LA Kings HockeyFest 2011 - schedule and past notes

For the third straight year, HockeyFest is on the move.

And if it's anything like the prior two, this is a can't miss event for Los Angeles Kings fans.

Each year the event has been tweaked slightly, largely based on feedback by fans and players attending the event.

What started out at LA Live in 2009, then moved to the team's training facility last September, and now returns to downtown LA - this time at Staples Center.

Regardless of location though, fans have come away each year raving about the festivities - with much of the praise being directed at the players, who have been very engaging.

Key highlights of the activities scheduled for this Sunday's HockeyFest include:

Details on Ryan Smyth's 'Official' Trade to the Oilers

Last summer it was Ilya Kovalchuk negotiations, this summer it was the Ryan Smyth trade.

Yes, two entirely different players - and two entirely different situations - yet, some things just take longer than they should.

The week long, back and forth, on-again-off-again saga is now complete and the Kings ended up with basically what they wanted (given that Smyth had asked out) - cap flexibility for the free agent window opening next Friday.

Make no mistake about it, Smyth will be missed by the Kings. In 149 regular season games with the team he amassed 100 total points (45g, 55a). So, say what you will about his speed, the fact remains he was a top goal and point producer on a team that sorely needs more offense. Not to mention the fact that he plays left wing.

At the moment, the Kings have Dustin Penner, Scott Parse and Kyle Clifford down the left side. Taking nothing away from the trio, that isn't enough to strike fear in the hearts of most opponents. Unless of course you're talking about going toe-to-to with the Colonel.

Thus, expect another move - free agent or trade - to fill the hole, most likely to complete the second line of Mike Richards and Dustin Brown.

As for this deal, the Kings received center Colin Fraser and a seventh-round pick in 2012. Fraser has 41 points in 224 NHL games, including three goals in 67 games last season. He's on the books for one more year at $825,000.

Kings coach Murray on why he wants Handzus back

Remember high school math? You learned a bunch of stuff you thought you'd never use.

Well, here's your chance.

Michal Handzus' four-year career as an LA King could best be described as a bell curve (go look it up if you forgot).

The signing itself was panned and the first year didn't do much to squash the chatter. After all, four-million is a lot of coin for a guy that scored - gulp - seven goals.

He followed that up with 18 and 20-goal seasons, more typical of what GM Dean Lombardi was expecting. Additionally, he was the Kings best defensive player during that stretch.

This season, he looked to be on the downside of that bell curve - at least offensively speaking - posting just 12 goals. Some critics will argue he was playing with Alexander Frolov the two seasons prior, compared to 'carrying' Alexei Ponikarovsky this season. Perhaps.

Putting it all together, coach Terry Murray said he'd like to have him back...

"He's a real linchpin kind of a guy. He's a leader. He’s a great example. He's a professional in all senses of the word - getting ready, doing the work that needs to be done to be a player. The tough part for him (was that) I had to elevate him to a situation in the playoffs, because of circumstances. Somebody might look at it and say, 'Jeez, I don’t know,' but we know. He's an important guy.'

Oh, and here's one for you - how many games do you think Handzus has missed since signing with LA?  Remember, he was coming off of major knee surgery when he joined the Kings.

Answer - one. ONE GAME in four years.

Yes, Drew Doughty's contract will take top priority in the months to come. However, Lombardi said it looks like the salary cap will be going up, to "around 63 million."

Which is good news if the team wants to try and fit Handzus back into the fold.

Odds are, he'll be back. Expect a one-year deal for about two-million.



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LA Kings coach Terry Murray is NOT happy w/ Scott Parse

Dean Lombardi had overwhelming praise for the fact that Justin Williams even returned to play in the post-season, let alone how well he performed in game one. The Kings GM said 'a lot of guys' wouldn't have played and risked further injury (at this stage of their career), opting instead to shut it down and just return the following season.

Coach Terry Murray had repeatedly said he was waiting for Williams to come and tell him that he was ready before he penciled him in. Once that happened, it was full steam ahead.

Williams played in all six games versus the Sharks and averaged more than 15 minutes of ice time in each contest.

Which brings us to Scott Parse.

He too was rumored to be ready - or at least close to ready - in the days leading up to the playoffs. He finally made his return in game five, playing 10 minutes. Afterwards, Murray said things like "I thought he played pretty well" and "I thought he stepped in and did a pretty decent job."

So, what changed?

GM Dean Lombardi on the LA Kings' poor power play

So - Kings GM Dean Lombardi says he likes the 'calmness' coach Terry Murray brings to the team and thinks he still has room to grow - just like the players (full article and quotes here).

But, what about the team's poor power play?

Well, he talks coaching, Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and more...

Lombardi - "I think they recognize that (it wasn't as good as last year). That's the first thing, to realize 'Hey, it was so good two years ago...' Ask me about it again in a week."

Hmmm. He then went on to say...

"One of the things, and this is not singling out the player - because I've already said that I think he's (Kopitar) become one of the most complete players in the game. But, the irony of it is like, I think they have the focus on - I think if you ask the coaches for the biggest areas of improvement is getting our best player - Kopitar, our number one scorer - in situations where he can produce. Because if you look at it, his numbers five-on-five are amongst the tops in the league. His power play, compared to the top guys in the league - for him, five goals - was way down. If he has the average number of power play goals as the other top guys, he'd be one of the top scorers in the league."

What about his inconsistency?

"I agree. But, like I said, he's becoming one of the complete players. Has he become a winner yet? No. But, he's certainly evolving towards it when I see a player make the adjustment to play like he does in his own end. That means he cares and that's the first step. To me, he's clearly learned that it's about team.

Dean Lombardi on Coach Terry Murray's Performance

Earlier today Kings' GM Dean Lombardi spoke about Dustin Brown as the team's captain this season (article here).

Now, here's what he had to say about the performance of coach Terry Murray...

Lombardi - "I liked his calmness. I think one of his strengths was when were in that slide there, he kept his composure. I think during that slide, when we slid out of the playoffs, that the necessity of calm and focus was essential. If we had gone the other way, I think that would have been ripe for not getting out of that. So, I think a lot coaches you evaluate at critical moments and I look at the way we came out of that during that period when we had to go into Phoenix and win that game to get on a roll. I thought he was the perfect guy for that situation.

"I think going forward, we're all the same. It's like yesterday's thing - now we write down all the things that we could have done better - including me and Hex (Ron Hextall). And that's the next assignment. We expect players to evaluate themselves and what did we learn from this to do better? So, I think he's capable of doing that. Just like the players have to grow, we all have to grow."

Oh - and for anybody that had a doubt - Terry Murray will be back to coach the LA Kings next season.

Case closed.

As for the power play... well, read what he has to say about that next.



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Lombardi on Dustin Brown as captain this season

Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi used nine minutes to answer the first question asked of him during today's post season recap. So, to say there is a lot of content to go through would be an understatement.

Overall, Lombardi was, as he always is - introspective, detailed, mindful of things he's said in the past, consistent with the script he's been following and most of all, honest. He tells you what's on his mind without completely tipping his hand. Well, maybe a little.

Let's just dive right into it because there is plenty to cover from today's meetings with Lombardi and coach Terry Murray.

First up...

MM: Did you get what you needed this year from Dustin Brown as the captain?

DL: I don't only look at him, I look at the whole group to be honest with you. I think they grew, but I think they're still learning. And I think they have to step back - ultimately, the way you learn is how you deal with failure. Again, I'll get a sense of that too as I go through some of (the exit interviews with) these players. I think collectively, as a group, that's still evolving - just like their talents. I'm OK with it. But, I think it has to be better. It's not good enough for where we need to go. But, I look at that intangible as no different than evaluation a player's skating getting better or his decision making getting better.

One of the things he's looking for the leadership group to do this summer is to continue pushing the entire team to be in better shape.  Lombardi felt that Anze Kopitar took a step forward in that area this season and he wants to see more from Drew Doughty and Dustin Penner - topics we'll get into in more detail later today.



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RELATED ARTICLES:

Jeremy Roenick on Dustin Brown

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

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RECAP: Kings GM Dean Lombardi on NHL Live

Los Angeles Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi was a guest on NHL Live this morning.

Below is a recap of what was discussed (as always, these are near exact quotes, with selected paraphrasing for brevity)...

* [topic: Kings have been good on the road lately] True. However, I think a lot of that is when you're a young team it's easier to keep your players focused. I think there is a lot more structure in their day when they're on the road. I also don't think there are a lot of buildings anymore that are intimidating to play in.

* [What was the hot topic at the GM meetings today?] We spent a lot of time on the shootout, defining when the spin-o-rama crosses the line between being a good play and going backwards. I think the biggest issue is we just have to define it. We just want to know what the rule is and there is a bit of grey area right now. I dread the thought of that Flyers-Rangers game (last regular season game of last season), where a season is determined by that play. They'll get on it though. It came to the forefront and we realize the importance of getting some structure in there.

* [Concussions and the Drew Doughty situation earlier this season] That's the problem, 'Should your decisions be based on the identity of the player?' We all know the reality is if it's a top player, it comes to the forefront more. I thought the league did a tremendous job the first two days here of getting all the facts out there. I'm pretty proud of the fact that people are saying we're ahead of the NFL right now. We were the first ones to have a protocol. The amount of data that went into analyzing where these concussions come from, the science of it, what's causing them, etc. I thought the background information was fabulous. There are two things involved here. It's not only what you do, it's how you do things. I thought procedurally the league was excellent. This does not lend itself to an easy sound-bite answer. I love the fact that we took the time to look at the science and have data to back up our thinking. There's no doubt we're ahead of the NFL here and as a league we can be proud of that.

...And Now You're Caught Up - Deadline Edition

Although this format is usually used for a weekly look at ten Kings-related news items you may have missed, this week it's a special edition - all about what went down on Monday's NHL Trade Deadline.

Here are links to some commentaries, videos and stories you may want to check out...

* Trade Call - this is video of the actual trade call between the NHL, Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers. You hear exactly what was said by both teams regarding the deal. It's about as 'behind the curtain' as you're ever going to get - unless you're Jeff Solomon (VP Hockey Operations), who is representing the team on the call.

* Welcome to LA: 10 Tidbits on Dustin Penner - this style of article is a favorite of MayorsManor readers and you'll see why, as we give you the things you need to know about LA's newest left winger.

* The other significant move - maybe even more impactful in the long run - was the signing of right wing Justin Williams to a four-year contract extension.  He's having a very productive season and certainly would have been a hot property come July 1st.  In this video he explains his loyalty to the Kings.

VIDEO: Justin Williams on Contract Extension

In a move that may not generate as much press today as the Dustin Penner trade - yet is actually a much more important deal for the team - Justin Williams signed a four-year $14.6-million contract extension late last night.

He would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer, which looks to be rather thin when it comes to available forwards. So, the Kings could have easily lost him.

Kudos to GM Dean Lombardi on getting him inked at that price, it's very reasonable and again locks a guy up for multiple years. Williams has been healthy this season and is producing accordingly, currently tied for the team lead with 20 goals.

Courtesy of Kings Vision, here's what he had to say about the deal...

For a recap of the Penner trade, click here to read Welcome to LA - 10 Tidbits on Dustin Penner.

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Welcome to LA - 10 Tidbits on Dustin Penner

Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi paid a steep price today to acquire the player he needed.

Or did he?

In Dustin Penner he got a 29-year old left wing who's under contract for one more year and brings plenty of size, at 6'4" 250 lbs.

The deal was Penner for Colten Teubert (a former first round pick), the Kings 2011 first round pick and a conditional pick in 2012 based on LA's playoff performance (either a second or third rounder).

[Update: The condition on the 2012 pick is this - if the Kings win the Stanley Cup this year, it becomes a second round pick. Otherwise, it's a third rounder.]

Teubert was originally selected 13th overall in 2008 after the Kings made multiple deals to end up with the pick, including moving Mike Cammalleri to Calgary.

Using our popular 10 Tidbits format, here are some items to help you get to know the newest Kings forward...

* Penner is a former Duck, who now becomes one of the few former Anaheim players to ever end up wearing a Kings jersey. He left there under some rather controversial circumstances though when the Oilers signed him to a five-year, $21-million offer sheet (something most GMs have been unwilling to do). In fact, it created quite a war of words between the Ducks and Oilers.

* He'll be another former college player in the Kings locker room, having played at the University of Maine. They're already near the top of the league in this category - with guys like Jack Johnson, Willie Mitchell, Matt Greene, Rob Scuderi, etc. having all played NCAA hockey.

* In 2004 Penner and Maine went to the NCAA Championship game vs. Denver. In the semis they beat a Boston College team that included current King Peter Harrold and former King Brian Boyle.

LA Kings: The Kids Are All Right - Or Are They?

The big question in Los Angeles on Trade Deadline Day 2011 is do the Kings have the right mix of players to make a legitimate run at the Stanley Cup this season?

In net, they're set. Jonathan Quick is proving to be an elite goalie. So, check that off your list.

On defense, their top-four defensemen are near the top, if not the top unit, in the Western Conference. Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, Rob Scuderi and Willie Mitchell. That's a formidable group. However, two questions come to mind. One, for as good as Willie Mitchell has been this year, can he stay healthy? If not, do the Kings have enough depth on defense?

Offensively speaking, much has been made about the lack of goal production this season. Yet, understand three key issues:

Dean Lombardi in The King's Speech

Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi probably isn't getting much sleep these days.

With the NHL Trade Deadline looming tomorrow afternoon tough decisions must be made. He has to worry about his current players, future players and even how some players on other teams might fight in with the club he's assembled this season.

During intermission yesterday he addressed at least two of those issues - Marco Sturm and Brayden Schenn - with Bob Miller and Jim Fox.

See what he had to say courtesy of Kings Vision...

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Agent Scott Norton on NHLPA Meeting w/ Donald Fehr

As reported yesterday afternoon, new NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr was in town to meet with a small group of agents.

We heard Fehr's thought on the discussions in an exclusive interview here.

Below, Scott Norton (Norton Sports Management), who reps the Kings' Dustin Brown, provides detailed commentary on the overall meeting, the major issue debated and even weighs in on the Dustin Brown trade rumors that have been popping up again.

MM: The bulk of the morning was spent on Donald Fehr updating the group on his background and experience. Given his very public role as the head of the Major League Baseball PA for over 30 years, did you learned anything new?

SN: I think, just new in terms of not knowing that much about his background. You know what you read and about the public persona. But, some of the in-depth and some of the way we're filling out the rest of the NHLPA board and the people they're bringing in, their experiences that will help move things forward with the CBA.

MM: How will the new NHLPA be different than what it has been over recently?

SN: I think it's going to be more solidified. I think Donald's going to be a great leader. I think people know from what we've gone through the past few years - hopefully some of the people aren't going to have their own agendas, that they've had in the past. I think the players are solidified and it's nice they get to take it backseat and watch the NFL and NBA go through what they're going to be going through.

MM: Knowing that you were going to be attending the meetings, did any of your players have specific questions they asked you to raise?

Brown Gets 2, Kings 1, NYR Wins (w/ MSG video)

Rolling, rolling, rolling.

Another game, another point for the LA Kings. That's 11 straight now without a loss in regulation (8-0-3). And just one shy of a dozen games in a row with at least a point.

Credit to the Kings for coming back twice to tie the game in the third period. However, overtime is becoming a habit. After only reaching the extra frame six times in the first 49 games, last night made it six OTs in the last nine. They need more offense. Not really new news though, right?

Dustin Brown - who talked about playing in his native New York and at MSG in this pregame article yesterday - had his most productive night in quite some time, picking up a pair of goals. It still wasn't enough to earn him a shot in the shootout though.

In an interesting note, an NHL.com writer commented last night "I don't get to see the Kings enough anymore, but it seems like Dustin Brown is more instinctive/comfortable/dangerous on the left side."

[more notes and video highlights after the jump]

RECAP: GM Dean Lombardi on NHL Network

Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi was a guest on NHL on The Fly Monday night.

Here are the basic highlights. Note - these are near exact quotes, but partially paraphrased for brevity...

* The up and down year for the Kings is par for the course when you're dealing with young players. After starting the season 12-3 some guys thought this was going to be easy and they forgot how hard they have to work. We won a lot of early games when we didn't actually play that well. I hope we've learned from it. I think we have.

* Have you learned anything that changes how you approach the trade deadline? No. Many parts of our plan are coming together. Maybe some of our young players took a stumble, but in most cases our projections for where we'd be are pretty much on the mark. We knew then and we know now what we need.

* We haven't looked back on not completing a deal with Ilya Kovalchuk because that deal never made sense for us. We have a strong nucleus that's starting to come together. They need time to mature and we want to keep them together. We felt coming into the year we'd be one of the best defensive teams and we are. We'd like to improve the offensive, but not at the expense of doing something extreme.

If you'd like to listen to this interview via Kings Vision, click here.

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RELATED ARTICLES:

Kovy Finally Arrives in LA

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Tony Granato on the LA Kings and GM Dean Lombardi

On January 20, 1990 the Kings traded away one of their most popular players, Bernie Nicholls, to the New York Rangers. In return they received Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato.

Even though it hurt to lose Nicholls, it might have been one of the best trades the organization made during that era. In return they received a double dose of grit and skill that helped fuel the offense for many seasons ahead.

Upon retiring, Granato moved behind the bench. After first spending time with the Colorado Avalance, he's now an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins - who are led by Dan Bylsma, another former LA forward.

Still, Granato's ties to the Kings aren't exclusive to those early '90s teams. He was also recruited by then-GM Dean Lombardi to play for the San Jose Sharks following the '95-96 season.

And that seemed like a good place to start in the first of a multi-part interview with Granato that will appear here on MayorsManor over the next two days...

[note: the podcast with Granato is available here]

MM: What were your impressions of Dean Lombardi when you signed with the Sharks in the summer of '96?

STAT CHECK: LA Kings at Edmonton Oilers

Game two of the Los Angeles Kings' road trip continues tonight in Edmonton.

Here are some key stats to know before the puck drops at 6:30 pm PST...

* Overall, the Kings are 6-0-4 in the last 10 games vs. the Oilers, including two wins this season. In their last 10 visits to Edmonton they're 6-4-0 - yet, they've four straight, dating back to Nov. 26, 2008.

* Breaking down goals by period, the Kings are an even scoring team - with 46 in the first, 46 in the second and 45 in the third. The problem this season has been the second period, where they've given up 53 goals (compared to 36 in the first and 34 in the first).

* The Oilers get stronger as the game goes on, having scored 31 goals in the first, 40 in the second and 48 in the third.

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Holiday Series - Gifts of Christmas Present

[Part two of a three part series]

Yesterday we posted the initial offering of this year's gift series using the theme from Charles Dickens' classic novel A Christmas Carol.

Our essential collection of Kings Gifts of Christmas Past included an inexpensive puck from the '60s, a $33,000 game worn Rogie Vachon mask, a few game worn jersey options, the coolest pair of LA Gear shoes ever made, the original pillow pet and a must have book for all Kings fans.

In part two of the series we look at the best-of-the-best Kings Gifts of Christmas Present...