When a team wins, should the coach get the credit for creating a great game plan? In turn, when a team loses, should the coach share equally in the blame?
Recently, when casually talking with a former Kings player, he offered some insight into the coaching situation here in Los Angeles. Like many fans, he was initially concerned by the hiring of Terry Murray. Not that he was a bad coach, but that he might not be the right coach for such a young team - a team still needing a teacher. Marc Crawford was not a teacher, period. On the other hand, he said he was blown away by Terry Murray's ability to break down every aspect of the game into micro bits. Situation analysis at its finest. For those that questioned the hiring of TM, he said it made perfect sense in retrospect.
Three games, three loses.
Three games of giving up at least four goals.
Three games of scoring two goals or less.
The third time hasn't been the charm. This road trip is getting ugly...and fast.
Why the panic some ask. Sure, there is still a lot of hockey left to play. A ton! Yet, you can gain an appreciation for urgency if you break things down Terry Murray style.
With 82 games in the regular season, lets chop it into eight 10-game segments (80 games for the math challenged). Then, we'll use the last two games as "extras" - just for seeding purposes.
Look at the final Western Conference standings from last season and assume a team will need 90 points to make the playoffs. Divide that by 8. That would mean that the Kings need to average just over 11 points for every 10 game segment.
As of this morning the Kings have played 8 games, netting 8 points. Game 9 is tonight. It's an NHL special - a home and home series spread over four days. Somehow, someway, the Kings need to get three points in this series to reach their 11 in 10 games.
Dustin Brown has scored in the last time two Kings games. Let's hope he can score again tonight and maybe that will be the charm. Maybe the top line will get going again. Maybe the shot mentality will return.
It really doesn't matter how they do it or who gets the credit for beating a surging Dallas team. The Kings just need three more points by Friday morning to keep pace in the West. A win in Dallas tonight would go a long way towards helping the cause.
The Kings can do this the easy way or the hard way. History suggests it won't be easy.
One19
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Fight! Fight! Fight!
It's Saturday afternoon and all across America tens of thousands of fans are packing into their local college stadiums for an event, more than just a football game. There will be tailgating, barbecuing, underage drinking...and marching bands warming up. Soon enough, they'll be belting out the university's fight song. Their own special tune, shared equally by their players, their students and their fans.
One of the unique aspects of the NHL when compared to other major sports in North America is the origin of the players. Today's hockey professionals come from largely three groups - Europe, Canadian Junior leagues and American colleges.
According the the NHL, in 2004 22% of the players in the league that year were from a US college hockey program. Fast forward five years to the end of last season and the number had sky rocketed to 29%. In fact, of all the players that debuted just last season 65 were former college hockey players.
The LA Kings are slightly ahead of that pace this season, with 7 of the 20 guys they've suited up most nights (35%) having donned a college jersey prior to turning pro. Where the stats just turn crazy for the Kings though is on defense. Four of the Kings starting blueliners are college bred. Only Doughty and O'Donnell (both from the OHL) break rank.
Technically, the Kings have another college defenseman on their roster, Peter Harrold. However, the team has been using him on the fourth line this year.
It's not just the Kings riding the trend. Some of the top young players in the game right now did the college thing. Players like Chicago Blackhawk Jonathan Toews - he went to North Dakota. Currently near the top of the leader board for goals scored you have Dany Heatley (Wisconsin) and Patrick Sharp (North Dakota). Interestingly side note though, Jordan Schroeder was the only college player taken in the first round of the draft this past June.
The Kings college frat house:
Teddy Purcell - played just one year at the University of Maine (2006-07), scoring 42 points in 40 games...good enough to earn him Hockey East Rookie of the Year honors in his sole season as a Black Bear...his team also reached the NCAA frozen four
Jonathan Quick - minded net at the University of Massachusetts for two seasons...posted 19 wins (in 37 games played), with a 2.16 GAA and .929 save percentage in 2006-07 - all single season team records…was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week twice and Hockey East Goaltender of the Month for November 2005
Jack Johnson - now he was going to make it to the NHL no matter what, obviously he's a flat stud...yet, his choice of school certainly didn't hurt him...for as long as anybody can remember, Michigan has been sending more players to the NHL than any other university...North Dakota, Wisconsin and Boston College are all currently battling it out for second place bragging rights...interesting trivia note: his dad also played for the Wolverines...JMFJ left after just two seasons to pursue his dream of the NHL, but they were a memorable two years...in his first season (2005-06) he led Michigan freshmen and defensemen in goals (10), assists (22) and points (32)...during his sophomore season he led the team's d-men with 16 goals and 23 assists; and was named Best Offensive Defenseman in the conference...he was also an all American in 2007
Davis Drewiske - played four years at the University of Wisconsin ... served as the captain during his senior year, when he was second in team scoring by defenseman with 21 points (5 goals, 16 assists)...was named the team's MVP that year...his team also won the NCAA championship in 2006 (beating Peter Harold and his Boston College teammates)
Peter Harold - played four years for the Boston College Eagles (one of the most beautiful college campuses you'll ever see, more on that some other day)...earned BC's outstanding freshman award...as a junior was third in all of Hockey East with a plus 20 rating...though small in size, he was one of the smartest d-man to ever play at BC - and that says a lot considering their rich history...served as team captain his senior year of 2005-06 and was named first team all American on defense
Matt Greene - the University of North Dakota is notorious for having a large team...Greene was big on a team of giants...he was a standout from the start for the Fighting Sioux, posting a plus 11 rating (second among all rookies)...followed that up his second year by leading all d-men with 16 assists...served as team captain...lost the NCAA championship to Denver during his final season, 2004-05
Rob Scuderi - a four year Eagle at Boston College...played in all 42 games as a freshman and earned Hockey East all-rookie team honors (1997-98)...played in all 42 games the following two seasons as well...a true iron man, he played more games in a BC sweater than any other player in team history...went to the NCAA hockey championship game three of his four years (!), finally winning it all in 2001, his final season
That's not just a lot of players hanging out on college campuses going to frat parties, that's a ton of leadership experience and even more maturity coming from winning big, big games.
Now if the Kings could just come up with a good fight song for all the players and fans to rally around, they might really be in business.
Any good ideas out there?
One19
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
note: if you want to follow the stats of college players now in the NHL, sorted by school - which is pretty cool...head over to http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/origin.htm
One of the unique aspects of the NHL when compared to other major sports in North America is the origin of the players. Today's hockey professionals come from largely three groups - Europe, Canadian Junior leagues and American colleges.
According the the NHL, in 2004 22% of the players in the league that year were from a US college hockey program. Fast forward five years to the end of last season and the number had sky rocketed to 29%. In fact, of all the players that debuted just last season 65 were former college hockey players.
The LA Kings are slightly ahead of that pace this season, with 7 of the 20 guys they've suited up most nights (35%) having donned a college jersey prior to turning pro. Where the stats just turn crazy for the Kings though is on defense. Four of the Kings starting blueliners are college bred. Only Doughty and O'Donnell (both from the OHL) break rank.
Technically, the Kings have another college defenseman on their roster, Peter Harrold. However, the team has been using him on the fourth line this year.
It's not just the Kings riding the trend. Some of the top young players in the game right now did the college thing. Players like Chicago Blackhawk Jonathan Toews - he went to North Dakota. Currently near the top of the leader board for goals scored you have Dany Heatley (Wisconsin) and Patrick Sharp (North Dakota). Interestingly side note though, Jordan Schroeder was the only college player taken in the first round of the draft this past June.
The Kings college frat house:
Teddy Purcell - played just one year at the University of Maine (2006-07), scoring 42 points in 40 games...good enough to earn him Hockey East Rookie of the Year honors in his sole season as a Black Bear...his team also reached the NCAA frozen four
Jonathan Quick - minded net at the University of Massachusetts for two seasons...posted 19 wins (in 37 games played), with a 2.16 GAA and .929 save percentage in 2006-07 - all single season team records…was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week twice and Hockey East Goaltender of the Month for November 2005
Jack Johnson - now he was going to make it to the NHL no matter what, obviously he's a flat stud...yet, his choice of school certainly didn't hurt him...for as long as anybody can remember, Michigan has been sending more players to the NHL than any other university...North Dakota, Wisconsin and Boston College are all currently battling it out for second place bragging rights...interesting trivia note: his dad also played for the Wolverines...JMFJ left after just two seasons to pursue his dream of the NHL, but they were a memorable two years...in his first season (2005-06) he led Michigan freshmen and defensemen in goals (10), assists (22) and points (32)...during his sophomore season he led the team's d-men with 16 goals and 23 assists; and was named Best Offensive Defenseman in the conference...he was also an all American in 2007
Davis Drewiske - played four years at the University of Wisconsin ... served as the captain during his senior year, when he was second in team scoring by defenseman with 21 points (5 goals, 16 assists)...was named the team's MVP that year...his team also won the NCAA championship in 2006 (beating Peter Harold and his Boston College teammates)
Peter Harold - played four years for the Boston College Eagles (one of the most beautiful college campuses you'll ever see, more on that some other day)...earned BC's outstanding freshman award...as a junior was third in all of Hockey East with a plus 20 rating...though small in size, he was one of the smartest d-man to ever play at BC - and that says a lot considering their rich history...served as team captain his senior year of 2005-06 and was named first team all American on defense
Matt Greene - the University of North Dakota is notorious for having a large team...Greene was big on a team of giants...he was a standout from the start for the Fighting Sioux, posting a plus 11 rating (second among all rookies)...followed that up his second year by leading all d-men with 16 assists...served as team captain...lost the NCAA championship to Denver during his final season, 2004-05
Rob Scuderi - a four year Eagle at Boston College...played in all 42 games as a freshman and earned Hockey East all-rookie team honors (1997-98)...played in all 42 games the following two seasons as well...a true iron man, he played more games in a BC sweater than any other player in team history...went to the NCAA hockey championship game three of his four years (!), finally winning it all in 2001, his final season
That's not just a lot of players hanging out on college campuses going to frat parties, that's a ton of leadership experience and even more maturity coming from winning big, big games.
Now if the Kings could just come up with a good fight song for all the players and fans to rally around, they might really be in business.
Any good ideas out there?
One19
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
note: if you want to follow the stats of college players now in the NHL, sorted by school - which is pretty cool...head over to http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/origin.htm
Thursday, October 15, 2009
De Ja Vu all over again
After opening up with back to back 2-1 wins on this road trip, the Kings lost tonight for the second consecutive game by a score of 4-2. Wait...there goes an empty net goal by Detroit - make it 5-2. They were in both games at different points, but on back to back nights failed to show the 60 minute game they had been playing recently.
While some were quick to shovel the blame for Wednesday's loss on backup goaltender Erik Ersberg, the reality is the outcome wasn't his fault. You could maybe ride him for one of the goals. Yet, that wasn't the game. The Kings played a dismal opening period, one that probably cost them the game. In order to win on the road against a team playing as well the Rangers, the Kings need to put forward a greater effort from beginning to end.
While some were quick to shovel the blame for Wednesday's loss on backup goaltender Erik Ersberg, the reality is the outcome wasn't his fault. You could maybe ride him for one of the goals. Yet, that wasn't the game. The Kings played a dismal opening period, one that probably cost them the game. In order to win on the road against a team playing as well the Rangers, the Kings need to put forward a greater effort from beginning to end.
Back to goaltending, credit must be given to Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. He stood on his head all night long and looked brilliant in net. The Kings certainly were putting the pressure on him, out shooting New York 36-21...including a staggering 10-1 in the final period. But as luck would have it, the Rangers scored on that one shot!
Captain Dustin Brown had the right attitude after Wednesday's loss, saying the team needed to put the game behind them and focus on Detroit. Heeding his own words, Brown got the party started just over five minutes in with his first goal of the year. Finally.
There wasn't much to cheer about after the opening period though. Sure, Justin Williams scored late in the third (Finally!) to pull the Kings within one. However, the Red Wings answered soon after and controlled the rest of the game. For the full three periods, the Kings were out shot 32-26. To beat Osgood, they needed more shots on net - which goes back to having that "shot mentality" the coaching staff talked about all summer. It just didn't happen tonight.
With Ivanans out of the line-up vs. Detroit we never heard "Five for Fighting"...so, instead, we give you the "Five for Five" bullet points on tonight's loss:
- It didn't matter that the Red Wings were without several of their top players. The Kings have now tasted victory just once in their last 11 trips to Detroit.
- One of the greatest defenseman of all time, the classy Nicklas Lidstrom, assisted on a goal by Zetterberg. It was the 1000th point in his glorious NHL career.
- Anze Kopitar did it again. He added an assist on the Williams goal. If not for the Ranger game last night, he would have at least one point in every Kings game this year.
- Is it just me or does it seem like Davis Drewiske is constantly on the ice? Every time I look up, there he is. Every few minutes it seems like Bob Miller is saying "pass by Drewiske (or something similar)." He isn't leading the team in ice time according to the official stats. But, I swear he is out there all the time. So far, it hasn't really been a problem. He's a plus 5 for the year, including +1 in the last two games (both losses). Better yet, he hasn't had one game this year as a minus for the night.
- The Kings were uncharacteristically lacking discipline tonight. Coach Terry Murray spends hours each week preaching the value of playing the game with smarts. Several dumb penalties were taken, including two by Ryan Smyth. Like Ersberg the night before, Smyth didn't cost the team the game. He did however not play the same game he's shown in his first half dozen as a King. Expect a bounce back game in Columbus this weekend.
Four games in to the road trip the Kings are 2-2. That's passable. Not great.
Columbus and Dallas - two teams that will be in the hunt all year - are games the Kings need to win if they're going to follow through with their plans of making the playoffs next April.
Four points were lost in the last 36 hours. The Kings can ill afford to lose four more before returning home next week.
One19
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Interview w/ ESPN's John Buccigross
Hockey seemed to finally arrive on the national scene in the late 90s when ESPN launched their nightly 30 minute show NHL2Night. Hosting the show was a self proclaimed music nut, John Buccigross, whose love for the sport spilled out through the screen. He wasn't just reading lines off the teleprompter, this guy had the fever that so many of us share. Fast forward a decade or so and he's been caught in the cross hairs of Kings fans recently. First retracting his prediction of the Kings making the playoffs this year and later proclaiming to the world that Frolov had indeed been traded. What's going on?
MayorsManor had a chance to catch up with Buccigross and get some answers...and some other hockey insight...
Let's get right to it - earlier this summer while hosting the Kings HockeyFest in downtown, you said this was the year the Kings would return to the playoffs. Then, more recently, in your ESPN.com article Breaking Down the Western Conference you said "after studying things a little more, I have them outside the top eight." Why the change of heart?
I simply think there are 8 teams who are better and question they will prevent enough goals to be a playoff team. Unless they make a big trade, I don't think they are quite ready yet.
Kings fans are obviously excited about the young players on the team, guys like Anze Kopitar. There is also a feeling of an east coast bias in the media when guys like Drew Doughty hardly get noticed for Calder consideration. In your opinion, who is the most underrated player in the league today?
Niklas Kronwall of the Red Wings is real good. A #1 defenceman on most teams. He's physical and good on the power play.
Although you grew up playing basketball, golf and baseball in high school, you've obviously been following hockey for a long time. What is the greatest game you've ever seen?
Ray Bourque's Game 7 Stanley Cup clincher was a memorable one.
Well...it would be hard to pick just one. Columbus, Minnesota and Toronto are the best I've been to.
During the lockout year a few rule changes were put in place to improve the game. As a fan, if you could change one rule in hockey, what would it be?
I'd implement a ten minute 4 on 4 overtime.
Interesting. I'm not sure if making the games longer is something the league would go for, yet I'm all for more puck! How about the jerseys. One of the few areas where hockey gets credit over the other big sports is on the fashion front. There are certainly some great jerseys in the league, but a few of them are embarrassing. If you could change one team's jersey, which team would you target?
Columbus' is terrible. A simple "C" would be cool at home. Maybe a diagonal Columbus on the roadies.
Probably not the team I would have gone after. However, given that you went to college in Ohio, I can see you working it. Let's move on. How about some word association? We haven't done that yet on MayorsManor. You want to give it a go?
Sure
OK, how about the teams in the Western Conference:
Anaheim Ducks - Ryan Getzlaf's hands
Calgary Flames - Jay Bouwmeester's feet
Chicago Blackhawks - Patrick Kane's feet and hands
Colorado Avalanche - Matt Duchene is for real, yo
Columbus Blue Jackets - Playoffs?!?!?! You bet.
Dallas Stars - In transition
Detroit Red Wings - Their Central Division streak ends
Edmonton Oilers - Fast but still disjointed
Los Angeles Kings - Coming together. Should be in the hunt.
Minnesota Wild - New look Wild now are a little run and gun.
Nashville Predators - Barry Trotz might coach this team for 50 years.
Phoenix Coyotes - Boring, defensive
San Jose Sharks - Heatley will score 60
St Louis Blues - Very high expectations. Simmer.
Vancouver Canucks - They will be fine.
Still working the Columbus angle, huh? No, seriously - thanks for stopping by John. We appreciate your time.
In the future we'll try and get into some of his musical favorites, like R.E.M. and Run DMC. Once upon a time, in a different interview, he said "Music has always been a big part of my life, maybe even bigger than sports, because music has never let me down."
Although they've done it plenty of times in the last 20 years, Kings fans are counting on the team to not let them down this year. LA needs to make the playoffs and remind Buccigross you should always go with your first instincts.
Its like that...and thats the way it is.
The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor
RELATED ARTICLES
High / Low with John Buccigross of ESPN - get his takes on the opening of the 2009-10 season
Interview with Kelly Hrudey - former Kings goalie, now a commentator on TSN
Interview with Luc Robitaille - sit down with #20 a few days before his Hall of Fame induction
Interview with Mike Modano - arguably the greatest American born hockey player of all-time
Interview with Bob Miller - legendary voice of the Kings talks favorite players, games, moments, etc.
.
photo courtesy of ESPN.com
MayorsManor had a chance to catch up with Buccigross and get some answers...and some other hockey insight...Let's get right to it - earlier this summer while hosting the Kings HockeyFest in downtown, you said this was the year the Kings would return to the playoffs. Then, more recently, in your ESPN.com article Breaking Down the Western Conference you said "after studying things a little more, I have them outside the top eight." Why the change of heart?
I simply think there are 8 teams who are better and question they will prevent enough goals to be a playoff team. Unless they make a big trade, I don't think they are quite ready yet.
Kings fans are obviously excited about the young players on the team, guys like Anze Kopitar. There is also a feeling of an east coast bias in the media when guys like Drew Doughty hardly get noticed for Calder consideration. In your opinion, who is the most underrated player in the league today?
Niklas Kronwall of the Red Wings is real good. A #1 defenceman on most teams. He's physical and good on the power play.
Although you grew up playing basketball, golf and baseball in high school, you've obviously been following hockey for a long time. What is the greatest game you've ever seen?
Ray Bourque's Game 7 Stanley Cup clincher was a memorable one.
NOTE: Funny Bourque follow-up story, in a 2006 column Buccigross said he "once played golf with Ray Bourque and tried to intentionally three putt from 30 feet so I could say I shot a 77 playing golf with Ray Bourque. Instead, the slippery downhill putt went in and I shot a 75 not playing golf with Brett Lindros."Over the last decade of so many of the older, traditional buildings have given way to new arenas. Of the 30 buildings currently hosting NHL games, do you have a favorite place to watch hockey?
Well...it would be hard to pick just one. Columbus, Minnesota and Toronto are the best I've been to.
During the lockout year a few rule changes were put in place to improve the game. As a fan, if you could change one rule in hockey, what would it be?
I'd implement a ten minute 4 on 4 overtime.
Interesting. I'm not sure if making the games longer is something the league would go for, yet I'm all for more puck! How about the jerseys. One of the few areas where hockey gets credit over the other big sports is on the fashion front. There are certainly some great jerseys in the league, but a few of them are embarrassing. If you could change one team's jersey, which team would you target?
Columbus' is terrible. A simple "C" would be cool at home. Maybe a diagonal Columbus on the roadies.
Probably not the team I would have gone after. However, given that you went to college in Ohio, I can see you working it. Let's move on. How about some word association? We haven't done that yet on MayorsManor. You want to give it a go?
Sure
OK, how about the teams in the Western Conference:
Anaheim Ducks - Ryan Getzlaf's hands
Calgary Flames - Jay Bouwmeester's feet
Chicago Blackhawks - Patrick Kane's feet and hands
Colorado Avalanche - Matt Duchene is for real, yo
Columbus Blue Jackets - Playoffs?!?!?! You bet.
Dallas Stars - In transition
Detroit Red Wings - Their Central Division streak ends
Edmonton Oilers - Fast but still disjointed
Los Angeles Kings - Coming together. Should be in the hunt.
Minnesota Wild - New look Wild now are a little run and gun.
Nashville Predators - Barry Trotz might coach this team for 50 years.
Phoenix Coyotes - Boring, defensive
San Jose Sharks - Heatley will score 60
St Louis Blues - Very high expectations. Simmer.
Vancouver Canucks - They will be fine.
Still working the Columbus angle, huh? No, seriously - thanks for stopping by John. We appreciate your time.
In the future we'll try and get into some of his musical favorites, like R.E.M. and Run DMC. Once upon a time, in a different interview, he said "Music has always been a big part of my life, maybe even bigger than sports, because music has never let me down."
Although they've done it plenty of times in the last 20 years, Kings fans are counting on the team to not let them down this year. LA needs to make the playoffs and remind Buccigross you should always go with your first instincts.
Its like that...and thats the way it is.
The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor
RELATED ARTICLES
High / Low with John Buccigross of ESPN - get his takes on the opening of the 2009-10 season
Interview with Kelly Hrudey - former Kings goalie, now a commentator on TSN
Interview with Luc Robitaille - sit down with #20 a few days before his Hall of Fame induction
Interview with Mike Modano - arguably the greatest American born hockey player of all-time
Interview with Bob Miller - legendary voice of the Kings talks favorite players, games, moments, etc.
.
photo courtesy of ESPN.com
HIGH / LOW with ESPN's John Buccigross
If you were following hockey when the Y2K craze was in full stride, you probably spent a fair amount of time watching the NHL2Night on ESPN. The 30 minute show gave hockey fanatics their nightly fix of scores, highlights and analysis. Guiding the puck fest was John Buccigross, an ESPN anchor and now author. He's hard to forget - with his music references and pure love for the sport. In between duties for ESPN we caught up with John to get his take on the first week of the NHL season.
With one week in the books, what would say have been the HIGHs so far?
1. Calgary Flames - I picked them to finish first and they look good so far. They seem to have a little magic to them.
2. Sidney Crosby - He's now a good faceoff man. That's the sign of a winner. Keep improving.
3. Alex Ovechkin - 70 goals? Another MVP? Probably.
And on the flip side, the LOWs of the young season?
1. Boston Bruins - Trade Phil Kessel and the offense is severely hurt. They should get better.
2. The Referees - A lot of ticky tack calls.
3. Toronto - All bark, no bite so far.
Later this afternoon we'll post a more in depth interview with John. Fear not, we'll be looking for answers on why he reversed course and now says the Kings will not make the playoffs. Enquiring minds want to know. And the Mayor needs answers!
The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor
RELATED ARTICLES
Interview with John Buccigross of ESPN
Interview with Kelly Hrudey - former Kings goalie, now a commentator on TSN
Interview with Luc Robitaille - sit down with #20 a few days before his Hall of Fame induction
Interview with Mike Modano - arguably the greatest American born hockey player of all-time
Interview with Bob Miller - legendary voice of the Kings talks favorite players, games, moments, etc.
.
With one week in the books, what would say have been the HIGHs so far?
1. Calgary Flames - I picked them to finish first and they look good so far. They seem to have a little magic to them.
2. Sidney Crosby - He's now a good faceoff man. That's the sign of a winner. Keep improving.
3. Alex Ovechkin - 70 goals? Another MVP? Probably.
And on the flip side, the LOWs of the young season?
1. Boston Bruins - Trade Phil Kessel and the offense is severely hurt. They should get better.
2. The Referees - A lot of ticky tack calls.
3. Toronto - All bark, no bite so far.
Later this afternoon we'll post a more in depth interview with John. Fear not, we'll be looking for answers on why he reversed course and now says the Kings will not make the playoffs. Enquiring minds want to know. And the Mayor needs answers!
The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor
RELATED ARTICLES
Interview with John Buccigross of ESPN
Interview with Kelly Hrudey - former Kings goalie, now a commentator on TSN
Interview with Luc Robitaille - sit down with #20 a few days before his Hall of Fame induction
Interview with Mike Modano - arguably the greatest American born hockey player of all-time
Interview with Bob Miller - legendary voice of the Kings talks favorite players, games, moments, etc.
.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Streaking Through New York
It's been said that repetition is one of the keys to success. On Monday afternoon the Kings put together a performance that was largely a replay of their previous game in St. Louis. The penalty kill was strong, the goal tending was solid, the power play chipped in with a goal and Jonathan Quick lost his shutout late in the third. Fortunately though, Matt Moulson is a liar.
In the 90210 moment of the day, Bob Miller revealed that Moulson is dating Quick's wife's sister. While they were all at dinner last night Moulson promised Quick he was going to score two goals on him at the Coliseum today. Quick did his best to make him look the fool, holding him off the score sheet for over 57 minutes. In a messy play, with the game nearing its end - and Quick AGAIN about to post his first shutout of the year - Moulson finally put one in. It wasn't enough though, as the Kings hung on to win 2-1.
On the day set aside to honor the achievements of Columbus, the Kings discovered how to keep several streaks alive. Kopitar scored the first goal of the game after being set up by Ryan Smyth. This kept a streak alive for both of them, having tallied points in five straight - or every game this season if you prefer to look at that way. The PK unit shut down the Islanders on all three attempts, running the Kings streak to 10 straight kills.
LA had won three in a row - and three straight over the Islanders, both now have been bumped up to four straight.
One streak did come to end though. Goalie Martin Biron had never lost to the Kings...until today.
More stats for you - it was the Kings 1300th win in franchise history.
Close games are usually a pins and needles affair, rarely providing moments of laughter. Yet, I did chuckle a few times when hearing "Bailey shoots...save by Quick." It just didn't sound right.
Local media selected Quick, Kopitar and Doughty the three starts of the game. If the trio keeps playing at this level, we could see the streaking Kings stay on a roll when they meet the Rangers at the most famous arena in the world, Madison Square Garden, Wednesday night.
One19
www.twitter.com/mayor119
In the 90210 moment of the day, Bob Miller revealed that Moulson is dating Quick's wife's sister. While they were all at dinner last night Moulson promised Quick he was going to score two goals on him at the Coliseum today. Quick did his best to make him look the fool, holding him off the score sheet for over 57 minutes. In a messy play, with the game nearing its end - and Quick AGAIN about to post his first shutout of the year - Moulson finally put one in. It wasn't enough though, as the Kings hung on to win 2-1.
On the day set aside to honor the achievements of Columbus, the Kings discovered how to keep several streaks alive. Kopitar scored the first goal of the game after being set up by Ryan Smyth. This kept a streak alive for both of them, having tallied points in five straight - or every game this season if you prefer to look at that way. The PK unit shut down the Islanders on all three attempts, running the Kings streak to 10 straight kills.
LA had won three in a row - and three straight over the Islanders, both now have been bumped up to four straight.
One streak did come to end though. Goalie Martin Biron had never lost to the Kings...until today.
More stats for you - it was the Kings 1300th win in franchise history.
Close games are usually a pins and needles affair, rarely providing moments of laughter. Yet, I did chuckle a few times when hearing "Bailey shoots...save by Quick." It just didn't sound right.
Local media selected Quick, Kopitar and Doughty the three starts of the game. If the trio keeps playing at this level, we could see the streaking Kings stay on a roll when they meet the Rangers at the most famous arena in the world, Madison Square Garden, Wednesday night.
One19
www.twitter.com/mayor119
Saturday, October 10, 2009
LA teams provide Shock & Awe in St Louis
A little over 24 hours ago two planes sat side by side on a private runway at LAX. Armed for battle, one plane was boarded by a crew of blue and white - the other filled with purple and silver warriors. After arriving in St Louis they set up their command centers at the same downtown hotel. Mid-day Saturday the blitz was underway and at this hour the city of St. Louis sits silently, stunned by the devastation of earlier today.
The next few days will be rough. Many people are already plotting their reason to call in sick Monday. However, one group remains hopeful that tomorrow could provide relief for some. After checking the NFL schedule, they realized it wont be a team from Los Angeles visiting the Rams at the dome tomorrow, so they still have a chance. Well, maybe. It is the Rams.
Before writing this article I put a call into the National Guard and it appears the city's treasured arch is safe for now. Although the enemies have left, extra protection will be stationed in and around downtown for the foreseeable future - just in case.
Battling on different terrain - just blocks apart from each other - the Dodgers and the Kings flat took care of business on Saturday in St. Louis. Both, desisive victories for Los Angeles.
The similarities between these two teams has been written about before here on MayorsManor.com. Both teams have been built with a core of young talent. Both have been guided and assembled by a GM that has a plan and is sticking to it, regardless of what some fans and media say about it. Both found their swagger after acquiring that missing piece - Manny for the Dodgers and Ryan Smyth for the Kings.
How the script ends for both organizations is still yet to be written. While one team's season draws closer to the end, the other's is just beginning. Within a month, the Dodgers will be done for the Winter. Meanwhile, the Kings are just getting started.
Just one more question about the Dodger game before we move on though. Were the white towels in St. Louis supposed to represent a unified surrender? Some of the players on the field - on both teams - probably thought so. Dodgers win. How sweep it is!
Down the street the greatest show on earth, the NHL, was on the ice in a crucial early season match up. There will be eight teams making the playoffs from the Western Conference this year, with really only three of them undecided at this point. Six or seven teams are battling for those three spots, including the Kings and Blues.
It was Murray vs Murray.
I miss Andy Murray. Always liked him as a coach and respected him as a person. I was mostly frustrated with Terry Murray last year. However, it's been said many times that winning solves everything. It might be true after all...because I'm starting to miss one Murray less and growing to like the other Murray more and more. I guess 3-1 to start the season will do that to a person.
Sure, it was too bad the Kings couldn't hold on in the third to keep the Blues off the scoreboard. Getting Jonathan Quick his first shutout of the year would have been icing on the cake. No need to be greedy. The two best lines put goals up again and defensively they were able to control a team with plenty of offensive options. Good enough for two points, pack it up and keep it movin'.
While the Dodgers fly home to LA and await the identity of their next opponent, the Kings are heading east to meet the Islanders. It will be a typical New York matinee on Monday, just not on Broadway. The purple and silver warriors will dawn their crowned sweaters again at 11am PST, this time taking on young phenom John Tavares and 19 of his newest friends.
Two more points will be at stake. Two more points that will help the Kings achieve their goal of following the Dodgers into the postseason.
If it happens, history could repeat itself. That private runway at LAX could find the same two planes parked side by side again in late April. One being filled with a team headed out on an early season road trip. The other headed to a playoff game.
One19
www.twitter.com/mayor119
The next few days will be rough. Many people are already plotting their reason to call in sick Monday. However, one group remains hopeful that tomorrow could provide relief for some. After checking the NFL schedule, they realized it wont be a team from Los Angeles visiting the Rams at the dome tomorrow, so they still have a chance. Well, maybe. It is the Rams.
Before writing this article I put a call into the National Guard and it appears the city's treasured arch is safe for now. Although the enemies have left, extra protection will be stationed in and around downtown for the foreseeable future - just in case.
Battling on different terrain - just blocks apart from each other - the Dodgers and the Kings flat took care of business on Saturday in St. Louis. Both, desisive victories for Los Angeles.
The similarities between these two teams has been written about before here on MayorsManor.com. Both teams have been built with a core of young talent. Both have been guided and assembled by a GM that has a plan and is sticking to it, regardless of what some fans and media say about it. Both found their swagger after acquiring that missing piece - Manny for the Dodgers and Ryan Smyth for the Kings.
How the script ends for both organizations is still yet to be written. While one team's season draws closer to the end, the other's is just beginning. Within a month, the Dodgers will be done for the Winter. Meanwhile, the Kings are just getting started.
Just one more question about the Dodger game before we move on though. Were the white towels in St. Louis supposed to represent a unified surrender? Some of the players on the field - on both teams - probably thought so. Dodgers win. How sweep it is!
Down the street the greatest show on earth, the NHL, was on the ice in a crucial early season match up. There will be eight teams making the playoffs from the Western Conference this year, with really only three of them undecided at this point. Six or seven teams are battling for those three spots, including the Kings and Blues.
It was Murray vs Murray.
I miss Andy Murray. Always liked him as a coach and respected him as a person. I was mostly frustrated with Terry Murray last year. However, it's been said many times that winning solves everything. It might be true after all...because I'm starting to miss one Murray less and growing to like the other Murray more and more. I guess 3-1 to start the season will do that to a person.
Sure, it was too bad the Kings couldn't hold on in the third to keep the Blues off the scoreboard. Getting Jonathan Quick his first shutout of the year would have been icing on the cake. No need to be greedy. The two best lines put goals up again and defensively they were able to control a team with plenty of offensive options. Good enough for two points, pack it up and keep it movin'.
While the Dodgers fly home to LA and await the identity of their next opponent, the Kings are heading east to meet the Islanders. It will be a typical New York matinee on Monday, just not on Broadway. The purple and silver warriors will dawn their crowned sweaters again at 11am PST, this time taking on young phenom John Tavares and 19 of his newest friends.
Two more points will be at stake. Two more points that will help the Kings achieve their goal of following the Dodgers into the postseason.
If it happens, history could repeat itself. That private runway at LAX could find the same two planes parked side by side again in late April. One being filled with a team headed out on an early season road trip. The other headed to a playoff game.
One19
www.twitter.com/mayor119
Friday, October 9, 2009
HIGH / LOW: Running Wild with Jim Fox
Three games, three different Kings teams. The season has been unpredictable, if nothing else. Saturday was a terrible 60 minutes of hockey. Tuesday was the tale of two games and Thursday the team hit the ice like they were shot out of a cannon. Throughout the home stand Jim Fox has been stopping by with his Highs and Lows from each game. He's back with a look at look at the Kings performance vs. the Wild...
HIGHS -
- Top players playing like your top players, coaches love when that happens.
- It’s been a while, but the Kings look like they have a #1 line with Kopitar/Smyth and Williams…the chemistry between Kopitar and Smyth has been impressive…Smyth’s passing continues to be right on.
- Jack Johnson with 20:52 TOI and +2 is looking like he is ready to take it up a notch.
- Once again the Handzus checking line ends up plus at the end of the night, while Koivu (-2) and Havlat (-3) were kept under control.
- Biggest improvement came from the 2nd line with Stoll/Brown/Purcell - effective all night on the fore-check and all 3 connecting for a big goal in the 3rd…Brown led all players with 6 hits.
LOWS -
- The continued inability of the penalty-kill to protect the slot was apparent once again…the “pressure rotation” is off right now…it did get better in the 3rd, but it has a long way to go.
- It's almost impossible to control the full 60 minutes in an NHL game (the other team is usually a pretty good team too), but there are still lapses that take the Kings out of sync at times…didn’t see much of that all last year and that “intangible” will have to be cleaned up.
And they're off...the Kings and crew are headed to St. Louis for a match up tomorrow against their former coach, Andy Murray. It will be a battle between two teams fighting for one of the three playoff spots up for grabs in the West this year.
On behalf of all Kings fans, I'd like to give a big thanks to Jim for his contributions this week. He has plenty on his plate as it is and making the time to be a featured guest here at MayorsManor.com was much appreciated. Although the High/Low series has featured Mark Hardy and Terry Murray to name a few...Jim was the first to get the High/Low hat trick with his three articles. Thanks Jim!
What do you think of the Kings so far? Leave a comment below with your reaction to the game(s) and/or Jim's thoughts on how the Kings looked against Minnesota.
One19
Thursday, October 8, 2009
FREE Kings Tickets vs Wild 10/8 (updated)
We're giving away our final pair of tickets to the homestand. If you'd like to go to the game tonight vs. Minnesota for FREE, simply post a comment on yesterday's High/Low article with Jim Fox below (or click here). We'll draw a winner from all entries at 3pm today. Good luck!
(updated) Congratulations to reader "Terry" for winning two tickets to tonight's game. If you didn't win this time, be sure to follow on twitter for more prizes coming soon.
One19
www.twitter.com/mayor119
for official rules click here
(updated) Congratulations to reader "Terry" for winning two tickets to tonight's game. If you didn't win this time, be sure to follow on twitter for more prizes coming soon.
One19
www.twitter.com/mayor119
for official rules click here
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
HIGH / LOW : Jim Fox returns for more
Like most fans, Jim Fox was not that impressed with the Kings opening night performance. While he had positive words for Ryan Smyth and the power play, his sharpest Low was delivered to the doorstep of #8 - calling Doughty's performance his "worst game as a King." Say what you will, but you can't really argue with Fox. You're talking about a guy who has arguably seen more Kings games over the last 20 years than all but a handful of people. The man knows his hockey.
A veteran of Kings broadcasts and NHL coverage, both on radio and TV, Fox has continued to enlighten fans with his hockey insight since hanging up the skates in 1990.
MayorsManor is proud to have Jim back for his second of three columns. He'll be providing thoughts after each game of the opening week home stand. With the Kings beating San Jose on Tuesday night, the final score was certainly better than game one. However, things weren't all roses, as the Kings let the Sharks back in the game and made a lot of people nervous throughout the third period. How did he see things?
Jim's take on game #2:
HIGHS -
Thursday night the home stand concludes when Minnesota comes to Staples Center. The Wild are predicted to finish out of the top 8 in the Western Conference by most experts. Thus, the Kings need to capitalize on their (perceived) weaker opponent and capture the two points. A two game win streak would be a nice way to start the long trip out east.
We'll have another High / Low feature with Jim following the game on Thursday. In the meantime, feel free to leave him a comment below with your reaction to the game and/or his thoughts on the team's play vs. San Jose.
The Mayor
www.twitter.com/mayorNHL (more ticket giveaways coming soon - hint, hint)
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor
photo courtesy of NHL / HHOF
A veteran of Kings broadcasts and NHL coverage, both on radio and TV, Fox has continued to enlighten fans with his hockey insight since hanging up the skates in 1990.
MayorsManor is proud to have Jim back for his second of three columns. He'll be providing thoughts after each game of the opening week home stand. With the Kings beating San Jose on Tuesday night, the final score was certainly better than game one. However, things weren't all roses, as the Kings let the Sharks back in the game and made a lot of people nervous throughout the third period. How did he see things?
Jim's take on game #2:
HIGHS -
- Huge key to the game was Handzus/Frolov/Simmonds outplayed Thornton/Heatley/Setoguchi 5 on 5.
- Overall, much better on the fore-check. The spacing allowed for immediate support and some sustain offensive zone play, Simmonds goal was a perfect example.
- Solid play from the “unheralded” defensemen - Harrold, Greene, Drewiske.
- Bounce back game from Drew Doughty, 24:08 TOI, +3, we expected it and he delivered.
- Jarrett Stoll was 11 of 15 on face-offs (73%).
- Recapturing composure in the 3rd was a key issue, 4 or 5 solid shifts preceded the Purcell goal.
- Coming to the aid of Drewiske after the Staubitz hit is an intangible area the Kings are trying to address. The Kings did it effectively, without taking any unnecessary penalties.
- Must state the obvious, the PK is completely out-of-sync. The fine line between being aggressive and running around has been crossed. Fundamentals like sticks-in-the-lanes must get better.
- No “bad” goals vs. SJ, but your goalie has to be your best penalty-killer.
- Last season a big key was face-offs. Stoll was solid, but in the 2 games so far the Kings were 43% and 41%, this must improve.
Thursday night the home stand concludes when Minnesota comes to Staples Center. The Wild are predicted to finish out of the top 8 in the Western Conference by most experts. Thus, the Kings need to capitalize on their (perceived) weaker opponent and capture the two points. A two game win streak would be a nice way to start the long trip out east.
We'll have another High / Low feature with Jim following the game on Thursday. In the meantime, feel free to leave him a comment below with your reaction to the game and/or his thoughts on the team's play vs. San Jose.
The Mayor
www.twitter.com/mayorNHL (more ticket giveaways coming soon - hint, hint)
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor
photo courtesy of NHL / HHOF
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