Sutter, Clifford and Nolan on fighting, being physical

Fighting is down in the NHL about 20-25%, according to recent statements by Commissioner Gary Bettman.

Scoring for the LA Kings has been, well until recently, down significantly since last year too.

For Kyle Clifford, it's been a bit of mixed bag in those two areas. True, his fighting majors are down - he had 18 last season and with only seven so far this year, he should come in significantly below that number.

Yet. on the offensive side of things, he's actually not that far behind his pace of a year ago - which is rather shocking considering (a) the Kings offense as a whole is down and (b) he's been used in a different role, especially since the hiring of Darryl Sutter.

With 10 points already in the books, and 16 games to go, he'll likely come close to the 14 points he tallied last year.

Playing along side Colin Fraser and Jordan Nolan of late may be freeing him to do concentrate on other things too, rather than just be a physical presence on the ice.

"Yeah, it definitely takes that kinda pressure off," said Clifford. "We have guys that have done that all year though. You look at Greener, even Brownie - he stepped up and dropped the mitts (vs. Shane Doan, here). So, it's always nice to have that extra piece here with Nolan, and Kinger can grab 'em too. I've seen him fight. He's a pretty good fighter. It's always nice having the extra physical bodies."

Cam Jannsesn - then of the Blues, now with the Devils - came on MayorsManor last season and talked about using websites like HockeyFights.com to scout opponents, including Clifford and Kevin Westgarth.  However, not every player puts as much thought into things ahead of time.

"I try not to analyze it too much," Nolan explained. "I don't like to square up with guys or tap them on the shins and fight. I like to fight in the heat of the moment and the battle, when you're into the game. Those are your best fights."

VIDEO: Kings rookie Jordan Nolan gets his first NHL fight

Rookie Jordan Nolan had another memorable game for the Kings last night - not only picking up his second NHL goal, but also introducing himself to the Wild's Marco Scandella...

It was Scandella's first NHL fight as well.  Perhaps he bit off a bit more than he can chew for his inaugural tilt though.

You can check out more of Nolan's handy work from Manchester over on his page at hockeyfights.com.

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LA shutout by PHX - game recap using only Sutterisms

If there's one thing we've come to expect from the Darryl Sutter era in Los Angeles, it's entertaining - and occasionally confusing - press conferences. As usual, he didn't disappoint last night, even if there weren't any more Merle Haggard references.

For you super busy people, here's the game in a nutshell using only his popular three-word Sutterisms:

- first goal big
- they're no different
- not more physical
- probably counting fights
- missed the net
- that's your problem
- lot of traffic

If you prefer to savor Sutter's full quotes in their entirety, enjoy...

On the overall game - "I’ve said it 100 times, just rewind it. This league is about having the lead and scoring the first goal. It’s a big difference in the game. They’re no different than anyone else when they have the lead."

Quotes from the Coyotes locker room after 1-0 win in LA

Prior to the game, Coyotes forward Ray Whitney referred to match-ups with the Kings as 'muck fests' and usually filled with tight, defensive-oriented hockey. Kings defenseman Jack Johnson went so far as to say the games can be boring to watch, with Phoenix lulling teams to sleep.

Neither was the case in the first period, which featured three separate fights - surprisingly, none of them involving Kevin Westgarth or Paul Bissonnette. Things returned to normal though in the second period when the teams combined for 13 shots on goal. In the end, the visiting Coyotes shutout the Kings 1-0 to pull even with them in the Western Conference standings.

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

Captain Shane Doan:

- On the overall game - "It was great. It’s one of those games that you love to play in and you really like to win. It was a big one for us...Everyone realized how big of a game it was and how important it was for us to find a way to win. They’re ahead of us in the standings, they got the position we want, and everybody is chasing everybody right now"

- On his fight with Dustin Brown - "It’s one of those things, it’s part of the game and Brownie plays that way all the time. He hits hard. Both sides are trying to set the tone and he was more than willing and it’s part of the game. " (note: you can watch the scrap here)

Kevin Westgarth on what goes into preparing for a scrap

As sometimes happens when you sit down with Kevin Westgarth, the conversation can drift. His insightful answers to questions on topic A can quickly lead to you asking about topics B, C and D. Such was the case recently when we began talking about something as simple as taping his wrists.

"I do a light tape," began Westgarth, who is celebrating his 28th birthday today. "Even for the game, it kind of solidifies your grip and your wrists. A lot of guys I've run into have either hand or wrist problems. So, in some sense I'm sure it's probably placebo, but I'm sure there's something to it. It keeps things a little tighter and makes you a little more solid."

Not everybody agrees with him, per se. "I've never taped my wrists," said Kyle Clifford. "But, I'm not throwing heavyweight punches like him. So, it's kind of different."

There isn't a guide to follow when it comes to preparing for a game - and the possibility of a fight - says Westgarth, "It's mostly trial and error. In Manch (Manchester, AHL), I was the heavyweight. So, it was a lot of blazing my own trail. But, I tried to learn as much as I could, even from watching guys on other teams that I respected. There was some help from a few of the older guys. But, they weren't as into it as maybe I have to be. In the summers I also try to talk to different guys that I'm training with or just run into. Marty (McSorley), here, is a great resource too."

VIDEO: Goalie Fight with LA Kings prospect JF Berube

We probably should have known it was bound to happen, as Kings goaltending prospect JF Berube used to have UFC champion Georges St-Pierre prominently featured on one of his masks. And while it wasn't an MMA fight, it did look like a preview for tonight's WWE Royal Rumble, when a fantastic brawl broke out during last night's Bakersfield Condors and Ontario Reign game.

The video below is about as wild as you'll ever see, with multiple fights, players interjecting into ongoing fights and even the goalies getting involved. As the saying goes, you have to see it to believe it...

Berube sent over a text this morning to explain things - "(Bryan) Pitton was kind of holding guys all over the ice and when he went to center ice we looked at each other and he kinda gave me the 'let's go' look, so I went."

As for why he took the mask off first - "I thought he would make it fair if I would take my mask off, but I guess not. I couldn't throw too many punches though because I was more focused on getting his mask off."

Then, to show what a gamer he really is, the final comment - "It was fun though I enjoyed it!"

For the record, Ontario defeated Bakersfield 5-1. However, if you're looking ahead to a possible rematch, the two teams won't play each other the remainder of the season. That was the final contest of their ten-game season series, with the Reign winning nine straight after dropping the first game on opening night.

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Richards - plenty to say about NHL rules, Morrow, Kopitar

After the game last night, Kings forward Mike Richards wasn't happy with the instigator penalty he was assigned in his fight with Stars' captain Brenden Morrow.

Prior to the Kings boarding a plane for Calgary, he had a chance to speak about the entire incident at the Kings training facility in El Segundo...

On the overall situation - "I think the most frustrating thing is if the NHL is trying to get us to wear visors, and then we get penalized for fighting with them on. I think it kind of defeats the purpose...You hear all the speculation of having the set fights and fighting in the moment and things like that, but then when you do fight in the moment, you get penalized for it because you had a visor on. I don’t really understand the whole thing about visors, and if they want people to wear them or not. It just seems like every day something new."

On similar situations in the past - "I can’t remember ever getting an instigator on plays like that. Usually it’s a two minute roughing or something like that, but the refs are there to call what they see. They made the right calls, I mean you can’t argue with that, but I just think it’s a dumb rule in place."

On Kopitar being hit by Morrow moments prior - "I was obviously scared for Kopi and you never like to see a player like that. Even though it was a shoulder to shoulder hit, it was a dangerous play and it’s good to see that he’s healthy and doing well. Like I said, it was just one of those in the moment things. If you’re going to get penalized for sticking up for your teammates, it’s a tough message to send around the league."

Westgarth goes from 'stewing in his juices' into the line-up

Westgarth remains positive (photo: M. Zampelli)

By all accounts, Kevin Westgarth had a great summer. He married his longtime girlfriend and signed a two-year contract extension with the Kings.

Things haven't been so good since though.

Coming off a season where he played 56 games, roughly two-thirds of the regular season games, he's only seen action in six of the team's first 20 games.

"It's frustrating," said Westgarth, when asked about his role basically being cut in half so far. "It just gives me opportunity to work hard and just try to improve in practice and just be ready to roll when I get the call and to take advantage of opportunities that are given."

The time is now, as coach Terry Murray will insert him into the line-up as the fourth line right wing tonight in St. Louis. He's faced the Blues four times previously and has been credited with a total of eight hits in those games, second only to his stats against the Dallas Stars.

Westgarth has only one scrap in those four games, it came last March vs. the much smaller Cam Janssen - who had previously come on MayorsManor and talked about using videos on HockeyFights.com to scout Westgarth and Kyle Clifford. It didn't help much that night and Janssen has since moved on to New Jersey.

Last week, Westgarth would have normally been an automatic start in the Kings back-to-back games with the Anaheim Ducks - however, they're resident tough guy, George Parros, is out of the line-up recovering from eye surgery.

Still, Westgarth says he didn't like being on the sidelines for those games.

NHRA driver Ron Capps with some UFC predictions

This is a big weekend in Southern California, not only are the Kings home tonight for another game, but the NHRA Drag Races are going on in Pomona - where they're wrapping up their season and crowning champions in the pro classes - plus, you have UFC putting on one of the biggest heavyweight fights in a long time down in Anaheim.

Earlier this week, we had Clay Guida on MayorsManor (link here). He's in the UFC's semi-main event tonight, where a lot is at stake as well. The winner between he and Ben Henderson will get a lightweight title shot early next year.

Guida, a Chicago Blackhawks fan, said he was up to the task, despite being an underdog according to odds makers.

The NHRA was represented by driver Courtney Force at Thursday's Kings game and she came on MayorsManor to talk hockey and racing just prior to dropping the ceremonial first puck (link).

In a further convergence of today's big three events, while out at the drags interviewing drivers yesterday, I stumbled into a UFC conversation with funny car pilot Ron Capps.

UFC Fighter Clay Guida talks hockey and haircuts

Through the years, we've had a variety of celebrities and athletes on MayorsManor - like Greg Hetson of the band Bad Religion, Hall of Fame pro wrestler Nick Bockwinkel and Dodgers' left fielder Matt Kemp - to talk about a myriad of subjects.

With the UFC in town for a big fight card this Saturday night, we spoke with lightweight title contender Clay Guida after today's presser downtown. And, like usual, the conversation found it's way back to hockey.

MM: Let's start with your mom, she's always cageside when you fight. What's the best or worse advice she gave you growing up?

Guida: 'Don't put your hands on someone unless you have a good reason for it.' She would always tell me, my brother and sister growing up, 'Keep your hands to yourself.' So, it's funny - that's what I do for a living now, I get to put my hands on other men. Competitively! (then he laughed quite a bit)

MM: How did that work out with Jason then, your older brother?

Guida: I was his wrestling dummy my whole life, still am. (more laughter)

Kings coach Terry Murray on the absence of Westgarth

Kings enforcer extraordinaire Kevin Westgarth played his best hockey when it mattered most last season, in the playoffs. Then, on the 19th of last month, #19 was rewarded with a two-year contract extension.

So far this season though, Westgarth hasn't seen much ice time - getting into only two of the team's first five games.

Coach Terry Murray provided the following explanation after practice...

"He's not out of the line-up because of any other reason than I just need him to be better. I think he's had a little bit of a setback from what I saw in his game at the end of the year, through the playoffs and that little scrum he had against Anaheim (with Brian McGrattan during the pre-season). He's a veteran guy, an older guy, who needs to be able to do some fundamentals in the game. He was doing that all through the end of the second half of the year last year and it's slipped on him a bit. I talked to him about it (on Tuesday), to bring some attention to it and said 'get your game back on track, have confidence and composure with the puck, make the play that you have to make on breakouts, and just do the right things on the checking part of the game.'"

Earlier today, Westgarth spoke about the possibility of squaring off with Paul Bissonnette when the Kings take on the Coyotes tonight - linked here.

To read what Ethan Moreau has learned about Westgarth since joining the team in August, click here.

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Kevin Westgarth - itching for his first scrap of the season?

Kevin Westgarth (photo: M. Zampelli)

You really have to hand it to Paul Bissonnette of the Phoenix Coyotes. He's taken a fourth line, limited minutes role and turned into something special.

He's a guy who's scored four goals in 108 NHL games. Yet, he picked up more votes than captain Shane Doan for last year's All Star game.

Call it the power of twitter. He has over 150,000 followers - that's two to three times more than most teams have! And, in large part, it's due to his comedic tweets. On the ice, it's a different story. He's usually getting noticed for his fists, not his quick wit.

However, last season, he stopped by MayorsManor and dropped a few bombs in a rather short interview - where he alleged Kyle Clifford was a cheap shot artist and turned him down when he asked for a fight (link).

With the possibility of Kevin Westgarth and Bissonnette finding each other on the ice tonight, I had a few questions for Westy after practice yesterday...

MM: BizNasty has built quite a following on twitter and you're still a newbie in that department. Do you have any pre-game tweets planned to heat things up a little?

KW: Oh, twitter...no. Not just yet. I'll hold off. I like to do my talking on the ice, not with my mouth. That's kind of the way I go about it. I feel like twitter is definitely great for the fans and I give him credit for what he's built for himself (there). But, I'll leave (the tweets) up to BizNasty.

MM: Last year, in the early part of the season you repeatedly talked about how you were 'just itching' to get that first scrap under your belt. Is it the same feeling this year?

LA players on Simmonds, Flyers, possible scrap for Clifford

Will Simmonds fight Clifford? (photo: C. Ikiri)

There's no denying Wayne Simmonds was a fan favorite in Los Angeles.

Almost from the moment he made the Kings as an 20-year old forward out of the Ontario Hockey League, people loved his hustle.

Simmonds went on to play 240 games and score 39 goals with the team. Then, as has been heavily documented, he was traded this past June to the Philadelphia Flyers.

In the weeks that followed, several Kings stopped by MayorsManor to share thoughts on their departed friend and teammate...

Jarret Stoll - "He's going to be a very good player, he is a very good player...I wish him all the best in Philly. He's a great guy, he was roommate on the road. We had some good times together and some good talks. He's a good kid. He'll figure it out in Philly and he's going to be a well liked player there, for sure."

Matt Greene - "Simmer was a big part of our team. He's a great player and he's only going to get better. So, it was tough to lose a friend and a good player like that.

Mike Richards on Corey Perry and not doing stupid things

Corey Perry and Mike Richards

Now, that may not be the best title for an article, but it will all make sense in just a few minutes...

Back in December, readers of MayorsManor voted Anaheim's Corey Perry as their least favorite NHL player, among guys still in the league.

Perry certainly didn't do anything to quell those feelings a few months later when the Kings and Ducks met up for the 100th time in their collective history. Tied 1-1 after three periods on Staples Center ice, Perry scored the game-winner in overtime.

On June 22nd Perry was named the league MVP at the annual NHL Awards in Las Vegas.

The very next day, Kings GM Dean Lombardi pulled off a huge trade, bringing center Mike Richards to LA.

It didn't take fans and media long to connect the dots on Richards and Perry. The two had several battles during their junior hockey days in the OHL, Richards in Kitchener and Perry in London.

Is there still a little bad blood left over?  Probably not.

How tough will the Kings line-up be vs. San Jose Sharks?

Kevin Westgarth, the Kings resident heavyweight this season, played in the final seven regular season games - where the Kings went 3-4.

One of those loses was to the Sharks on April 4th.

For the season, Westgarth suited up in four of the six games between the two teams and LA was 1-3 in those games. When he was a healthy scratch the Kings were 2-0 versus San Jose.

Now, the Kings performance in those games can't be simplified down to the fact that (more often than not) they won with him on the sidelines and lost with him in there.  After all, he had an 'even' plus-minus rating (going E, +1, E, -1).  And in the game they won he had 13 shifts, totalling 7:30 of ice time - his second highest of the season series.

However, his stats for the post-season is at least worthy of a question to coach Terry Murray, especially considering the there's a high probably of Justin Williams returning to the line-up.

So, after practice today I asked Murray if he has Westgarth penciled in to play the entire series...

"No, probably not," said Murray.  "He might play in the early part of the series and as you move into the deeper part of it, then you need to take a look at the line-up. And that is probably when minutes will diminish for that role."

For better or worse, by comparison, Ratias Ivanans played in just one of the Kings six post-season games versus Vancouver last season, getting 5:48 of ice time in the first game against the Canucks.

That came after he had played in 61 regular season games for the Kings last season, six more than Westgarth's 56 this year.

This will be just one of the many games-within-the games to be played out over the next two weeks.

NoCal, SoCal...and Westie.



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Westgarth on Fight Rules, Clifford's KO, Scrap with Cam

On Friday we heard from Kings coach Terry Murray regarding the multiple fights in Thursday's night game versus the St. Louis Blues.

He said he thought Kevin Westgarth's scrap with Cam Janssen was "absolutely what the team needed" and said Kyle Clifford's injury was one of the "consequences of playing that role."

Which is something I wanted to get Westgarth's perspective on...

MM: How tough was it to watch the Clifford fight (video here)? He hasn't really been rocked at all this year.

KW: It's going to happen. He just missed his grab there and was trying to, essentially, punch himself out of the miss. He just got tagged by one. It knocked him down. But, I think we saw right away he was back up. He would have gladly gotten back into it. He's a young guy, just tough as nails. He scares a lot of the other guys (on other teams) and fights pretty wide open. That's going to happen every once and a while. He's got a lot to learn, as we all do. You have to adjust. I know this year my fighting style has kind of ebb and flowed with the guys I've fought. It's going to happen. We're glad he's here though and we're glad he's all right.

MM: How about your fight with Janssen (video here)? Did things go as planned?

Update on Kyle Clifford and Last Night's Fights

Brad Richardson will be in the line-up tomorrow night, playing left wing.

That's per coach Terry Murray after practice today.

You can extrapolate from that the fact that rookie Kyle Clifford will get the night off. Murray also talked about Clifford a little when talking about Kevin Westgarth's fight last night vs. the Blues.

MM: Earlier in the season you talked about Westgarth needing to pick the right spots when engaging in a fight. Last night, early on in the game, was that the right time?

TM:  "I thought it was great. I really do. I think that was absolutely what the team needed. We didn't respond the right way, it's what we needed though going in. Coming off a road trip like that you need a player to really take on some of that responsibility to fire your team up and say 'Hey, we're here to play. We're here to compete,' and he did the right thing. So did Clifford. He responds the right way to get us going. These are rookie players. Westgarth is a young guy, but a rookie. And Cliffy's 19 years old (MM: actually 20) and he recognized the need for something, again, to spark a fire here. He tried to do the right thing."

Regarding Clifford not coming back into the game, he went on to say...

Kings at Blue Jackets Pre-Game Notes and Links

Rick Nash Bobblehead

Today marks the fourth and final meeting between the Kings and Blue Jackets, two teams heading in opposite directions since they met up on January 8th - Trevor Lewis' birthday.

Back then LA was mired in a horrible slump at home and stuck at 12th place in the standings. Since then, the Kings have found their groove - including a win in Columbus during their 6-1-3 February road stretch.

Here are some other key points to get you warmed up...

* There must be something about Rick Nash and the Kings visiting town. Last time it was Nash poster night. Tonight they'll be giving out Nash bobbleheads (pictured) to the fans attending the game.

* Several Kings players - including Jack Johnson and Brad Richardson - shared some thoughts on Nash in a MayorsManor article here.  Jarret Stoll said "You have to play him hard. You can't give him too much time and space. You need to be physical on him and you can't respect him too much. Obviously, you have to respect him a little bit. But, if you respect good players too much, by the end of the night they'll have three points."  Click the link to read more.

Clifford and Westgarth Preparing to Get (Biz) Nasty?

With the Phoenix Coyotes in town tonight to take on the Kings it's worth re-setting a story from the last time these two teams got together.

If you're not on twitter, you many not even know that one of the most popular hockey players in North America has scored only one goal in 37 games this season.

He's played in less than 100 NHL games and averages fewer than five minutes a night for the Coyotes, yet he had more All Star Game votes this year than Shane Doan, Justin Williams and Dustin Brown.

Paul Bissonnette, better known as BizNasty2point0, is all the rage right now. He talks plenty of puck, but also tweets non-hockey takes like "4Loco is Charlie Sheen in a can. Of course its back."

He even pokes fun at himself with tweets like "In case you folks are wondering I have a no movement clause, but its from the middle of the bench."

Prior to the Kings-Coyotes home-and-home series in late January BizNasty and I did the first ever MayorsManor twinterview.

His key comments had to do with Kevin Westgarth and Kyle Clifford, who then provided their responses as well. Take a look...

MM: The Kings have three scrappers right now (Westgarth, Clifford and Wayne Simmonds). You've faced off with Westgarth twice, including once in the AHL, and Clifford during the pre-season. What are your thoughts on those guys?

Jarret Stoll on Fight with Dustin Penner

This Dustin Penner-mania is starting to reach Brayden Schenn levels.

It looks like it may be all Penner, all the time for the next few days.

So, sticking with the theme - let's check in with Jarret Stoll, one of his former teammates in Edmonton.

Earlier today we heard what Penner had to say about the time the two got into a fight back in their AHL days (Penner was with Cincinnati, Anaheim's affiliate). What does Stoll remember about it? Keep reading...

MM: Much has been made over the last few days about Penner's friendship with Matt Greene. How about away from the rink, did you guys socialize much when you were both in Edmonton?

JS: We had some good times, yeah. We were kind of all, in a way, growing up together there - having dinners, going to movies and hanging out on the patios and stuff, having a good time and enjoying ourselves and loving the game. It was some good times. He lived with Greenie, so they had a lot more intimate moments, if you will. But, he's a good guy, a good friend and we're happy to have him here.

MM: In 2004 when you guys were both in the AHL, there's a December 2004 game recap saying you two had a fight. Any memories from that situation?