Coyotes turned away, Not on the list

Like yesterday, if you paid the $10 cover charge, you were allowed to enter Club TSC in El Segundo today. After basically storming the place en mass last night, the Coyotes were turned away today. Apparently, they weren't on the list. One by one, young Coyote after another was denied by today's doorman... #75 Jean-Francois Berube.

This 18 year old kid, just recently acquired in the June Entry draft, was more than up to the task of fending off the pesky kids from Arizona today. What better way to forget the pains of yesterday's game than with a solid 60 minutes of hockey today?

Seemed like a good remedy to the roughly 350 in attendance. Throughout the game they were cheering the goals and oohing (and then aahing) at the slick moves of #48 Andrei Loktionov. Damn he's fun to watch.

Just as the collective team looked completely different than the lethargic performance of last night, so did one Mr Brayden Schenn. That's #55 for those scoring along at home. He netted the first two goals of the game before the 10-minute mark of the first.

If you read yesterday's article, you know I'm a fan of guys keeping the goalie involved after scoring. This became contagious today (in a good way). After Schenn's second, #85 Geoff Walker (of course!) was the first guy down to tap Berube. Quickly behind him were Schenn and Hickey. By the fourth goal later in the game all five guys on the ice made it down to Berube. Nice to see!

Shortly after Schenn's second goal we were back to the the theme of this two game series - fight, fight, fight.

LA #74 Dwight King agreed to "go" after Phx #24 Jonas Ahnelov (one of two "A" wearing Coyotes, discussed yesterday) requested a dance. King started it off with a short elbow to Ahnelov's face, followed by three right hands - one of which landed near Ahnelov's shoulder causing it to separate. The fight was immediately stopped and the Yotes "A" was lead of the ice and back to the locker room for further evaluation.

Yesterday there were a few points in the game where Phx player X would start jawing with Kings player Y...only to virtually "tag out" and let Phx player Z handle the fight with Kings player Y.

It wasn't like player Z was coming to the aid of the first player.  It was more like X changed his mind and was like "Here, you do it."

Today saw more of this strange behavior. Specifically, Phx #57 Igor Gogalsky starts running his mouth - HARD - won't stop even after the play is over. Then he hands it off to Phx #59 Sena Acolatse who is more than ready when the puck drops. Bamn, its on.

Unfortunately for him, LA's Kyle Clifford beats him down...including the always crowd pleasing, Donkey Kong fist smash on TOP of his head. That might work in video games, not so much on the ice though.

LA #79 Colten Teubert played with much more discipline today. He was still nasty and plenty aggressive. Just properly restrained.

One funny moment saw Phx #71 Kyle Hagel practically begging Mr. Nasty to scrap with him. We're talking several minutes of trying to goad him. Teubert just flat ignored him like he wasn't even there. Pretty funny to watch.

Other random notes:

* There was even some hair pulling during the fight between LA #77 Dennis McCauley and Phx #57 Igor Gogalsky.

* LA #80 Nicolas Deslauriers looked solid...again...especially during the first half of the game.

* LA #37 Hickey played more like the guy he was with Team Canada.

* LA #76 Viatcheslav Voynov scored with a nice shot from the blue line. It was going in from the moment it left his stick.

* LA #48 Andrei Loktionov is a joy to watch. So fast. So skilled. This was just on one shift - he splits two defenders at the blue line to keep pressure with the puck, followed about 20 seconds later with an elusive move along the boards (on the other side of the ice) preventing a Coyotes player from creaming him. It's like he is one step mentally ahead of everybody else on the ice.

* LA #64 Kyle Clifford had a solid, all around game. With one minor exception...how in the world did he miss that open net at around the 8 minute mark of the second? Man. There was so much space Ivanans could have easily put it in.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. likes to say "Step your game up." The Kings did.

I wonder what kind of shenanigans will be taking place on the bus ride back to Phoenix tonight?

The Mayor
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New Feature - High/Low with LA Kings coach Terry Murray

Today begins the launch of a new feature here at Mayors Manor...

It's a little piece called High/Low, where the object is to give your "high" and "low" moment for the day. Or in the case of the Kings, usually it will reference the high/low of the game.

First up is Kings Head Coach, Terry Murray.

For much of the last week the Coach has been on the ice leading the young Kings prospects through their camp - carefully explaining...and often reexplaining...what he and the other coaches want from the team and from each player as individuals.

After watching yesterday's terrible performance against the Coyotes the Coach chose not to speak to the team last night. Perhaps it was his way of not stepping over the coaches that were behind the bench for the disappointing 6-1 loss. Perhaps he needed time to collect his thoughts. Regardless, he did address the prospect team this morning and again reminded them that you have to work hard every shift, every night to play in the NHL.

Later this afternoon I caught up with Coach Murray and asked him to help us kick off the new High/Low feature. Here were his comments on game one:

HIGH - Competitiveness. (note: I must have looked perplexed when he said this, as he followed up with...) Guys were aggressive - not just with the fights - but, battling for pucks.

LOW - Team Play. There were too many guys playing as individuals.

Thanks Coach.

Currently there is no charge to play along at home. Leave a comment with your high/low from Wednesday's game.

The Mayor
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Dice show seven, Kings crap out

Coyotes 6, Kings 1

I'm sure its been said before, selecting the right prospect is a gamble. You bet big on one player or even a few players. It's a roll of the dice. You play the odds.

Whatever way you see it, Phoenix just abused the Kings' kids tonight on home ice (I guess that's what you call it). It was like watching tourists playing a game of street dice with seasoned New York hustlers.

Keeping the theme, changing the game...fortunately, this wasn't a situation where the Kings had pushed all of their chips into the pot for one final hand. Tonight was more like an early hand of a very long tournament. Something that will stretch over the next few years. Some of the "cards" will even be swapped out for new ones as time moves forward. Deuces will be dropped in the hopes of finding Aces...or should I say Kings? Either way, these Kings weren't even close to putting together a winning hand tonight.

Where should we begin? Well, at about the 45 second mark of the first period there was a stop in play near the Kings net minder (more on him later). A few feet away you see #37 Thomas Hickey give a long stare...and I mean long, like he was peering into his soul long...at #56 Jeff May of the Coyotes. This wasn't a Spicoli "Hey, I know that dude!" look. It was more like "I want to make sure I get a good look at you now because you won't look the same later." Or it was a "Look at me fool and remember my face...I'm the guy that's going to wreck your evening." Either way, you knew it was on right then and there.

Around the 3:20 mark #80 Nicolas Deslauriers serves up a HEAVY shot from the point. This was one of many pucks to be turned away by a young Phoenix goalie tonight. BTW - did anybody check to make sure that wasn't Ilya Bryzgalov in net for the Yotes tonight?

Back to Hickey...Near the 4:45 mark Hickey gets hit hard. In rides 'Mr Nasty', #79 Colten Teubert, to the rescue. He proceeds to beat on Coyotes' #36 Jared Staal. Teubert just didn't want to let it go when it was over though. Even with both guys being held back by officials, 'Mr. Nasty' was still swinging - and connecting with a few pitter patters.

The real problems started a little more than a minute later. Desert Dog #52 Chad Koalarik scored the first of his team's SIX goals. Out on the ice with him was his former Michigan line mate, Kevin Porter (wearing #23). Too bad Jack Johnson wasn't in the house. They could have had a little Go Big Blue moment or something.

It's half way though the first now and Kings camper #50 Bud Holloway is turning over pucks, out of position and generally not looking good.

12:00 LA #71 Jordan Nolan pounds Phx #51 Justin Bernhardt into the ice...after first checking him into the penalty box.

30 seconds later you would have thought Phx #50 Lucas Bloodoff was in the mood to fight the way he went after LA #64 Kyle Clifford. However, he was just holding him, so Clifford beat him up for even thinking about it.

A few minutes later we have a new problem. LA #77 Dennis McCauley gets a hooking penalty. Usually not that big of a deal. Yet, we have three guys in a two man penalty box. Now what? Are we about to relive the night Granato had to sit on Sandstrom's lap when they ran out of room in the Forum penalty box? Fortunately, they worked it out like men.

As the second period started...and as the game moved on...one Kings player started to emerge from his shell. LA #48 Andrei Loktionov must have found a jet pack during the first intermission. This guy was so fast. Up, down, sideways. He brought the hustle and was definitely trying to make things happen offensively.  Perhaps the mentoring he's receiving from Igor Larionov is paying off.

Another little bright spot was when the Kings scored. Not the goal itself, but the actions of #85 Geoff Walker - who assisted on the goal. After the ceremonial skate by the LA bench for high fives from his team mates, he skates down to his goalie and gives him a little tap. I like that. This fairly common practice in the minors is often dropped by guys in the NHL for reasons I don't fully understand. That guy in the net is on your team too. He deserves to be part of the celebration.

Hickey began ratcheting things up in the second too. First he manhandled Porter at the blue line to get control of the puck. Minutes later he headed toward his own net with complete disregard for his body as he tried to prevent Phoenix from scoring.

Then I noticed something odd. Phx #23 Porter is wearing a "C". Now, sure, he was the captain at Michigan...but, this is a prospects scrimmage game. Wait. Phx #39 Maclean and #24 Ahnelov are both wearing an "A". What? How did this happen? Now, rumor is, that the Coyotes rode the bus in this morning from Phoenix.  Seriously.

I guess that's what happens when your team is going through bankruptcy.

That's a long drive. And things get boring once you're about an hour outside of Phoenix. So, maybe there was some sort of road-trip-bus-ride contest involved...you know, whoever spots the most slug bugs before they stop at In-N-Out in Palm Springs gets the "C" or something. Maybe the guy that holds his pee the whole way gets an "A". Who knows.

Third period was more of the same. Coyotes rolling. The Kings out of position. And the Kings featuring a statue in net. Yes, LA #65 Martin Jones was the definition of stationary. He conserved movement so much he might still be standing there in goal at this very moment.

I wonder if Jones will go all Cloutier and claim that he was left out there to be embarrassed. For that mater, I wonder if the Kings even had a second goalie suited up. I never saw one. Seems weird though. There had to be one somewhere...right?

Oh yeah, I almost forgot...before this thing finally ended we also had the battle of the Jeffs...or was it the battle of the Geoffs...as LA #85 Geoff Walker battled with Phx #56 Jeff May. Yes, that guy again!

Like a bad night of gambling in Vegas, I'm licking my wounds. Headed to my room for a night of rest. Then I'll be back again tomorrow testing the odds and hoping for a better outcome.

I'll put $10 on the Yo and hope the Kings don't crap out again.

The Mayor
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Los Angeles Kings Report: Camping Without a Compass

As you probably know the kids are in town and starting to cause quite a stir. That's right - LA Kings Rookie Camp is underway.

I headed down to Health South today to catch the morning session. Wanted to prime my senses for the game...um, scrimmage...tomorrow night.

I intentionally didn't bring the roster available on LAKings.com.

View / Print your copy now by clicking here.

Bringing it has several draw backs. First, I think you spend half your time looking at the roster and not enough time watching the action on the ice. C'mon, we're all hockey starved at this point, so our souls need as much as we can get. Don't lie, you know you're still watching the same highlights on the NHL Network every night that you've already seen a thousand times. Fear not, 2009-10 is almost upon us.

The second reason for not bringing it is I think sometimes when you come to these camps you end up with that self-fulfilling prophecy thing. Basically, you come to the rink wanting to check out Teubert, Hickey or whomever...then, you leave saying how impressive they were. Well, if you stare at any one player long enough, its fairly easy to sing their praises.

Thus, I opted for a more organic approach today. Just plopped myself down and started watching the action. There were some 5-on-5 drills, followed by some 3-on-3, then some specific game situation drills (i.e. pass from the blue line attempting to be tipped in by a guy shadowed by a D-man in front of the net, etc.).

My two cents...77 Dennis McCauley (yes, I looked it up when I got home) was the most impressive on the ice this morning. This guy is a natural born goal scorer. Power forward extraordinaire. He HAS to play on the top line this year along side Ryan Smyth. We're talking 40 goals easy. Everybody will be saying "Frolov who?" by November 1st.

The other two players I noticed the most were 53 Alec Martinez and 80 Nicolas Deslauriers. Both players wanted to score each time they were on the ice. Constantly driving to the net or shooting at it. Plus, they were finishing plays that others were happy to just go through the motions on.

Who else has been going to the practice sessions? If you've been, leave a comment below with your thoughts on the players. Who has impressed you...or not?

If you haven't been yet, but were thinking about going tomorrow night, tickets can be purchased here - SCRIMAGE TIX - with all proceeds going to the Kings Care Foundation.

I have a few pics and videos to share (see below). RinkRat was there taking photos too, so I'm sure he'll have some much better shots up on LetsGoKings.com.

The Mayor
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p.s. For those of you without a sarcasm detector (available now at Amazon.com), relax and breathe! Of course I'm kidding about McCauley playing in LA this year. IT'S ONE FRICKIN' PRACTICE! I just love when people come away from one session of these things and start proclaiming ridiculous future "facts" about a player. Like I've said in previous posts about young players, we should probably leave the predictions and real analysis to the scouts, the GM or even other players. So, on second thought, keep your two cents, I'll give you today's opinions for free.

LAKings #NHL #Kings

#LAKings Rookie Camp Videos

Brief snippets from the Tuesday morning session at #LAKings Rookie Camp, September 2009.

48 Loktionov's line

48 Loktionov with the puck

77 McCauley brings the puck in from the blue line

47 Elkins circling and passing to 80 Deslauriers

#LAKings #NHL #Kings

If you build it, they will come...

In preparation for the new website you can now access the blog at

www.MayorsManor.com

note: older posts can now be viewed by clicking here. This includes all the articles on Hockey Fest 2009.

LA Kings HockeyFest 2009: Saving the Best for Last

In the Rick Knickle spot (#1) - Growing Up Kings with Hardy, Nicholls & Robitaille

Come on people, if you don't know about Rick Knickle, you clearly weren't paying attention yesterday during my rant about the goaltending situation during the winter of '92-93.

Which #1 were you expecting me to reference...Mario Lessard?

Jim Fox (the host) started the session talking about how he and Harpo (Mark Hardy) had been out late the night before dancing at the Bullpen in Redondo Beach. Why we were supposed to care, I still don't know. In the 90s Harry O's in Manhattan Beach was where lots of the players used to hang out. Maybe once you retire you move over to the Bullpen. Or...given Dean's love for baseball, perhaps they thought "the Bullpen" would score some bonus points with the boss.

This session was great, although you always felt they were holding back a bit on some of the stories. One guy would be talking and then just look at another guy like "remember what else happened? (wink wink)"

Highlights included:

* Bernie Nicholls discussed his love of the fans, especially kids. One time he tossed a puck into the stands for an elderly gentleman after the pre-skate shoot around. When he came back out for the game the fan was holding a big towel on his head and was acting like he was nursing an injury. A few days later Bernie gets a letter stating he is being sued for $20k for the injury...and ANOTHER $20k because the guy could no longer perform his manly duties. Luc chimed in with the perfect solution. To save the $20k Bernie just offered to do it for him.

* Bernie and those damn pucks. Looks like another time he was fined by a minor league team for giving away all of the practice pucks after a shoot around. Can you imagine a team fining a player for interacting with the fans? I know things run on a shoe sting budget in the minors, yet this takes it to a whole new level.

* The PumperNicholl - there really isn't some great story behind the origin of this legendary move (or moves). Bernie simply says he loves scoring goals - "it's exciting" - and that Bob Miller can claim the naming rights. Apparently it didn't retire with him though. He says he still does it when he plays in charity games and such. Wonder if the opposing teams appreciate that a little less than the fans in the crowd.

* Harpo was reminded that none of his former teammates ever would have selected him as the guy "most likely to end up in coaching." To which he replied, "Why because I showed up to camp drunk one year?" Being traded to New York was a "devastating day in my life" he added, an event that started his awakening into maturity. He "learned how to win" from Mark Messier.

Quick side note - when people in the 90s would talk about the Kings being the Oilers South they were partially right. There were so many former Oilers here it was crazy - Gretzky, Huddy, McSorley, Kurri, Coffey, etc. However, the ONE guy they missed out on was Messier. Sure, the Kings had the best player in the game in #99, just think about what could have been if they had the best leader in all of pro sports!

Harpo also credited Rick Dudley (then of Phoenix, more recently the just appointed assistant GM in Atlanta) for getting him started in coaching when he made him a player/coach. He said he took to it right away.

* Following up on the Luc fighting at his 2nd training camp story I wrote about in the recap from Saturday...Luc says it was Dan Brennan he tried to scrap with. The scuffle ended when Bernie started yelling at Dan "STOP - you're going to kill him!" Yes, that was the end of Luc's fighting career, over before it ever really started.

* Apparently, Bernie liked the puck as much as Marcel. Well that and he says he always preferred the sure thing. Which is probably what led to him telling Ken Baumgartner "If I ever give you the puck, it was a mistake. Give it back!" Somebody call JR and tell him his t-shirt company needs to add that to their line.

* Memory lane - Luc says the hit Harpo laid on Mike Keane in game 3 of the '93 playoffs was the best hit he ever saw on the ice.

File under useless trivia - Mike Keane has the Stanley Cup tattooed on his leg three times...one for each cup he has won. Sorry, no link available.

They lost that game in overtime, but the hit lives on...or at least the story of the hit. Harpo says after the glass was shattered he looked in and saw Michelle Pfeiffer, so he winked at her before skating off. Click here to relive one of Harpo's finest moments via YouTube.

* Bernie sure wasn't shy with his opinions. He claims that Gretzky should have been called for a penalty in the '93 series with Toronto...better yet, he says he should have been ejected from the game! Watch the video and decide for yourself by clicking here.

* An interesting fact was brought up about tough travel schedules. Dallas plays all of their division games two time zones away.

* Bernie went on to say that teams in the West (mainly California teams) claiming "travel" is the reason they haven't won a cup are just making excuses. He then walked off the stage doing the PumperNicholl.

OK, so he didn't walk off the stage doing the PumperNicholl. Fine. He should have. How's that - better?

* All four guys on stage claimed that Patrick Roy was the toughest goalie they ever faced. A few other names were thrown around as tough too - like, Brodeur and Fuhr. However, it was Roy by overwhelming consensus.

* Back to Bernie - he says the Islanders practiced harder than the Kings played in games most nights. Luc added when he was first breaking in with the Kings (or was that Growing up a King to keep with the theme?) he was given more grief for his softball skills than his hockey skills. The Kings were the defending softball champions and they took their title serious...seriously.

* Who else, but Bernie - He is working on a 13 week hunting show for Versus. You can see it by ordering DirecTV now...oh, never mind. It's somewhat of an extension of a hunting piece he did for the NHL Network awhile back. Once a sniper, always a sniper.

* Superstitions - Luc used to use sticks with white tape on the blade in the first and third periods, alternating to black tape in the second. Harpo's only superstition was dressing his left side first. FASCINATING! Bernie takes the cake though. On game days he didn't want to be separated from his stick. So, he would take it home with him, to lunch, even to bed. I kept waiting for a series of one liners after that little tidbit, they never came.

Great way to end the day - and the weekend - with such a fun session. Overall, I would say this session tied for "best overall" with Saturday's expert panel.

Now that we know what it's like growing up a King, next year I'll be hosting "Growing Up a Kings Fan!" I'm already gathering my stories, photos and videos.

The Mayor
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LA Kings HockeyFest 2009: Sunday's Runner-Up Session

Pick your Z...

In the Alex Zhitnik or Doug Zmolek spot (#2) - Bob Miller's One Man Show

Like yesterday, the session I entered the day most looking forward to didn't end up earning my top billing when all was said and done. Great show. Great speaker (obviously). Just slightly one upped later in the day.

The voice of the Kings - our Vin Scully - brought a myriad of stories and video highlights from the team's 40+ years in LA.


* He opened things with 1967 and a video package entitled "Getting to Know You."

* Talked about driving up to Jack Kent Cooke's house in a rented Plymouth Omega (no link available). Cooke said he liked small cars too - like Maseratis.

* Bob isn't too fond of the way Cooke treated people or his (less than legendary) marketing ideas. For example, he once suggested that Bob say "...and there goes Marcel down the ice like a Datsun" as a way of plugging their automobile sponsor. Bob politely suggested they go a different direction - like mentioning the Datsun Scoreboard when referring to the score of the game.

* In the early days the Kings had several early players worthy of being in GQ magazine Bob claims. One notable exception was Butch Goring - who once spilled pasta sauce on his white turtle neck on the first night of an eight game road trip. He showed up the next day with what some players thought was a clean replacement. No - he simply turned the shirt around backwards and put a jacket on!

* For the trivia buffs...the hardest shot Bob has ever seen belonged to Dennis Hull of the Blackhawks.

* More trivia? He'll never forget the '76 playoffs. The worst call he remembers making was when Mike Corrigan tied the game against Boston in game six, after being down 3-0 that night. Relax Bob. More fans probably remember Goring scoring to win it at 18:28 of overtime - the longest game in Kings history at that point. Or what happened after - something Bob proudly proclaimed he has never seen since (or before) - a hockey player carried off the ice on the shoulders of his celebrating teammates.

* Of course, there were stories about the triple crown line, the trade of '88 that came with new team colors and more. There were also some less feel-good moments...like "I don't mind telling you I hated the Oilers (of the early 80's), their arrogance really bugged me."

* What had to be the kick to the gut moment of the whole weekend was watching Montreal celebrate winning the cup in '93. Sure, that playoff run was brought up in nearly every session throughout the weekend. Yet, this wasn't about the great Toronto series leading to the finals or even the stick incident in game two. This was a video featuring a celebration by the team that beat the Kings. The prior night Marcel refused to watch the video clip of Simmer breaking his leg. I felt the same pit in my stomach reliving that dreadful day. OUCH.

Bob's session ran 30 minutes over and easily could have gone another hour. The man is a hockey encyclopedia.

If you don't have his book, get a copy now (details and link below). It's easy reading and full of great memories.

Check out Bob Miller's book at Amazon:


The Mayor
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LA Kings HockeyFest 2009: Sunday's 3rd Best Session

Day Three. A glorious day. A sad day. Why? It's the end of Hockey Fest 2009!

Keeping with the theme started yesterday, I've ranked the three sessions today from third to first. Please note - that isn't "from worst to first", as the third place selection was still a beauty. Think of it more like 1A, 1B and 1C.

In the Jack Johnson slot (#3)...or Gary Galley position for you more "seasoned" fans - Hockey Operations with Dean, Hex and the Coach.

Some of the gems at the morning kick-off:

* Dean referring to Doughty as a "Doughboy"...quickly realizing he might have a mini-riot on his hands given the adoration most fans have for the kid, he explained that such a body type was a good thing. You see, Dean likes to draft kids who have an upside. If you draft a kid that is "buffed out" he doesn't have any upside. With Doughty being a Doughboy they knew they could teach him how to attain an athlete's body. Dean later added that Ray Bourque used to be referred to as "Fat Ray" for the same reason his first few years in the league.

* Coach Murray is very impressed with Matt Greene and Kopitar. He admits that it took Kopi time to learn the defensive system he put in place last year and thinks he should have a break out year this season on offense.

* This just in - the Coach also said that "Brownie is a pretty damn good player too." He believes "nobody in the NHL cares more about the LA Kings than Dustin Brown." Ah, should a guy playing in Tampa Bay or Atlanta care about the Kings? Relax, I knew what he meant.

* Next up was the period I usually dread most - they opened it up for questions. Don't get me wrong, Kings fans are extremely knowledgeable. And there are always really good questions - some even surprise Dean or Hex with the insight behind them. Yet, I'm always thinking "please, no more questions about parking prices or why the Kings didn't sign (insert player name) to a $300 million contract just because there is cap space available." That said, overall, if you take all the questions asked to all the various panelists this weekend, I would rate the fan questions a strong B+...maybe even A-. I don't even remember one lame question that made me sink in my seat. Maybe it was the cover charge. Kept those people at home. Back to the story... A fan asked Dean about expanding their marketing efforts out to the Inland Empire (you know, the "IE", formerly known as "the 909"). Dean looked around like he wanted to use a lifeline or phone a friend. Thus his initial answer: "Um, not my area." (Can I have your attention please...will McChris please pick up a white courtesy phone...paging McChris to a white courtesy phone).

* Somebody then asked Dean about Brian Boyle and the decision to trade him this past June. In short, he said things similar to what was shared at the last Breakfast with Ops meeting at Health South (for TSC comments, see my earlier blogs), i.e. work ethic, does he get it, does he bring his A game every night. Dean mentioned he wasn't sure that Boyle staying for his senior year at BC was the right decision. Several fans didn't like his "leave school early to turn pro" stance. Either way, Dean said they even talked to Boyle's father earlier this year to try and get some outside help. Experiment over. When he showed up to the draft and only had three teams interested he knew he had to do it now. In fact, he believes he waited too long to trade him and said he should have listened to Hex (who wanted to trade him sooner).

* Coach Murray has been impressed with former college hockey player Davis Drewiske from the day he first met him. He sees lots of upside to his game this year. Says he "might just need to drop the gloves" a few times this year to establish himself. He had 18 penalty minutes in 17 games last season with the Kings. We'll have to wait and see on that one.

* One of the true pleasures of listening to Dean speak is his constant expansion of the hockey vocabulary. You may recall from previous meetings he's taught us all the value of an "asset" (player or pick) or the fact that some guys are brought in to be a "bridge." (Fun little game to play - what's your favorite Deanism? Post a comment below) Well, we have a new one. Prospect Garrett Roe is a "dirtbag." Apparently, it's a term of affection. Which caused Daryl Evans to remark how much fun Dean must be on a date. Rowe is what Dean likes in the 7th round, "no vanilla."

* Many of us have heard Dean espouse his displeasure for slogans and the like. However, he gave us a good one today..."There's no cap on character." It's more than just the cash cost when evaluating who should be a King these days.

As things wrapped up in the morning session Dean acknowledged they may be one or two players light as camp approaches. Rather than fill that void from outside right now - and guess wrong - they'd rather wait and see how things develop during camp. Somebody may come along and surprise them, like Wayne Simmonds last year. For now he doesn't see an "impact move" on the horizon. There could be a "depth move" during or shortly after camp.

I've said it many times since Dean landed in LA. He is consistent. Today he spoke freely when asked a question, was intense about winning and tried to connect with each fan speaking to him. All consistent with past fan forums.

Later I had a chance to follow-up with Dean and Coach Murray on a number of other topics:

* I pressed Dean on the Ivanans situation and Westgarth looming in the background with his new three year contract. Ivanans is on the team "for now." Westgarth's first year of the contract is a two-way deal, so he may be in and out quite a bit. However, he likes the added "chirping" that Westgarth brings, saying that is an element that North American born players bring with them. He explained that "sometimes those one liners hurt as much a a punch."

* Dean jokingly (perhaps) suggested they should play both guys against Anaheim. He says it might be kinda fun after going in there and getting pushed around the last few years. He chuckled pretty good at himself over that one. Murray went on to talk about Richard Clune and his potential to fill a role with the team. Dean agreed, he loves that kid too.

* I mentioned to Dean that I heard they tried to bring back Lappy on a short term contract. He said "absolutely true." They were talking to his agent and Dean feels Lappy was interested. When the longer term was offered by Philly, he didn't want to try and match. No hard feelings. Lappy being interested was somewhat shocking to me. When we spoke at Luc's retirement dinner he was still very bitter with the Kings organization and the way things fell apart. Perhaps time heals all wounds. Perhaps Lappy wasn't holding Dean accountable for things that happened before he started. Either way, it all turned out fine. A great guy got a big money three year deal and the Kings wisely didn't offer him something similar. One year would have been great. Three wouldn't have been the right move for this team.

* Coach wants to see Doughty start to come out of his "cocoon" this year. #8 has leaned heavily on Odie as a mentor (good decision). Those two will be paired again during the pre-season. He also plans on keeping Frolov and Zeus together. Interesting nugget was him not being sure there was room on this year's team for both Moller and Purcell. I got the impression it was Purcell's job to lose.

Whew. All of this info and it wasn't even lunch time yet.

The Mayor
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LA Kings HockeyFest 2009: Day Two - Where Art Thou?

People, people, people...

What is going on?

Kings fans are known for turning out in droves for just about any reason to get together. Minus a few thousand I've seen this weekend, most of you are missing the best event the Kings have done in the 20 years I've been following the team.

This isn't hype. Father I cannot tell a lie. I call it like I see it. I've bitched about plenty of bad decisions made by various people in the organization (both on and off the ice). This is real. Like Dustin Brown last night, I'm speaking from the heart...

HOCKEY FEST is AMAZING!

Sure there were lots of autograph opportunities with current and former players. However, let's review what has easily turned out to be the shinning stars of the weekend - the various guest speaker sessions...

The first event today was for kids. I missed it. Heard it had several funny moments. Cool enough.

My rankings for the other three sessions and some recap notes:

Number Three - The Enforcers with (the lawyer) Stu Grimson and Brad Norton

Like pluggers and grinders as players, this session was solid. This wasn't your top scoring line, yet they brought it. To be fair, this session was missing that something special or somebody special, like say Marty McSorley.

Nick Nickson did a fine job as host and navigated through the fun, yet predictable, questions of does fighting belong in the league, how has the game changed, who hit you the hardest, what was your best fight, etc. It was ok, no complaints, just clearly the third best of the day. I can only imagine that if McSorley had been there the dynamic - and the stories - would have been so different. It surely would have pressed the other two sessions harder for top ranking.

Number Two - The Triple Crown Line (no explanation needed)

This was the session I was most looking forward to. It didn't disappoint. In fact, probably the only element that kept it from earning my top billing would be time. There was just too much to cover in the time allotted. They could have easily gone another hour...and still had plenty left in the tank. Minor issue and I'm sure things like this will be evaluated and tweaked as we head into dos HF next summer.

Marcel was the star of the show...I know, big surprise...and he could have gone two hours solo. He had some great stories - like the one where he tells kids he remembers every goal he ever scored in the NHL - including the one he scored off his nose. Later he provided some insight into a not so light-hearted event that took place in Pittsburgh back in January 1979 - a phone call that shook him up after the guy threatening to shoot him dead if he scored a goal. The not so fun side of being a pro athlete or celebrity...even in 1979!

There was a funny story about Luc getting into a fight on the first day of his second training camp. Seems he didn't make the team after his first camp, as most young players don't. Management told him to toughen up that year. So, he came back in year two, got into a fight on the first day of camp. Three punches later and he was done. Didn't make the team that year either. Was told to work on his skating. Camp three was the trick. Made the team and...well, you know how that story ends. HOF here he comes!

For the pen pal inclined, Marcel encourages Kings fans to send him emails and interact with him directly at http://www.marceldionne.com/

Finally, the captain. Dave Taylor is the embodiment of a King - it's so weird to hear him say "we" when talking about the Dallas Stars now. I doubt I'll ever get used to him saying those words.

Number One with a bullet - NHL Experts Panel with Jim Fox, Ray Ferraro and Kelly Hrudey

Fox is Fox. I knew what to expect going in.

Ferraro, aka The Big Ball of Hate, is solid. Was expecting funny stories and he delivered.

The intangible for me coming in, Kelly Hrudey.

I've never been a Hrudey fan. Not a hater either. It's just about honesty. He was not an elite goalie in the league. Red Light Hrudey was just the best the Kings had seen in many years and he was surrounded by a high powered offense while in LA. The real rub for me has been how history has been rewritten - as it often is - and people give him too much credit for the Kings run in 92-93. As Hrudey admitted today, he was flat awful for about two months that season. Robb Stauber is sadly overlooked as a key contributor that season, including against Calgary in the playoffs. Want me to tell you how I really feel?

That is all water under the bridge now. I'm willing to let it go.  He was so brilliant today, words can't describe it. Former athletes - hell, current athletes - can sometimes be a bore to listen to when asked certain questions. They give canned answers, politically correct answers and the like. Granted, this usually isn't the case in hockey. So, perhaps my expectations were just low based on my rant in the previous paragraph.

For me, he was the star of the show. So honest, so articulate, so smart, genuine and spoke from the heart. He was real. And the fact that he was equally impressed with Brownie's speech the night before gave me chills all over again. He believes in Dean and he believes in the Kings. FINE - all is forgiven. We can be friends.

Ray-ray had several funnies to share, including a story about Jeff Odgers and Andrew Brunette when they all played together during Atlanta's inaugural season. Odgers ran over Brunette's car with his truck in a story that you simply have to hear from Ray. Too damn funny. He also told his version of the story Luc has mentioned several times about what Luc had to do to reacquire his #20 (now worn by Ray) when Luc came back to the Kings from the Rangers.

And in a little known fact, Ray claims to have gone 1-1-12 in his NHL fights. All 12 draws were by him holding on for dear life.

More on the '93 Finals - I guess all players in the NHL use illegal sticks, most for periods one and two. Supposedly, you can roll a tennis ball under Kovalchuk's stick. When one fan asked about Hrudey's take on stickgate '93 he shared a story I had never heard before - and here I thought that whole stick debacle had been explored from all angles. Apparently, the rumor was they were going to call Hrudey for an illegal stick. However, a scout watching the Toronto series (best series ever, see yesterday's blog) noted the curve on Marty's stick. So, late in game two, it was Marty that Montreal went after. Hrudey remembers went they went into the locker room after three periods in that game, he knew they were emotionally spent. He wasn't conceding the series, just thought they'd be going home 1-1. They did.

As for Foxy, well, looks like he is still looking to acquire a game used jersey from his days in purple in gold. Looks like he kept just one and it donated to a sports museum his friend owns in Newport Beech. Admission is free, so I guess I'm going to have to go down there and check this place out. Jim says he came across one of his jerseys for sale recently, but the seller wanted $1400, so he passed. Let me do some research. Perhaps I can start a "Get Jimmy his Jersey" donation box here on the blog.

That's day two people.

All the alumni seem so blessed and honored to be there. All the fans seem to be having a great time. Smiles all around!

The air conditioned 'autograph and interactive tent' was an added bonus. News of this fest is going to spread like wild fire throughout the season and V2 next August will probably draw a jam packed crowd. The Kings are already talking about how to make next year's event even better. Under discussion is making it a two-day event by moving the Friday night festivities to Saturday evening. Sounds good.

At the Kings Care Foundation booth...I cant believe the game used Frolov jersey went for $500. Wow. Steal of the day. For you curious types, Doughty went for $2250. These were game used and autographed.

This is the BEST event the Kings have hosted in the last 20 years. I can't give enough praise to McChris and his entire staff. Truly a crowning achievement. And we still have one more day to go.

Get off the couch and come down to LA Live on Sunday. Dean and Hex are hosting a session. There is Bob Miller's one man show - not to be missed. Plus, Growing up a King with Bernie Nicholls and Luc Robitaille.

All Kings fans need to be there in person.

Or at the very least, watch it online. Free stream here.

The Mayor
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