VIDEO: Behind the scenes with Jon Quick at ASG Media Day

Was it really this bad when the All-Star Game was held in Los Angeles back in 2002? Is it because the event was held in 'hockey crazed' Canada? Or has the whole thing just turned into a nutty media thing, ala the Super Bowl? Watch as Kings goalie Jonathan Quick attempts to answer some - interesting? - questions...

Thanks to Kings Vision for supplying the video content.

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

Westgarth and Clifford talk aftermath of the Gordie trick

Sometimes you get lucky.

Back in November 2010, sitting in the locker room in El Segundo, after some otherwise meaningless weekday practice, Kevin Westgarth and I were chatting about his rookie season in the NHL. Down the aisle about five stalls away was the only other player there at the time - Kyle Clifford.

During one of Westgarth's many stories, the usually quiet Clifford piped up and offered a challenge. The first one to get a Gordie Howe hat trick would owe the other dinner. Westgarth was more than willing to accept and suggedted they would celebrate when their girlfriends were in town. No problem, both sides agreed and a deal was born.

After Clifford turned the trick last night - getting a goal, assist and fight in the same game - Westgarth laughed when reminded of the other little known detail from that original conversation.

Looking to extend the future double date to include some post-meal entertainment, Westgarth had suggested they make the reward dinner and a movie, to which Clifford replied with simply one word - 'No.'

In the locker room last night, Westgarth laughed when reminded of the bet being dinner only. As for what took place on the ice vs. the Senators, "If anybody else had to do it (before me), he'd be my second choice," said the Princeton grad. "It's going to be a nice little dinner. I don't feel too bad buying him that one at all. That was a hell of a game by Kyle Clifford right there, it's great to see."

Coach Sutter's presser vs Sens: full comments vs Sutterisms

Below are full comments from coach Darryl Sutter's post game press conference following the Kings 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. See if you can pull out a few of his popular three-word Sutterisms...

On the balanced effort from the team - "We got lots from... probably half of our shots came from our defense. The power play scored a big goal in the second, and a penalty-shot goal."

On the killer instinct in the second period - "I thought, emotionally, our second period was a strong period. That’s all I was trying to get, was to emotionally draw something out of them tonight."

On Justin Williams eight-game point streak - "Their line wasn't as effective tonight. I don't know if Kopi and Brownie even had shots on goal. So, I don't think if they were nearly as effective tonight."

Quotes from Senators locker room following 4-1 loss to LA

Although the Senators arrived in LA coming off a loss to the Ducks on Saturday, they hadn't dropped back to back games in regulation since early November. On the flip side though, they had only beaten the Kings once in LA and that was more than a decade ago.

Oh, and you want another stat? LA is one of only two NHL cities where their leading point producer, Jason Spezza, had never potted a goal (St. Louis being the other). His night didn't get off to a nice start either, he was hit by an errant puck during pre-game warm-ups and left the ice bleeding.

After 20 minutes of action, Ottawa was down 1-0 and it only got worse from there. They lost the faceoff battle (53 to 47%), were out shot (34-28) and managed a lone goal, while the Kings posted four. Their only 'victory' on the stats sheet would be the 34-24 comparison in hits.

Following the game, here's what they were saying back in the Sens locker room...

Coach Paul MacLean:

On the overall game - "I thought [the physical aspect] of the game was fine. Obviously the score wasn’t very good and I thought that they did a better job of getting to our net than we did getting to their net. We had some opportunities in there as well but they got the big win tonight."

On the penalty shot - "I thought it was a big part of the hockey game. We get the benefit of replay and it shouldn’t have been a penalty shot. We get the benefit of replay one and two and three times. I’m not sure if it’s reviewable in Toronto on that kind of a call, but that’s just the way it is. I think having video means to get it right, so if it’s not right, it should be [reviewed]. That’s why you should have video, to me."

VIDEO: Highlights of Kings 4-1 win vs Ottawa Senators

Led by Kyle Clifford's first Gordie Howe hat trick, the Kings downed the Senators 4-1 tonight and improved their record to 11-1-1 vs. Ottawa. The video below includes some great saves by Jonathan Quick, Trevor Lewis taking a penalty shot - plus goals by Willie Mitchell, Clifford and Jack Johnson.

If you'd like to watch Clifford's first period fight with Zenon Konopeka, click here.

Daniel Alfredsson, who stopped by MayorsManor prior to the game to discuss the Kings and the upcoming All Stat Game (link), scored the lone Ottawa goal.

We'll have post-game notes and quotes up early in the morning

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

LA Kings stats vs Senators and ticket contest details

In the last meeting between the Kings and Senators (on November 22, 2010), Anze Kopitar opened the scoring 10 minutes into the first period. LA eventually lost that game 3-2. It stands as Kopitar's only goal vs Ottawa in four career games. How have some of his teammates fared?

Dustin Brown - no goals in six games

Justin Williams - five goals in 27 games

Dustin Penner - three goals in six games

Mike Richards - 12 goals in 21 games

Jarret Stoll - no goals in five games

Drew Doughty - one goal in three games

Sens Alfredsson gives slight preview of All Star Game Draft

Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson has played 1,100 game in a Senators uniform. Just 18 of those match-ups have been against the LA Kings. So, saying it's a team he doesn't know very well is an understatement.

Still, it didn't take him but more than a few seconds when I asked if he had any memories from those games. "We had one game in Ottawa. I think we ended up losing, but we were up by four or five goals. They came back and I believe they won in overtime. It was a crazy game and a fun game to play in. That's probably the one that sticks out the most."

For the record, that game was just over 11 years ago - played January 16, 2001 - and the Kings rallied from being down 5-1. Goals by Luc Robitaille tied things up at 5-5 and later 6-6. Brian Smolinski's overtime winner was his third goal of the game and gave the Kings a 7-6 win. Jamie Storr was credited with the victory in net, after Steve Passmore had given up the first five goals to Ottawa.

Back to tonight though, Alfredsson is looking forward to playing a Western Conference team. "It's definitely more fun," he said. "We play Toronto, Boston, Montreal and Buffalo a lot of games. You know exactly what you're going to expect from them. We don't know as much about (the Kings). We know they're a good defensive team. They don't give you much, but they don't score a lot of goals either. We'll try to find a way to get goals without giving up much. That's going to be the challenge for us."

Senators-Kings preview with Chris Neil - 100 games later

When the Kings last met up with the Ottawa Senators, then-rookie Kevin Westgarth had what Jim Fox described as, 'his first true heavyweight scrap.' On the other end of that dance was veteran Chris Neil, who was celebrating his 600th National Hockey League game that night.

Later this evening, Neil will meet the Kings again - this time, fresh off of playing in his 700th NHL game over the weekend. Like last year's contest, we hooked up with him for a pre-game chat ...

Defenseman Jack Johnson has often remarked it gets a little boring playing so many games within your division. And it's something Neil agrees with, noting - "Every game is an important game now, especially for teams who are trying to climb in the standings or hold a spot. I think LA has stepped up their game, they're playing extremely well. However, when you come to the rink and you have different video - of teams not in your conference, which gets repetitions - you get a different look and guys thrive off that."

Even with all those games against the Maple Leafs, Bruins and Canadiens, that doesn't stop him from keeping an eye on the Kings, Ducks and Sharks - "We watch the standings on their side too. We know LA is a good team, with a lot of good players. They work hard. You see some of their games, after you finish your game and go out for dinner or whatever. When you catch the games, you see what they're playing like and the Western teams play a hard game. It's my style of game too, so I look forward to it."

Speaking of that point, Kings coach Darryl Sutter hasn't had Westgarth in the line-up much lately. If he sits again tonight, will that make Neil's night a little bit easier?

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?

OHL vs. Russia - a Super Series report from Tyler Toffoli

On Thursday night, game three of the six-game Super Series took place in Ottawa. It's an annual junior hockey showcase, featuring an All Star team from the three CHL junior leagues (WHL, OHL and QMJHL), each playing a pair of games against a Russian squad of similar aged players.

You can also think of it as a tune-up for the World Junior Championship (WJC) and/or a preview for the upcoming NHL Draft. Just don't make the mistake of thinking the games don't count. Russia won the series last November and went on to win gold at the WJC a few months later.

For the third year in a row, Tyler Toffoli - one of the Kings top rated prospects - participated with the OHL group. Going into the game this year though, something interesting happened.

"My trainer in Ottawa was organizing everything and when he received all the jerseys, the 'C' was on mine. He let me know, but I didn't really believe him at first," said Toffoli, always mindful of the many pranks being played within the world of hockey.

"A couple of equipment guys and other people said it was true. Then, after it came out on the OHL website, that's when everybody starting texting me."

As if being named Captain wasn't enough pressure, the game was also being played at his home arena in Ottawa.

Weal and Toffoli will be the only Kings representatives

Over the last few seasons, the LA Kings have been rated as having one of the top prospect pools among NHL teams. However, many of those players with high-end potential are starting to age out of junior hockey.

When it comes to Team Canada at the World Junior Championships (WJC), the Kings have also been well represented in recent years, with Thomas Hickey, Martin Jones, Brandon Kozun, etc.

Besides their annual summer evaluation camp, for the last eight years, Canada has tuned up for that event with a warm-up against a team of Russian players each November.

Dubbed the Subway Super Series, it's six games total, with the team of Russian all-stars playing twice against each of the three major junior leagues - the QMJHL, OHL and WHL.

Last year, the Kings were represented in every game - wtih Maxim Kitsyn (Russia), Nic Deslauriers (QMJHL), JF Berube (QMJHL), Tyler Toffoli (OHL), Jordan Weal (WHL) and Linden Vey (WHL) participating. Each of those players also appeared on MayorsManor during the tournament, offering their perspective on the games (links below).

With all six of the Kings' draft picks this past June being ineligible - three of the picks are playing college hockey, Andy Andreoff is too old, Michael Schumacher is from Sweden and Christopher Gibson will likely play for Finland at the World Juniors - only two of LA's prospects were available for the Super Series this year and both were selected.

LA Kings coach Murray evaluates Tyler Toffoli's 2011 camp

Tyler Toffoli at Kings camp (photo: C. Ikiri)

Coming into Rookie Camp the headline was clear - Tyler Toffoli vs. Brandon Kozun, which prospect would make the biggest impact?

Kozun fired the first shot, being the star of the two-game Rookie Tournament against the visiting Phoenix Coyotes. Days later, Toffoli responded by scoring a goal and assisting on another one during the Kings first pre-season game.

Now, considering they both were cut from camp on Sunday, we're probably left without a definitive answer.

It was announced last night that Toffoli would be heading back to his junior team, the Ottawa 67's, to defend his OHL scoring title.

Kings coach Terry Murray didn't get a chance to meet with the talented right winger before he headed back to Canada. However, he did share a few thoughts after practice earlier today...

"He was one of the better players on the ice (during the Kings pre-season game in Phoenix last Wednesday). He played tremendous hockey," Murray stated. "He was looking like a real pro, right from the very first day of rookie camp, through the rookie camp and on into the main camp. He's never missed a beat. His play making, his attitude about taking pucks to the net and playing in the hard areas are tremendous. I think he's going to be a real top pro."

Original King bookened his HOF career with Fox and Toffoli

A Killer goodbye (photo by: TotalPhoto.ca)

In October 1967, Brian Kilrea scored the first goal in Los Angeles Kings history.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

Make no mistake about it though, it had nothing to do with his time in the NHL, where he played a grand total of 26 games and scored three goals.

Killer, as he's affectionately known in hockey circles, has largely spent the past 35-plus years either behind the bench or in the front office of the Ottawa 67's, one of the OHL's most successful teams.

He began his coaching career in 1974-75 and three years later his roster included a short whippersnapper from Coniston, Ontario ...and knowing Foxy now, he probably had the best hair on the team, even back then.

Jim Fox honed his craft under the tutelage of Kilrea for three seasons, before being selected in the first round by the Kings in the 1980 NHL Draft.

When it was announced on Wednesday that Kilrea was stepping down from his day to day activities with the 67's, Fox was eager to speak out on the man who guided him early in his career.

Kings prospect Tyler Toffoli gets Hockey Canada do-over

Tyler Toffoli (Hockey Canada)

WHL scoring champion Linden Vey had 116 points for the Medicine Hat Tigers last season, more than any other player in major-junior hockey.

Tyler Toffoli netted 57 goals for the OHL's Ottawa 67's last season, more than any other player in major-junior hockey.

Both players participated in Team Canada's World Junior evaluation camp last summer. Yet, neither player made the final cut when rosters were released, just prior to the tournament getting underway in December.

Would Canada, a country who doesn't measure its success on the ice in silver or bronze, have won gold at the 2011 World Junior tournament with either player?

We'll never know.  Russia beat Canada in the finals and now Vey has aged-out, as the tournament is for the best under-20 players.

Toffoli is back though and when Team Canada opens its evaluation camp later this morning he'll be looking to right a wrong.

Given all that's happened in the last year, you'd have to think it would be an absolute shock if Toffoli didn't make the team. However, he says he's not thinking that far ahead. He just wants to come into camp and show off his skills, play his game.

The attendees will be split off into two groups, Canada's familiar team white and team red. Toffoli's team white squad will also include the first player selected at the 2011 NHL Draft, Edmonton's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. They'll also have defenseman Dougie Hamilton (Boston Bruins) and Devante Smith-Pelly (Anaheim Ducks).

Kings coach Murray on Toffoli, Kozun camp performance

Prospects, prospects, prospects.

They're something the Los Angeles Kings have a plethora of now, after decades of trading away young players and draft picks for aging veterans.

For the last few years, GM Dean Lombardi has been stockpiling prospects with the hope they would someday fill holes in his roster - either by becoming NHL players (see Kyle Clifford, Jonathan Bernier, etc.) or by using them as assets to acquire key pieces (see Brayden Schenn, Colten Teubert, etc.).

When Rookie Camp opens in September, one of the stories expected to steal many of the headlines is what should be the hotly contested battle between Brandon Kozun and Tyler Toffoli.

Each are coming off impressive seasons and eager to make a jump to the next level. After Tuesday's scrimmage, Kings Coach Terry Murray shared what he had observed from both players during the just completed Development Camp...

On Toffoli - "Big difference from last year. I'm seeing a player who has dedicated himself to getting in better shape. We see a guy who has a high-end skill level. He's a big goal scorer, he won the scoring title in the Ontario Hockey League. Now, he's playing the pace of the game for the 60 minutes and on both sides of the puck. He's really working hard to do the right things without it, so he can get it back on a stick again and attack. I just like (his) commitment and dedication over the last year. Again, he's starting to emerge. He's starting to become a guy that's going to be, hopefully, what you want him to be (with) the scoring and being able to play at the pro level, at the high pace."

DevCamp 2011: Pre-camp comments from Tyler Toffoli

Photo: V. Wutti, Blitzen Photography

Mark it down now. My pick for a Kings rookie to make the opening night roster is Tyler Toffoli.

Drafted by Los Angeles in the second round of last summer's NHL Draft, he exploded into the junior hockey headlines this season when he put up 57 goals and 108 points for the Ottawa 67s and ended up as the OHL scoring champion.

While some might think he'd be an obvious pick to join an offensively starved team like the Kings, remember he's only one year removed from his draft year. Not many kids that young can make the jump so early - not to mention the fact there are several players in Manchester who are probably ahead of him on the depth chart at this point (i.e. Andrei Loktionov, Corey Elkins, Bud Holloway, etc.). However, he appears to have all the skills.

So, will he do it? Is he ready?

The next step in his evaluation comes in just a few weeks when he joins dozens of other prospects at the Kings annual Development Camp.

He was a frequent guest on MayorsManor this season and he joins us again today to share some pre-camp comments...

MM: Let's start with Manchester. Any thoughts about your time there at the end of the season?

TT: Overall, it was a great experience in Manch. I went in just trying to take it all in and I had a lot of fun. It was good to meet everyone and spend time there.

MM: What have you been doing back home to stay in shape since the season ended?

Forget Schenn, Could Toffoli be Joining Kings Soon?

Truth be told, you can't forget about Brayden Schenn - he's omnipresent.

Prior to the WHL Playoffs staring this past weekend, Schenn stopped by MayorsManor and shared his biggest fear heading into his opening round series with the Price Albert Raiders. Forget the fact that the Saskatoon Blades finished the regular season as the best team in the 'Dub. He was concerned with the Raiders barn - saying "when it's small and it's not a very big rink size, that could be a scary part."

Adding fuel to his worries, the Blades lost last night - game three of the series, but the first in Price Albert's tiny building.

With the recent injuries to Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams, Kings fans everywhere have began asking about the possibility of Schenn's return to LA.  However, as reported, he (basically) can't come back until the Blades are eliminated from the playoffs.

It remains to be seen exactly when that will be. Game four of that series is later tonight. [updated at the end of this article]

But, but, but...

Interview with OHL Scoring Champion Tyler Toffoli

Heading into the NHL Draft last June many scouts had Tyler Toffoli pegged as a late first rounder. With some questioning his skating ability, he dropped a bit and when he was still sitting there mid-way through the second, Kings GM Dean Lombardi did his thing - 'Dealer Dean' traded his second and fourth round picks to move up and nab him.

The Kings knew a thing or two about Toffoli already. Hailing from Scarborough, Ontario - the same hometown as forward Wayne Simmonds - it was in fact the same scout who tipped the Kings off on both players.

Like Linden Vey over in the WHL, Toffoli won the scoring race in his league this season. However, technically - since the OHL doesn't have a tie-breaker system - he is the co-champion.  Toffoli tied Flyers prospect Jason Akeson (Kitchener Rangers) with 108 points, even though his 57 goals more than doubled Akeson's 24.

He ended the year strong as well, being recognized as the OHL Player of the Week for the third time this season and capped everything off with a five point game in his final contest - including four goals, staring with a natural hat-trick.

As if that isn't enough, he was also just announced as a finalist for the Red Tilson Trophy, the most prestigious individual award presented by the OHL, going to the league's Most Outstanding Player.

He last visited MayorsManor in November, so I spoke with him this week to talk about all that's been going on and for a look ahead to the playoffs coming up this weekend...

MM: Prior to the season I spoke with your General Manager Brian Kilrea. Some of the things he said about you included calling you a great play maker, somebody still needing to develop physically and that you were a better right wing than a center. Any thoughts on those comments?

Special Seasons Continue for LA Kings Prospects

Over the past few seasons the Kings have been blessed with stellar performances from several of their prospects playing junior hockey.

Andrei Loktionov won a Memorial Cup in 2009, Thomas Hickey captained Team Canada at the World Junior Championships, Brandon Kozun was the CHL's Top Scorer and Martin Jones the WHL's Top Goaltender - just to name a few.

This year, the club has already had a representative on all three medal winning teams at the World Junior Championships (Maxim Kitsyn/Russia gold, Brayden Schenn/Canada silver and Derek Forbort/USA bronze).

And things are heating up in all three of the CHL circuits, the WHL, OHL and QMJHL.

In fact, it's not inconceivable that the Kings will have representatives on all four teams that make the Memorial Cup Tournament (comprised of the three league champions and the host city).

Kitsyn is now playing for the OHL's Mississauga St. Michael's Majors. They're hosting the tournament, so he's in.

Here's an update on three of the other leading candidates:

How Well Do They Know Tyler Toffoli?

A quick video from the Ottawa 67s - How well do three of his teammates know Tyler Toffoli...



As noted, Toffoli was a second round pick of the LA Kings at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He's currently leading the OHL in scoring with 83 points (43g, 40a) in 48 games played.

Here are three follow-up articles you may also enjoy:

Toffoli is Terrorizing the OHL - posted in January

Interview with Tyler Toffoli - from the Super Series

Interview with GM Brian Kilrea - talking Ottawa 67s hockey

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