Frozen Fury XV details, plus Kings-Ducks pre-season game

Somebody warn Elvis, the Kings are returning to the Las Vegas desert for another tilt vs. the Colorado Avalanche.

Frozen Fury XV will take place on Saturday, September 29th - at MGM Grand Garden Arena, just like usual. Although this will be the 15th edition of the annual pre-season spectacular, it will actually mark the 17th time the Kings have played a game in Vegas.

Back in 1991 they hosted the New York Rangers for an outdoor game at Caesars Palace (video) and Frozen Fury II was actually a double-header, with games on Saturday and Sunday nights.

LA holds a 10-5 record in Frozen Fury games and Colorado is 5-8, including a decisive 4-1 victory this past October.

In addition to the 13 games vs. the Avalanche, the Kings have also played one game each against Phoenix and San Jose (losing both). The were scheduled to play the Anaheim Ducks in 2004. However, that game was cancelled due to the NHL lockout.

The weekend after this year's edition of Frozen Fury, the Kings will host the Anaheim Ducks at Citizens Business Bank Arena - home of the Ontario Reign, LA's ECHL affiliate. It will mark the second time the Kings have played there, having lost to the Sharks 2-1 in a shootout in 2009.

Earlier this season, the Kings and Ducks split their annual pre-season series, with each team winning on the other's home ice by a final score of 3-1.

Ticket information and additional pre-season games will be announced at a later date.

If you've never taken the Frozen Fury Trivia Challenge, give it a try here.

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LA Kings vs Colorado Avalance - Saturday, September 29, 2012 in Las Vegas, NV
LA Kings vs Anaheim Ducks - Saturday, October 6, 2012 in Ontario, CA

10 Final Tidbits to wrap up the LA Kings pre-season

Just a few notes to close out the pre-season coverage as we march towards Friday's season opener...

- LA finished their eight-game exhibition schedule with a 4-2-2 record.

- For the second time in three years, Anze Kopitar led the team in pre-season scoring, picking up five goals and four assists, nine points total, in six games played (more on that in another article soon)

- Justin Williams, coming off shoulder surgery at the end of the last season, looks to be in fine form. He had the second most points in the pre-season (two goals, four assists, six points)

- Slava Voynov and Kyle Clifford were the only two players to participate in the maximum number of games (seven). Due to the split-squad games with Phoenix on September 21, it would have been impossible for anyone to play in all eight games.

- Kopitar led all players with five goals. Five players tied for second place with two goals each - Williams, Voynov, Brad Richardson, Alec Martinez and Ethan Moreau

NHL Premiere: caption these three Drew Doughty photos

After a summer filled with some nervous Kings fans wondering if Drew Doughty would ever play a game in Los Angeles again - despite several reassurances by team management that he wasn't going to be traded and it was 'just business - the talented blueliner finally inked a deal on September 30th.

And while those same fans couldn't wait to see him back on the ice, it seems the photographers in Hamburg yesterday couldn't resist taking photos of him on the ice - literally!

Kudos to the Hamburg Freezers for posting several non-traditional hockey shots from the Kings 5-4 win in their final pre-season tune-up prior to Friday's NHL season opener.

So, let's have some fun with the three shots below - see if you can come up with the best caption for any or all of the pictures.

DREW DOUGHTY #1

DREW DOUGHTY #2

Bye, bye Hamburg - Kings vs Freezers post-game notes

The pre-season is now officially over for the Los Angeles Kings after they defeated the Hamburg Freezers 5-4 earlier today in Germany.

POST-GAME NOTES:

- The Kings were allowed to play the game under German Elite League rules, thus they had 20 skaters, plus two goalies. The line combinations and D-pairings were:

Scott Parse - Anze Kopitar - Justin Williams
Simon Gagne - Mike Richards - Dustin Brown
Brad Richardson - Jarret Stoll - Trent Hunter
Kyle Clifford - Trevor Lewis - Ethan Moreau

Willie Mitchell - Drew Doughty
Jack Johnson - Rob Scuderi
Alec Martinez - Matt Greene
Davis Drewiske - Slava Voynov

- The Kings goaltending duties were split between Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier.

- Kopitar led the offense, as he has all pre-season. He finished the game with three points (one goal, two assists). Williams (one goal, one assist) and Scuderi (two assists) each had two points in the game.

- Serge Aubin (who played with former Kings defenseman Rob Blake in Colorado during the 2002-03 NHL season) had two goals for the Freezers, while Brandon Brooks had one goal and added an assist.

- The three stars of the game were: 1) Cristoph Schubert 2) Aubin 3) Kopitar [no explanation for how/why Schubert received the first star]

- Total shots on goal were: Hamburg 42 (17 – 11 – 14) and Los Angeles 37 (16 – 17 – 4)

Five final thoughts on the Kings vs Avs at Frozen Fury 2011

In front of a sell-out crowd at the MGM Grand on Saturday (announced as 11.478), the Kings lost 4-1 to the Colorado Avalanche. To close the chapter on this year's event, here are five post-game notes...

- The last time the Kings lost a 60-minute game to the Avalanche in Las Vegas was all the way back on September 30, 2000. Peter Forsberg had four points that night (two goals, two assists), including setting up Chris Drury for the game winner with 31 seconds left.

- The only other time the Kings scored a single goal in a Frozen Fury game was 2005. Fresh off the NHL lockout the season before, Dustin Brown scored for LA that night. But, it wasn't enough, as the Kings eventually lost in overtime by a score of 2-1.

- Frozen Fury IX in 2006 saw the Las Vegas debut of Anze Kopitar, and he waited until late in the game to let his full presence be known, setting up Patrick O'Sullivan for the game winning goal with 52 seconds remaining. Since then, he had picked up at least one goal in every game - 2007 (goal and an assist), 2008 (power play goal), 2009 (two goals) and 2010 (goal and an assist). This year, he came away empty handed in the goal department. However, with an assist on Simon Gagne's goal, Kopitar pushed his points streak to six straight games in Las Vegas.

- All three stars of the game were from the Avs - 1. Matt Duchene, 2. Milan Hejduk, 3. Eric Johnson

- Although the event wasn't televised, fan-filmed footage of Gagne's goal can be found here

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Richards, Mitchell, Kopitar talk about playing at Frozen Fury 2011

Kopitar in the lead for the 3rd annual Eddie Joyal Award

Frozen Fury 2010:  post-skate comments from Drew Doughty

Murray says Voynov will play Tuesday - did he tip his hand?

Slava Voynov of LA Kings (photo: M. Zampelli)

Given the words and actions of LA Kings coach Terry Murray over the last few weeks, it at least appears like forward Scott Parse may be hanging on by a thread.

The team needs to get the roster down to 21 skaters by Friday, meaning one more cut is required.

Thus, either Parse, Davis Drewiske or rookie Slava Voynov won't be around for the season opener.

During a press conference earlier today in Germany, Murray may have tipped his hand when he shared the following:

"Voynov will play in the (final pre-season) game tomorrow...he's had a great training camp for us. He's coming off an All-Star year in the American Hockey League. His game has grown tremendously over the three years that I've been watching him in the training camps. Right now, he's on the threshold - he's knocking right on the door, can he make the National Hockey League and the LA Kings? He's been a fun player to watch. He's similar in his game to Drew Doughty - he's a 'puck skill' guy, he's got great vision on the ice, he's a second/third option player, he can find those guys and make really good plays. So, it's going to be another good look at him tomorrow night."

Previously in camp, Murray had said he'd be open to starting the season with eight defensemen. Thus, the option is there for Drewiske and Voynov to occupy those final two roster spots.

Voynov is also expected to debut his new #26 jersey in the game, after wearing #76 so far this preseason. Originally selected by the Kings in the second round of the 2008 NHL Draft, he entered training camp ranked by MayorsManor as the second best defensive prospect in the Kings organization and sixth overall (see the full list here).

Early tomorrow morning we'll have a special preview of the Kings pre-season game against the Hamburg Freezers.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Coach Murray looks at Slava Voynov vs Thomas Hickey on defense

Parse thinks the problems are between his ears, coach Murray unsure

Drewiske and Doughty - forever linked to Kansas City

Drew Doughty on his most annoying LA Kings teammate - and on taking Voynov's locker from him

LA Kings players take a humorous look at their trip to Europe - jock straps, clothes, teeth, etc.

VIDEO: Frozen Fury XIV - proof that it actually happened

Many Kings fans returning to Southern California over the last 24 hours have been asking themselves one question - 'What happened this weekend in Las Vegas?'

Some are referring to what took place on the ice Saturday night inside the MGM Grand hotel, where the Kings were crushed 4-1 by the Colorado Avalanche...and more confusing were the shot totals, as LA managed only two in the first period and 14 in the entire game.

The same question is also being asked by the thousands of fans who enjoyed the Vegas lifestyle a little too much, only to wake up late Sunday morning and not remember much of what happened during the 12-18 hours prior.

Thanks to KingsVision, here are a few sights and sounds to jog those foggy Frozen Fury memories...

If you missed it over the weekend, be sure to take the Frozen Fury Trivia Challenge and read some pre-game comments from Mike Richards about his first Frozen Fury, plus thoughts from Anze Kopitar and Willie Mitchell - that article is linked here.

Immediately following the game, the Kings headed to the airport for a long flight to Germany. Prior to leaving North America though, many of the players shared some thoughts about the trip - including who was going to be the most annoying person on the flight, who would be the best/worst dressed in Europe and more. Be sure to check out that article here.

The Mayor
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Drew Doughty on his most annoying LA Kings teammate

Last night, after the Kings mailed in a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche and sent thousands of disappointed fans into casinos and bars throughout Las Vegas, the team and dozens of staff boarded a private charter and headed off to Europe.

First stop will be Hamburg, Germany - where the Kings will play their final pre-season game on Tuesday against a local team (more on that in a few days). Although it hasn't been officially announced yet, that game is also expected to mark the return of defenseman Drew Doughty to the line-up.

Around 6am last Friday morning, Doughty flew from Toronto to Los Angeles to sign his new 8-year contract. After a quick physical and then a 30-minute workout on the ice at the team's training facility, I chatted with him as he sat in his stall in the locker room for the first time since April.

It was a spot that rookie Slava Voynov had temporarily moved into in his absence during training camp. Doughty said the squatter from Manchester had been relocated by the time he arrived.

"I feel bad now," Doughty expressed. "It has been my locker for three years though, so I think I have a little bit of seniority to kick him out."

Now, that flight last night wasn't your typical shoe-horn 'em in, no room in the middle seat trip across the Atlantic. The Kings had plenty of amenities on the way over. Still, the flight left close to midnight and was scheduled to be around 11 hours.

Prior to leaving, who did Doughty think was going to be the most annoying person on the long ride over?

Kopitar, Richards, Mitchell on tonight's Frozen Fury game

As most of you know, the Kings did not have their traditional morning skate at MGM Arena in Las Vegas today. Instead, they stayed back in SoCal after their 3-1 win in Anaheim last night and then took a flight over this morning.

However, prior to departing for Sin City, I gathered a few thoughts on tonight's 14th annual Frozen Fury...

Anze Kopitar - "I haven't had any bad things happen to me in Vegas yet. Hopefully I can keep it that way. The best thing is just the atmosphere around the game. Obviously, it's an exhibition game - but, it has so much hype to it, with lots of build up before the game. So, it's pretty fun to play in the game every year."

Willie Mitchell - "You're asking the wrong guy. I've only been to Vegas once and it was last year for Frozen Fury. Go figure, the only time I ever went was when I had to play a game! This will be my second time and we don't even get a night in Vegas (because they're leaving for Europe immediately after the game). So, my favorite part was getting to Vegas and my second favorite part was leaving because that's all I remember (he tried to blurt out while laughing)."

Mike Richards on any disappointment about not getting to spend at least one night in Vegas, like most years at Frozen Fury - "I don't think I need any time in Vegas right now. That's more of a summer city. But, I've heard a lot of good things about the game actually. I'm excited to see what it's all about."

Richards on what teammates have told him about Frozen Fury - "It's as close to a regular season game as you can possibly get. So, I think it's going to be an exciting game to be part of."

Tonight's projected Kings line-up:

Simon Gagne - Anze Kopitar - Justin Williams
Dustin Penner - Mike Richards - Dustin Brown
Kyle Clifford - Jarret Stoll - Ethan Moreau
Brad Richardson - Trevor Lewis - Trent Hunter

Willie Mitchell - Slava Voynov
Alec Martinez - Jack Johnson
Rob Scuderi - Matt Greene

Jonathan Quick - Jeff Zatkoff

If you haven't already done so, be sure to take today's Frozen Fury Trivia Challenge - 10 questions, how many can you get right?

The Mayor
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Saturday cuts - LA Kings send three more to Manchester

The pruning of the Los Angeles Kings 2011 training cam roster continues.

Three players are on their way back to Manchester (AHL) - defensemen Andrew Campbell and Thomas Hickey, along with left wing Dwight King.

This has to be good news for Russian defeseman Slava Voynov, who is hoping to join the team on their season opening trip to Europe.

At the same time, it's another disappointment for Hickey, the Kings first round pick at the 2007 NHL Draft.

Just a few weeks ago, Hickey spoke with MayorsManor about the pressure he was feeling camp this year - that article, along with coach Terry Murray's reaction to his comments can be found here.  The former Team Canada captain and WHL standout also did a more in-depth interview (linked here) right before last season's AHL playoffs got underway.

Hickey was ranked ninth among the Kings top 10 prospects in the MayorsManor list that came out just as camp was opening last month.  Voynov was ranked sixth.  To see the full rankings, click here.

More notes from Vegas later this afternoon.

The Mayor
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Anze Kopitar in the lead for 3rd annual Eddie Joyal Award

Eddie Joyal, early LA Kings star

At the end of Spring Training, the Dodgers hand out the Roy Campanella Award, to a player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the team's former Hall of Fame catcher.

On a more humble note, for the past few seasons, MayorsManor has recognized the player who leads the Kings in pre-season points with the Eddie Joyal Award. It's a small way of recognizing and remembering one of the early stars in Los Angeles.

As the Kings were assembled for their first season in 1967-68, they were a hodgepodge of guys picked and plucked from various clubs across North America. Jack Kent Cooke's upstart group was made up of pieces acquired from the original six teams; plus some free agents, misfits, leftovers, cast offs and other assorted guys on skates. Nobody was quite sure what would emerge.

Joyal, a 6-foot center who had played only 121 NHL games for two different teams over the previous five years, broke out of the pack as one of the early stars. He went on to lead the team in points that year with 57, after assisting on the Kings first ever regular season goal.

More on Joyal in a moment though.

Let's take a look at past award winners and this year's current standings...

The inaugural award was given out in 2009 to Anze Kopitar. That year, he finished the NHL's exhibition season with eight points (5 goals, 3 assists), just ahead of defenseman Jack Johnson's seven points (2g, 5a).  Then, last season, Johnson moved from bridesmaid to the top of the heap. He actually posted the exact same numbers, yet beat out Kopitar for the award.

Entering tonight's game in Las Vegas - with only two pre-season games left for the Kings - Kopitar again leads the team with five points (4 goals, 1 assist). Close behind are Trevor Lewis and Dustin Brown (each with four points), followed by Slava Voynov, Justin Williams, Jarret Stoll and Johnson (all with three points).

Kopitar is also the all-time leading scorer over the course of the previous 13 Frozen Fury games (5g, 4a, 9 points), so that bodes well for his outlook later tonight.

Now back to Joyal...

LA Kings at Ducks: pre-game notes, line-up, Doughty, more

The game in Anaheim is starting in less than hour.

Last Sunday at Staples Center, the Kings lost to the Ducks 3-1. LA's lone goal came from Andrei Loktionov, who was sent to Manchester (AHL) earlier this afternoon. You can read the post-game notes and quotes from that contest here.  Coach Terry Murray wasn't happy with the performance of Scott Parse that night - pause the thought for a moment though.

Here are a few other Kings-Ducks articles that have appeared on MayorsManor previously. These should get you warmed up and ready to go:

Mike Richards on Corey Perry and not doing stupid things

LA Kings players on favorite moments in Anaheim

Kings prospect Ray Kaunisto calls Ducks fan 'a lost cause'

In the plans:  LA Kings vs Anaheim Ducks outdoor game

Kings-Ducks:  The first time it mattered this much

Tonight's projected line-up for the Kings is as follows:

Simon Gagne - Anze Kopitar - Scott Parse
Dustin Penner - Mike Richards - Dustin Brown
Kyle Clifford - Jarret Stoll - Ethan Moreau
Brad Richardson - Trevor Lewis - Trent Hunter
[update: Dustin Penner was a late scratch, replaced by Dwight King]

Willie Mitchell - Slava Voynov
Rob Scuderi - Thomas Hickey
Davis Drewiske - Matt Greene

Jonathan Bernier - Jeff Zatkoff

This may very well be the final shot for Parse, especially considering the Kings just signed Trent Hunter to a one-year deal earlier today.

Parse was on MayorsManor recently, claiming the ineffectiveness he's displayed in camp is a 'problem between his ears' - read that article here.

Hunter was also on MayorsManor recently, talking about his knee and playing with skilled guys like Kopitar and Penner (linked here).

The game starts at 6pm PST, you can listen live via the KTLK website.

As for Drew Doughty, he's been signed to a new eight-year contract (detailed here) and is not expected to play his first game until the Kings get over to Europe - more on that later this weekend.

The Mayor
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POLL: What should the LA Kings do with Scott Parse?

Last night in Colorado, Kings forward Scott Parse recorded his first point of the pre-season.

However, just a few days ago, coach Terry Murray said he wasn't necessarily looking for goals or assists out of the 27-year old winger right now. Instead, he wanted to see his feet moving - something Murray claimed has been lacking.

While a dozen or so players have been fighting for one of the few roster spots available on the Kings team this season, Murray practically gave Parse a job heading into camp - even saying he planned for him to be part of the line-up during every pre-season game, in an effort to let him get back into game shape after missing most of last season.

As of Monday, Parse had yet to 'grab the opporuntiy' according to Murray, which led to a subsequent sit down meeting and him being scratched from Tuesday's game in Kansas City.

With guys like Ethan Moreau, Brad Richarson, Trevor Lewis, Andrei Loktionov and others all pushing for a spot on the Kings third and fourth lines, time may be running out for Parse.

Or is it?

If you were in charge of the Kings, what would you do...



Poll closes Friday at 3pm PST.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Scott Parse thinks it's all between his ears, coach Murray isn't sure

10 Tidbits on Scott Parse

Training Camp 2011: updates on injured players - including Parse

Kings at Avalanche: post-game notes, Kopitar goal video

Last night, the Kings beat the Avalanche 6-0 in Colorado - powered by four goals in the second period. Below are some key stats from the game and fan-filmed footage of Anze Kopitar putting one of his three goals in the net.

* Justin Williams led all Kings with six shots on goal (one went in). Kopitar was second, with five. Trevor Lewis had four.

* The Kings, after playing the night before in Kansas City, came out of the gates slow - putting only six shots on goal in the first. They then outshot the Avs 14-9 and 12-7 in the final two periods.

* Jonathan Quick played the entire game in net, stopping all 27 shots he faced.

* Dwight King, Justin Azevedo and Andrew Campbell all made a rare start. And they showed up on the box score - in the penalty section. Campbell and Azevedo each received two minutes for tripping, while Kings was give a four minute double-minor for high sticking in the third.

* Jack Johnson led the Kings in total ice time (23:30). Rookie Slava Voynov wasn't far behind at 23:16.

Kings at Avalanche: pre-game links, rosters and listen live

A few quick links to get you ready for tonight's game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Colorado Avalanche:

* Over the summer, the Avs signed free agent defenseman Shane O'Brien - that's a name Kings fans may remember from the 2010 NHL playoffs, when he was with the Vancouver Canucks. Kevin Westgarth and former King Wayne Simmonds spoke about his antics on MayorsManor last season (article).

* Brad Richardson - a one man wrecking crew against his former Avalanche teammates - was featured in a MayorsManor article earlier today. He's fighting to land one of the the final roster spots on the Kings third or fourth lines.

* The guy who seems to be on the hot seat right now, Scott Parse, is back in the line-up tonight. Earlier this week he thought his problems were between his ears. Coach Terry Murray was going to meet with him late Monday to see what was going on. Full story here.

Projected Kings line-up:

LA Kings forward Brad Richardson - the human avalanche

LA Kings Brad Richardson (photo: C. Ikiri)

The old 'put me in coach' saying could possibly be modified for Brad Richardson. 'Plug me in' coach may be more appropriate for the versatile forward.

Last season he played just about every position among the Kings four offensive lines, including a few stints on the top line with center Anze Kopitar.

Given his choice, Richardson says he'd rather be in the middle.

"I like center - that’s my natural position. But, it's pretty tough on this team to be a center - unless someone’s injured, like last year," said the Kings utility man. "I'm comfortable on the right side, left side — the wing positions don't matter to me, it's just a side. Any forward position is fine with me."

When he plays in Colorado though, like the Kings are tonight - he simply looks for quality minutes.

Hockey players have long been known for performing well against their former teams and Richardson is no exception. Originally selected by the Avs in the fifth round of the 2003 NHL Draft, he was traded to the Kings in 2008 for a second round pick. Since changing jerseys, he's scored five goals in nine games against the Avs. In 171 other games for the Kings, played outside of Colorado, he's scored 13 goals (a conversion rate of 8%).

Further, in 244 total games played outside of Denver, Richardson has 27 NHL goals (a conversion rate of 11%). Conversely, in his 72 games at the Pepsi Center, he's found the back of the net 10 times (14%).

In two pre-season games this month, he's been on the move again.

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.

Kings coach Murray - 'Kozun needs to work on his game'

File this one under the peaks and valleys of life.

Just ten days ago, Brandon Kozun was the talk of training camp in Los Angeles. Today, he's headed back to Manchester, New Hampshire to play in the AHL.

He was the breakout star of the two-game Rookie Tournament against the Phoenix Coyotes - scoring a pair of goals in the first game and setting up all three goals in the second one.

It was a performance that he proudly followed up with by stating 'I kind of put the ball in their court,'

Readers of MayorsManor liked what they saw - voting him 'most impressive' in both games. And Kings coach Terry Murray agreed.

Kozun, a sixth round pick in 2009, then played nearly 13 minutes in the team's first preseason game - generating zero points and one shot on goal.

After practice yesterday, Murray spoke about the decision to include Kozun in the most recent round of (training camp) roster cuts...

"He has the speed, he has the quickness. Obviously, he can score some goals. But, he needs to go and work on his game," explained Murray. "He needs to go back down to Manchester, where there's more time - there's a lot more to the game than what I just talked about. Those are the areas that are going to take some time and are going to take some attention in order for him to nail that part of it down."

So, Kozun will play right wing for the Monarchs this season. Who will be his center? That remains to be determined, as Andrei Loktionov remains in camp with the Kings. His short-term fate should be determined in the next few days. Stay tuned.

Kozun is currently ranked fourth on the Kings top ten prospects list. To view the full MayorsManor rankings click here.

Murray also spoke about another highly rated Kings prospect yesterday, Tyler Toffoli. For the coach's evaluation of his camp performance click here.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Kings prospect Brandon Kozun goes high, low and yard

Brandon Kozun on challenges of physical game

VIDEO: Watch the third period, Rookie Tournament game-two - plus The Mayor on the post-game

  

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