Matt Murray has been a Kings fan since the late '80s, when Wayne Gretzky grabbed headlines by defecting to the West Coast. Since then, he has been a card-carrying bandwagon member as the club soared in popularity with their sole Stanley Cup appearance to their position near the bottom of the Pacific. But things are looking brighter, as he is anxious to witness the rise of the new Kings.
Sean Avery: A Tale of Two Players
First period, he sprays Jose Theodore with a mound of ice and he gets called for a penalty. The penalty leads to a two-goal spurt by Colorado to take the lead.
Later, he scores a short-hander on a give-and-go from Frolov to help lift the Kings.
In the third, he scores a goal to put the Kings up for good.
Avery is truly the Kings' version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. We've been treated to many Avery meltdowns the past two seasons. Tonight, against the Avs, he proved to be a cataylst, not a distraction, for the Kings. This is the Sean Avery we need to see more of. He was everywhere: playing on the penalty kill, the power play, crashing the net and creating havoc in front of the net.
In an ESPN.com story, Avery told David Amber that his career is currently in a "transformation":
It might take a whole season to change how things go. It's frustrating. At times, I want to go back to some of the old things I used to do that got me in trouble with the refs, but you have to be careful and remember it's not worth it in the long run.
Many fans are already calling for his head. Has all his antics the past two seasons with L.A. been enough? If he plays more like he did last night, I think Avery may turn out to be a great player for the Kings.
