Coyotes coach Dave Tippett on memories, Brown and more

Tippett instructing practice (photo: D. Sheehan)

Dave Tippett played over 700 games in the NHL, primarily as a left wing for the old Hartford Whalers. Soon after his playing days were over he found himself as the head coach of the Houston Aeros (IHL), where he won a championship in 1999. The following year he stepped up to the NHL, as an assistant for the Kings under Andy Murray.

After a three-year stint in LA, he became the head coach of the Dallas Stars for six years, until being fired in the summer of 2009 when the team missed the playoffs for the first time in six years. Many questioned the move at the the time and some still do to this day. Tippett is one of the most respected coaches in the NHL and even though he won the Jack Adams Award (coach of the year) in 2010, he might be doing his finest job yet with this year's Phoenix Coyotes team.

Leading a roster that was thought not deep enough to contend for a spot in the post-season - especially after losing their All-Star goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to the Philadephia Flyers - he somehow has them right in the thick of the playoff race.

Following practice yesterday, I asked Tippett if playing the Kings still holds any special feeling for him or if too much time has passed since he was a part of the LA hockey scene.

"I have a lot of good friends here and my daughter lives in Los Angeles. So, there's always good feelings coming back here. I really enjoyed my three years here too. We made the playoffs all three years and we had a real good group of players, including Luc Robitaille and some players who really had some history here. I like coming back and competing against them and I like to beat them," he said, with a good chuckle at the end.

Making the case for Darryl Sutter as coach of the LA Kings

Life at the top is hard.

It doesn't matter if you're the CEO of a major corporation, a head coach in the NFL or the GM of the LA Kings.

The reason those people get paid big money is to make big decisions.

There's a sign in Dean Lombardi's office at the Kings training facility in El Segundo that reads 'When bluffing, a pair of balls beats everything.'

Reports suggest that within the next 48 hours the Kings will be announcing Darryl Sutter as their next head coach. While that may not be a bluff of any sort, it may take a brass set to make that decision. After all, Sutter will quickly be labeled as a 'retread' and a 'repeat of past mistakes' or some other tired cliche.

Many other articles over the next few days will tell you why Lombardi should have hired this guy or that guy. But, the fact remains, if Sutter is the coach, none of that matters. So, instead of playing the 'should have been' game, let's look at why Sutter is a good fit for the team.

VIDEO: New interview with Lombardi on firing of Murray

Daryl Evans conducted the following interview with Kings GM Dean Lombardi earlier today...

To read the article we posted this afternoon 'Making the case for Darryl Sutter' click here.

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POLL: Who should be the next LA Kings head coach?

Early this morning we looked at a list of possible candidates for the Kings head coaching position - from pro coaches to guys in junior hockey.

You may want to review that list before answering the following question (link).

For now, Kings GM Dean Lombardi says assistant coach John Stevens will fill the role on interim basis. On this afternoon's conference call, Lombardi was reluctant to say how long Stevens will hold the position or if he's being considered for the full-time role - only that the team has a 'short list' they're working off of.

So, with that that said, which of the following candidates, would you hire to lead the Kings if you were in charge? (note: the list randomly displays with each new visitor to the website, so the order is not meant to imply anything in terms of preference or priority)




Poll closes Wednesday at 11:30am PST.

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RELATED ARTICLES:

Making the case for Darryl Sutter as the next Kings coach

Calgary Flames Jarome Iginla Craig Conroy on Darryl Sutter as coach

List of possible replacements for coach Terry Murray

Video: Dean Lombardi on the firing of Terry Murray

Video: Barry Melrose on the firing of Terry Murray - why it happened and possible next moves

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Welcome to your new (interim) coach John Stevens

Things change quickly in the NHL.

After seemingly being safe about a week ago, Kings coach Terry Murray will now be referred to as former Kings coach Terry Murray.

Watching his team drop four in a row and being unable to score goals, GM Dean Lombardi had seen enough and made the move today to release Murray from his coaching duties.

For now, assistant coach John Stevens will take over behind the bench.

Stevens was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round of the 1984 NHL Draft. Although he played parts of five seasons in the NHL, he was primarily an AHL defenseman - where he played in 834 games and won three Calder Cups.

Prior to eventually coaching the Flyers, he served as the head coach of their AHL affiliate (Philadelphia Phantoms) for six seasons, including when they won the Calder Cup Championship in 2005 - with Mike Richards at center.

In 2006 he became the Flyers head coach and posted a 120-109-34 record before being let go in early December 2009. In the spring of 2008 he led the Flyers to the NHL's Eastern Conference Finals and was named Coach of the Year by The Hockey News.

Murray was one win away from number 500 as a head coach, a position he's also held with the Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers. His overall record as an NHL head coach is 499-383-130. Murray, who coached in his 1,000th NHL game on November 12 versus Minnesota, ranks 17th all-time in NHL history in wins and 19th all-time in games coached.

Just how long Stevens is expected to be the interim head coach will perhaps be addressed on a call later this afternoon with Lombardi. We'll have more on that during the call posted on twitter/facebook.

In the meantime, here's a list of candidates who probably will and won't be looked at as possible replacements.

There is also a POLL of who should be the Kings next head coach should be here - let your voice be heard.

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RELATED ARTICLES:

Making the case for Darryl Sutter as the next Kings coach

Calgary Flames Jarome Iginla Craig Conroy on Darryl Sutter as coach

List of possible replacements for coach Terry Murray

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If Murray goes, list of possible replacements for LA Kings

When a tweet appears from a Hall of Fame hockey writer saying 'Kings may be preparing to fire Terry Murray as coach,' you click the link.

And according to a report filed with the LA Times by Helene Elliott and Lisa Dillman here late last night, that may be the course of action in progress at the moment.

Murray's Kings are one game above .500 and have lost four games in a row.

They're in Boston today, preparing for tomorrow night's game with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Bruins. Currently, it's not known if Murray will be behind the bench for that match-up.

If a move is made this week though, here's a quick look at some of the names that may replace him - starting with five known commodities (NHL and AHL coaches), followed by the five leading candidates from junior hockey and wrapping up with five candidates you may hear about - but aren't likely to get the gig.

NHL and AHL Coaches:

John Stevens - LA Kings assistant coach - he may be the short-term solution while a replacement is secured...however, he isn't considered to be a finalist for the job...Stevens is said to coach the same (or very similar) system to Murray and his results while leading the Flyers were mixed

Randy Carlyle - former Anaheim Ducks coach - he's available, due to recently being fired from the Kings Pacific Division rival...supposedly, his players tuned him out a long time ago and he is thought to be extremely hard on players (which may not be such a bad thing for the Kings right now)...his familiarity with the division could be a plus, but according to the Times' article, the 'Kings are not thought to be interested in Carlyle'

Craig MacTavish - another former NHL head coach (Edmonton), he's now coaching Chicago's AHL team...if there is one other team the Kings are most often linked to besides the Flyers, it's the Oilers...so, Mac T has that going for him...he knows several of the current Kings from their days in Edmonton...also another coach thought to be extremely hard on his players and not well liked

Coach Terry Murray - 'The power play let us down' vs Dallas

Another game, another loss and still no sign of some offense.

Following their fourth loss in a row - and the final game of a sustained stretch of games at home - Kings coach Terry Murray had this to say at his post-game presser...

On the Kings' lack of scoring - "It’s very tough. We’re losing games because of the lack of scoring. We’re looking at one-goal games every night. I really liked the opportunities we had in the third period to give ourselves a chance to tie the game up. That’s kind of been the story of our offense here in the last while. The guys are working, we killed off a lot of good penalties, it was a great effort on that part of it. The power play let us down though. We’re just not getting anything generated on the power play. Five-on-five, I liked their play. There was lots of work, a lot of compete, and lots of scoring chances. We had to get a short-handed goal to get us going but we have to find a way to finish on those golden opportunities."

On finishing the game - "It’s getting pucks back to the net a little bit faster. Sometimes when loose pucks rebound, if you try to make one move that’s going to pull the puck to your forehand or stickhandle, it’s already too late. You just have to continue to put pucks back to the net. I thought on the luck that [Brad] Richardson had there in the third period, if he had just thrown it right back immediately he would have caught the goalie out of position."

Kings coach Murray evaluates the return of Alec Martinez

Kings defenseman Alec Martinez returned to the line-up last night after missing the previous 10 games with an 'upper body' injury - ironically, suffered in game vs. the Minnesota Wild last month.

With Martinez on IR, the Kings needed to make a roster move to get him back into the line-up. And the strong play of Slava Voynov suggests he isn't going anywhere. However, the expected waiving of Davis Drewiske will have to wait at least until the weekend because the Kings were able to place Willie Mitchell on IR (retroactive back to December 1, meaning he can come off tomorrow).

Again, for those curious about the roster process - essentially, to get Mitchell or Mike Richards back in the line-up, the Kings will need to make one roster move for each player. They can send Voynov, Andrei Loktionov or Kyle Clifford to the AHL without exposing them to waivers. Any other player on the Kings roster would have to be placed on waivers first, giving the other 29 teams a chance to take the player being waived. If such player goes unclaimed, he can then be assigned to Manchester. Thus, it's a slippery slope right now.

That decision can wait at least one more day though.

Back to Martinez.  He had 17:28 of total ice time and recorded one shot last night. Here's what coach Terry Murray had to say when asked for an evaluation of the young defenseman's return to action...

Murray's postgame presser - includes his mtg with players

Quick highlights from LA Kings coach Terry Murray's postgame presser...

On the overall game - "Those [early period goals] are killers. You have a team [Wild] that is a really good defensive team. They’re the number one team in the league. They get a lead, they’re going to protect it; they have in the last games that I’ve watched in Anaheim and San Jose, and it’s a killer. You can’t give up a goal in the first shift like we did, at the start of the period. You work hard, you try to climb out of the hole, you try and turn the tables in the third period with lots of things but sometimes it’s too late and it’s too late tonight."

On the Kings goals - "Those are the kinds of goals, as far as attitude with pucks to the net and looking for opportunities, but that has to start right away…It’s just an easy play, it’s just a simple D-to-D behind the net play and you’re out of your zone, there was really no pressure. We made the mistake. We put the puck in your teammate’s feet and it ended up going around the boards, they recovered it right back and now we’re scrambling. Those plays are the ones that our haunting us right now, our own mistakes."

Kings coach Murray - 'Penner really stands out in my mind'

Tuesday night in Anaheim Dustin Penner had seven shots on goal, his season high with the Kings this season. Last year, his highest total with the team was 10, against those same Ducks. Prior to being traded to LA, his high water mark for the season with the Oilers was - wait for it - yes, against Anaheim.

One of the many rules of professional sports, athletes usually increase their output and level of effort against their former teams - either consciously or subconsciously.

After practice yesterday, several players noted the mood around the Kings bench was much different Tuesday than what they've experienced this season when the team has been down a few goals to other teams. This time, there was still a feeling of 'We're going to win this thing.'

I asked coach Terry Murray why he thought Tuesday was different - say, compared to the game before, where they were also down 2-0 to Montreal...

Murray says Kings have confidence and are in 'good shape'

Earlier today we posted the first batch of comments from coach Terry Murray's post-practice media scrum.  So far, we've looked at very specific areas - the play of Kyle Clifford and his system, which hasn't produced many goals of late. Now, Murray goes a little higher level.

First up, an overall summary of the season as a whole...

"We're in pretty good shape," said the Kings coach. "We made a lot of changes over the year. We brought in new players, veteran players. It takes them time. We were hoping that Scott Parse would come in and really contribute to the team. That broke down, he's out and done, probably for the year. Penner is starting to get going. He's gone through a lot here, through the summertime and getting himself to the level of play that we want. He had a couple of injuries right from the start, with the groin injuries, then he broke his hand. So, there's a lot of that happening. Doughty comes in late, after the training camp and misses the early part. So, there's been a lot of things. Overall, the team has come through with an incredible amount of confidence. We're in pretty good shape."

As Murray is prone to do, he went on to back up some of his statements...

Clifford cements his role on fourth line, others on the clock

Kyle Clifford is still 20 years old.

That's an important point to remember. Yet, sometimes, a hard fact to keep in mind. People have been calling him things like 'a kid trapped in a man's body' for the last few years. While true, some were expecting more from The Colonel coming into the season - especially after his coming out party during last year's playoff series with San Jose.

He's played in all 27 games this season and has three points to show for it (one goal, two assists). In his 27th game last year, he picked up his second goal and fifth point. So, he's not that far behind.

However, back the post season, he put up five points in six games - including tying for the team lead with three goals.

Still, while nobody probably expected him to be a top-six forward this year, does he belong on the fourth line?

"Well, that's actually where he should be, is on the fourth line, in reality" said coach Terry Murray after practice today. "That's where he played last year. He showed great signs in the playoffs last year, had some nice success. You'd like to think he could make a step up to third line and he will be there someday - that would be his position down the road. But, again, second year, it's not easy. His work ethic, his attitude, his try is tremendous. He loves the team. He works hard for the team and wants to win every night. But, there's a process that you need to go through and he's in the middle of it right now."

Dr. Terry Murray with the latest updates from the infirmary

Besides the fact that many guys IN the line-up haven't been producing at their normal levels, the Kings also have several players OUT of the line-up lately.

Following practice today, coach Murray provided updates on the four players who all seem to be just days away from returning...

On Justin Williams (hand injury suffered last night) - "It's more of a therapy day, rehab day...it is (related to being hit on the hand last night in Anaheim)...I do expect it [him to be in the line up tomorrow]. I don't know that for absolute. He'll get treatment today, come in tomorrow and give us a feel as to how he’s doing.

On Mike Richards (on IR following hit last Thursday) - "Progressing. That's all I can say. That’s all I know, actually. He’s in every day, riding the bike, getting more acclimated, getting exercise and a feel for his own self...usually the players see doctors on game night. So, I'm sure they'll have another conversation tomorrow."

On Willie Mitchell (sore groin suffered last Thursday) - "Full practice, looks really good, skated and participated in all the drills, looked comfortable. I’ll have a conversation with him here after, to see where he’s at for tomorrow...I think after Willie goes through the practice here today, it's going to be more important to see how he is in the morning, rather than this afternoon. We'll make a decision after the morning skate."

On Alec Martinez (on IR following Minnesota game on 11/12) - "Pretty close to getting going. He’s been out there the last few days in practice, doing everything and feeling pretty comfortable. So, it’s just a matter of getting everybody in here tomorrow and seeing how they’re doing."

Asked if there was a possibility both Mitchell and Martinez would be in the line-up tomorrow, Murray said, "I don't think so. One of the two, it's a good possibility."

Last hour, Murray talked at length about the Kings' lack of scoring (link).

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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?

Kings at Ducks pregame primer - will it be number 1 or 500?

Tonight is the third game of the six-game series between the Kings and Ducks.

Since they met up for a pair of games last month, Anaheim fired their former coach (Randy Carlyle) and replaced him with Bruce Boudreau - who had previously coached the Washington Capitals.

A few years prior, Boudreau worked for the Kings and coached their minor league affiliate in Manchester. His final season there, he had a team featuring Dustin Brown, George Parros and Mike Cammalleri. They won 51 games during the regular season and lost in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth straight year. That was the end of Boureau in Manch.

While in Washington, Boudreau faced the Kings four times and lost every one of them.

He's also yet to win behind the bench in Anaheim, dropping his first two games.

So, tonight he'll be seeking his first win with the Ducks and his first win vs. the Kings.

On the other bench, LA coach Terry Murray is looking for his 500th win as an NHL coach.

LA Kings coach Murray and Jarret Stoll talk missed penalty

Montreal at LA, final score 2-1.

Late in the game, Jarret Stoll had his stick snapped in half from a slash by one of the Canadiens. Although Stoll was screaming for a penalty, none was called. After the game, here's what they were saying...

Coach Murray - “That was not the game. There were a lot of opportunities in the first period with the power play that we had, the 5-on-3. Those are missed opportunities. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t score on it. We just didn’t get enough traffic at the net. [Carey] Price saw a lot of those pucks. We need to be more diligent in front of the net to get screens on the goalie.”

Stoll - "Tough to not get that call. Both of those referees are good guys, they're good refs. They just missed that one...There are some calls out there that can go either way. We had some power plays too, we had our chances. Early on, we had some power plays that we didn't capitalize on. It's just with blatant calls like that [the missed one], I don't care if it's the first period, third period or if it's 10-0, those are penalties and it's disappointing they missed it. But, that's not the reason we lost the game. You're not going to win a lot of games when you score one goal."

Read Murray's comments on Penner here.

More to come soon.

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LA v MTL: Coach Murray's presser - comments on Dustin Penner

Dustin Penner returned to the Kings line-up today had the only goal for LA in a 2-1 loss to Montreal.

Dustin coach Terry Murray's post game presser he had the following to say about the play of #25 today...

"I liked Dustin Penner today. He played well," said Murray. "He dug in, he was skating in a real athletic position, his knees were bent, he was carrying the puck with authority, he was strong around the net, he scores a goal. I liked the way he played for the first time in three weeks. He just needs to build on it."

If the NHL doesn't assign the goal to somebody else tomorrow, that will stand as Penner's first goal of the season.

More from Murray and the Kings locker room coming up quickly.

[UPDATE:  Murray and Stoll on the missed penalty (link)...Simon Gagne on the loss - 'We kind of shut down' (full quotes here)...and comments from the Canadiens locker room - including Carey Price and Brian Gionta (here)]

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Kings send messages to Panthers and coach Murray

One of the key themes in the Kings locker room following last night's 2-1 win was the difficulty they faced after losing two key players through the course of the game - Mike Richards and Willie Mitchell.

Although coach Terry Murray didn't have much information on the extent of their injuries following the game, an update is expected later this morning.

Mitchell left the game after only one shift, with what the team is calling a 'lower body injury.'

Richards was hit hard in the head by the shoulder of Sean Bergenheim (video here). Moments later there was a scrum involving both players, Richards spent time in the penalty box and then didn't return for the third period.

Many of the Kings players were passing out praise after seeing their teammates stick up for each other and continuing to push back - and often leading the way - with the physical play.

As a team, the Kings had 45 hits, compared to 18 for the Panthers.

Kyle Clifford had six hits and Matt Greene had four blocked shots (as well as five hits).

During coach Murray's post game presser, he also pointed out a different pair of players...

Kings coach Murray ready to take on former Flyers student

Bill and Kevin Dineen (photo: Flyers Archives)

Ah yes, more Kings-Flyers connections. It seems like there's a new one every week or so and tonight brings yet another one.

After practice yesterday, coach Terry Murray didn't have much to offer when asked about the Florida Panthers revamped roster this season - preferring to wait until after he watched some more game tape later in the day.

However, there was one aspect he didn't need to be brought up to speed on.

"I know they have a new coach in place and he coached in Portland, Maine (AHL)," said Murray, referring to Kevin Dineen. "I know Kevin real well. He played for me in Philadelphia."

Asked if he saw Dineen as a future coach back during his playing days, Murray said, "There's a few guys that I've had as players (who) I really didn't anticipate would be in the coaching side of it. But, it doesn't surprise me. Kevin's family is in the coaching side, his dad was a longtime coach [Bill Dineen, including coaching the Flyers], Peter's been in there [Kevin's brother, who also played 11 games for the Kings in 1986-87] and Gord's been in there [Kevin's other brother]. So, it doesn't surprise me that he's followed in those footsteps."

Murray continued by offering up an assessment of Dineen's performance in the AHL the last few seasons - "He did a good job in Portland. That's where I go in the summertime and there's always good things said about the team that played there. He's brought some good players along for Buffalo (including three straight AHL Rookies of the Year) and they were always near the top of the standings at the end of the season. So, he's done a a good job."

Master vs. Student, the bench battle begins at 7:30 pm PST.

For more of today's Panthers-Kings pregame material, check out the links below.

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RELATED ARTICLES:

Panthers defenseman Mike Weaver on his days in LA and playing with Dustin Brown

Trevor Lewis responds to being benched and comments by coach Murray

Interview with Panthers forward Marco Sturm

Kings' Rob Scuderi recalls his NHL debut vs. the Florida Panthers

Interview with Nick Bjugstad - Florida Panthers first round draft pick

Trevor Lewis responds to benching, Murray's comments

Lewis - LA vs Anaheim (photo: M. Zampelli)

Things can change fairly quickly in the NHL, just ask Kings forward Trevor Lewis.

He came into camp riding the high of a strong second half and playoff performance - where he was one of the team's top penalty killers and was starting to find his offensive touch. Lewis went on to play in 19 of the Kings' first 20 games this season.

Then, after zero goals and just one assist, coach Terry Murray sat him out of the line-up nearly two weeks ago and he hasn't been back since - with tonight being the fifth straight game he's a healthy scratch.

After practice yesterday, I asked both men about the situation.

Murray on what it will take for Lewis to get back into the lineup - "Play a little more grittier. That’s the meeting that we had. I’m not talking out of school here. We've had that meeting and that’s the kind of game that I want to see him start to add to his game - his dot-to-boards (play). He needs to be bigger, he needs to be stronger, he needs to come up with more pucks and just dig in on that checking part of the game. He’s very good when it comes to penalty killing. He was (in) our first pair out there last year - in the second half of the year (he) did a great job. He’s a player who can grab the puck when it gets a little hot in your own end and he can settle things just by moving his feet and getting it out of danger, carrying the puck himself because of his quickness and speed. So, there’s nothing that I don’t like about his game. I just want him to add to his game."

Was that a new message delivered to Lewis in the meeting or was it something they've talked with him about before?