Breaking down the lack of scoring with Kings coach Murray

The LA Kings haven't been scoring enough goals to win hockey games on a consistent basis and everybody's talking about, including coach Terry Murray.

Following practice today, he not only answered questions, he also had some facts to share...

Question: Is the parity in the league - and the fact a lot of teams play the same system - part of the reason for the lack of scoring?

TM: Pre-lockout (2003-04), the number one scoring team in the NHL scored 262 goals (Ottawa). Last season, the top scoring team in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks, put up 262 goals (note: it was actually 258 last year). So, it hasn't changed much. The thing that has changed now though is the neutral zone play is much tighter. We saw it last night with Anaheim and we're seeing it, basically, with every team in the league. Everybody's pulling back to their own blueline. It's a very tight structure now in the middle of the ice. It is difficult to have a possession entry. Organized attacks, you can get organized, but there comes a time when you're being fronted - now, you just have to go get pucks in deep and you have to go recover them. So, it's hard and it's hard for everybody in the league right now.

Question: Has there been any change in the system that has led him to believe the offensive numbers would go down?

Five final thoughts on the Kings vs Avs at Frozen Fury 2011

In front of a sell-out crowd at the MGM Grand on Saturday (announced as 11.478), the Kings lost 4-1 to the Colorado Avalanche. To close the chapter on this year's event, here are five post-game notes...

- The last time the Kings lost a 60-minute game to the Avalanche in Las Vegas was all the way back on September 30, 2000. Peter Forsberg had four points that night (two goals, two assists), including setting up Chris Drury for the game winner with 31 seconds left.

- The only other time the Kings scored a single goal in a Frozen Fury game was 2005. Fresh off the NHL lockout the season before, Dustin Brown scored for LA that night. But, it wasn't enough, as the Kings eventually lost in overtime by a score of 2-1.

- Frozen Fury IX in 2006 saw the Las Vegas debut of Anze Kopitar, and he waited until late in the game to let his full presence be known, setting up Patrick O'Sullivan for the game winning goal with 52 seconds remaining. Since then, he had picked up at least one goal in every game - 2007 (goal and an assist), 2008 (power play goal), 2009 (two goals) and 2010 (goal and an assist). This year, he came away empty handed in the goal department. However, with an assist on Simon Gagne's goal, Kopitar pushed his points streak to six straight games in Las Vegas.

- All three stars of the game were from the Avs - 1. Matt Duchene, 2. Milan Hejduk, 3. Eric Johnson

- Although the event wasn't televised, fan-filmed footage of Gagne's goal can be found here

The Mayor
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Interview w/ LA Kings 2011 draft pick Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher is a man of many teams.

He split time last season between Frolunda HC's under-18 team and under-20 team, the latter of which is part of the SuperElit, Sweden’s top junior league. In his 22 games with the big club he picked up seven points (four goals, three assists), to go along with his 12 goals in 10 games with the u-18 squad.

Then, two weeks ago, he was drafted twice in a matter of days - first by the Kings.

With Los Angeles in desperate need of some left wing depth throughout the organization, they selected him in the seventh round of the recent NHL Draft. Now, the 6-foot-3, 198 pound 17-year old is headed to California for next week's Development Camp.

Prior to departing his native Sweden for the States, I spoke with him by phone to talk about what's been going lately and his plans for the future.

MM: Starting with the NHL draft - how did you find out and did you even know the Kings were interested in you?

MS: Todd Woodcraft (the Kings European scout) called me a few minutes before they picked me and told me to watch the draft on the internet. That's how I found out.  I was first contacted by him around February or March.  So, I knew they were following me a little bit. But, I wasn't sure I was going to get drafted. It was a big surprise for me.

MM: Let's get the obvious question out of the way - how annoying is it to have people always confuse you with the race car driver Michael Schumacher?

Draft 2010 - Interview with Calle Jarnkrok

History is important.  That's why they make you take it from grade school through college.  It's a critical building block of knowledge.

Things aren't much different in sports.  Hockey fans need to know their history.

When it comes to the LA Kings and players from Sweden, there are three names you need to know - Mattias Norstrom, Tomas Sandstrom and Peter Forsberg.

Sorry Freddy Modin...nice audition you put in for a few months this season, but we're going to need to see a greater body of work for you to be included in this conversation.

Much has been made about the Kings-Red Wings rivalry during the first few years after the team moved into Staples Center to start the decade. Somewhat lost in the shuffle for many is their equally intense rivalry with the Colorado Avalanche.

After the Frenzy on Figueroa in '01, it was the Avs that took out the Kings in the second round (needing 7 games to do it). The following year it was another 7 game series with the Avs...and another loss for the Kings. Forsberg was front and center for the Avs during this period. He was a Kings killer.

For somebody actually wearing a Kings jersey, there is Norstrom. Having recently served as an Assistant Coach for his native country in the Vancouver Olympics, he hasn't strayed too far from hockey in his post-retirement life. He wore the "C" for 5 seasons with the Kings and was simply known as "the Warrior."

Which brings us to perhaps one of the most underrated and under-appreciated Kings of the Gretzky era (or the McNall era, if you prefer), Sandstrom. You wanna talk warrior? This guy had his leg broken in game two of a playoff series vs the Oilers in '91 (damn you Craig Muni!). That's fine though, all Sandstrom did was come back and play six nights later...ON A BROKEN LEG!

Hockey's Most Exclusive Club

Vancouver, BC - Most of the best hockey players on the planet have descended upon Vancouver this month. Most are here to play in the Olympics. Some are here to watch, having played before.

Twenty two of those players were honored earlier tonight for their accomplishments.

This wasn't just any group through and this wasn't your normal awards ceremony. These 22 were here because out of the more than 4,000 hockey players that have skated at the Olympics, these 22 have won the gold. Out of the more than 9,000 players that have tried to win the Stanley Cup, they've done that too. And although more than 15,000 players that have tried to win an IIHF gold medal, this group has one of those as well.

It's a small club. Just 22 members. Each of them having achieved the ultimate hat trick, putting them all into the Triple Gold Club.

With only 22 members it has to be the toughest team in hockey to be part of. The group reads like a who's who of every great game or series you can probably remember. Guys like Brendan Shanahan, Peter Forsberg and Nicholas Lidstrom. Igor Larionov, Rob Blake and Nicklas Lidstrom are members too. Need more? How about - Henrik Zetterberg, Chris Pronger or Jaromir Jagr...they were all there too.

During the ceremony at Molson's Hockey House, in the shadows of the arena hosting this year's Olympic hockey action, each player received a customized Triple Gold Club jersey, a Tissot watch with his name engraved and a special membership pin.

According to the IIHF, there are 42 active players who have won two of the three titles.

Six of those 42 are here in Vancouver looking for a gold medal to complete their entry into hockey's most exclusive club - Eric Staal (Canada); Pavel Kubina and Josef Vasicek (Czech Republic); Jere Lehtinen (Finland) and Sergei Fedorov and Ilya Bryzgalov (Russia).

Guess we'll know by Sunday night if the club is expanding.

The Mayor
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