GM Dean Lombardi compares rebuilds by Oilers and Kings

Several teams around the NHL have gone through painful rebuilds over the last decade, with a few already cashing in and finding success. Pittsburgh is typically the franchise most point to for how to 'get it right.' More recently, the Blackhawks have been receiving praise, having won the Stanley Cup in 2010.

Entering the season, many considered the Los Angeles Kings to be on the threshold of achieving similar success. And the team right behind them in the process is the Edmonton Oilers. While LA has largely been built on goaltending and defense, the Oil's clear strength is the abundance of top flight forwards they've drafted recently.

Late last week, Kings GM Dean Lombardi was a guest on Mark Spector's radio show (Team 1260, Edmonton). We've already posted several of Lombardi's comments in previous articles. Here, he tackles the rebuilding process for both the Kings and Oilers...

On the notion LA is just a key free agent away - "The most critical thing - and I told Darryl (Sutter) this when he took over the team - of all the things we can do, we have to make our young players, in fact, top players. Not only top players in the sense of notoriety or contract, but they have to become, in fact, core players (who) can match up with Datsyuk and Lidstrom, Thornton and Boyle and all these guys. That is the number one thing that has to happen. If we don't do that - if these players don't, in fact, become 'winners,' then anything else I do in free agency or trades, it's just going to be conversation because it's not going to happen.

NHRA champ Tony Schumacher talks Blackhawks, Kings

Tony Schumacher (photo: NHRA)

Tony Schumacher may drive an NHRA top fuel car for a living, but he easily relate to the pressure that must come from playing in overtime of a game seven during the Stanley Cup Finals.

Yes, he's a seven-time World Champion. Yet, perhaps his defining sports moment was in 2006. Entering the final race of the season he and his U.S. Army sponsored crew needed to do just about everything to overtake the points leader - including win the race and set a new elapsed time record. In one of the most unlikely scenarios, it all came down to what's now known as 'The Run' - where he made one pass down the track to win the race, set the record and capture the championship.

Sudden death if there ever was one.

Away from the drag strip, his passion is simple to understand.

"I love hockey," said Schumacher during a recent conversation. "I grew up playing hockey with the St. John's Military Academy. If I'm not racing, and people ask me what kind of sports I'm watching, I'm watching guys on ice knock each other over and scoring goals. It's amazing what the sport has done since the rule changes a few years ago - it is so fast, so good. It's mind boggling, how a man can put on a pair of skates and be that good at anything."

When the Kings and Blackhawks battle on the ice tonight, you can bet 'The Sarge' will be watching.

"I live in Chicago, so I'm obviously a Blackhawks fan," Schumacher shared. "But, the only other jersey I have hanging there is an LA Kings jersey, signed about four or five years ago by the whole team."

Originally from Southern California, Schumacher still marvels that hockey has become so popular on the west coast.

FULL VIDEO: LA Kings preview show on Fox Sports West

If you missed last night's LA Kings preview show on Fox Sports West, fear not - Kings Vision has you covered. The video below features Kings captain Dustin Brown speaking to fans at HockeyFest, Kings analyst Jim Fox giving some predictions for the new season, they identify the x-factors for success this year and much more.

To read more about some of the off-season topics discussed in the video, check out these links:

Welcome to the Dustin Penner comedy hour

No June Gloom for Kings LW Dustin Penner

Matt Greene pulls no punches about Penner's conditioning

Kings GM Dean Lombardi - 'Anze Kopitar may be the new Blake Griffin'

Anze Kopitar is training in one of Europe's most beautiful cities

I'll have my predictions for the 2011-12 NHL season posted later today.

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Jarret Stoll will have a different view of tonight's game

Things are coming into focus for Jarret Stoll

A few weeks after the Kings acquired 26-year old center Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll stopped by MayorsManor and let it be known - he's not feeling like a guy who's been kicked to the curb by his apparent move to the third line this season.

"I'd be very, very selfish to say that," Stoll said at the time. "I consider myself a guy who will play any role, any situation in order for us to win and to be a good teammate. I think we need that depth up the middle to win and we have it between the pipes and on defense. I think we just needed it down the middle a little more. Adding him just brings us that instantly. So, I'm happy to play anywhere, as long as we win, have fun and get into the playoffs."

Fast forward a few months and Stoll is talking much bigger than just making the playoffs now.

"Going into every training camp, your goal is to make the playoffs, no matter what,” said the 2002 second round draft pick. "But this year, we feel that just making the playoffs isn’t enough. Losing in the first round or even the second round, that’s not enough this year."

Like most of the other players in the locker room, Stoll has been feeling the increased expectations hovering above the team's training center over the last week or so.

"We have to have a good, solid season. Making the playoffs is tough, it’s not easy," explained Stoll. "We want to set a goal of having home ice (advantage) in the first round. And lets start talking about the Stanley Cup, start mentioning it. I know it's a long ways away. But, if you’re not talking about it, if you're not thinking about it, then you're a far ways away from it."

Gagne - 'Mike Richards is the type of guy I want on my team'

Most old sayings are still around because they're often true.

In the case of 'familiarity breeds contempt' - it may make sense when applied to many other things, yet Simon Gagne sees his relationship with Mike Richards an entirely different way.

"He's a really quiet guy and he's really shy. But, on the ice, he's definitely the type of guy you want to have on your team. He's going to take a check for you. If somebody gives you a cheap shot, he's going to be the first one to go and respond on that. I had a chance to play with him for five years in Philadelphia. Even we he got to the league, he was 20 years old, I think - you could tell though that he was going to be that type of player. That's the perfect model for the type of hockey I think we're going to play here in the West. He's a guy that I want to have on my team when the playoffs come. I'm glad that I'll be able to play with him again."

I'll have more with Gagne up soon, including a TV show that he's been using to get tips on the LA lifestyle, some notes on a few of the 'firsts' he's already experienced as a member of the Kings and he he evaluates the team's training facility compared to those in Philadelphia and Tampa Bay.

For more on Richards though, check out the links below to read what others have had to say about him recently.

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Mike Richards on his hatred for the Rangers, ready for game one of the season

Terry Murray helps temper high expectations for this season

You can call him the voice of reason.

While some fans wanted to pull their hair out as Kings coach Terry Murray calmly stood behind the bench during two disastrous losing streaks last season - lost points that ended up costing the team home ice advantage in the playoffs, but more on that later...GM Dean Lombardi didn't share the same opinion.

Once the season was over, Lombardi praised Murray's composure and calmness when reflecting on those tough times.

If nothing else, Murray has at least been consistent in most areas since talking over as coach here in Los Angeles a few years ago. He drives his points home (defense-first, shot mentality, etc.) until they're heard and his demeanor is usually led by a large degree of patience.

Meanwhile at Hockey Fest yesterday, many of the players were running around talking about the team being talented enough to win the Pacific Division or the Western Conference. Some sounded like they were on the verge of saying 'Stanley Cup or bust.'

And it may very well be true that this year's roster has the depth and mix to win it all. However, Murray didn't want any part of that when we chatted for a few minutes following this morning's Rookie Camp drills.

"We're looking to be a playoff team," Murray began, after I asked for his expectations. "In this league today, with 30 teams, and this Conference - which I think is the most competitive of the two - at the end of the day, on the last day of the season last year, you had Dallas out and Chicago in. The year before it took a shootout for the Flyers to get in and they ended up going right through to the Stanley Cup Finals. It is that close, that competitive and that level of a playing field right now. So, our goal is to be a playoff team. We want to shoot for home ice advantage. We recognize the importance of it."

LA Kings Dustin Brown - 'This year is a different feeling'

As the captain of the Kings, Dustin Brown has seen things slowly evolve in Los Angeles - moving from a team full of prospects and role players into a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

With the acquisitions of Mike Richards, Simon Gagne and Ethan Moreau, he says this year is "entirely different" than any other year up to this point.

"We've been making steps and progress every year," explained Brown earlier today. "I remember three or four years ago though, everyone might have been saying 'I'm excited for the season' - but in their mind they knew there was no chance we were going to do anything here. This year, it's a different feeling. That's exciting and, in a sense, a lot more serious.  For this team, in talking to some of the other players, we're excited but we have to be focused because this is our time."

More later from Brown - including detailed thoughts about why the Kings had to add a guy like Moreau to their bottom-6 this season.  Plus, comments from several other players who attended Hockey Fest today.

[UPDATE:  Brown talks about the off-ice value of Richards here]

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Dodgers' Tony Gwynn remembers LA Kings '93 playoff run

Last month Dodgers' first baseman James Loney and outfielder Matt Kemp stopped by MayorsManor to share a few thoughts on hockey.

As you may recall, Loney is eager to not only come out to Staples Center for a game, but he wants to suit up and take part in warm-ups. Meanwhile, the always laid-back Kemp indicated he was more the 'ceremonial first puck' type of guy.

Then, there's outfielder Tony Gwynn, Jr. - perhaps a superfan in disguise...

Growing up, he says he spent summers in Long Beach with his grandparents. And although he never made it down to the old Forum for a game, that didn't stop him from cheering for the local hockey team.

"I was a huge Kings fan back when they went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993," Gwynn recently shared. "Back when they had Luc Robitaille and Wayne Gretzky, they had a bunch of good players. I remember watching the Vancouver series and when they won that series I was pumped up!"

Nearly 20 years later, is he still interested in the Kings?

Soo Greyhounds GM says Kings getting Richard Clune II?

Michael Kantor of Soo Greyhounds

With the Los Angeles Kings annual summer Development Camp about to get underway we've been posting pre-camp comments from the players, their coaches and/or their general managers.

Among the group of 35 players who will take the ice at TSC are 14 invited guests - essentially, undrafted players, mostly from Canadian junior teams.

Two such players are coming from the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL. For those unfamiliar, it's one of the most storied franchises in all of Canada. Their alumni includes former Kings Paul Coffey, Wayne Gretzky, Charlie Simmer, Wayne Simmonds and Rick Tocchet.

Several current prospects have also spent time there - including Dwight King, Jake Muzzin and Jordan Nolan.

And now back to this year's camp...

Two players from the 'Hounds most recent roster were invited, defenseman Colin Miller and right wing Michael Kantor.

Flyers Ian Laperriere on Mike Richards vs. Chris Pronger

Certain things in hockey are just the way they are.

For example, if Bob McKenzie says it's true, it pretty much is.

If Marcel Dionne shares what a player needs to do to become a more prolific scorer - and Marcel will tell you more than that! - it must be fact.

And if Ian Laperriere gives you a thumbs up or thumbs down on a guy he's played with, you can take it to the bank.

Laperriere, the former Kings forward and fan favorite everywhere he's played, has made several visits to MayorsManor - never offering up cliches and generic answers. What you see with Lappy is what you get. He wears his heart on his sleeve - regardless if he's wearing a jersey or a t-shirt.

So, when the Kings traded for Flyers' captain Mike Richards last week I thought he'd be the perfect guy to reach out to. Who is Mike Richards? Is he the uber talented center who helped take the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals and won a gold medal with Team Canada? Or is he the temperamental, immature star-to-be the Philadelphia media made him out to be?

Here's what Lappy had to say...

MM: What type of player did the LA Kings just acquire?

IL: He's a character guy. He's a leadership kind of guy. The bigger the game is, the bigger his game is. He's a great guy too. I got along really well with him. I just spent a day with him about a week ago. He's just one of those kids who will do everything for the team. He's not the biggest talker in the room or anything like that - but when the puck drops, he's there and he'll give you 100%. He's a winner too. He's won the gold medal and he was a big part of that Team Canada group at last year's Olympics. I think the Kings are going to be really happy about having him on their team.

MM: When you win something so big, like a gold medal or a Stanley Cup, you come out of it a much different player. Did you notice anything different about him - either on or off the ice - after the Olympics?

LA Kings Roundtable - Stanley Cup Conteners in 2012?

On the eve of the NHL's post-season coming to end, there are still two open questions - who will win the Stanley Cup this year, Boston or Vancouver?

And what about the Kings?

For more on that second one, the guys over at KingsCast pulled together a panel, consisting of people like Dennis Bernstein of The 4th Period, Jon Moncrief of the Examiner and Dave Joseph of ESPN to help explore the issue.

Over the last few weeks several videos have been posted on various topics surrounding the Kings past, present and future. Below is the final installment - where we talk in-depth about the players, attitude and philosophy needed for the LA Kings to become Stanley Cup contenders next season.

Some of the conversation centers around Willie Mitchell vs. Chris Pronger, who will win the Pacific Division, can the Kings challenge for one of the top spots in the Western Conference and much more.



If you haven't been keeping up with the whole series, here's a recap with links:

Part one - discussion on Drew Doughty

Part two - discussion on the power play and prospects

Part three - lots of talk on free agents, trade rumors, Kopitar, Bernier, Penner, etc.

Part four - focus on coaching and Johnson vs. Doughty

Part five - debating player contracts and roster changes

Be sure to check back next week for plenty of coverage live from NHL Awards week in Las Vegas - the parties, the players and all the scoop.

The Mayor
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Mitchell still not sure what went wrong

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MayorsManor Podcast - featuring Mark Hardy

When it comes to the Kings blueline, there's Rob Blake at 805 games played, followed by Mattias Norstrom at 780.

Next on that list is Mark Hardy with 616.

He also has the second most assists, third most points and fifth most penalty minutes by a defenseman in franchise history.

His career saw him go from being drafted by the Kings, shipped to New York after eight seasons in LA, then back to the Kings for their run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993 and eventually behind the bench in a coaching role that lasted more than 10 seasons.

Along the way he was twice named the Kings best defenseman (1984-85 and 1986-87) and his coaching led to the second best penalty killing percentage in team history (86.6 success rate in 2001-02, third in the NHL that season).

For the last year though he's been on the sidelines, having resigned his position after being arrested in Washington, D.C. and subsequently entering an alcohol treatment program.

He first appeared on MayorsManor over the weekend, talking about the Kings power play struggles this season and the play of Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty.

He returns today for an extended conversation about life since the arrest, who has reached out to him, his earliest memories as a King, playing for the Rangers, the toughest guys in the NHL, the development of Kyle Clifford, the day Rob Blake resigned the captaincy, how that situation was handled, we break down the 1993 playoffs by round, plus he shares one of the best pranks he was ever part of and much more.

Oh yeah, and we play word association using names like Barry Melrose, Bob Berry, Andy Murray, Terry Murray and Dave Taylor.

[Audio player after the jump]

RECAP: Rob Scuderi on NHL Power Play (Radio)

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi joined the guys on the Power Play to talk a little past (why he signed in LA), present (the road trip) and future (the Kings Stanley Cup possibilities).

Please note - as always, these recaps are near exact quotes. However, some information has been paraphrased for brevity.

Here's a quick recap...

* [topic: What did guys in the room say after the first period in Detroit, with the Kings trailing?] Most of the veterans and the guys talking had the same things to say 'Don't respect the team too much. The Red Wings have a way of putting a team in ah. You sit back and kind of watch them do there thing. Although they are a very good team, you have to remember we're a good team too.' Right off the bat in the second period everybody responded with the right type of attitude, and more importantly, the right type of play.

* [Any confidence carrying over from the 6-1-3 road stretch in February?] We were extremely disappointed in the January homestand. We had a great chance to make up ground and instead we lost a bunch. You don't want to play catch up hockey on the road. However, it seemed to light a fire under our rear ends and get everybody going. Yes, after having that success, we probably entered this road trip with the confidence we can do the same type of thing.

WWFD: What Would The Flyers Do?

It's just too easy to compare the Kings to the Flyers.

The connections are deep - from General Manager Dean Lombardi to Assistant GM Ron Hextall to coach Terry Murray to assistant coach John Stevens.  On the ice, there's also Michal Handzus and Justin Williams.

So, when trying to figure out what Trade Deadline Day might bring in LA, perhaps a look out east to Philadelphia might be in order.

Last year, the Flyers were considered one of the Stanley Cup favorites heading into the season.

Then, they went through early season troubles - where the weren't producing up to expectations.

At the trade deadline they did little to improve their club, as their sole deal for the second half push was acquiring forward Ville Leino from Detroit for defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a fifth round draft pick.

He scored two goals in the remaining 13 games for the Flyers. Hardly a major addition offensively.

In the standings, the team pushed hard to dig out of the hole they created for themselves in the first half. It took all the way until the final day of the season for the club to officially qualify for the post season.

They entered the playoffs in the eighth seed with 236 goals scored in the regular season - fewer than powerhouse teams like Washington (318), Vancouver (272), Chicago (271), San Jose (264) and Pittsburgh (257).

What happened?

As everybody knows, they rode some hot goaltending and strong defense all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Flyers went 12-5 through the first three rounds of the playoffs - only losing once in the first round and once in the Conference Finals.

While the Chicago Blackhawks ultimately won the Cup, the Flyers easily could have come out on top in the series.

Minimal tweaks on Trade Deadline Day resulted in near maximum results.

Maybe there's something to be said for not messing with chemistry.

We shall see.



The Mayor
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New Year's Resolutions with Kevin Westgarth

Besides size and strength, one of the many things Kevin Westgarth brings to the Kings this season is a great sense of humor. Perhaps it's the Princeton education that helps him come up with such great quotes. Or perhaps it's because he has plenty of time to sit on the bench and think of his witty comebacks.

Regardless, he's one of my go to guys this season and he never fails to deliver.

With his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, he offered the following resolutions for some of his teammates...but only after first sharing one of his own...

Kevin Westgarth - Let's start with me. My New Year's Resolution is to beat Kyle Clifford to the first Gordie Howe hat trick for the LA Kings this season. [note: that's a goal, assist and fight in the same game]. That's a pretty major one.

Michal Handzus - I think I heard his New Year's Resolution is to talk less. He's just a chatter box in the dressing room. So, that's something to look forward to.

Ryan Smyth - I think he's looking to take some more one-timers with that awesome stick of his. He's definitely looking to score some goals this upcoming year from maybe a little higher out than three feet in front of the net - although we love all those ones too.

Holiday Series - Gifts of Christmas Yet To Come

[Part three of a three part series]

Over the last two days we've presented the first two installments of this year's gift series using the theme from Charles Dickens' classic novel A Christmas Carol.

Thursday's Kings Gifts of Christmas Past included items such as a game worn Rogie Vachon mask, a Gretzky doll and the must have book for all Kings fans.

Yesterday's Kings Gifts of Christmas Present featured Bailey, his/her items, magazines and some of the hottest shirts around!

For the final chapter in the series, we proudly present the Gifts of Christmas Yet To Come...a special sneak peek at five items that may be available in the not-too-distant future...

High / Low with Rob Blake

It's been awhile since we've done a High / Low piece, one of our popular features during the regular season.

It's also been awhile since there's been any new Rob Blake news around these parts...again, also popular during the regular season.

With Rob's recent retirement, he's been in the news a little this summer. Yet, let's face it, within a certain subset of Kings fans he's always top of mind...for some reason or another.

Rob was kind enough to first stop by MayorsManor back in January for an in-depth interview, covering topics like being drafted by the Kings, going to the Finals in '93, the trade, resigning the captaincy, coming back to LA and several other items.

Today we look at the highs and lows of his career - in his words - and play a little word association with the 20 year veteran. See what he has to say about Zhitnik, Sandstrom, Robitaille, Carson, McSorley and many more of the guys he laced 'em up with.

Blake played in over 1,200 regular season NHL games...finishing with 240 goals, placing him 10th among defenseman on the all-time list.  He was a six time All Star, won a Stanley Cup in 2001 and the Norris Trophy in 1998. 

While playing for Team Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics he became only the 11th player in history to gain entrance to the uber-exclusive "Triple Crown Club" - reserved for owners of the three most prestigious titles in hockey:  the Stanley Cup, a Gold Medal at the World Championships and an Olympic Gold Medal.

Thus, there's a lot to choose from when selecting the key highlights of Blake's accomplishments on the ice.  So, how about he does it for us...

Rob, what would you say were the three highs and lows of your career?

A Night of Firsts

For the first time in eight years the LA Kings are battling for survival in the marathon that's known as the NHL playoffs.

Sixteen teams, two conferences, eight first round match-ups.  A long, long road ahead...with the team lucky enough to reach 16 wins first getting a one-on-one meet and greet with Lord Stanley's Cup.

Along the way records will be set and broken. The same can be said for bones, egos and hearts. Some - in fact, many - will probably be broken multiple times.

Last night was no such night. Instead, hope was realized.  Belief crept in for all the doubters.

It was also a night of similarities.  For the second game in a row the Kings and Canucks needed four periods to find a winner.

Two games in the series...and two matching scores...3-2 win in overtime.

The difference was the outcome.  Game two, Kings win - in a night of firsts...

Anze Kopitar's first playoff goal.

Kopitar's first overtime goal in the playoffs.

Kopi's first game winning goal in the playoffs.

Perhaps equally important to all three of those combined...Jonathan Quick's first playoff win.

Thank you Kopitar...you made it all possible...



The Mayor
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Erik Ersberg, Larry Murphy and Doughty?

It's all in a day.

Happy Birthday to Kings back-up goaltender Erik Ersberg. The now 28 year old netminder has had extremely limited action this season, having played in just eight games. Since arriving in LA for the 2007-08 season Double E has only seen action in 50 games. Not exactly the veteran presence the Kings may need come playoff time, causing some Kings fans to wonder why GM Dean Lombardi didn't shore things up at the trade deadline.

When asked about this at yesterday's meeting with season ticket holders Lombardi shared a few thoughts...first, who was really available that would be much of an improvement...two, Ersberg shouldn't necessarily be judged on his performance this year (having to sit for long stretches at a time, sometimes more than a month - and then having to play)...three, if need be, they can always call up Jonathan Bernier from Manchester. However - HOLD ON before you Bernier lovers start ordering your new Kings jerseys from Team LA.

Lombardi and assistant GM Ron Hextall have made it perfectly clear on multiple occasions that the plan has been to keep 'the other' Jonathan in Manch' all year (including any possible playoff run by the Monarchs). So, it remains highly unlikely he'll be up in LA this season...unless there is an unfortunate injury...and if you're a Kings fan, you don't even want to think about something like that happening so close to the playoffs.

Now, on to the other birthday today...

Seems that Ersberg shares a birthday with not only a former Kings defenseman, but a legendary one...a guy who went on to have a Hall of Fame career - Larry Murphy.

Murph turned 49 today, which means he should be playing along side Chris Chelios for the Chicago Wolves. That's a different story though.

This story is about the uncanny similarities to Murphy and a current Kings defenseman - one who is pretty damn good himself...Drew Doughty.

* Both are guys are from a similar part of Canada - Doughty grew up in London, Ontario...about 2 hours from Murphy's hometown of Scarborough (Wayne Simmonds hometown coincidentally)

* Doughty played junior hockey for the Quelph Storm, less than an hour north east of where he grew up...Murphy played for the Peterborough Petes - yes, less than hour north east of where he was raised.

* Both have represented Team Canada in the Olympics - Murphy in 1980 and Doughty in 2010.

* Doughty was a first round draft pick in 2008 (taken second overall). Murphy was a first round pick too, having been picked fourth overall by the Kings in 1980.

* Both debuted for the Kings as teenagers - Murphy was 19 when he first suited up for LA in the fall of 1980...Doughty was just 18 when he played his first game as a King in 2008.

* Doughty wears #8 because his birthday is the 8th of December. Although Murphy started out wearing #5 with the Kings, he went on to wear #8 with the Washington Capitals (1983-89) and Minnesota NorthStars (1989-90).

* Both were offensive minded from the very beginning - Doughty's 27 points tied him for first among all rookie defenseman, while Murphy set the record for most assists and points by a rookie dman.

The list of comparisons could continue...however, just know this:

Murphy won four Stanley Cups and retired having played more games than any other defenseman in NHL history up to that point.

One can only hope that Doughty goes on to have that type of career...with just one major difference - let's hope he accomplishes those things wearing a Kings uniform!

The Mayor
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Roy, Melrose and Blake on '93 Finals

It was perhaps the highpoint in franchise history. The Kings had made the Stanley Cup Finals.

What a season - Gretzky had been out hurt for much of the first half, Luc Robitaille was called upon to wear the 'C', an eccentric rookie coach was leading the team from behind the bench...and low and behold, fan favorite Jimmy Carson returned to the team. He arrived back in LA via a trade with the Red Wings that sent #99's good friend Paul Coffey to Detroit - causing a several week rift between the Great One and then Kings owner Bruce McNall.

The success, the fun, the excitement of 1993 will forever be marred by the incident. Call it StickGate or whatever you want. Nearly everybody finds it impossible to talk about the Finals that year without mentioning Marty McSorley's illegal stick in the second game.

With the Kings already up in the series 1-0, they were leading game 2 late in the third period. Jacques Demers, the desperate Canadiens coach at that point, called for a stick measurement with less than two minutes to play.

In a recent interview I asked former Kings defenseman Rob Blake if that was the turning point in the in the series:

"I think it's the most publicized turning point of that series. I don't know if it was the real turning point. I mean if you look, we were still up by a goal when that happened. We should have been able to put the game away. We should have been able to kill that off. They scored it overtime. They won three games in a row in overtime. I think Desjardins, LeClair and LeClair. So...it wasn't just that we lost that game. The next two games were very close too. The series ended up 4-1 and in the fifth game they kinda took it to us. There were a lot of different key points, but I think the stick incident will always be the most talked about just because it gave them that power play late, late in the game."

Kings netminder for the series, Kelly Hrudey, had a few interesting takes on things when he spoke at the Kings HockeyFest back in August. He claimed, according to rumors he heard, Montreal was planning to have the ref check his stick for possibly being illegal. However, a scout watching the Conference Finals noted the curve on Marty's stick. So, late in game two, it was Marty that Montreal went after. Hrudey said he remembers feeling the team was emotionally spent when they were in the locker room prior to overtime. He wasn't conceding the series, just thought they'd be going home 1-1...which the did. (click here to read the entire HockeyFest recap)

Former Kings coach Barry Melrose told the NY Times in a post game press conference that he didn't "believe in winning that way." The Times article said Melrose wouldn't have done such a thing to an opponent, that he would have tried to win with players only, not by appealing for equipment violations.

Perhaps lost in all of the drama surrounding the stick situation were some of the antics of Hall of Fame (to be) goalie Patrick Roy. One of the most intriguing was his wink at Kings forward Tomas Sandstrom.

Roy had this to say to Sports Illustrated regarding the infamous wink:

"Always Sandstrom is in my crease, bothering me, hitting at me when I have the puck. When I made the save on Robitaille, Sandstrom hit me. So I winked. I wanted to show him I'd be tough. That I was in control."

More than 15 years have passed. Although the '93 Finals will probably forever be mentioned when these two teams play in the future, the reality is that game and that time frame are well in the past.

The Kings organization has new leadership, new players...and the fans have new hope. All involved are hoping the future of the Kings will forever trump their troubled past.

The Mayor
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