A Different Type of Payback

First of all, everybody breathe. It's only one game. Two points, that's all the Kings received for the victory.

Now that said, damn what a victory it was. Sure, people love to brag about beating the Stanley Cup champions...but, two things come to mind. One, you didn't beat them FOR the Stanley Cup. Big difference! Two, in a regular season game things happen. A lucky bounce here, a bad call there. Things happen.

And that my friends is what makes last night's game so special. It wasn't just a lucky win. The Kings were down 2-1 going into the third with the deck stacked against them. Besides playing the defending champions, they were playing a team riding a perfect 7-0 streak on the road this year. Plus, they were facing one of the best goalies in the world right now. The guy that could be starting for Team Canada when the Olympics roll around in February. Somebody must have forgot to tell the Kings though because they came out and took over the game - again. In the last two games they've now outscored their opponents 7-0 in the third period.

The win also provided a payback of sorts. After the Malkin hit on Simmonds last year many fans had circled this game when the schedule came out in July. There was a receipt coming all right. It just came in a different form.

A few other thoughts on the celebratory experience from downtown last night:

While it was a team victory, with 10 different Kings getting points in the game... damn that Anze Kopitar is making life fun again in LA. Both goals were pure joy.

Marcel Dionne talks about confidence being everything to a player. Well, the Kings must be full of it right now. Proof - last year's team would have folded after going down 2-1 in the second. This team regrouped and ran over their opponent in the third.

At the end of the day (an expression I've never heard used more by anybody than AEG executive Tim Leiweke) the 3 Stars of the Game don't mean anything. Yet, I have to strongly disagree with the selections last night. Yes, Dustin Brown had another solid game. However, Jonathan Quick was the #2 star behind Kopi. He kept the Kings in that game time and time again. Just ask Bill Guerin.

Former King Dan Blysma ('95-'00) gets a lot of pub the job he's done as head coach of Pittsburgh (and rightfully so). But, who ever saw this coming? Let's be honest, as a player, this was a guy that Barry Melrose would have called a "plumber" or a "pipe fitter." Now he's wearing a ring. Oh by the way, his assistant this year is another former King - Tony Granato.

Stat Check: (ONE) Somebody should look up the minutes on Ivanans. It seemed like he played 15 minutes in the first period alone. Wow! (TWO) At the other end of the talent spectrum... Crosby was held to just one shot on goal in the entire game. Sid the Kid began the night leading the team in penalty minutes - because you know, nothing says Captain like leading from the box. He added to his totals with a tripping call midway through the third. Fortunately, the Kings didn't take this game to a shootout, where Crosby is a perfect 4 for 4 this season. (THREE) Pitt d-man Mark Eaton was -3 for the night. Ouch! That'll make a bad night worse.

This brief home stand concludes Saturday vs. another Western Conference team looking to battle the Kings for a playoff spot this year, the Nashville Predators. Kings Killer - Steve Sullivan - only has two goals this year in 14 games. Can Quick find a way to shut him down? The game isn't on TV, so get off the couch and get to Staples Center by 1pm for the drop of the puck.

Monday the Kings head out on the road for a brutal 5 games in 8 days. With the way the team has played this week, maybe the front office should look into extending the dad's trip.

One19

www.twitter.com/Mayor119

"We Need to Win it for Scuds"

That's what Ryan Smyth said when asked about tonight's game against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.

If that's the extra motivation the Kings need to beat the Pens tonight, so be it. However, there are plenty of other reasons if that alone doesn't do the trick:

• Other teams in the West - Colorado and San Jose to name a few - continue to pick up points and keep the race tight. Two points is two points. LA needs them.
• Keep the streak alive - the Kings are 5-0-2 in their last seven games.
• End the streak - the Pens are a perfect 7-0 on the road this year. It may be an early season game, but don't you think a few people around the league would stand up and take notice if LA won tonight? Not to mention the confidence it would give the Kings.
• The hit - so much has been written about the Malkin / Simmonds thing from last Spring already. Even though Malkin won't be playing tonight, the motivation is there.
• Top line in Top shape - in their last game together (a reunion of sorts), the Smyth-Kopitar-Williams line picked up right where they left off. Each guy had a goal and the unit looked sharp. How many points will they get tonight? It's going to be tough. They're playing an elite goalie in Fleury, who boasts 1.98 goals-against average in his three games vs LA.

The puck drops at 7:30pm.

Tickets are still available for some crazy reason.

One19

www.twitter.com/Mayor119

Attn: Ducks Fan

Go Kings.

10 Tidbits on the bday boy - Dustin Brown

Dustin Brown is the youngest player to ever where the "C" for the LA Kings.

A New York native, he played junior hockey rather than going to college.

He claims to have been a better lacrosse player than hockey player growing up. But hey, things seem to have worked out OK for him. It's just hard to believe he's only 25 years old, as it seems like he's been suiting up for the Kings for a decade now.

In honor of his birthday today, we give you 10 Tidbits on Brownie:

• Was selected in the first round, #13 overall, of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. For a team that has been criticized for decades about trading away their picks, it was an odd year for the Kings. They had three first round picks. Brown was the only one who panned out.
• The Guelph days - He wore #32 for his Junior team, the Storm. They also claim Dan Cloutier and Drew Doughty as former players. Brown left with 194 points (and 195 penalty minutes) in 174 games. He also left with quite a few awards - Scholastic Player of the Year all three years he was in Guelph, was voted the most popular player on the Storm in 2001-02 and was the Top Scorer in 2002-03.
• Becoming a fixture on Team USA - played twice at the World Junior Championships ('02 and '03), totalling 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) in 14 games. Alexander Frolov's Russian team beat Canada for the gold in 2002, with Brown's US squad finishing fifth. Then in 2003, the US lost the Bronze Medal game to Finland. He's also played for Team USA four times at the World Championships that take place late in the Spring each year. Last April he was named captain of the team and they finished fourth in the standings.
• Regarding the NHL lockout in 2004 he said "It was a blessing in disguise for me. I loved my time in Manchester. I learned a ton about how to be a pro."
• His wife also had a stellar hockey career before settling down with Dustin and becoming a full-time mom.
• In baseball you would call him a five-tool player. Brownie has it all - the ability to score, play defense, dish out big hits...and he's even been known to drop the gloves when needed (see clip below)
• 2007-08 led the Kings in goals with 33.
• 2008-09 was a monumental year for Brown. He was the first American born player ever chosen to captain the Kings, he played in his first NHL All Star Game and in December '08 he scored his first hat trick against St Louis. After the game against the Blues, the always humble Brown said "I felt like I'd been in a slump. I was getting chances, but the pucks weren't going in. So, I was just trying to keep it simple and putting pucks on the net. That's what we need as a team, throwing pucks at the net."
• On January 1, 2010 - live on NBC, during the NHL Winter Classic game - it'll officially be announced that Brown is headed to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver as part of Team USA.
• He is currently under contract with the LA Kings through June, 2014. While it has never been officially confirmed, it is believed he has the LA Kings logo "tattooed on his ass" like GM Dean Lombardi has said he needs his players to have.

Happy Birthday #23. Fans throughout Staples Center appreciate what you do on a nightly basis to help the Kings win and are proud to call you THE CAPTAIN.

The Mayor
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Added Bonus - some footage of a little Captain on Captain crime:

High / Low: Marcel Dionne

As the season wears on, we're pushing forward here at MayorsManor too. Last week former Kings netminder Kelly Hrudey stopped by to give us his take on the young NHL season. In honor of the festivities coming up this weekend, we decided to talk to not only a former Kings legend, but a Hall of Famer - the original King of Kings, Marcel Dionne. Throughout his career and post hockey life Marcel has never been shy about his views on the league, the game, former teammates...you name it, he'll give you his honest thoughts.

Here's what the great #16 had to say about the first month of play in the NHL:

HIGHS

• Pittsburgh Penguins - Look at the way they've started the season, like playing all those games last year didn't hurt them a bit. The short summer didn't bother them. It's so tough to repeat, yet they look like they're headed to the same place. It's even more amazing because they lost some key players. Those guys compete at a very high level every night.
• Washington Capitals - They play the game the way I liked to play the game. Just drop the puck and go...and keep going the whole game. Their coach, Bruce Boudreau, doesn't seem to care if they win 8-6. He just wants them to compete hard every game. That's fine with me. The only question mark on that team is the goaltending. Do they have enough to go all the way?
• Los Angeles Kings - I'm not just saying this to you, they are so, so close. I was disappointed in the way they played on opening night, but they've turned it around since then. They did lose a few on the start of that long road trip, then came back and won four in a row. I'm just happy for their fans. They've been fed such b.s. for so long and always seem to be rebuilding. There are great fans in Los Angeles. Fans that are really loyal. Right now they're playing like I thought they would this year. Kopitar is amazing.

LOWS

• Toronto Maple Leafs - What do I need to say? It's been terrible.
• Montreal Canadians - I don't think they have enough. With the 100th anniversary and everything the expectations were so high. I don't even think they'll make the playoffs. They're barely winning games. It's too bad they didn't get Vinny Lecavalier from Tampa Bay. He looks totally lost down there. I cant read him. But with their ownership situation and everything going on, he needs to get out of there and try it somewhere else. His confidence might be shot. As I've always said, confidence is everything to a player.
• The NHLPA - The whole debacle with the Player's Association makes me sick. This thing has been a mess for a long, long time. A definite low.

There you have it, straight from the mouth of one of the greatest players to ever lace up the skates. Marcel Dionne played for the LA Kings from 1975 to 1987. He was only the third player in history to tally over 700 goals, finishing his career with 731. Dionne is in the top 10 of almost every major offensive category for the Kings. His number was retired to the Forum rafters in 1990 and two years later he took his rightful place along side all of the other hockey legends in the Hall of Fame.

One19
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

HIGH / LOW: Kelly Hrudey on Duty

If you've been following the High/Low series here on MayorsManor you know we've had guests like Jim Fox, Mark Hardy and even ESPN's John Buccigross stop by already this season.

Well it's time to dip into the Kings past once again to call upon a former player turned broadcaster, Kelly Hrudey.

Kelly played for eight years in Los Angeles, minding net for the team during one of its real glory periods - including the famous 1992-93 season when they went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. He now works for the CBC in Canada and still watches plenty of hockey. With October about to end we thought it was the perfect time to get Kelly's take on the first month of the season. Here's what he had to say:

HIGHS

• Colorado Avalanche - off to an unbelievable start
• Craig Anderson - ditto (a fellow goalie...but of course!)
• LA Kings - no pandering here, you have to respect them

LOWS

• Minnesota Wild - thought they'd be better
• Florida Panthers - surely thought they'd be better too
• Toronto Maple Leafs - hoped they'd be better

As most predicted, the race in the Western Conference is as tight as ever. While we had Kelly's attention we played word association with those 15 teams and here were his answers:

Anaheim Ducks - gritty
Calgary Flames - interesting
Chicago Blackhawks - exciting
Colorado Avalanche - surprising
Columbus Blue Jackets - unsure
Dallas Stars - work in progress
Detroit Red Wings - respect
Edmonton Oilers - building
Los Angeles Kings - underrated
Minnesota Wild - feel sorry for
Nashville Predators - model of consistency
Phoenix Coyotes - pretty good actually
San Jose Sharks - love them
St Louis Blues - should be better
Vancouver Canucks - love them too

To wrap up this part of the interview I asked Kelly if he were a GM of a new team given the ability to pluck six guys off of the 30 NHL rosters (3 fwds, 2 dmen, 1 goalie), who would he take:

Forwards - Malkin / Crosby / Ovechkin

Defenseman - Nicklas Lidstrom ("Not sure how many more seasons he could give me, but I'd have to take him.") and Shea Webber ("Tough bugger...very hard to play against.")

Goaltender - "Brodeur is the obvious pick, but I would need a guy for the future. I really like Ryan Miller and Luongo. But, I'd have to go with Marc-Andre Fleury. I just love him. He's a big game goalie and I'm not as critical of him as others are. Last year he played exceptionally well. He'd be my guy."

Kelly provided many more opinions about the current game, as well as the guys he played with and against. We went all the way back to him growing up in Edmonton, being drafted by the Islanders and later being traded to the Kings. The full interview should be posted by the end of the weekend. Keep an eye out for it.

UPDATE: the full interview with Hrudey has been posted - click here to read

The Mayorwww.twitter.com/Mayor119
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor


RELATED ARTICLES

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Interview with Gary Shuchuk - Kings playoff here in 1993

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photo courtesy of bestsportsphotos.com

Closing the Book on October

The season is moving along fast, with the first month wrapping up tonight. While last night's game in San Jose left a certain sense of satisfaction - even though the Kings lost in a shootout - tonight's game ended with a sense of disappointment.

This was a home game and the visiting Canucks were playing without their mega-star goaltender Roberto Luongo. The Kings needed to find a way to grab two points. You can't really lay blame on their performance though. Come on, they were playing the second game on back to back nights. Defensively they looked very strong. Heck, they even out shot Vancouver 31-15. How do you double up your opponent like that and lose the game? It's a head scratcher.

Other thoughts as we close out October:

• Last weekend I posted the 10 Tidbits on Scott Parse article. If you didn't read it at the time, go back and check it out. This guy has been a breath of fresh air for the team. He's played solid in every game since being called up. While averaging about 12 minutes of ice time in his four games, he has 3 points and is a plus 1. Tonight was the big one - his first NHL goal!


• College update: Two weeks ago the Kings were already ahead of the NHL mean with a roster loaded full of former college hockey players. Since then, they've added Scott Parse (University of Nebraska-Omaha) and ANOTHER college d-man, Randy Jones (Clarkson University). That's nine guys now on the starting roster with college hockey backgrounds. Incredibly, that's five college d-men, six if you include Harrold. Read about the Kings collection of college players vs. the NHL average by clicking here.


• Point Break: If you break the season down into 10 game chunks, the Kings need to average about 11 points per 10 games (explained here). After the first 10 of the new season the team had 12 points, slightly ahead of what's needed. Four more games have been played since then, with the Kings picking up six points. Meaning - in the next six games (@ Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Nashville, @ Chicago, @ Carolina, @ Atlanta) they need to pick up five points to keep pace. Sounds very doable if the team continues to play at the same level of the last week or so.


• The top line - Smyth/Kopitar/Simmonds - was held scoreless for the second straight game. The trend should end in Phoenix Monday night. I'll take Smyth in any "first goal" pools out there.


• This weekend the Kings will be home practicing at TSC in El Segundo. You think they'll be practicing one-on-one shootout type drills?

The Mayor

www.twitter.com/Mayor119

When One is Enough

They say one is such a lonely number, but there's no need to be greedy. Leaving San Jose with one point last night should be satisfying at this point of the season...and at this point of the team's development.

Check the numbers: The Kings were 3-5-2 in their last 10 games vs the Sharks prior to last night, an indication of how tough it's been to play against them. More specifically, LA was 0-3-1 in their last four trips up north. Plus, San Jose was hot, winning four of their last five games - all on the road! - coming into the contest Wednesday night. While the Kings had won four in row themselves, you have to give a slight edge to the home team most of the time...especially to a team that went 20+ games last year without a loss at home.

While it's easy to get excited about the Kings with as much as they've been winning so far this season, fans need to keep the big picture in mind. This team is still figuring out how to win. The last big road trip provided plenty of proof. So, when they play a tough division opponent on the road and it's 1-1 after 60 minutes of hockey, the team is taking small steps forward. Sure, they had PLENTY of chances to win it in the shootout. They didn't though. So, take the point and move on. There is a new war to wage tonight when the Vancouver Canucks arrive at Staples Center. Fortunately for the Kings, the Canucks will be without all-world goaltender Roberto Luongo.

Speaking of injuries, it was just reported this morning that the Pittsburgh Penguins will be without the services of Evgeni Malkin for 2-3 weeks. That means he won't be in the line-up when the Pens come to LA next Thursday. I'd like to believe there were a few Kings players really looking forward to that game after this little ditty late in the game last season...



Oh well. So much for circling that one on the calendar. There's always next year.

Back to tonight - it will be another tough Western Conference match-up, one with playoff implications on the line even though it's only October. In addition to Luongo, the Canucks will also be without high scoring forwards Daniel Sedin and Pavol Demitra; as well as defenseman Sami Salo.

For the most part, the Kings are fairly healthy. Justin Williams is the only key player unavailable tonight. However, the new line combinations have been doing just fine without him.

One will not be enough tonight. Two is the magic number.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

A View From the Minors

While most of the top flight talent in the Kings minor league system is out east in Manchester, the team does maintain a lower level presence here in Southern California. The Ontario Reign began play in the ECHL last season and already are set to host the All Star game in just their second year. Before that rolls around in January they have plenty of regular season home games left, including this weekend against Bakersfield and Las Vegas.

But selling tickets to hockey fans in Southern California - especially in this economy - is no small task. It's even more difficult when you are essentially a class-A farm team. In an effort to connect with the community and fans the team utilizes all sorts of non-traditional marketing tactics. For example, last night the team hosted a Q&A session with defenseman Shawn Germain.

Primarily a stay at home defenseman, Germain was reunited with his long time coach (Karl Taylor) in Ontario last season. He had previously played for him at the University of Waterloo and again with the Reading Royals (also of the ECHL). Germain was named the Royals defensive player of the year both seasons he skated with the team and put up almost identical numbers in his first season with the Reign last year. Here are a few highlights from the Q&A session:

• His favorite player of all time is Ryan Smyth. He said he realizes that is easy to say now that he's with the Kings, but that he's liked him "from way back when he was drafted sixth overall." His admiration grew exponentially when Smyth tried playing with a broken ankle.


• When asked about his playing time with goaltender Jonathan Quick while the two were together in Reading..."He never quits on a puck. I've never seen another goalie work harder."


• Over the summer he returned home to Canada where he did a lot of concrete work and trained some guys at various hockey clinics.


• He was very happy to play for the Reign last year, in part because he considers the ice in Ontario to be "one of the best, if not the best, in the whole league."


• When he retires he wants to be a coach. He has already talked to Taylor about it and hopes to be an assistant under him one day when his playing days are over. However, he hopes that is "down the road a bit," he still loves to play.

Tickets to the Reign are pretty cheap and you never know who'll be playing in the game you attend. Last season the Reign line-up included Bud Holloway, Jeff Zatkoff and Geoff Walker - all now playing in Manchester. Heck, one of the top defensive prospects in the Kings organization - Colten Tuebert - even stopped by for a dozen games at the end of the year. So, if you're hockey starved while the Kings are out on the road sometime, click here to get some tickets. Go discover your favorite King to be.

Tomorrow it's back to the big boys as the Kings will be skating in San Jose against the always tough Sharks.

One19

www.twitter.com/Mayor119

Kings Win Again - Achtung Baby!

While I didn't commit a cardinal sin yesterday, for some of you I did do the unthinkable...I missed a Kings home game last night. With Columbus in town to play LA, I had a decision to make. Head to Staples Center for the hockey game or visit the hell hole that is the Rose Bowl. Yes, I chose to go see U2 instead of the game. Prior generations had the Beatles and the Stones. For my money, the two most important and influential bands of the last 25 years are U2 and Metallica. So, with the boys from Dublin in town for only one show, the choice was one of those easy - yet hard - decisions.

By now you already know that the Kings took care of business against Columbus, winning 6-2 in pretty dominating fashion. Kopi continued to burn up the ice, Quick stopped the man-beast Rick Nash on a penalty shot, Scuderi took out Chimera with a "once legal" hip check (click here for the video)...and Frolov had another strong game.

With that in mind, I've taken a different approach with today's article, using the set list from last night's U2 show and dedicating each song to one Kings player...



Breathe - Scott Parse
Get On Your Boots - Erik Ersberg
Magnificent - Anze Kopitar
Mysterious Ways - Alexander Frolov
Beautiful Day - Ryan Smyth
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For - Jonathan Quick
Stuck In A Moment - Michal Handzus
No Line On The Horizon - Justin Williams
Elevation - Teddy Purcell
In A Little While - Oscar Moller
Unknown Caller - Trevor Lewis
Until the End of the World - Jack Johnson
The Unforgettable Fire - Wayne Simmonds
City of Blinding Lights - Matt Greene
Vertigo - Jarret Stoll
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight - Rob Scuderi
Sunday Bloody Sunday - Raitis Ivanans
MLK - Richard Clune
Walk On - Alec Martinez
One - Dustin Brown
Amazing Grace - Drew Doughty
Where the Streets Have No Name - Sean O'Donnell
Ultraviolet (Light My Way) - Davis Drewiske
With or Without You - Peter Harrold
Moment of Surrender - Brad Richardson

It was a good show. If you missed it, hurry...U2 is streaming the Rose Bowl event all week on their YouTube channel. Simply use the video player above to start watching the concert!  Just be sure to do it before they take it down.

As for the Kings, they're back in action Wednesday night up north in San Jose. Then, the following night they return home for their first match up this season with the Vancouver Canucks.

If you don't like my song/player pairings, feel free to suggest your matches below.

The Mayor
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