, the Kings would challenge the Sharks for the Pacific Division.

Which sort of brings us to this present.

Sure, Lombardi added Dustin Penner at the deadline last February. And getting a guy to play on the top line with Anze Kopitar definitely qualifies as a big move. However, the addition didn't net the desired results. Couple that with a power play that saw a huge drop off from the year prior and the aforementioned losing streak to dig out of - well, the timing wasn't right for a run at the Sharks.

Things have now changed.

Penner spent the summer committing himself to conditioning. Check.

Lombardi went out and acquired the long-needed second line center in Mike Richards. Check.

With Ryan Smyth's departure to Edmonton, the Kings had a new hole at left wing.  They could have moved a prospect in - an unproven commodity - or have relied on a role player to fill the hole, essentially asking somebody to try and overachieve. Instead, Lombardi signed veteran forward Simon Gagne.  Second line, check.

On defense, all six starters from last season - and arguably the best collective unit of six in the Western Conference - return and are back on the blueline. Check.

In net, it's Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier reprising their roles in Battle of the Goalies part II. Quick has spent two years rewriting the Kings record book and Bernier was lights out in the second half of the last season. Coach Terry Murray says he's going with the hot hand this year, rather than a planned 60 games-22 games split. So, goaltending - check.

What does this mean for the Pacific Division and the Western Conference?

After hearing bits and pieces leaked over the last few weeks during various radio appearances and on twitter, here are the official MayorsManor predictions for the 2011-12 NHL regular season...

Jarret Stoll will have a different view of tonight's game

Things are coming into focus for Jarret Stoll

A few weeks after the Kings acquired 26-year old center Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll stopped by MayorsManor and let it be known - he's not feeling like a guy who's been kicked to the curb by his apparent move to the third line this season.

"I'd be very, very selfish to say that," Stoll said at the time. "I consider myself a guy who will play any role, any situation in order for us to win and to be a good teammate. I think we need that depth up the middle to win and we have it between the pipes and on defense. I think we just needed it down the middle a little more. Adding him just brings us that instantly. So, I'm happy to play anywhere, as long as we win, have fun and get into the playoffs."

Fast forward a few months and Stoll is talking much bigger than just making the playoffs now.

"Going into every training camp, your goal is to make the playoffs, no matter what,” said the 2002 second round draft pick. "But this year, we feel that just making the playoffs isn’t enough. Losing in the first round or even the second round, that’s not enough this year."

Like most of the other players in the locker room, Stoll has been feeling the increased expectations hovering above the team's training center over the last week or so.

"We have to have a good, solid season. Making the playoffs is tough, it’s not easy," explained Stoll. "We want to set a goal of having home ice (advantage) in the first round. And lets start talking about the Stanley Cup, start mentioning it. I know it's a long ways away. But, if you’re not talking about it, if you're not thinking about it, then you're a far ways away from it."

Many frustrations for Ontario Reign President Justin Kemp

The Ontario Reign, proud affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings (that's their slogan), have been in the news quite a bit lately.

First, there were grumblings they were looking to create an affiliation with a second NHL team. This wasn't completely shocking news, as their team President, Justin Kemp, gently voiced his desire to get more support from the Kings in his pre-season interview here on MayorsManor last October.

Like he acknowledged then though, the Kings' number one priority is winning a Stanley Cup in Los Angeles. Thus, they need to do what's right for the parent organization first (when it comes to player development). Unfortunately, that may mean they don't have many prospects available for the ECHL.

The second Reign news item was that coach Karl Taylor had left to become an assistant with Vancouver's AHL affiliate in Chicago.

Oh by the way, that hiring came out of discussions the Reign were having with the Canucks about becoming that second NHL affiliate.  Sound a little fishy?

Earlier today, I sat down with Kemp again to address the entire situation.

Rather than splice it all up and just use selected quotes for an article, here are some of his raw comments...

- On the idea of adding a second NHL affiliate - "It started at the end of this last season. I went to Karl and asked him, we had struggled to get some help from the LA Kings over our first three years. Missing the playoffs the last two seasons, obviously, we needed some sort of a jolt - something to get the fans excited about. So, we inquired about what other affiliations were out there as a possible secondary affiliate. Vancouver seemed to be the best choice. They were going deep into the playoffs at that time. So, those discussion initially began between Karl and the Canucks. I came into the picture a few weeks later. We thought we're about a phone call or so away from getting a deal done. Ultimately, what happened is, they pulled back because LA was not in favor of us having a secondary affiliate. I think Vancouver wanted to be respectful of that."

POLL: Loudest Kings Game Ever at Staples Center?

Following up on the Mercury News article from yesterday (and my rebuttal available here), what is the loudest Kings game ever at Staples Center?

Beginning Wednesday morning, I'm confident the answer will be 'Game Three vs. San Jose, 2011 Playoffs.'

Until then though, which of the following games would you say was the loudest?



Poll closes at 6pm PST tonight.

The Mayor
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Willie Mitchell on Vancouver's Tendency to 'Come Unglued'

Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell has a unique perspective on the Vancouver Canucks. Not only was a member of the team for the last four years, but he also spent the second half of last season observing things off the ice while recovering from a concussion.

As any player will tell you, hockey can be a much different game from the sidelines than it is from the bench or on the ice.

So, what does he think about the his old club as the Kings prepare to face them later tonight? Well, it's really a two-part answer...

MM: First off, any thoughts about facing your old team?

WM:  It's always fun to play against friends and always fun to play against the best team in the league. It doesn't surprise me one bit. Obviously, I was there last year and it's the majority of the same players. It was a team that was on the cusp and now they're coming into their own. It's going to be a real, real big challenge for us. They play really well at home and have been playing great hockey. So, they have confidence. Those are the teams you want to play against. Those are the teams you want to see how you match-up, it motivates you. It's going to be a lot of fun.

MM: When you say you're not surprised by their record, is there anything that's different about this Canucks team compared to the one you were part of last season?

Dustin Brown says 'It's on the players that are playing'

Last season didn't end the way the Los Angeles Kings had wanted or envisioned.

Returning to the post season for the first time in eight years - with a new General Manager, new coach and entirely new roster - they faced off with the Vancouver Canucks, a team they last saw in the playoffs following the 1992-93 season.

After splitting a pair of overtime games in Canada, the series was tied 1-1 and headed back to Staples Center. With the building as loud as it's probably ever been, the Kings offense exploded for five goals - three of them on the power play, including two by Michal Handzus - and downed the Canucks to gain a 2-1 series lead.

Vancouver took over from there, winning the next three games and closing out the series in six games.

Say all the positive things you want about 'learning to lose' and being 'a young team, they'll only get better' - yet, it was still a tough pill to swallow for a group that hoped of so much more.

Coach Murray on What He Wants From Dustin Penner

When Kings GM Dean Lombardi acquired forward Dustin Penner at the NHL Trade Deadline last Monday, coach Terry Murray knew many things about the type of player he would be inserting into his line-up soon thereafter.

'Big body' is one of the first things that nearly every person mentions when speaking about the 6'4" left wing.

However, now that he's had him for a two games and a few practices - including this morning, where Murray spent several minutes on the ice advising him one on one - what does he think of his overall game so far and what would he still like to see from Penner?

TM: That's all the conversation was, just overall you know - more relaxed, settled it, feeling more comfortable. That kind of conversation. Obviously, as days go by he's going to relax more and feel that he's understanding what it is that we're asking of him - structure, system. So, it's been good. I also addressed, in the conversation on the ice, the winning goal (scored by Vancouver yesterday). The puck comes around the board and a big body like that, I would like to see him just finish on that defenseman and make sure the puck gets out of the zone. I know there was a support guy, the 'D' pinched, and I think (Alex) Burrows kept the puck in at the blueline. To me it's a a matter of that's where you dig in and get the puck out of the zone at any cost and play hard and physical on them.

MM: When you say 'relax a little bit' does that mean he's been a little hesitant at times?

Third Time vs Canucks Not a Charm For Kings

Nearly every Kings home game this season could be described as solid goaltending, strong on the penalty kill and needing more offense.

For Saturday's game, just add in the opponent - Vancouver.

In addition to the video highlights below, here are the other key notes:

* PennerMania was officially underway at 5:28 of the first period when Dustin Penner notched his first goal as a King. The assists came from his newest linemate (Justin Williams) and the guy who filled in on the top line for a few games until Penner arrived (Brad Richardson).

* It was the only goal of the night for LA. Simplified - it's this, need more offense, need more shots. Getting 22 shots on goal probably doesn't qualify for coach Terry Murray's 'shoot first' club.

* Case in point, Anze Kopitar's one shot on goal in the last six periods of play. Really?

* Speaking of the coach though, when Murray is upset about something, you know the train has come off the tracks in a big way. He invented calm, cool and collected. Nonetheless, he didn't have much to say after the game due to some poor officiating late in the third.

STAT CHECK: Vancouver at LA (PennerMania II)

Remember those old friends from yesteryear who, truth be told, you really don't care to ever see again?

Well, the Vancouver Canucks just might fall into that category for the Los Angeles Kings. Yet, the NHL schedule makers say they must play this afternoon at 1pm PST.

So, with that it mind, here are some key stats you need to know heading into the action at Staples Center...

* First things first, Dustin Penner - right? He's played 29 career games vs the Canucks (tied with Minnesota as his most frequent opponent). In those games he's posted 11 points(5g, 6a) and was a minus-2.

* His most productive day of the week is Monday, with a scoring percentage of .43 (16 goals in 37 games). He's played the most games on a Saturday - which happens to be his second most productive day also, with a .38 scoring percentage (26 goals in 69 games).

* Over the course of his career he's been highly effective in day games, with 13 goals in 27 afternoon games (scoring ratio of .48).

POLL: Best Gretzky Game with LA Kings

The name Wayne Gretzky means many things to many people.

For most, it simply means hockey.

He retired on April 18, 1999 with 61 NHL records. Since then, only one - most career assists in the All-Star Game - has been broken.

The move that brought him to Los Angeles will probably forever be the biggest trade in sports history. Gretzky played 539 regular season and another 60 playoff games for the Los Angeles Kings. Of course, there were many memorable moments.

In honor of Wayne's 50th birthday today we have a quick poll question - Which of his nearly 600 Kings games was most memorable?

The leading candidates...

October 6, 1988 vs. Detroit - in his first game as a King, Gretzky scores a goal on his first shot

October 15, 1989 - in a game that only Hollywood script writers could come up with, Gretzky returns to Edmonton and scores his 1,851st point in the final minute of the game, setting the all-time NHL record for most points (video)

Game Six 1993 Campbell Conference Finals - prior to the game columnist Bob McKenzie noted that Gretzky was playing like he had a piano on his back throughout the series with Toronto. The Great One then went out and proved you don't call out a legend like that, scoring the game winner in overtime for the Kings. He also high sticked Doug Gilmour a few minutes earlier in a play that Leaf fans will forever claim should have been a penalty (full story here).

Game Seven 1993 Campbell Conference Finals - one of the greatest games in one of the greatest playoff series in NHL history. Gretzky scores a hat-trick, with the third goal coming on a play where he circled behind the net and backhanded it off the skate of Leafs defenseman Dave Ellet. Kings win the game and go on to play for the Stanley Cup (video highlights here).

December 28, 1993 vs. Vancouver Canucks - Gretzky bats a goal out of mid air, like a baseball player (video)

March 23, 1994 vs Vancouver Canucks - Gretzky scores goal 802, passing his childhood hero, Gordie Howe, for the most goals ever scored (tribute video shown at Forum)

February 26, 1996 vs. Winnipeg Jets - his final game as a King came at the end of a road trip through Canada. When the team landed back home at LAX, a press conference was called and the announcement was made, #99 had been traded to the St. Louis Blues.




Poll closes tomorrow at 11:30am PST.

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