Kings at Maple Leafs - notes on Melrose, Mitchell, mistakes

Tonight will be the end of an era on at least two fronts.

First, interim coach John Stevens will be coaching his last game for the Kings - as Darryl Sutter is expected to be officially announced as the team's new bench boss tomorrow and resume game duties Thursday vs the Ducks.

Second, beginning next season, gone will be the days of the Kings and Maple Leafs only playing on rare occasion - as the NHL will feature a new balanced schedule, where each team will play a home and road game against the other 29 clubs.

For now though, Kings v Leafs is still something special. Not only is Toronto the undeniable hockey capital, but these two teams put on one of the greatest seven-game series in playoff history back in 1993. More on that in a minute though. First up, some notes on tonight...

- Slava Voynov and Alec Martinez will sit out, while Willie Mitchell is expected to return to the line-up. Yesterday, he proclaimed there were no further setbacks in his recovery from a sore groin and he's looking to be on the Kings blueline come game time.

- The same can't be said for Mike Richards. Although he's been traveling with the team since Friday, he's still not ready for contact. A better status of his situation should come later this week when the team is back in LA and he has a chance to see the doctor again.

- Don't look now, but Dustin Penner quietly had his first multi-point game of the season on Saturday. Of course, it went largely unnoticed due to the team losing 8-2. However, it's yet another positive sign of his recent play.

- "Flat-out mistakes that cost us goals," that's what Rob Scuderi had to say about the debacle in Detroit over the weekend.

- Look for Drew Doughty to have his best game of the season tonight. He'll be playing in front of friends and family and the young defenseman tends to raise his level of play in 'big games.' For him personally, this is a big one.

Now, here's a look back at a pivotal point in time for each franchise...

VIDEO: Barry Melrose on the Kings firing Terry Murray

For a guy who has coached less than three full NHL seasons, Barry Melrose has garnered quite the following over the last two decades. Now, as an analyst on the NHL Network, he offered his opinion on the Kings coaching change today.

In the following video he talks about pressure from ownership that may have been placed on GM Dean Lombardi, the play of Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Terry Murray's system, Darryl Sutter and more.

The most telling quotes may be when he talks about the Kings 'not losing because of talent or systems,' but because 'you don't see a lot of energy or passion in their play.'

One more thing - Melrose is not being considered for the job.

However, early this morning we posted a list of possible candidates here and be sure to vote in the poll on who you think the next coach should be here.

The Mayor
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VIDEO: Barry Melrose gives Kopitar 'Mullet of the Week'

In what has to be the greatest hockey award ever created, Barry Melrose put out his 'Mullet of the Week' award winner today...and Anze Kopitar, who played like a mad man in the Kings first two games of the season, was the proud recipient.

Who ever would have thought after the trading of Ryan Smyth a few months ago that any member of the Kings would be winning a mullet award so soon?

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Kopitar training in one of Europe's most beautiful cities

Shane Doan would pick Kopitar and the NHL All-Star Draft

Dustin Brown not buying that he lacks chemistry with Kopitar

Kings vs Maple Leafs, reliving when mullets were cool

MayorsManor Podcast - featuring Mark Hardy

When it comes to the Kings blueline, there's Rob Blake at 805 games played, followed by Mattias Norstrom at 780.

Next on that list is Mark Hardy with 616.

He also has the second most assists, third most points and fifth most penalty minutes by a defenseman in franchise history.

His career saw him go from being drafted by the Kings, shipped to New York after eight seasons in LA, then back to the Kings for their run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993 and eventually behind the bench in a coaching role that lasted more than 10 seasons.

Along the way he was twice named the Kings best defenseman (1984-85 and 1986-87) and his coaching led to the second best penalty killing percentage in team history (86.6 success rate in 2001-02, third in the NHL that season).

For the last year though he's been on the sidelines, having resigned his position after being arrested in Washington, D.C. and subsequently entering an alcohol treatment program.

He first appeared on MayorsManor over the weekend, talking about the Kings power play struggles this season and the play of Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty.

He returns today for an extended conversation about life since the arrest, who has reached out to him, his earliest memories as a King, playing for the Rangers, the toughest guys in the NHL, the development of Kyle Clifford, the day Rob Blake resigned the captaincy, how that situation was handled, we break down the 1993 playoffs by round, plus he shares one of the best pranks he was ever part of and much more.

Oh yeah, and we play word association using names like Barry Melrose, Bob Berry, Andy Murray, Terry Murray and Dave Taylor.

[Audio player after the jump]

Kings-Ducks: The First Time It Mattered This Much

It was 1993. December 2nd to be exact. The Kings were crashing hard, coming down from their high of going to the Stanley Cup Finals just seven months earlier. Now, they were near the bottom of the Western Conference and riding a six-game losing streak.

Across the ice were the Disney-owned Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, playing in their inaugural season. While an expansion team may not sound like much of a threat to the incumbent, the Kings had long struggled to carve out their own niche in a crowded market place. Adding a second hockey team in SoCal wasn't going to make it any easier.

Yet, so it began. With both teams tied in the standings at 20 points apiece, it was time for the first ever Kings-Ducks game.

Adding concern and worry for even the most die hard of Kings fans was the fact that coach Barry Melrose was starting Rick Knickle in goal, not Kelly Hrudey or Robb Stauber (the two guys that carried the team through the '93 playoffs). No, he was going with a guy who was playing for the San Diego Gulls the season prior. If you've never heard of Knickle or the Gulls, that tells you all you need to know.

Things only got worse when at the 10:13 mark of the first period the Mighty Ducks scored their first ever goal against the Kings. Peter Douris - who? - scored a power play goal to put the Ducks up 1-0. What in the world was going on?

MayorsManor Podcast featuring Tony Granato

When evaluating a trade in sports years down the line if you'd still make the same trade again, that usually tells you which team won the exchange.

In the case of the Kings sending Bernie Nicholls to the New York Rangers for Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato, of course they'd do that deal again.

The offensive duo helped propel the Kings to new heights in the early '90s, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993.

These days Granato is an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the podcast below we cover a wide range of topics...

On coaching, Granato talks about what it takes to be successful in the current NHL, what he learned from Barry Melrose and if he was ready to be a head coach when the Colorado Avalanche hired him.

Regarding his days on the ice, he talks about playing in New York with Marcel Dionne, being traded to LA and the Kings 1993 playoff run - including the Marty McSorley stick incident.

Other topics explored feature travel challenges in the Eastern vs. Western Conference, Staples Center vs. the Forum and choosing his jersey number.

As if all that isn't enough, Granato also weighs in on the 'Should Rob Blake's number be retired in LA?' debate.

Take a listen...



note: All MayorsManor podcasts are now available via a free download on itunes.

Additionally, there were two supplementary articles published this week with Granato. First, he talks about this year's Kings team and GM Dean Lombardi from his days in San Jose (linked here). Second, we play word association using many of his former teammates, a MayorsManor favorite (linked here).

The Mayor
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Other PODCASTS available:

Audio interview with Ian Laperriere

Audio interview with Kerry Fraser

Kings vs Maple Leafs - When Mullets Were Cool

Tonight the Toronto Maple Leafs make a rare appearance in Los Angeles.

The Leafs enter the game with 36 points (13th in the Eastern Conference). Saturday night the Kings won for the first time in six games and now have 47 points (8th in the Western Conference).

However, when these two teams meet it will forever stir memories of an NHL playoff series from nearly 20 years ago.

Here's a look back at perhaps the high point in franchise history...

1993 seems like so long ago - the NHL played an 84 game regular season schedule, the Ducks were still a movie not a hockey team, Eric Lindros and Teemu Selanne were promising rookies, wearing a helmet was optional for players, Ron Hextall was wearing a Quebec Nordiques jersey (seriously!), Gary Bettman was just named the NHL's first Commissioner, Bruce McNall still owned the Kings and yes, mullets were cool.

Five years prior the Kings had made 'the trade' with Edmonton to bring Wayne Gretzky to LA, turning Hollywood to Hockeywood. The Kings had their best year ever in 1990-91, posting 102 points and winning the Smythe Division. After losing to Edmonton that postseason and the year after, coach Tom Webster was fired.

TRIVIA: Toronto Maple Leafs at LA Kings Preview

One of the many things separating hockey from the other major sports is that it actually has a capital. Basketball doesn't have one, nor does baseball - even though Yankee fans would tell you differently.

And regardless of the Maple Leafs' record at any given time, few in the world of hockey would disagree - except maybe those in Montreal - that the pulse of the sport can be found in Toronto.

The NHL has offices there, it's home to the Hockey Hall of Fame and even Wayne Gretzky's restaurant is in downtown Toronto.

Back in 1993 the Leafs were still in what's now the Western Conference (then the Campbell Conference), along with the Kings.

After beating Calgary and Vancouver in the first two rounds of the playoffs, LA advanced to the Conference Championship for the first (and so far, only) time in team history.

The seven game series that ensued between the Maple Leafs and Kings was as good as any ever played in the NHL.

To set the mood for tonight's LA-Toronto match-up let's do a little trivia contest from that classic series back in '93...

Throwback Thursdays - An Interview w/ Robb Stauber

For an organization that five years ago had zero credibility when it came to developing goaltenders, the Kings have made quite the turn around under the direction of GM Dean Lombardi and Assistant GM Ron Hextall.

Today, goaltending is a strength...with names like Quick, Bernier, Zatkoff, Jones and Berube set to man the nets next season for the Kings and their various affiliates.

However, the Kings had a shot at something similar at least once before.  Case in point, in 1986 the team drafted Robb Stauber out of high school.  Before arriving in LA he had a stellar college hockey career at the University of Minnesota - becoming the first goalie to ever win the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's player of the year (and he did it as a sophomore!). His teams also made it to the Frozen Four three straight years.

Then, after Robb spent a few more seasons developing in the minors, he began battling Kelly Hrudey for the starting job during the 1992-93 campaign, winning 15 games in 31 regular season appearances.

While Hrudey is fondly remembered as being the man during the Kings run to the Stanley Cup Finals that same year, he had plenty of praise for Stauber and his role on the team when I interviewed him last year - saying things like "Robb had played so strong he deserved the action he was getting too." 

Specifically, on Stauber's performance in the opening round of the '93 playoffs versus Calgary, Hrudey added "We were down 2-1 in the series. Robb (came in and) played in game four and we won 2-1 to even the series. Barry (Melrose) stuck with Robb in games five and six...He won the series."

Just one year later, the Kings drafted Jamie Storr 7th overall at the 1994 NHL Draft - after he won a gold medal for Team Canada at the '94 World Junior Championships.  He backed it up with another gold medal at the '95 WJC.  Goaltending should have been set for years to come.

What happened?  What went wrong?

We first posted an interview with Robb back in April, where he helped preview this year's NCAA Frozen Four Championship game and talked about his days playing college hockey.

This time around, we're talking more about his time with the Kings - from first joining the team to the multiple goalie controversies of '93, coach Barry Melrose, life in the minor leagues, Rogie Vachon, Jonathan Quick, Jamie Storr, Dominik Hasek, being known as "Blueline" and the real reason why he was traded...

Interview with Kings Playoff Hero - Gary Shuchuk

Gary Shuchuk is one in a long line of unsuspecting NHL playoff heroes. Ironically, his brightest moment in a Kings uniform was against the Vancouver Canucks - the same team LA will begin battle with later this week.

An LA Times article recapping the May 11, 1993 game began with 'The hero of the Kings' double-overtime victory over the Canucks in Game 5 was a player who had not taken a single shift in the first four games of the Smythe Division final.'

It was the longest game in Kings history and the biggest goal in Shuchuk's NHL career.  The few years prior hadn't been that bad for him either, be won the NCAA hockey championship at Wisconsin in 1990 and the AHL Calder Cup in 1992.

Last week we sat down with Shuchuk to talk college hockey life in an interview published here.  This week, he's back to share memories of making to the NHL, Barry Melrose, the Kings, Wayne Gretzky, Dan Blysma, Warren Rychel and more.

Another Mayors Manor exclusive interview - welcome in Gary Shuchuk...

Roy, Melrose and Blake on '93 Finals

It was perhaps the highpoint in franchise history. The Kings had made the Stanley Cup Finals.

What a season - Gretzky had been out hurt for much of the first half, Luc Robitaille was called upon to wear the 'C', an eccentric rookie coach was leading the team from behind the bench...and low and behold, fan favorite Jimmy Carson returned to the team. He arrived back in LA via a trade with the Red Wings that sent #99's good friend Paul Coffey to Detroit - causing a several week rift between the Great One and then Kings owner Bruce McNall.

The success, the fun, the excitement of 1993 will forever be marred by the incident. Call it StickGate or whatever you want. Nearly everybody finds it impossible to talk about the Finals that year without mentioning Marty McSorley's illegal stick in the second game.

With the Kings already up in the series 1-0, they were leading game 2 late in the third period. Jacques Demers, the desperate Canadiens coach at that point, called for a stick measurement with less than two minutes to play.

In a recent interview I asked former Kings defenseman Rob Blake if that was the turning point in the in the series:

"I think it's the most publicized turning point of that series. I don't know if it was the real turning point. I mean if you look, we were still up by a goal when that happened. We should have been able to put the game away. We should have been able to kill that off. They scored it overtime. They won three games in a row in overtime. I think Desjardins, LeClair and LeClair. So...it wasn't just that we lost that game. The next two games were very close too. The series ended up 4-1 and in the fifth game they kinda took it to us. There were a lot of different key points, but I think the stick incident will always be the most talked about just because it gave them that power play late, late in the game."

Kings netminder for the series, Kelly Hrudey, had a few interesting takes on things when he spoke at the Kings HockeyFest back in August. He claimed, according to rumors he heard, Montreal was planning to have the ref check his stick for possibly being illegal. However, a scout watching the Conference Finals noted the curve on Marty's stick. So, late in game two, it was Marty that Montreal went after. Hrudey said he remembers feeling the team was emotionally spent when they were in the locker room prior to overtime. He wasn't conceding the series, just thought they'd be going home 1-1...which the did. (click here to read the entire HockeyFest recap)

Former Kings coach Barry Melrose told the NY Times in a post game press conference that he didn't "believe in winning that way." The Times article said Melrose wouldn't have done such a thing to an opponent, that he would have tried to win with players only, not by appealing for equipment violations.

Perhaps lost in all of the drama surrounding the stick situation were some of the antics of Hall of Fame (to be) goalie Patrick Roy. One of the most intriguing was his wink at Kings forward Tomas Sandstrom.

Roy had this to say to Sports Illustrated regarding the infamous wink:

"Always Sandstrom is in my crease, bothering me, hitting at me when I have the puck. When I made the save on Robitaille, Sandstrom hit me. So I winked. I wanted to show him I'd be tough. That I was in control."

More than 15 years have passed. Although the '93 Finals will probably forever be mentioned when these two teams play in the future, the reality is that game and that time frame are well in the past.

The Kings organization has new leadership, new players...and the fans have new hope. All involved are hoping the future of the Kings will forever trump their troubled past.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor


RELATED ARTICLES YOU MAY ENJOY:

Exclusive interviews with:
Luc Robitaille
Rob Blake
Kelly Hrudey

Plus...
Interview with Robb Stauber - the man who battled Hrudey in net during the Kings '92-93 season
Interview with Gary Shuchuk - Kings playoff hero in 1993
.

Kings-Ducks: The Last Time it Mattered This Much

It was 1993. December 2nd to be exact. The Kings were crashing hard, coming down from their high of going to the Stanley Cup Finals just seven months earlier. Now they were near the bottom of the Western Conference and riding a six game losing streak.

Staring them in the face was their worst nightmare - an expansion team. The Disney owned Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were in their inaugural season, which may not sound like much of a threat to the incumbent. However, the Kings - long struggling to carve out their niche in a city known for paying more attention to the Dodgers and Lakers - now faced a new worry. A second NHL team in SoCal.

And so it began. A rivalry of sorts. With both teams tied in the standings at 20 points apiece, it was time for the first ever Kings-Ducks game.

Adding concern and worry for even the most die hard Kings fan was the fact that coach Barry Melrose was starting Rick Knickle in goal, not Kelly Hrudey or Robb Stauber (the two guys that carried the team through the '93 playoffs). No, he was going with a guy that was playing for the San Diego Gulls the season prior. If you've never heard of Knickle or the Gulls, that tells you all you need to know.

Things only got worse when at the 10:13 mark of the first period the Mighty Ducks scored their first ever goal against the Kings. Peter Douris - who? - scored a power play goal to put the Ducks up 1-0. What it the world was going on?

How they were even on the power play is a mathematical marvel. Certainly it was a penalty filled period - one that resulted in the Mighty Ducks being short handed seven different times. On one of those power plays Luc Robitaille was able to score, tying up the game. It was at that precise moment you could hear the entire building exhale...briefly.

The second period wasn't nearly as exciting. The Kings were dominating the shot clock 33-10 after 40 minutes, but the game remained tied 1-1. Fans throughout the Fabulous Forum were on pins and needles as they headed to the concession stands and underground bathrooms for the second intermission.

Then Jari Kurri took over. He scored two goals in the first half of the third period, providing the Kings a little breathing room. His second came at 10:16. While the Kings were now up 3-1, that was a lot of time on the clock to kill.

Duck fans watching at home - they wouldn't dare go to the Forum back then, they weren't as obnoxious as they are now - probably thought there was plenty of time left for a Mighty comeback. Eventually, their confidence would increase. With just a few minutes left on the clock Robitaille went to the box for charging. Ducks coach Ron Wilson capitalized on the situation by pulling goalie Guy Hebert to give his team a two man advantage.

Shaun Van Allen scored for the Ducks and the hearts of 16,005 Kings fans in attendance nearly stopped pumping. We had a serious problem on our hands.

Wilson kept Hebert on the bench and the Ducks continued to pepper Knickle. Tick, tick, tick - time seemed to move so slowly. The final 82 seconds finally elapsed and the Kings had won the game 3-2.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. On that night the Kings let it be known, this was their town. "We had to win, let's be honest." said Kings captain Wayne Gretzky.

Well to be honest, the Ducks would eventually wrestle away bragging rights in the rivalry - making their own run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007 (note: in a cost cutting move the NHL canceled the Finals, thus no winner was ever crowned that year...trust me, what you think happened didn't happen...believe me...it's just your mind playing tricks on you).

Further truth - the rivalry has never really lived up to the hype. Sure, many of the games through the years have had some heat. Yet, the old adage is that a rivalry isn't really a rivalry until two teams meet in the playoffs. Unfortunately, it hasn't happened.

That said, let's be clear about something...tonight's game is the most meaningful Kings-Ducks game since that initial contest. The Kings have been slowly ascending the ranks of the Western Conference this season and are currently riding a seven game winning streak. The Ducks have also been playing better of late, climbing back into the playoff race themselves.

The Kings won the first meeting of the season 4-3 in Anaheim. They also won the rematch a few weeks ago in LA, a dominant 4-0 victory.

While the Ducks might need this game more for the standings in the West, the Kings need this more for their psyche. They need to show themselves and their fans that this is THEIR town!

The next time a Kings-Ducks game will mean this much is when the teams meet in the playoffs someday.

Until then, tonight's the night. Time for the dominance to begin.

The Mayor
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Reliving '93 - When Mullets Were Cool

1993 seems like so long ago - the NHL played an 84 game regular season schedule, the Ducks were still a movie not a hockey team, Eric Lindros and Teemu Selanne were promising rookies, wearing a helmet was optional for players, Ron Hextall was wearing a Quebec Nordiques jersey (seriously!), Gary Bettman was just named the NHL's first Commissioner, Bruce McNall still owned the Kings and yes, mullets were cool.

Five years prior the Kings had made 'the trade' with Edmonton to bring Gretzky to LA, turning Hollywood to Hockeywood. The Kings had their best year ever in 1990-91, posting 102 points and winning the Smythe Division. After losing to Edmonton that postseason and the year after, coach Tom Webster was fired.

Then, prior to the 1992-93 season the Kings hired Barry Melrose, a Tony Robbins following - mullet wearing coach who had never been behind the bench for an NHL game. His star player, #99, missed the first 36 games of the season with a back injury. Luc Robitaille captained the team while he was out, in route to the best season of his career with 63 goals and 125 points. The team finished in 3rd place with a record of 39-35-10, just 11th best in the 24 team league.

Fan favorite and starting goaltender, Kelly Hrudey, had gone through a horrible slump earlier in the year and still wasn't right as the playoffs began. Down 2-1 in the series, Melrose replaced him with Robb Stauber. Hrudey says "Robb played in game four and we won 2-1 to even the series. Barry stuck with him in games five and six...He won the series."

Melrose kept Stauber between the pipes to open the second round against Vancouver. After the Kings lost the first game Hrudey recalls "Immediately following the game Barry called me into his office and told me I was going to start game two." The Kings went on to win the series 4-2, setting the stage for what came next...

THE SERIES

The Campbell Conference Finals in 1993 would determine who would play the Montreal Canadians for the Stanley Cup. Hockey know-it-alls would tell you the Toronto Maple Leafs were going to send Melrose, Gretzky and the rest of the LA Kings packing.

Even though the Leafs had gone 2-1-1 against the Kings during the regular season, team leader Doug Gilmour didn't take the Kings lightly, saying "We don't want to get into a scoring match up with the Kings. We want to play them strong defensively and go from there." Rookie goalie Felix Potvin agreed, adding "It's going to be a tough series...they've got a wide-open offense...and we're going to try to have to shut them out. We don't want to get into a shootout with the Kings."

There were also plenty of odd associations on both sides as well. Leafs winger Mike Krushelnyski had played two seasons for the Kings before being traded to Toronto a few years earlier. Glenn Anderson of the Leafs had played with Gretzky and Kurri back in Edmonton and felt the Kings were "very determined not only to get by this series against us but to win the Stanley Cup."

Toronto's captain, Wendel Clark, just so happened to be the first cousin of Melrose. Clark, who played a key role in most of the games, has since said "That series was probably the most excitement I saw around here," referring to Maple Leaf Gardens.

Melrose didn't let family ties stand in the way of what he says "was one of the best series the NHL has had in the last 30 years," adding "both buildings were electric, and both cities were unbelievable."

Game 1 - while the Maple Leafs defeated the Kings 4-1 to take the early series lead, the real story of the game centered on a hit LA defenseman Marty McSorley put on Gilmour. Clark took exception to the hit and went after McSorley, in what became a series long theme (click here for video of the whole incident). The hit also enraged Burns, who tried going after Melrose on the bench, convinced he ordered the hit on Gilmour.

McSorley's bruised face was on the cover of the Toronto sports page with a quote from Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher "All I'm saying is (McSorley) may try (going after Gilmour), but it won't happen again".

The coaches were beginning their own war too. Burns began to take aim at Melrose through the media - feeling the Kings coach didn't respect him or his team. After Melrose made a comment about the Leafs being good at protecting a lead because they have "10 guys 30 years old. They plug up the middle pretty well." Burns retorted with "We had 99 points this year, his team had 88. I guess our 30-year-olds did a pretty good job clogging up the middle. We beat Detroit and St. Louis, and I firmly believe we'll beat the Los Angeles Kings, too." The war of words later escalated to Melrose commenting on Burns' weight - even telling him to have another donut - while Burns would call him Billy Ray Cyrus.

Looking back now Melrose says "Pat and I are both competitive guys. We're both outgoing guys," Melrose said. "We both talk a lot, and when you get both of those things combined...a lot of stuff is going to happen."

Game 2 - the Kings tie the series with a 3-2 win in Toronto

Game 3 - with the series now in LA for games three and four, the Kings win 4-2, taking the series lead

Game 4 - the Leafs tie the series with a 4-2 victory at the Forum

Game 5 - in the first of back to back overtime games, the Leafs win 3-2 when Anderson whacks a puck out of the air with 40 seconds left in the extra period...the Leafs now lead the series 3-2 and the series heads back to LA.

Game 6 - prior to the game Toronto columnist Bob McKenzie noted that Gretzky was playing like he had a piano on his back throughout the series..the Great One then went out and proved you don't call out a legend like that...

Urban myth has it that Wayne addressed the team before the game and asked them to give it their all to tie the series and send things back to Toronto, where he promised he would take care of things in game seven.

It almost never came to be. The Kings dominated the first two periods and were up 4-1 early in the third. However, Clark scored three goals for the Leafs to even the game 4-4 and send things to overtime. Early in the fourth period Gretzky high-sticked Gilmour for what Leaf fans will forever claim should have been a penalty. Referee Kerry Fraser disagreed and play continued.

From behind the net Robitaille set up Gretzky to win the game. Kings 5, Leafs 4. Board the plane. We're going back to Toronto for game seven and a possible trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Game 7 - in what will forever be known as 'the series' among Kings fans and players, this is 'the game'

Gretzky opened the scoring on a shorthanded give-and-go with McSorley to provide the Kings an early 1-0 lead. He then set up Tomas Sandstrom for a goal to put the Kings up 2-0 at the end of the first period.

Toronto tied things up early in the second on goals from Clark and then Anderson. Melrose called a time out to settle things down. At the half way point of the second period Gretzky was alone in the slot and put a slap shot past Potvin to give the Kings the lead again at 3-2. Like the intermission before, the Kings were leading at the break.

Clark scored his second goal of the game just minutes into the third period to tie things up once again. Both teams rushed up and down the ice repeatedly for over 10 minutes, neither scoring. With just under four minutes remaining in the third, Kings forward Mike Donnelly scored on a rebound of a shot originally taken by Alex Zhitnik - giving the Kings a precious one goal lead.

Just seconds later Gretzky ended up with the puck, circled behind the net and backhanded it off the skate of Leafs defenseman Dave Ellet. It went by Potvin and the Kings now had a two goal lead on #99s hat trick.

The next few minutes probably seemed like an eternity to Kings fans everywhere. Then, with about a minute to go, Ellet got a small sense of redemption, scoring to pull the the Leafs close, now trailing by just a goal.

Tick, tock...pass, shot, save...rinse, repeat...ten seconds left...three seconds left...game over. Kings win the game 5-4 and the series 4 games to 3.

Gretzky has been quoted as saying that his performance in game 7 was the best NHL game of his career. For Kings fans it will certainly was.

With a roster full of guys like Corey Millen, Gary Shuchuk and Pat Conacher the Kings beat an original six team in the playoffs for the first time since entering the league in 1967. Oh yeah, they also had guys named Granato, Carson and Blake.

In two of the iconic moments in franchise history, Gretzky skated over to the bench after the game to give Melrose a huge hug (pictured at right)...later in the locker room, Luc Robitaille kissed Dave Taylor as they celebrated around the Campbell Conference trophy (picture above).

It truly was probably the greatest seven game series ever played and the mere mention of Kings-Maple Leafs will always bring back memories of that epic playoff battle.

Ah, 1993...when mullets were cool and the Kings owned LA.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor


note: Numerous highlights of the series are available on YouTube including this one: click here. What's your favorite moment from the seven games with Toronto? Post a comment below and share it with other readers.

The Interviews: Midpoint Musings

The first half of the season has brought wins, losses, moments of heartbreak and euphoria. Along the way Mayor's Manor has hosted a wide range of hockey royalty, role players and reporters. As we turn the page to 2010 let's briefly look back at some of the conversations that have already made this season memorable.

Based on emails and other feedback, below are the five interviews readers were most interested in. If you missed one of them the first time around, relive it today for the first time:

Luc Robitaille - The Kings all-time goals leader checked in just a few days before his Hall of Fame induction. It's a conversations that covers Luc's full career and the key players and moments that shaped it. Topics include Barry Melrose, Wayne Gretzky, Bruce McNall, the Stanley Cup, having a trophy named after him, why he signed with the Red Wings, Gary Bettman, hockey memorabilia, etc. To read 20 Questions with #20 click here.

Kelly Hrudey - The man that will forever be linked with the Kings trip to the '93 Stanley Cup finals stopped by to talk about the playoffs, his relationship with Dean Lombardi, teams that gave the Kings fits back then, being drafted by the Islanders, his first training camp in New York, underrated players and Robb Stauber stealing his job - click here to read the full interview.

Mike Modano - The all-time leading goal scorer among American born players is a true hockey legend. The former captain of the Dallas Stars chatted with the Mayor about the Stars winning the Stanley Cup, the team's move from Minnesota, what he'll do after hockey, not playing in the All Star game, almost signing with the Boston Bruins, being dissed by the Predators, getting knocked out by Mark Messier and lots more - click here to read the full interview.

Ethan Moreau - A first round draft pick in 1994, he discussed his time with the Blackhawks, the trade that brought him to Edmonton, the pressure of being the Oilers captain, going to the Stanley Cup finals in 2006, Chris Pronger, the firing of Craig MacTavish and yes, we even talk about his semi-nude photo shoot for ESPN - click here to read the full interview.

John Buccigross - For a different slant we caught up with ESPN's guru of hockey. He gives his take on all the teams in the Western Conference, the greatest hockey game he ever saw, his favorite arena, changes he'd make to the game if he was the NHL Commissioner and other quirky puck related tidbits - click here to read the full interview.

Enjoy!

We already have a handful of interviews lined up for January. So, stay tuned.

One19

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