Milestone Moment - Rob Scuderi's first NHL game

For Rob Scuderi, February 12, 2004 may not have been where his hockey story began, yet it did mark 'day one' of his officially becoming an NHL defenseman.

Playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins at the time, his team traveled to Florida for a game with the Florida Panthers...

"Well, unfortunately, we lost (5-1)," said Scuderi, when asked what his memories were of that game. "I thought I played pretty well for (my) first game. Sometimes, for your first game, not to be completely selfish, you have more of an awareness of how you're doing yourself. You still want to win the game, that's the most important thing though. I remember playing pretty well and having a good debut. The whole rest of the call-up went that way and probably started my NHL career."

The call-up he refers to was his 13-game stint in the NHL that season. Interestingly, in his final game before being sent back to the AHL, Scuderi scored his first NHL goal - in Madison Square Garden. Not bad for a native New Yorker, who says he grew up hating the Rangers.

Due to the NHL lockout the following season, Scuderi didn't make it back to the NHL until October 2005.

Now, looking ahead to the game tonight versus Florida...

"Just like most games, we're worried more about we do," said Scuderi. "We think that if we do the things that make us successful, it doesn't matter who we're playing. So, if we can do those things - which is moving the puck north, keeping it simple - we like our chances against anybody."

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RELATED ARTICLES:

Brad Richardson isn't a fan of Scuderi's wardrobe

Dustin Brown throws Scuderi into the mix with Penner vs Greene

What I've learned so far this season... by Penguins defenseman Kris Letang

Mike Richards on the return of Sidney Crosby to the NHL

While a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, Mike Richards played the New Jersey Devils a total of 41 times, which was more than any other team in the league.

Just one game behind were the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Somebody else can look up how many of those 40 games featured Sidney Crosby - although it's safe to assume a lot of them, as they both came into the NHL the same year (2005-06).

Richards missed Crosby when the Penguins were in LA a few weeks ago, as the 24-year old captain was still on the shelf with concussion like symptoms.

As you've probably heard by now, Crosby returns tonight after a ten month layoff.

After practice today, Richards talked about what #87's return means...

"It's great for the league," said Richards. "It's like Kobe or LeBron being out for the NBA or kind of like Peyton Manning being out for the NFL. You want your best players on the ice, to not only build the game but to put on a showcase. He's obviously the best in the game, so it will be nice to have him back on the ice."

Several of the Penguins players appeared on MayorsManor earlier this month and shared some humorous thoughts on several of their teammates. For your convenience, those articles are linked below.

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RELATED ARTICLES:

What I've learned so far this season...by Kris Letang

Kings vs Penguins preview with former LA forward Tony Granato

What I've learned so far this season...by James Neal

What I've learned so far this season...by Steve Sullivan

/What I've learned so far... by Mike Richards - includes a warning for Dustin Penner

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What I've learned so far... by Penguins dman Kris Letang

Penguins Kris Letang - sharp dresser

ZZ Top were right. Every girl's crazy about a sharp dressed man.

Just ask center Jarret Stoll.

Most of his Kings' teammates have selected him as 'best dressed' guy in the room - although Brad Richardson disagrees. Regardless of who can lay claim to being the cat with the sharpest threads in LA though, based upon what I saw from the Penguins on Saturday morning, the title in Pittsburgh clearly belongs to Kris Letang.

And now that Scott Hannan has pulled a Metallica-like mistake and gone from long to short, Letang may also have the best hair in hockey.

Quick side note, can somebody please remind me to work up a 'Hannan cut his hair and his stats have never been the same' article when he and the Flames come to town next month, thanks.

Now that that's all behind us, let's see what Letang has learned so far this season. We chatted for a bit yesterday and here's what he had to say...

About Evgeni Malkin - "He's better with his English than he used to be."

About Matt Cooke - "He loves In-N-Out burgers. He's probably already been there twice today."

About Steve Sullivan - "He's old."

Post-game quotes from Pittsburgh Penguins locker room

It was a close one. But, in the end, the Kings lost 3-2 in a shootout.

Here are some quotes from the Penguins locker room following the game...

Pittsburgh coach Dan Blysma - "Tonight was an entertaining game. We kind of allowed them an opportunity to get in the game at that point with a 1-1 tie. It was certainly entertaining at that point. And then we had a huge effort at the end there at the last five minutes."

Blysma on Chris Kunitz’s shootout goal - "He’s done that move quite a bit. It’s his go-to and it seems to get goalies to open up and he scored and had success there. I don’t know if Quick remembered that one."

Kunitz on the game tying goal - "Really good fore-check by Duper [Pascal Dupuis], he kind of jumped the guy and the puck, I think the people lost it, it was kind of up in the glass. He took it behind to make the play out to [Jordan Staal] coming out to the net and hit his skate, then he made a pass back and I just took it around the net and put it in."

Kings coach 'happy with our compete' in loss to Penguins

Kings lost 3-2 tonight in a shootout. After the game, LA coach Terry Murray had this to say...

On the overall game - "That was a good game. The number of power plays [Pittsburgh] had in the first period; we did a great job on the penalty kill. I know we gave up one but the attitude was tremendous to get in those lanes, blocked shots, and just to really dig in. And then we carried through to the second period. The pace of the game picked up, the compete level got real heavy, our dot to the board game was as good as it’s been all year long in my opinion and I like that, it’s the way we have to play. Unfortunately, on the tying goal they got at the end, a strong play by them, over all I was really happy with our compete.”

On the Kings goals - "They’re good goals. They’re the kind of plays in a good hockey game. The puck is transitioned, there’s lots of battle, a lot of compete. Again it was a good, solid hockey game here tonight. Those are the kinds of goals that you’re looking for. The guys step up and make the plays, they score, same for [Pittsburgh]. They got a couple big plays from their top guys. But I think everybody went away pretty happy tonight."

Check out quotes from the Penguins locker room here.

Also, James Neal and Steve Sullivan stopped by MayorsManor earlier today to weigh in on the 'What I've learned so far...' series.  You can read their comments here.

Finally, don't miss former Kings forward Tony Granato - now an assistant coach with the Penguins - who came on for an exclusive conversation earlier today (linked here).

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What I've learned so far... by Pittsburgh's James Neal

Like the Penguins' Steve Sullivan, who was profiled last hour, James Neal is one of the few Pittsburgh players who knows the Kings well. Having played for the Dallas Stars during his first three seasons in the NHL, he became well acquainted with Terry Murray's hockey club.

Another change for Neal since the last time he's been here is the addition of a Hulk Hogan-esque mustache. Not sure if that's a Movember thing or not. Either way though, we chatted for a while after morning skate today. Here's what he's learned so far this season...

About Evgeni Malkin - "He loves his Russian music. He gets his headphones on and he's jamming on the bus. His humor is great too. He's happy to be at the rink everyday."

About Steve Sullivan - "I learned that he's old and short. He's on his twitter all the time too, tweeting away."

About Brooks Orpik - "He stirs the pot behind the scenes. He's serious on the outside. But, he's behind a few things."

What I've learned so far... by Pittsburgh's Steve Sullivan

Over the past month, many of the Los Angeles Kings have been featured in a new series here, titled 'What I've learned so far...'

It's brought memorable quotes and tidbits - such as, team captain Dustin Brown is a self admitted geek (or a nerd, depending on who was being interviewed at the time), Trevor Lewis likes heated toilet seats, Brad Richardson is proud of his golf game and...well, Mike Richards is just all around good guy.

Today, we turn our attention to the visiting locker room. Up first, is Steve Sullivan - a speedy forward, perhaps best known for his six seasons in Nashville.  However, last summer, he signed with the Penguins as a free agent.

After the morning skate today, I asked him what he's learned so far...

About James Neal - "He can grow some good facial hair."

About Paul Martin - "Underrated. I knew he was a good defenseman, but playing with him on a daily basis you really realize how a lot of the things he does don't show up on the score sheet on a regular basis."

About Tyler Kennedy - "He's exactly who I thought he'd be. He's from the Soo, enough said."

Penguins at LA Kings - Pregame Primer with Tony Granato

It's too bad the Kings won't be wearing their white jerseys tonight. Sans the logo on the front, they're modern versions of what Tony Granato wore with the team during the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals.

Nearly 20 years later, he's back in town for tonight's game at Staples Center. It's a building Granato played in only three times, as a member of the Sharks at the end of his career (coincidentally, a team he was signed to by then-San Jose GM Dean Lombardi). He's also coached a few games in LA, first with the Colorado Avalanche and now with Pittsburgh.

After the Penguins' morning skate today, we spent a few minutes one-on-one. Here's what Granato had to say...

On playing in LA, against his former team - "It's always nice to get back and see some friends. I have a lot of good memories from being part of this organization. When you come here and see the state of the franchise, they have some tremendous players and it looks like they're real close. So, it's exciting for me to see how well they're doing."

On Mike Richards - "He's an elite player and a great competitor. The more physical you try to be on a guy like that, the more intense and the more he gets into the game. So, I think being under control defensively against him (is important). You need to be aware of when he's on the ice because he can beat you so many different ways. He's a great asset to the organization and it was a great trade for them."

Kings-Pens: post-game notes and (quick) video highlights

Jarret Stoll scored in the shootout again.

That may be the highlight of last night, as the Kings lost 3-2 to the Penguins in front of a sold out crowd of more than 17,000 in Kansas City.

For the number crunchers, here are some key stats from the game...

* Dustin Brown and Alec Martinez led the Kings with three shots on goal. Richard Park and Ben Lovejoy led the Penguins with five shots each.

* Trent Hunter was a minus-2. He was actually on the ice for three of the four goals scored in the game. However, the Kings second goal was scored on the power play, so it didn't count towards his plus-minus.

* The shots on goal for the two teams were polar opposites. The Kings declined from 10 shots in the first period, to six and then just three shots in the third. Meanwhile, the Penguins increased their shots from nine in the first period, to 12, to 15 in the third. Pittsburgh also out-shot LA 5-2 in the overtime.

* In the shootout, Kings coach Terry Murray went with (in order): Jack Johnson, Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll, Brown, Justin Williams, Dustin Penner, Hunter and Trevor Lewis. Only Stoll scored. While, the Penguins picked up shootout goals from Evgeni Malkin and Matt Niskanen.

* Total ice time numbers are not available for this game.

There are several fan-filmed highlights floating around - however, here's a clip from the local KC news...

Is Kansas City more of a hockey town than Los Angeles?

On the surface, you might not think of Kansas City as a hockey town. Instead, your sports mind probably first takes you to baseball's Royals or football's Chiefs.

But, eight miles down the road from the home stadiums of those two teams, a pair of NHL hockey clubs will square off in a sold out arena - setting a pre-season attendance record for games held in non-NHL cities.

Get out your time machine though, because today's New Jersey Devils were once the Colorado Rockies and before that, they began as the Kansas City Scouts.

The city was awarded an NHL franchise in 1972. Two years later they began play in Kemper Arena, along with the Kings. No, not the LA Kings, but the NBA's Kansas City Kings - who had been the Cincinnati Royals for decades prior, but changed their name to the Kings, so not to be confused with the local baseball team.

Speaking of the LA Kings, remember those two dismal stretches last season when the team was struggling to win games? That pales in comparison to what the Scouts went through in their second season.  First, they went winless in 16 games coming out of the Christmas break. They finally won a game, then began another downward spiral - finding a way to go twenty-seven games without a win down the stretch and finished 1-35-8 in their final forty games.

They didn't make the playoffs that year. Just sayin'.

The Scouts weren't the area's first hockey team though.

Kansas City's pro hockey history began in 1928, with the Pla-Mors of the American Hockey Association.

Drew Doughty, Davis Drewiske and their link to Kansas City

Inside the Sprint Center, Kansas City

Tonight's NHL pre-season game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Los Angeles Kings is sold out.

Now, I'm not sure if hockey fans in Kansas City are similar to the ones in California. But, I'm going to assume there is one major difference - when they look over the game rosters, they're going to skip right past names like Dustin Brown, Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar. The name they're probably most excited to see this evening is Davis Drewiske.

Wait...Davis Drewiske?

Yes, it was LA's seldom-used defeseman who scored the very first goal in the new building, back in 2008.

The game-tape - if there even is any - will show it wasn't a highlight reel goal though. In fact, with the Kings on the penalty kill, Drewiske was simply trying to clear the puck. The shot on goal wasn't picked up by St. Louis Blues goaltender Chris Mason and the Kings were up 1-0 early in the second period.

They held on to win the game 2-1, with the other goals coming from Brad Richardson (Kings) and Paul Kariya (Blues).

Something else took place that night that probably meant little, if anything, to the 11,603 in attendance - Drew Doughty played his first NHL game.

I think it's probably safe to assume there were a few more people hoping to see him tonight than even noticed him on the ice last time.

So, come to think of it, maybe hockey fans in Kansas City and Los Angeles do have something in common after all.

Here are the projected line-ups for the game.

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).

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Other PODCASTS available:

Audio interview with Ian Laperriere

Audio interview with Kerry Fraser

Kings at Pens By the Numbers, plus Video Highlights

Although Kings coach Terry Murray declined to share his point goal for the road trip prior to the team leaving for Pittsburgh, I'll stand by my previous mark of 15 points in the 10 games played before they return to Staples Center on February 24.

They picked up a point tonight, losing to the Penguins with less than 20-seconds remaining in overtime. Put simply, they left an extra point on the ice.

So, they're off to Washington with six points in the books after four games.

Here's a breakdown of the game's other key numbers, followed by some video highlights...

0 goals from Anze Kopitar now in the last 10 games

1 goal could have been scored by Alexei Ponikarovsky, if only he got the puck up

2 shots by the Kings in the entire second period

3 more penalty kills by Pittsburgh, the league's best PK unit

5 penalty minutes each for Wayne Simmonds and Kevin Westgarth

7 straight games with points for the Kings (5-0-2)

9 points needed in the remaining six road games to reach the 15 point goal

Word Association with Tony Granato

Former Kings forward Tony Granato, now an assistant coach in Pittsburgh, joined us earlier this week in anticipation of tonight's game versus the Penguins.

In the first part of the interview we discussed his impression of Kings GM Dean Lombardi when he was being recruited by the San Jose Sharks in the summer of 1996. He also offered some thoughts on this year's Kings team.

Below, we take on some more names from his past in one of the most popular segments here on MayorsManor - word association.

Here were his answers, plus a few bonus questions...

Ponikarovsky Wants To Win 'Em All

While tonight's return to Pittsburgh may be bittersweet for Rob Scuderi, it probably won't be anything close to similar for teammate Alexei Ponikarovsky. After spending seven-plus seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was acquired by the Penguins in a deadline deal last March.

It was a move that didn't pay off for either the team or player, as he scored just two goals in his 16 regular season games there and added a single goal in 11 more playoff games - numbers that probably cost him dearly on the free agent market last summer.

Still, he tried to downplay the situation before the Kings headed out east...

MM: For you personally, is there special meaning in the Pittsburgh game or are you perhaps looking forward to a different game on the trip?

AP:  Nah, I wouldn't say so. I played in Pittsburgh for a couple of months last year at the end of the season. It would be nice to beat them for sure, especially in their own building - the new one. Other than that, it's the same as other road trips.

MM:  Dustin Brown alluded to some guys possibly taking the Penguins too lightly with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin being out of the line-up. Is that a concern for you?

Kevin Westgarth Values Life on the Road

Earlier today I posted comments from Jack Johnson and Dustin Brown about trying to pick up two points in Pittsburgh tonight against a Penguins team that will be without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Kevin Westgarth, who will be back in the line-up tonight and probably will see plenty of action over the next few games, had the following comments to add to the topic...

"Clearly they're a great team. Those two guys are special players. But, you look from top to bottom and they still have a great squad, with a majority of the other guys they won the Cup with still being there. So, they're still a great team. Brownie nailed it, you can't let off."

He went on to provide a broader look at the overall importance of the next six games...

Johnson and Brown on the Pair of Missing Penguins

Over the last few years it sure seems like the Kings and Penguins don't like each other very much. Which is somewhat surprising considering an LA-Pittsburgh match-up in hockey is pretty rare.

Evgeni Malkin, who has often found his way into the storyline when these two teams meet (see Malkin's hit on Wayne Simmonds in March 2009) won't be a factor this time around - he's gone for the season with a knee injury.

Nor will Sidney Crosby, who is still experiencing concussion like symptoms.

Taking nothing away from Matt Cooke (suspension) and Chris Kunitz (lower body injury, listed as day-to-day) - regarding Crosby and Malkin both being out, are some Kings players a little disappointed they won't be able to test themselves against two of the best players in the league?

Jack Johnson - "Yeah, but I think we see enough of the great players in the league. I think it's an opportunity for us to get two points. We're obviously playing a short handed Pittsburgh team, with them missing their two best players - two of the best players in the world. I'm not going to look at it really as a disappointment, but as an opportunity."

Dustin Brown - "I could care less really. We have to focus on our game because (when) you take those two players off their team they still have a pretty good team. So, we have to be ready to go. We have to be extra cautious of not taking them...with those two guys out of the line-up, we have to be even maybe more prepared to go up and play there. It's two huge points."

Proceed with caution. Today's words of wisdom from team captain, Dustin Brown.

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RELATED ARTICLES:

Interview with Tony Granato - Penguins Assistant Coach talks about facing the Kings

Gift Ideas for Jack Johnson, From His Teammates

WJC 2011 - Team USA Report with Jack Johnson

Tony Granato on the LA Kings and GM Dean Lombardi

On January 20, 1990 the Kings traded away one of their most popular players, Bernie Nicholls, to the New York Rangers. In return they received Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato.

Even though it hurt to lose Nicholls, it might have been one of the best trades the organization made during that era. In return they received a double dose of grit and skill that helped fuel the offense for many seasons ahead.

Upon retiring, Granato moved behind the bench. After first spending time with the Colorado Avalance, he's now an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins - who are led by Dan Bylsma, another former LA forward.

Still, Granato's ties to the Kings aren't exclusive to those early '90s teams. He was also recruited by then-GM Dean Lombardi to play for the San Jose Sharks following the '95-96 season.

And that seemed like a good place to start in the first of a multi-part interview with Granato that will appear here on MayorsManor over the next two days...

[note: the podcast with Granato is available here]

MM: What were your impressions of Dean Lombardi when you signed with the Sharks in the summer of '96?

VIDEO: Kings vs Penguins Fight

In a few days the Kings will be in Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins. Between now and then we'll have plenty of coverage and build up.

To start things off, let's go back to the '90-91 season for a classic fight between the two teams at the old Great Western Forum. You just don't see things like this too much anymore...

If you'd rather watch the entire video feed of last season's 5-2 victory by the Kings at Staples Center, click here.  Just pay attention early, as Anze Kopitar scores 27 seconds into the game.



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video footage provided by Kings Vision