Exclusive: Kopitar responds to criticism, facing crossroads

Anze Kopitar is 24 years old.

Although he's about to complete his sixth full season in the NHL, it's an important fact to remember.

Drafted in the first round by the Kings in 2005 - and signed to a long-term, big money contract after only two years of pro hockey in North America - pressure and expectations come with the territory.

Yet recently, there's been extra heat heaved in Kopitar's direction. First, coach Darryl Sutter called him out last month, saying he wants his big center to be a 'more determined and purposed player.' Then, in an exclusive interview on MayorsManor just last week, Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne - he of 731 goals scored in the NHL - claimed LA's points leader needed 'a wake-up call.'

"Could it be better? Absolutely," replied Kopitar when I asked for his response to the criticisms and a personal evaluation of his game at the moment.

"I always take pride in being better everyday and working on things. Yeah, I do feel I can put a little more into my game. It hasn't been (recently) where it's been at times (in the past). I know I can dominate games and lead the team by example, definitely. It's just a matter of doing it every night. That's a challenge for me."

Yes, consistency has been a big part of the issue.

EXCLUSIVE - An open letter from Dustin Penner re: Pancakegate

As most of you know, Kings' left wing Dustin Penner has been a frequent guest on MayorsManor since arriving in Los Angeles last February. He's often brought a great sense of humor and insight to this site when talking about hockey and life in general. A lot has gone down though since he was a last minute scratch against the Columbus Blue Jackets this past Saturday. The following 'open letter' comes directly from the man himself...

So it seems as though I need to address Pancakegate for those in the sports media world, as well as those following #pennercakes on twitter, in light of the recent phenomenon I've created.

Right off the bat, I'd like to clarify a few things.

For example, they were vegetarian pancakes. The injury happened as I was sitting down to eat, not mid-bite. And yes, I did finish them.

There has been some feedback from the media as a whole regarding the lack of transparency involving injuries. So, I decided to be candid.

First and foremost, I think we can agree that having delicious pancakes that your wife made for breakfast, for a 1pm game, is not out of the norm. Secondly, "SOBS" (Sudden Onset Back Spasms) can occur at any moment, doing just about anything you can think of, and is a very serious issue.

Those who have experienced "SOBS," know it is no laughing matter. I'm a little hurt, to tell you the truth, that the plight of my people isn't being taken seriously.

Frankly, I don't mind the attention and there's no such thing as bad press, right? Apparently, I made it onto ESPN's 'Around the Horn' and joined Kings' ATH alumnus Dustin Brown (see water bottle incident) and have also became a twitter sensation overnight (with hashtag #pennercakes). So, I'm hoping to get an endorsement from IHOP or Denny's.

The main thing here though is that we were able to bring attention to a serious issue like "SOBS" and hopefully find a treatment and unmask the mystery of it all.

In closing, for those who know how to laugh and find humor in life I hope they've enjoyed this as much as I did.

In an effort to end the entire experience on a high note, I'm partnering with MayorsManor to sponsor a 'Pancakes with Penner' breakfast. In the weeks to come we'll be setting up a special raffle. Fans will be able to purchase tickets for $1.00 for a chance to have a pancake breakfast with me. All the money raised will go to charity...while we enjoy some delicious pancakes!

Be on the lookout for more information soon.

Thank you for your time,
Dustin Penner

[MayorsManor update 1/19/2012 - Things are happening behind the scenes to put the event together.  Step one in the process was registering and activating the website address - www.PennerCakes.com - which points to this letter for the time being.  More information, including the date, location, how to buy raffle tickets, etc. should be available early next week.  Thank you for your patience.]

Exclusive: Dustin Penner explains his injuries in exact detail

Lately, when Dustin Penner has appeared on MayorsManor, the subject matter has been largely comical. In the exclusive interview below though, he goes into specific detail about his injuries that have kept him out of the line-up a few times already this season.

First, he talks about when he knew he suffered the 'lower body' injury coming out of training camp and reveals, specifically, what was ailing him. Then, he provides the full story on the much-talked-about knee injury from Philadelphia - including when the Flyers doctors examined him, why he sat on the bench in the third period, the problem with the knee and much more.



Earlier in the week, coach Terry Murray shared some thoughts on the knee injury here.

To return to the comedy war currently underway between Matt Greene, Penner and a few of the other Kings, click 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?

Sneak Peek - a look at goalie JF Berube's new mask design

If you're a loyal reader of MayorsManor, you know all about the man known as 'Hollywood.'

JF Berube was drafted by the Kings in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft. Since then, he's gone on to become one of the top goalies in the QMJHL.

Here are some details on his new mask.

As shown in the pictures below, the left side features LAX airport, the top of the mask has the Manchester Monarchs logo (with a slight modification, as the artist used the Kings crown on top of it) and the right side displays a lion above the Hollywood sign.

The mask is done in black, silver and white as those will be the Kings primary colors this season. He went with an overall jungle theme to honor Manchester's 'Welcome to the jungle' slogan.

We'll have some more pics later. For now, here's a teaser...

To read the most recent article on Berube, featuring comments from Kings goaltending coach Bill Ranford, where we jokingly discuss the possibility of him needing a new nickname this season - click here.

The Mayor
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