10 Tidbits - The Story of Zeus

According to Greek mythology, the God Zeus is often depicted by images of him striving forward with a thunderbolt in his hand.

Times have changed through the years, yet Michal Handzus is often seen skating forward, stick in hand...increasingly, the stick has been raised in the air as the Kings just scored another goal.

Things have never been better for Handzus here in Los Angeles. He's about to put a bow on his 3rd regular season with the Kings - one that will most likely see him in his first playoff series with the team. Today, on his 33rd birthday, he's the latest subject in our 10 Tidbits series.

Enjoy the Story of Zeus...

* While the God Zeus is known for his many children, Handzus may be known for his collection of jerseys - having played for a handful of NHL teams...five in all - St. Louis, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles.

* Perhaps Zeus was destined to sign with the Kings...not only because of Greek mythology, but because of former Kings owner Bruce McNall. While it's unclear if McNall sold or collected Zeus coins as part of his massive collection, there is a link nonetheless. According to various New York Times articles from back in the day, McNall sold several ancient vases to the Hunt brothers, one depicting the death of the Lycian prince Sarpedon, a son of Zeus.

* Almost immediately after signing a four year, $16 million contract in the summer of 2007 the criticism began. Fans and media alike thought that was a lot of scratch to lay out for a guy coming off of major knee surgery...and having played only 8 games the season prior. Did it work? Well, after Michal's first season in LA, Kings GM Dean Lombardi had this to say in an interview with the Daily News "We expected him to be better. He started skating better in the second half. He's not the fleetest afoot anyway. He got himself in a rut and started pressing. He'd be the first to tell you he wasn't where he expects to be. Until the last couple months his skating wasn't where he expected to be. Next year, I expect him to be more like we expected him to be when we got him." Yep - 7 goals, 21 points and a minus-21 rating is probably not what everybody had in mind.

* If year one was a failure, year two was more what Lombardi had in mind. For the second straight season with the Kings Handzus skated in all 82 games - this time netting 18 goals and 42 points (fourth best on the team, behind the big three of Kopitar, Brown and Frolov). Equally impressive was that he increased his shots on goal by 61%.

* Has worn #26 in each of his NHL stops, with one exception...during his brief stay in Phoenix he wore #16. Mike Sullivan was already wearing his number when he was traded to the Coyotes late in the 2000-01 season. Ironically, it wasn't like Sullivan was married to the number...he'd played on four teams in his career, each time wearing a different number. Maybe Zeus didn't want to 'compensate' him for changing.

* Thrives in international competition. When he's represented his home country of Slovakia the numbers are impressive - 9 points over 12 games at the World Jrs, 17 points in 25 games at the World Championships (note: he's represented Slovakia 4x at the WC) and 7 points in 9 Olympic games. He's earned two medals for his efforts, a silver at the 2000 WC and gold at the 2002 WC. Many of those teams included former Kings like Ziggy Palffy and Jozef Stumpel.

* On December 5, 2002, he became only the second player in NHL history to score a penalty shot goal in overtime when he beat the Rangers Dan Blackburn with just 37 seconds left in the extra frame. Coincidentally, the only other player to do it also beat the Rangers (when Nashville's David Legwand put one past Kirk McLean on December 23, 2000).

* Awards: Was runner-up for the NHL's Selke Trophy in the 1999–00 season, given out to the top defensive forward. Selected by the media as the Kings Best Defensive Player for the 2008-09 season, an award he may win again this year. Last season he also received an award from his teammates. The Unsung Hero award goes to the player they deem "contributed the most to the team yet did not get the proper recognition for their contributions."

* Was drafted by the St. Louis Blues and recorded his first two milestones with the team. 10/22/98 - first NHL point (an assist) at Ottawa. 11/28/08 (the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend) - first NHL goal in a home game vs. the Washington Capitals. The Blues won both games.

* In Monday's 6-0 win over the Blue Jackets Handzus recorded his 400th NHL point and his 100th point as a member of the Kings.

Zeus, per Greek mythology, is the King of the Gods. Handzus is primed for a triumphant return to the playoffs next month. And the Kings are hoping he can wreak havoc and put that thunderbolt to good use.

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

RELATED ARTICLES:

10 Tidbits on Wayne Simmonds

10 Tidbits on Drew Doughty

10 Tidbits on Dustin Brown

10 Tidbits on Willie Mitchell

10 Tidbits on Alexei Ponikarovsky
.

Dean Lombardi live from the GM Meetings

All 30 NHL General Managers descended on Boca Raton, Florida this week for a round of meetings...as well as some golf, fishing, fine dining and a roast for former Flyer Bobby Clarke.

The topic de jure was the violent head shots that have been taking place around the league this season. Additionally, the group was divided up into four mini panels for intense debates on key topics, like - the playoff format, tie breaker procedures, etc.

Kings GM Dean Lombardi was part of a breakout group that discussed the rules involving the goalie crease and the application of the IIHF regulations on play in the crease. In the group with him were fellow GMs Stan Bowman (Chicago), George McPhee (Washington), Larry Pleau (St Louis), Darryl Sutter (Calgary), Bob Murray (Ottawa) and Greg Sherman (Colorado).

Lombardi stopped by the set of NHL Live this morning to discuss his experience in Florida this week. Here are some highlights of what he shared:

* He was impressed with the research presented on head shots. He likes the methodical approach they're taking now to making changes because you have to be mindful that every change you make has a counter impact someplace else.

* They looked at clips from the '40s to present year. The game was fast, then it slowed down for a period of time...now it's fast again.

* They're still talking about Brett Hull's foot in the crease goal from the '99 Stanley Cup Finals...and how they didn't think of all the ramifications down the road when they made previous rule changes.

* When they asked him about changes to the playoff seedings...he joked he has no thoughts about it right now...he's just happy to be in the thick of things.

* He thinks the current group of Kings might be the finest group of guys he's ever been around. They're playing with expectations...expectations they put on themselves...he likes that. They have a lot of pressure on them and he's enjoying it.

Another topic that made the media rounds yesterday was a proposal made to the GMs for a one game 'playoff tournament' for the 8th seed in each Conference, rather than the current rankings based on points.

Lombardi told NHL.com yesterday "It really cheapens the regular season. I think you have to have some reward and some distinguishing factor during an 82-game season for going through the grind. That just sounds way too gimmicky for me. This isn't socialism where everybody gets another shot."

He wasn't alone in his thoughts. The idea was universally panned by the group.

You can view the entire seven minute segment by clicking here.

The Kings return to action tonight in Chicago at 5:30pm PST vs the Blackhawks.

Final note - get ready for the playoffs...order your IN DEAN WE TRUST t-shirt today. All of the various styles will be on sale for a few more days. Visit the store by clicking here and use coupon code TSHIRTS10OFF to save 10% per shirt.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

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
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

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


RELATED ARTICLES YOU MAY ENJOY:

Exclusive interviews with:
Luc Robitaille
Rob Blake
Kelly Hrudey

Plus...
Interview with Robb Stauber - the man who battled Hrudey in net during the Kings '92-93 season
Interview with Gary Shuchuk - Kings playoff hero in 1993
.

Draft Watch - Lots of prospects on TV

Want to see some Kings prospects on television this weekend? How about some of the kids that will be drafted by NHL teams at the 2010 Draft being held in Los Angeles? How about some college hockey tournament action?

All three can be seen over the next three days, including a Calgary Hitmen game - which features LA Kings goaltending prospect Martin Jones in net and possible WHL scoring champion Brandon Kozun at right wing. So fire up the DVRs...

Here is a quick rundown on games you can choose from:

Seattle Thunderbirds vs. Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Unless you've been living under a rock (or not reading this site), you know how much Kings GM Dean Lombardi loves the Western Hockey League. So much so that the last three years running he's taken a player from the Dub in the first round - Thomas Hickey ('07), 'Mr. Nasty' Colten Teubert ('08) and Brayden Schenn ('09).

Tonight's game starts at 7pm PST on Fox Sports NorthWest (DirecTV channel 687). The showcase player in the game will be T-birds goalie Calvin Pickard. He's currently ranked #1 among all North American goalies by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. The 6'1" netminder is expected to give Team USA phenom Jack Campbell a run for his money at the draft. One of them is expected to go early in the opening round as the first goalie taken this year.

Kelowna also features two ranked players of their own...Mitchell Chapman (ranked #151) is a 6'2" defenseman who loves to drop the gloves. To see his latest fight, as well as some other clips of his physical altercations, click here to see some clips from hockeyfights.com.

Brett Bulmer, a 6'2" right wing, is ranked #164.

Also playing in the game are Tyson Barrie (selected in the third round of last year's draft by the Avalanche) and Prab Rai (a 5th round pick of the Canucks in '08). Both are among the top 20 scorers in the WHL's Western Conference.

Becuase the Olympic talk never ends around here...Nashville Predators and Team Canada defenseman Shea Weber played his junior hockey for the Kelowna Rockets.

And one final note on Kelowna...in two weeks the Detroit Red Wings will take a very rare late season bonding trip to Kelowna. It seems that GM Ken Holland and coach Mike Babcock figured it would be a great way to spend the off days between a Monday game in Calgary and a Friday game in Edmonton. They'll be hosting an open practice for the town and have a few other events planned. To read more about their unique plans click here.

Saskatoon Blades vs Calgary Hitmen (WHL)

This game is on Sunday afternoon and will be a double treat...you can catch five ranked players for this year's draft in action...plus catch two Kings prospects.

Martin Jones has been an outstanding free agent signing for the Kings. He played a little at the recent World Junior Championships for Canada (winning a silver medal) and has been rock solid in goal for the Hitmen all year - winning WHL player of the week honors in February.

Meanwhile, last year's 6th round pick by the Kings, Brandon Kozun, has been a one man wrecking crew. He also played for Team Canada at the World Jrs and is the only 2x player of the week this season in the WHL. He currently has 94 points, only 3 behind league leader Jordan Eberle of the Regina Pats.

Saskatoon's ranked players for the 2010 draft:
#56 - Curtis Hamilton 6'2" LW
#68 - Charles Inglis 5'11" C

Calgary's ranked players:
#85 - Matt Mackenzie 6'1" D (to read a scouting report on him click here)
#181 - Cody Beach 6'4" RW

Mackenzie also played for Team Orr at the recent CHL Top Prospects game. He finished the night with zero points and a +1 rating.

Calgary and Saskatoon are two of the top three teams in the WHL, with Calgary leading all teams at 97 points. Saskatoon has 93 points, good for third best in the Eastern Conference. So, on paper, this looks to be an outstanding game.

It will be the first WHL game of the year to be broadcast in the U.S. on the NHL Network (DirecTV channel 215). The puck is scheduled to drop at 4pm PST on Sunday.

NCAA College Hockey

Friday 4:30pm PST - #5 ranked Boston College at #10 New Hampshire (Rob Scuderi went to BC and helped take his team to the NCAA hockey championship game three of his four years, finally winning it all in 2001...his final season as an Eagle) - NESN (DirecTV channel 628)

Friday 5:30pm PST - Michigan Tech at #7 ranked North Dakota (Kings d-man Matt Greene played for the Fighting Sioux, losing out on the NCAA championship to Denver during his final season there, 2004-05) - NESN (DirecTV channel 628)

Friday 6:30pm PST - Colorado College at #1 ranked Denver - FSN Rocky Mountain (DirecTV channel 683)

Saturday 4:30pm PST - CCHA Tournament - Lake Superior State at Michigan (like Jack Johnson says 'Go Big Blue') - Fox Sports Denver (DirecTV channel 663)

Saturday 6pm PST - #1 ranked Denver at Colorado College - FSN Rocky Mountain (DirecTV channel 683)

Take lots of notes, there will be a quiz later.

Read. Watch. Enjoy.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

Kings lose some tread in Nashville

It was just one of those games.

Since 1996 the Predators building has been called the Nashville Arena, the Gaylord Entertainment Center, the Sommet Center - then for a few weeks it went back to the Nashville Arena...and was recently changed to the Bridgestone Arena. Unfortunately for the Kings, the same ol' Predators play there...the same Predators they had lost five straight games to coming into Thursday night.

The streak continues...and now stands at 0-5-1 vs. Nashville. They'll get another crack at them on Sunday, March 14th...a rare noon start for the Kings on Anze Kopitar bobblehead day.

Things looked good early when Frolov scored in the opening minute of the game, after a face off win by Jarret Stoll. Ryan Smyth picked up his 700th NHL point with an assist on the play. That may have been the highpoint of the night for Los Angeles.

The game did include the debut of two new members of the Kings, Jeff Halpern and Freddy Modin (both were acquired at the trade deadline on Wednesday). Neither factored in the outcome, each playing about 10 minutes.

A fluke goal put Nashville on the board and then late in the second the Kings season long nemesis reared its ugly head again - an EPG. With just seconds remaining until the end of the period Jason Arnott found the back of the net to end things at 2-1 Preds after forty minutes. The goal also continued Arnott's recent hot streak, he had the Preds game winning goal on Tuesday night and started Thursday's game with eight points in his last nine games.

Jordan Tootoo came out half possessed in the third - even willing to fight Matt Greene. The box score said he had seven minutes of ice time in the game, yet it sure seemed like he was always on the ice or in the penalty box for the final twenty minutes. And although the Kings picked up another goal when Drew Doughty scored early in the third, the Preds added two more, including an empty net goal in the final minute.

It was just one of those games. All of the hype coming in surrounded the four Olympic medal winning defenseman that would be featured in the game. Each team had an American and Canadian Olympian on the team, Ryan Suter and Shea Weber for Nashville...and of course, Doughty and Jack Johnson for the Kings. By the end of the game, none of that mattered. In fact, the Olympics seemed much further away at the end of the game than they did three hours earlier.

Reality is upon us. The regular season is ending soon and each night will be a battle for points...much like it has been all year long.

The Kings get a rare visit from the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday (note the 7pm start time) and then will host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.

Coach Murray will round 'em up and get 'em refocused for the Habs. For sure.

As an added bonus, the Kings will wear their third jerseys when they return home Saturday night. A little Black Magic certainly can't hurt.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

Welcome to LA - Freddy Modin

Goodbye Teddy, hello Freddy!

Earlier today the Kings shipped Teddy Purcell and a 3rd round pick to Tampa Bay for center Jeff Halpern. Then, right at the deadline, the Kings acquired another former Lightning player - this time, left wing Fredrik Modin.

Like the Halpern deal, this was a depth move. Modin is a 6'4" winger who has won a Cup. Additionally, he is one of only 23 players ALL TIME to become a member of the Triple Gold Club - winning the Stanley Cup ('04), an Olympic Gold Medal ('06) and the World Championship gold medal ('98).

To read more about the Triple Gold Club click here for my report from Vancouver last week.

He was wearing an 'A' in Columbus, where he had six point in 24 games this season.

In 51 career playoff games he has 11 goals and 11 assists.

Dean Lombardi gave a conditional pick to Tampa for Modin, believed to be around a 7th round pick. Not a lot to give up for a player with Modin's experience.

The Mayor

www.twitter.com/Mayor119

Welcome to LA - Jeff Halpern

In a move to add depth and experience to the LA Kings, GM Dean Lombardi swung a deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning today. It was a deal of threes. Three assets traded...He sent a 3rd round pick and Teddy Purcell (and his 3 goals) to Tampa Bay for Jeff Halpern.

In Halpern the Kings get another former college hockey player - he went to Princeton - and a veteran leader. The 6'0 center has previously served as team captain three times in his career - with the Washington Capitals, for the U.S. national team at the 2008 World Championships and his senior year at Princeton.

In 24 career playoff games he has 6 goals and 6 assists.

He's expected to play on the Kings 4th line.

He'll wear #22 in Los Angeles.

Are there more moves to come? We have about an hour to go...

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

photo courtesy of usahockey.com

Tuesday Tidbits from Kings-Stars game

Nice 5-1 win tonight for the Kings in Dallas. Truth be told though, it was a little strange watching the Kings game tonight. It almost had a preseason feel to it after not seeing the Kings for nearly a month.

The games played over the last few weeks in Vancouver just had so much riding on them that each pass, stoppage and penalty seemed like life or death. Tonight's game, while important in the standings, had more of a ho-hum feel to it.

That said, here are a few observations from the game in Dallas:

* Frolov might have played the strongest game of the year. Or did it just seem like that since I haven't seen him play in a few weeks?

* I might have to disagree with Jim Fox on this one...I think I prefer the international rule on icing better. Why waste time sending guys down to touch the puck? If the NHL wants to shorten the time needed for regular season games, those Olympic games seemed to fly by with just a few tweaks to the rules.

* Taking in the local flavor is always part of the fun when you're on the road. Checking out the boards in the arena usually gives you a feel for some of the larger corporations in the area that support hockey. Tonight in Dallas - Chipotle...yum, sounds good. Dr Pepper...tasty. JCPenney...born in Wyoming, but headquartered in Dallas. State Farm insurance...fairly standard around the league. The Dump...what? Yes, in case you missed it (see picture above)...one of the boards was sponsored by THE DUMP?!?!

* Wayne 'the Train' Simmonds is all motion...and some commotion. Did you see him jawing at the fans after being sent to the penalty box in the second period. Too funny.

* Why Ott, Why? I'm sure the Stars fans are happy you resigned in Dallas...yet you would have looked so good in a Kings uniform.

* How ironic - Marc Andre Cliche makes his NHL debut in Dallas. Cliche was acquired by the Kings in a deal with the Rangers for Sean Avery. Yes, the same Avery that was run out of Texas soon after signing a big money contract there a few years ago.

* There are few things in hockey that make me laugh as much as seeing the look on Marc Crawford's face when the Kings score against him. That vein in his forehead always looks like it's about to explode.

* According to the Stars Blog 'Defending Big D' their local tv coverage tonight was going to include a test of an overhead cable camera - similar to what they use in the NFL. Sounds interesting. Would like to see more views from there. Different angles usually add to the overall coverage. One more thing...every time I see the cable cams when watching football I'm reminded that the XFL came up with that idea. Has there ever been a bigger debacle in pro sports than the XFL? In case you didn't know, the LA franchise won the one and only season championship. Fun fact of the day.

* What was worse - having Team USA on the ice in Vancouver while Team Canada celebrated and received their gold medals...or making Michal Handzus sit there tonight and listen to Drew Doughty talk to Bob Miller about it? Seriously - Zues and the SlovaKings had an awesome tournament and came home with nothing to show for it. Such a bummer.

* There have been some reports that Jack Johnson was avoiding Drew Doughty and/or giving him a little bit of an attitude leading up to and during the Olympics. JMFJ disputes all of the reports. Still...it was somewhat interesting that Coach Terry Murray chose to pair them together tonight instead of playing them with their normal d-partners. Was Murray trying to send a message of solidarity now that the Olympics are over?

* With the Penguins acquiring Ponikarovsky they're out of the Ray Whitney sweepstakes. Will this help the Kings chances? A deal with Carolina that brings the Wizard and Gleason to LA would just be to awesome for words. More likely - Andy 'Ronald' McDonald, Paul 'Once a Duck, Always a Duck' Kariya or Raffi Torres. Ethan Moreau has been rumored for weeks, but you would think if that deal was getting done, it would be done already. Eric Belanger would just make too much sense...a center that wins face offs - something this team struggles with at times. Those are some of the forwards that are likely to get moved. Rumor is the Kings are looking for a defenseman too. Then again, with Dean's track record, he's probably going off the grid with any trades. It'll be a name out of left field.

Tomorrow will be fun...and there's not even a game!

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

Olympic Cloud Has Silver Lining

Vancouver, BC - A mere two weeks ago things looked awfully murky on the international hockey front. Sweden entered the games as the reigning Olympic champion, having won the gold at the 2006 games in Italy. Canada was the heavily favored team entering these games, while Finland and Russia felt they deserved to be included in any conversations about medals this time around.

On the outside looking in for most people were two teams far apart geographically - the U.S. and Slovakia.

With a team stocked full of current and former Kings, team Slovakia might have accomplished the most in this year's Olympic tournament - yet, left town with the least. They beat perennial powerhouse Russia, the defending champs from Sweden - plus, gave Canada and Finland all they could handle...falling just short in each game. Ziggy Palffy will now retire without a medal.

The other afterthought played on Sunday for the gold medal. Brian Burke, architect of the Anaheim Ducks 2007 Stanley Cup championship and current GM in Toronto, was tasked with building Team USA's roster for the games and he utilized a team of fellow NHL GM's - including the Kings Dean Lombardi - to complete the task. In every interview he uttered his now famous 'nobody is betting a dollar on us' statement, usually followed with something like 'but, we're coming to win the whole thing.' If nothing else, his team gave it a valiant effort...coming into the final game undefeated and having never trailed in a game.

Team Canada seemed to be a mess from the start. First, they needed overtime and a shootout to beat Switzerland. Then, the Sunday prior to the gold medal game - a week that seemed like a lifetime in the hockey world - they lost to the U.S. in somewhat embarrassing fashion...getting outplayed on every inch of the ice.

Somehow, that woke them up. Canada came back and destroyed a German team that was sadly over matched talent wise. When it came time for their next game with Russia, in-arena host Marc Denis told fans this was the most anticipated game in Canada since 1974. Somebody forgot to tell the Russian defenseman though because it was basically over before it started. After a day of rest on Thursday, Canada survived a scare by Slovakia on Friday to advance to the game they desperately craved - a rematch with the U.S., this time with gold on the line.

On the other side of the tournament ladder, Team USA was a methodical, workman like group. Never rattling, continually pushing forward towards their unlikely goal of gold. After handily dispatching of the Finish team in the semi-finals they looked more than ready for a rematch with the host country.

Sunday was a tight contest from the very beginning. You had to think the U.S. needed to score first - as much for their own confidence as to keep the mental pressure on the Canadian players and fans packed into the arena temporarily known as Canada Hockey Place.

It didn't happen. Canada was up 2-0 before the U.S. began to claw their way back into the game. A goal in the second period by Vancouver Canuck Ryan Kesler served notice to all that the U.S. wasn't going to pack their bags and head home without a fight.

Team Canada kept the pressure on throughout the third, while Ryan Miller didn't let anything past him in the U.S. net either. Just when all hope seemed lost, as timed ticked away on the clock to less than a minute left in the game...and with Miller on the bench...Zach Parise tied the score with about 30 seconds left in regulation.

The reaction at that point would most definitely depend on which side of the rivalry you were sitting. For Americans, pandemonium ensued. We're alive! For Canada, instant panic and concern. We're about to lose the gold medal!

Wednesday's game between Russia and Canada was supposed to be the Crosby and Ovechkin show. It never happened, with both players non factors in the outcome.

Sid the Kid wouldn't let the same thing happen again on Sunday. He scored 5-hole on Miller seven minutes into overtime to end the drama. Canada got what they HAD TO HAVE for the entire psyche of their country - the gold medal.

For the U.S., it was a well deserved silver medal in a year few picked them to be among the top three teams in the tournament.

You'll rarely see a group of people look so sad while receiving their medals. Someday soon they'll appreciate their silver. However, they were so close to perfection. So close to running the table. So close to beating Canada twice and skating off with the gold.

But, you know what they say about being close.

Silver will have to do for now...Sochi is only four years away.

The Mayorwww.twitter.com/Mayor119

For more Olympics coverage on MayorsManor - including some exclusive photos - simply type OLYMPICS in the search box near the top left corner of this page.