Remembering Pavol Demitra - as exciting as they come

It's perhaps what every athlete, their families, front office personnel, team owners and sports fans fear most...a plane crash.

In what was absolutely devastating news to the hockey world today, we all learned that a tragic accident occurred in Russia - killing more than 30 members of the KHL’s Lokomotiv organization.

Among the lives lost was former LA King Pavol Demitra.

It's interesting when you think about it, some players are part of a team for years and really don't make much of an impression. Others, in a relatively short time, can become very memorable.

Demitra was the latter.

He played only 58 regular season games for the Kings, during the 2005-06 season. However, he posted 62 points - third best on the team - and was the only point-a-game player on the roster. Additionally, his 25 goals were just one shy of leader Mike Cammalleri - who played in 80 games.

Demitra also led the team with a plus-21 rating. And a remarkable five of his 25 goals were scored short-handed.

Needless to say, when he was on the ice, fans and opponents paid attention.

From his spectacular head-fake shootout goals, to scoring a hat-trick on hat night, he knew how to make an impression on those watching the game.

LA Kings Roundtable on player contracts, roster changes

Just in time for the weekend - part five of the recent roundtable discussion on the Los Angeles Kings is now available!

Joining me on the panel were Dennis Bernstein of The 4th Period, Jon Moncrief of the Examiner, Dave Joseph of ESPN and several others.

The group was pulled together by the guys over at KingsCast and in this segment we talk in-depth about which players will be back next year, a certain player that has privately said he's willing to come back at a discounted rate and roster changes that need to take place for the team to become Stanley Cup contenders. Plus, some lively debate on Jarret Stoll, Ryan Smyth, Michal Handzus, Willie Mitchell, Brad Richardson, Trevor Lewis and more!



If you haven't been keeping up with the whole series, here's a recap:

Part one of the roundtable featured discussion on Drew Doughty - click here to watch now.

Part two featured discussion on the power play and prospects - click here to watch now.

Part three had lots of talk on free agent signings, trade rumors, Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Bernier, Dustin Penner and much more - click here to watch now.

Part four went up earlier this week and was mainly about coaching and Johnson vs. Doughty - click here to watch now.

More videos will be released by KingsCast in the weeks to come.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Prospect Report - Kings had #1 player, now ranked #1 team

Prospect Report - notes on Derek Forbort, Kevin Gravel and Team USA

Clearing the Crease... with Jonathan Bernier

Forget Quick... It's the return of Bernier vs Ersberg!

You read that right.

It's just not for a spot on the Kings. Instead, they'll square off at the IIHF World Championships in Slovakia.

With Canada looking to lock down the top spot in their pool on Monday, coach Ken Hitchcock has announced he'll start Jonathan Bernier in goal for their final game of the qualification round.

Bernier picked up a 3-2 win yesterday vs. Norway, stopping 25 of 27 shots. It was his first game played in the tournament.

At the other end of the ice for his second game will be Erik Ersberg of Team Sweden. The former Kings goalie was in net when the Swedes lost their opening game of the tournament to Norway, 5-4 (via a shootout).

Sweden hasn't lost a game since and Ersberg hasn't seen any game action since. However, having already won their pool play, he's being given another shot before the quarterfinals start mid-week.

In other news...

* Slovenia lost in the relegation round to Belarus by a final score of 7-1. They've now been dropped out of the main pool for 2012. Just like Kings fans wonder how the team would have done vs. San Jose had Anze Kopitar been in the line-up, hockey fans in his home country now wonder the same thing about the national team. (read more about Gasper Kopitar's dreams for Slovenia here)

* Even though the U.S. had Sunday off, they still qualified for the quarterfinals due to Switzerland's loss to Sweden. Team USA plays their final 'qualification round' game tomorrow vs. the Swiss - that game airs live on VERSUS at 7am PST. Jack Johnson continues to lead the team in ice time in most games...and is an even-player through five games (he was minus-21 for the Kings this season). He also leads the team with 18 shots on goal..

* Alexander Ovechkin made it to Europe in time for the game, but Russia lost to the Czech Republic 3-2 on Sunday. Jaromir Jagr had the second goal of the game for his country. Ovi was held pointless.

* Michal Handzus and Team Slovakia haven't played well at all. Let's just leave it at that. They'll play Denmark Monday.  It will likely be the final game of Pavol Demitra's international career.

Quarterfinal match-ups will be announced tomorrow night and played Wednesday/Thursday. Regardless of the outcome of Monday's games, seven of the eight slots have already been secured by Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Russia, Sweden and the USA. Norway is the most likely eighth team. However, Switzerland has a slim chance at it.

[Monday morning update: Norway beat France earlier today to secure the 8th seed.  Switzerland will not advance to the quarterfinals, regardless of the outcome vs. Team USA.]



The Mayor
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USA vs. Canada - Here We Go Again

USA versus Canada.

It's become one of hockey's greatest rivalries.

And while it won't have the same meaning of last year's Winter Olympics, the two countries will square off once again today in the Qualification Round at the IIHF World Championships.

Jack Johnson is part of the defensive group for the U.S., who went 2-1 in the preliminary round, beating Austria and Norway - and losing to Sweden. In those three games, he had two assists and tied for second-best on the team with 11 shots on goal.

Meanwhile, Canada went 2-0-1, with wins over Belarus and France. They needed overtime to beat Switzerland in their last contest. Kings goalie' Jonathan Bernier is on the Canadian roster. However, he has yet to see any game action.

After today's game, Canada will finish out the Qualification Round with games against Norway tomorrow and Sweden on Monday. Team USA will play France tomorrow and Switzerland on Monday.

In other news from the tournament, Slovakia - featuring the Kings Michal Handzus - also advanced to the Qualification Round and their next game will be against Jaromir Jagr and the Czech Republic.

For a look back at some USA-Canada hockey news, check out these articles:

WJC 2011: Team Canada Report with Drew Doughty

WJC 2011: Team USA Report with Jack Johnson

WJC Memories with Captain Canada Ryan Smyth

Jeremy Roenick previews Canada-USA

Looking Back with Jonathan Bernier



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Kings forward Michal Handzus to join Team Slovakia

Fresh on the heels of announcements that Team Canada will include goaltender Jonathan Bernier and Team USA will feature Jack Johnson on defense, now comes word that Kings forward Michal Handzus will play for Slovakia, the host country for this year's IIHF World Championships.

Although the tournament is set to begin today, reports from Europe say Handzus and Blackhawks' forward Marian Hossa are on their way right now to join former King Pavol Demitra (who had a strong Olympic tournament last February in Vancouver) and current Rangers winger Marian Gaborik.

The team also features Jaroslav Halak of the St. Louis Blues in goal.

Handzus is an unrestricted free agent, having just completed a four-year contract with the Kings. Earlier this week, coach Terry Murray said he'd like to have him back (full interview here).



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POLL: Who should the LA Kings re-sign?

The Kings have a plethora of restricted free agents to evaluate - most notably, Drew Doughty and Wayne Simmonds.

However, they also have four unrestricted free agents they need to make decisions on by July 1st - Peter Harrold, John Zeiler, Michal Handzus and Alexei Ponikarovsky.

Let's focus on the latter two.

Earlier today I posted comments from coach Terry Murray regarding why he would want Handzus back - including saying, "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." (read the full article here)

As for Ponikarovsky, he said "Big body, a 6-5" guy. I need him to score more, though," before later adding "It wasn’t because of poor play. I mean, he's trying, he cares. He’s going to the net. He's using his size most of the time. I just need more of what you've shown for seven years on your resume, a 20-goal scorer. What happened? He can do some good things."

Both decisions will basically come down to money (of course) and possible replacements (i.e. younger prospects and/or other players available via the free agent market or trade).

Ignoring money - or assuming the contracts were reasonable (as the Kings no longer have to over-pay to get players, they have plenty of prospects now to fill third and fourth-line roles)...

If you were Kings GM Dean Lombardi, what would you do?



Poll closes Saturday at noon PST.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Handzus and Johnson guest on MayorsManor

Ponikarovsky wants to win 'em all

Dean Lombardi evaluates Terry Murray's performance this season

Coach Murray says Wayne Simmonds 'hit a wall' this season

Doughty says the Kings will 'do anything to win'
.

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.



The Mayor
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More history - of the 25th kind - to be made today?

Some of the best creations to ever come out of the NHL's Marketing Department are the 'History Will Be Made' commercials.

In about 30 second intervals they capture the greatest moments in hockey by simply using clips from a game, some music and a thought provoking question.

Even though the Kings are still searching for their first Stanley Cup, the team and their current roster of players have celebrated several momentous post-season events - including a few on this specific day.

Take a look...

April 25, 1993 - Kings def. Flames 3-1, Robb Stauber's first playoff game

April 25, 1997 - Ryan Smyth scores game-winning-goal in double-OT

April 25, 1999 - Michal Handzus plays in his first NHL playoff game

April 25, 2002 - Kings def. Avalanche 1-0 in OT, Felix Potvin shutout

April 25, 2006 - Jarret Stoll scores game-winning-goal in double-OT

April 25, 2011 - TBD

Tonight at 7pm the puck drops in downtown Los Angeles. Can the Kings muster up so more history and force a game seven?

That will still have to wait a few hours.

Until then, check out this interview with Stauber, where he relives the Kings 1993 playoff run.  After all, without him, they most likely wouldn't have made it out of the first round.

Every series has a playoff hero.  Who will get the job done for the Kings this year?


The Mayor
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Which Kings player will get off first?

The Kings have scored first in two of the three playoff games with the Sharks.

And they have a 1-1 record to show for it.

Still, when game four gets underway tonight, the coaches, the players and the fans will all be looking for the Kings to score first and take control early. They'll need to win the game to send the series back to San Jose tied 2-2.

So, who tends to score first for the Kings?

Here's a breakdown of the top performers this season...

Kings vs Sharks - Game Two Playoff Photos

A few days ago Jon from sharkspage.com - the Bay Area's longest running hockey blog - was kind enough to pass over some photos from game one between the Kings and Sharks (linked here).

Below are some shots he took at game two on Saturday night, featuring: Drew Doughty, Michal Handzus, Oscar Moller, Brad Richardson, Ryan Smyth and a few other Los Angeles Kings players...

(click on any image to enlarge)

For additional coverage of the Kings-Sharks series to date, check out the following MayorsManor articles:

* Highs and Lows from game one with Jim Fox

* Highs and Lows from game two with Jim Fox

* Exclusive conversations with Kings players - including Doughty, Simmonds, Clifford and others - click here to begin now.

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Kings down Sharks 4-0, Game 2 notes and video

It was a night of 'Oh yeah, that's happened before.'

* On December 27, 2010 the Kings beat the Sharks in San Jose by a score of 4-0.  Ditto last night.

* Last year vs. the Canucks, the Kings lost game one of their opening round series with Vancouver and then won the second game to even the series 1-1. Same thing here.

* Also during last year's playoffs, Drew Doughty had a four point night. He did it again vs. the Sharks on Saturday with two goals and two assists.

* Jonathan Quick shutout the Sharks. Five other Kings goalies had turned that trick in the playoffs, most recently - Felix Potvin in 2002 vs. Colorado (in a series the Kings should have won, but more on that some other day).

* Last year in game two vs. Vancouver, Wayne Simmonds scored a goal in only his second NHL playoff game. Saturday vs. the Sharks, Kyle Clifford matched the accomplishment when he found the back of the net early in the third period.

And a few other post-game notes...

Oscar Moller on mini-golf, Manchester and LA struggles

Oscar Moller hasn't seen the Phoenix Coyotes since December 26, 2009.

While it may sound like a lifetime ago, not much has changed. The battle in net that night was between Jonathan Quick and Ilya Bryzgalov, as it will be tomorrow night in downtown LA.

And the final score was 3-2, with goals by Dustin Brown, Michal Handzus, Adrian Aucoin, Martin Hanzal and Keith Yandle. All of those guys are still with their club - even though Hanzal isn't likely to play due to a lower body injury.

Moller was moved back to a line with Dustin Penner and Handzus today at practice. Afterwards, we had the following chat...

MM: If I understand the translation on your twitter profile correctly, you're not a fan of bowling or miniature golf. Is that right?

OM: I suck at bowling and I suck at mini-golf. Mini-golf just makes me mad. If I miss one, then I just become very frustrated. You want to do well at it, you know.

MM: You've been back with the Kings now for six games - has there been a game where you felt the most comfortable and/or has there been a game you felt you struggled in?

...And Now You're Caught Up - April 4, 2011

Opening weekend of Major League Baseball, the Final Four, WrestleMania, a Kings game, the Stars-Ducks game and the list goes on - it was a busy sports weekend for some of you.

So, here are the top ten Kings-related stories you need to know about or may have missed...

* Defenseman Willie Mitchell has been selected as the Kings’ nominee for the 2011 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy - awarded annually to the player who best exhibits perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey (press release). A Kings player has won the award three times previously, Butch Goring 1978, Bob Bourne 1988 and Dave Taylor 1991.

* If you want to relive the Mike Ribeiro Hit On Michal Handzus from Saturday's Stars-Kings game, video is available here.

* Jonathan Bernier's stellar 4-0-1 record in the month of March, including two shutouts, weren't enough to win him Player of the Month honors. Fans instead voted Dustin Brown the winner for the second time this season. See the full results for March and list of all winners this season at this link.

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.

Kings Take The Field For Opening Day at Dodger Stadium

Dustin Brown - captain or catcher?

Over the last few seasons, the Kings and Dodgers have developed a more-than-friendly relationship.

In fact, when cross promoting each other, the home team had a perfect 6-0 record until just a few months ago.

Later this afternoon the boys in blue will take the field at Dodger Stadium against the hated San Francisco Giants to begin their new season.

After writing many times over the last few years about the parallels of these two teams - i.e. GMs from division rivals, tons of young talent, just one key player away from a possible run at a championship, etc. - I thought I'd go a different route in honor of Opening Day.

Which Kings players would step in for the Dodgers if they took over the starting line-up? Here's a quick look...

First Baseman, James Loney is... Dustin Brown - the all around, solid ball player that is under appreciated and underrated, even in his own town.

Second Baseman, Juan Uribe is... Justin Williams - somebody who put up good numbers with a different club, but you never truly appreciate how good he is until he's on your team.

Shortstop, Rafael Furcal is... Drew Doughty - either of these players could easily be called the best players on their team and be recognized as league MVPs in any year.

Johnson and Handzus on Kings Playing the Oilers

The Road Kings are back to the comforts of living out of a suit case, taking their traveling carnival to Edmonton tonight for a game with the Oilers.

Pick your poison, the story could be about the Kings hot play on the road (winners of five straight). Or about Dustin Penner's first game against the club that traded him to LA last month. It could easily be about the injuries to Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams too.

Or, even though they have the fewest points in the NHL, the story could just be the Oilers.

Here are some thoughts on the game from the Kings new top line center and a view from the blueline...

Michal Handzus - "It's going to be a tough game. They're a good team. They have a lot of skill and a lot of young players. So, they're excited to play in the NHL. They go after teams. We've seen it before (this season). So, it's going to be a tough game and we need those two points. But, we can't expect an easy game. It's up there (in Edmonton) and they skate fast. We'll need to be on top of our game.

Jack Johnson - "It's always fun going into Canada, where the spotlight's on you a little bit more. Edmonton is a team right now with a 'don't have anything to lose' attitudes. Those are tough teams to play against because if a couple of bounces go their way or something, they're tough to stop, for sure. They still have a lot of talent on paper. It's also fun to go up to Canada and play on some fast ice, some good ice. I'm looking forward to it."

So far, the first three meetings of the season were all won by the Kings.

If they can pull out another one tonight, it might calm some of the fears hanging over the team in the wake of recent injuries. More importantly, it would take them two points closer to their current goal - qualifying for postseason play.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

POLL: Who Will Seize the Opportunity?

Dustin Penner on Returning to Edmonton

Dustin Brown Remembers When Kings Were Spoilers

POLL: Who Will Seize The Opportunity?

With Justin Williams and Anze Kopitar out of the line-up for the final seven games of the regular season (and longer), nearly every Kings player is talking about guys needing to step up.

And although that seemed to be the theme of the day at practice yesterday, coach Terry Murray was stressing opportunity...

As in, "an opportunity for players to show what they can do on that side of the game now.”

Also noting that several guys will be placed "in a higher situation, more important situation and they’ll grow immensely through this opportunity.”

Specifically, he's "looking for a couple young guys to step up here and take advantage of this opportunity.”

Regardless of age, the Kings need to somehow, someway replace the goals lost by Kopitar and Williams. So, what do you think - who will have the most goals over the final seven games?

Before you vote, here's a quick look at the how the new Kings lines may impact a player's performance:

100 Games Later, Little Has Changed for Kings-Ducks

Game one of the Kings-Ducks rivalry was a one goal game back in December 1993, a night that began with the two teams tied in the standings.

Fast forward more than 15 years and game #100 ended 2-1 (in overtime) and the clubs were separated by just three points in the standings.

They're also now tied in the season series 2-2, with the winner to be determined over the final weekend of the season when they meet in a home-and-home series.

Here are a few post-game notes, followed by the video highlights...

* Who else, but Corey Perry, scored the game winning goal. The man voted by fans as their Least Favorite Player in the NHL gave yet another reason to dislike him.

Kings Earn More 'Biggest Points of The Season'

Coaches and players love to tell you these are the biggest points of the season - even though two points in March count the same as two points in October.

Regardless, as Matt Greene said before the Kings current four-game road trip started, "We need points. There's no real formula for what we're doing right now. I think every team needs them. We just have to go out and get wins."

And that they're doing. Sunday's 3-2 win in Dallas was the team's third in a row on this trip and they're now 10-1-3 in their last 14 games away from Staples Center.

Five points to the game:

Kings Quickly Out of Game With Red Wings

By the time you read this most of the Kings players have already forgotten tonight's game with the Detroit Red Wings.

At least that's what they'll tell you.

LA came into the game riding a mild four-game winning streak over Detroit, including a 5-0 shutout in Michigan two months ago.

Although Michal Handzus scored first, this game was all Red Wings.

Drew Miller scored the first of his two goals 6:37 into the game and they never looked back. Two more in the first and one more in the second made it 4-1 Detroit and it only got worse, with another two goals in the first six minutes of the third period.

This led to Jonathan Quick being pulled for only the second time this season.  Yet, the damage was already done though.

Dustin Brown would later score his team leading 21st goal of the season (on Anze Kopitar's second assist of the night). Next was Wayne Simmonds, who seems to be doing quite well on the top line (3 goals, 1 assist in the last three games). And Brad Richardson even put one in the net at 19:39.

However, it was too little too late. The Kings were down 7-4 and out of time.

Richardson will now return to fourth-line duty, having spent some time with Kopitar and Simmonds the past two games (after Marco Sturm was lost to waivers).

Earlier in the day the Kings traded for Dustin Penner, who is expected to start Thursday night on the top line - wearing #25.

[note: for trade coverage, start here to read Welcome to LA - 10 Tidbits on Dustin Penner]

Random fact of the night, Peter Harrold dressed for only the second game since Christmas and first since January 6 vs. Nashville.
Warning - the following video highlights may be tough to watch for younger viewers...