KINGS WATCH PARTY!!!
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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.triplcrown commented on Check out the new Reebok jerseys!
kms2 commented on The Kings' rank and file
kms2 commented on One down, one to go
After a very, very long drive, I am here in Vegas to cover Frozen Fury X at the MGM Grand.
Although I cannot provide a live commentary from the game tonight, I will be updating you with some videos I am currently putting together. So check about around gametime for my first one.
Believe it or not, there was a brutal storm driving in on the 15. Traffic was snarled oce I hit town, delaying me to the hotel by close to an hour. Traffic is always bad in Vegas, and you add rain to it, and forget it.
I went down to the morning skate, and was able to interview Bob Miller, Derek Armstrong and Jack Johnson. There was a good showing of Kings fans early this morning. And the players were able to shrug off any late night activities once practice started.
Poor Jack Johnson. To be underage and in Vegas. Kid can play with a bunch of grown men on the ice, but is stuck in the hotel room for Frozen Fury.
Saw Anze Kopitar, Scott Thornton and Ian Ian Laperriere grabbing some coffee at the Starbucks downstairs. This is my first time in Vegas for Frozen Fury, and I have barely ventured out of my room. I've been cutting together my first video all day, which is a quick synopsis of my road trip to Vegas.
I'm told it's a sellout for tonight, so I'm anxious to experience a packed house in the Garden Garden tonight. Kings and Avs fans are out in force, sporting their jerseys and egging each other on. The arena is really cool, compete with a hot tub that sits on the outside one side of the rink. I'm told there's some lovely ladies from a local radio station that will be in the tub.
Stay tuned...
Turns out, the two Kings games over in jolly Ol' England will be shown on the telly. However, instead of chugging a beer as you watch the game, you might want to consider a nice cup o' joe.
According to NHL.com, the game on the 29th will be shown at 9 a.m. (a.m. as in ahhhhhh, man!) on HDnet and on CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada" (More like Hockey Brunch in L.A.) The game on the 30th is also at 9 (That's right, 0900 hours, maggot!) on Versus.
Now, I have Versus, so the game on the 30th ain't a problem. But what am I going to do to watch the season opener? Unless my invitation, plane tickets and hotel room got lost in the mail, it looks like I'm out of luck. I doubt I'll be able to sell the wife on letting me head down to the local watering hole to watch the Kings beat the holy snot of of the Ducks. So, if you have any suggestions, by all means.
That was the good news...
Our friends over at HockeysFuture.com have released their newly updated prospect rankings for the Kings.
At 1 and 2 is Jack Johnson and Patrick O'Sullivan. Third is Jonathan Bernier, fourth is Brian Boyle and fifth is Lauri Tukonen.
The thing I wonder is why JMFJ and O'Sullivan are considered prospects? I honestly believe both men will make the Kings this season. At which point do they stop being prospects? According to HockeysFuture, both Jack and Patrick's ratings of 8 make them "players with definite skill that might be just a cut below elite status, but still possessing All-Star potential." Sounds good to me!
I took these pictures from the Kings Draft party. As far as I know, I was one of the few press people to actually photograph them up close. They were shown off later that night.
Several changes to the new jerseys: the striping is gone off the bottom of the jersey. Now the Los Angeles text just floats at the bottom of the jersey. The collar is different as well, coming to a point, rather than the old style. The jerseys were considerably lighter than the older ones, but still seemed sturdy enough to go onto battle on the ice. The mesh connecting the arms to the bottom may look like a lighter hue, but I assure you, it's not. Other than the lack of the bottom stripe, they look pretty much the same.
I wasn't too sure what to expect I was told they were at the party. I recalled seeing several people's proposed design ideas for the jerseys, so I dug upmine, and I have to say... I should go into the jersey design business.
Well, maybe not. I'm not overwhelmed by them. Actually, my next jersey will be a personalized Rob Blake Black throwback jersey.
The Kings locked up defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky for the long-term, inking a five-year contract.
This is a very prudent move by Dean Lombardi and the Kings, securing that Visnovsky remains a King for the foreseeable future. Visnovsky has been rock-solid for the Kings in his first six seasons. What he lacks in size, he more than makes up for in speed and offensive touch. He is the prototypical defenseman for the "new NHL."
The signing has left fans with a sense of urgency for Dino and the Kings to sign Michael Cammalleri for the long-term. Even though Cammalleri has filed for arbitration, it seems that both sides are willing to talk. However, there are other suitors who might be willing to inquire for his services, such as Edmonton or Buffalo. According to TSN, Edmonton G.M. Lowe might consider going after Cammalleri, now that his bid for Buffalo's Thomas Vanek fell through.
July 20th will be the first day of arbitration, if we make it that far. Some teams are starting to panic, not being prepared to deal with the mass exodus of players, such as the Sabres. I wouldn't be surprised to see Cammy given some attention from these clubs as time goes on. One thing in the Kings' favor is the old-school thinking that Cammalleri is undersized. But it's that exact reason that helps him succeed. If Lubo is the prototypical D-Man In the "new NHL," then Cammalleri could be the next gen of forwards.
In related news, the Kings' schedule for next season has been released. Teams from the Eastern Conference, such as the Senators, Canadiens and the Sabres will be coming into Staples Center. So, if Buffalo does pry Cammalleri from the Kings, at least we'll be able to see him this season.
The Kings continue to be movers and shakers in the third day of free agency, when they signed defenseman Brad Stuart to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million. Stuart's signing bolsters an already improved blueline from last season, with the addition of Tom Preissing. he also improves the Kings' power play, with a wicked cannon of a shot and a gift of making outlet passes.
Stuart was originally the third overall pick in 1998 by... wait for it... Dean Lombardi and the San Jose Sharks. He was eventually moved to Boston for future All-World center Joe Thornton. After he was dealt to the Flames last season, he didn't hit his stride until late in the year.
The trend that seems to be occuring is Lombardi signing guys who need to proof themselves. Nagy's one-year contract should spur him on to play for a new contract next season. If Stuart plays up to his potential, he could once again be among the top defensemen available next season. There's nothing like having players who play with chips on their shoulders.
Now the Kings have three decent defensive lines: Blake and Visnovsky, Stuart and Johnson, Preissing and Calder. Of course, Coach Crawford mixes up his lines on a nearly game-by-game basis, but that's it in a nutshell. According to Scott Burnside of ESPN.com, the Kings now have two of the top UFAs on defense, as well as two of the top free agent forwards available.
In other news, the Kings agreed to a two-year deal with Jason LaBarbera. This firms up my belief that L.A. will be going with a Cloutier/LaBarbera tandem going into training camp. Whoever comes out on top will have arguably the best defensive corps the team has had in a long time. Although fans may be delirious from the rapid-fire signings over the past two days, some may be disappointed that the Kings aren't trying to get a goalie as well.
But Dean has hinted all along that LaBarbera and Cloutier were going to be numbers 1 and 1A going into camp. Cloutier is believed to have gotten past his multitude of injuries, and LaBarbera is ready to prove he is capable of playing full-time in the NHL next season.
All in all, things just got a little more interesting in Hockeywood this week.
With all the grumbling on the Internet after Day One of the NHL free agency, you'd think Dean Lombardi was sitting at his desk, playing Mahjong, while other teams snapped up high-profile players and signing them to ungodly term lengths. All the talk of Dino being "the hardest-working GM" in the NHL must've been a smoke screen, right?
Turns out, "The Don" wasn't playing Majjong, but his own version of Stratego. He made offers to the big players during Day One, but was rebuffed, probably knowing those players weren't going to sign anyway. So as dawn struck on Day Two, so did Lombardi, snapping up four free agents and silencing the critics that he wasn't serious about building this team.
Michel Handzus, a hard-nosed center who missed most of last season with a torn ACL on his left knee, received a $16 million contract over four years. According to Lombardi in Monday's conference call, the knee injury wasn't a concern.
Left wing Ladislav Nagy signed a one year, $3.75 million deal. Basically, Lombardi is giving him a "trial" run, to see if the problems he's had in the past can stay there. Also, being teamed up with fellow Czech mates Handzus and Lubomir Visnovsky should help him keep his focus.
Winger Kyle Calder was signed for two years, $5.5 million. Lombardi likes the cut of his young man's jib, mostly because he plays that "Mike Ricci-type game" of hard-nosed, old-time hockey. Oddly, Calder and Handzus share a "seven degrees of separation" connection. Back in 2006, Calder was traded by the Chicago Blackhawks to the Philadelphia Flyers for... Michael Handzus. Small world, huh? Now, they're teammates.
Finally, the signing of defenseman Tom Preissing, who will fill in nicely on the second defensive line, probably opposite Lubo. There was some talk that the Kings are still in talks with defenseman Brad Stuart, but it's unlikely anything will be done before tomorrow.
All in all, not a bad day for the Los Angeles Kings. Dino basically shored up his defense and signed a full line of two-way players to improve this team's chances next season. It's also a prime example of "fiscal responsibilty." For essentially $13.25 million next season, the Kings signed four free agents, filling half of the holes of which Lombardi was quoted as saying. Plus, it allows for cap room next season, when Cammaleri needs to be re-upped.
For $14.4 million, the Rangers have Scott Gomez and Chris Drury under contract. Granted, those two are far greater, talent-wise, than the four players the Kings signed. Also, the Rangers are closer to being a competitive team next season, so it makes sense they take a gamble like that. But four solid players for less than two "star" players? Sounds responsible to me.
It's finally official! Defenseman Tom Preissing is now going to don the purple and black. The 28-year-old defenseman had 7 goals and 31 assists last year for the Senators. It's being reported as a four year deal, worth $11 million dollars.
ESPN columnist Scott Burnside has this to say about Preissing:
Preissing put up good numbers with 38 points and a whopping plus-40, which was tied for third in the NHL. Although he and Joe Corvo were a solid defensive pairing that jumped the depth chart on the Senators squad early in the playoffs, Senators GM Bryan Murray wasn't enamoured enough to want Preissing around long-term. In the deciding game of the Stanley Cup finals, Preissing played just 8:11. Still there will be many teams that will want Preissing to fill a hole as a third or fourth defenseman who can produce offensively.
Another youngster signed with lots of upside. This provides the Kings with some depth at defense, but there's always room for more. (cough cough, Brad Stuart, cough cough).
Karl "The Hitman" Alzner?
This according to NHL prospect website HockeysFuture.com, which came out with their draft analysis for the Kings this morning.
Continue reading "With the fourth pick, the Los Angeles Kings could select..." »
According to LAKings.com, Luc Robitaille has been appointed President of Business Operations. The website states that Luc will "focus directly on all business initiatives as it relates to the Kings and the integration of all communication vehicles to the Kings fan base."
Luc will be dealing with stuff like community outreach, fan development, fan/player relations, team events and player appearances, as well as overseeing the broadcasting crew and LAKings.com, the team's offical website. Recently, the website was relaunched as part of a league-wide mandate to integrate all the sites. Good thing too, because the old site was a bit hard to navigate, especially having to wait for the KINGS RULE splash page to clear the screen every single time you visted. Man, was that annoying to see. Especially after being out of contention for half the season.
But the new season brings new optimism to the franchise, who now has a new sheriff in charge of the day-to-day business operations of the team. Some fans are a bit wary of Luc's promotion, probably due to the bad taste left in their mouths due to Dave Taylor's reign as general manager. But this is entirely different.
First, the Kings brought back Rob Blake. Then, they brought back Jaroslav Modry. Now another familiar face will be returning to Staples Center.
It looks like the Kings will be getting a new mascot.
According to AEG, the team is looking for a 'mascot coordinator." Kingston, the old Kings mascot, got the boot when the team made the move from the Great Western Forum to the Staples Center. However, Kingston makes an appearance on every Kings logo, the Lion holding the stick at the bottom of the shield.
The shield was originally designed as the club's main logo from 1999 to 2002. In 2003, the club switched logos, using the crown as the primary, so the shield was relegated to the third jersey. 2003 was the season when the Kings led the league in man-games-lost. It has been jokingly speculated that the shield logo actually protected the players.
Now, I'm not one for superstitions, but I think Kingston was this team's guardian. Introduced during the Gretzky era, Kingston was an obvious attempt to reach the kids in the stands. But he was ridiculed by older fans, who felt that the only team in Southern California who should have a mascot should be the Disney-owned Ducks.
However, like him or not, he's coming back.
When Anze Kopitar appeared at Brnik Airport, it looked like an important politician had come for an official visit to Slovenia. Although he was half an hour late, a weary Kopitar was greeted by his family members and friends, as well as a throng of photographers and reporters.
“Right now I’m pretty tired after spending almost 30 hours in different airports," the 19-year-old was quoted as saying on a Slovenian website, after he warmly embraced his mother. "But everything will change on Sunday when the tournament will start.”
The tournament is the World Championships, which is set to get underway April 15 at Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The tournament is split into two divisions, Slovenia being in the lower bracket. Slovenia will match up against Great Britian, Japan, Luthuania, Romania, and Hungary.
"Our expectations are well known," Kopitar said about his team's mindset going into their first round matchup. "We all want to return to the A division. And we all know that our group isn’t as hard as the one with Kazakhstan."
Kazakhstan is in Group A, along with Estonia, China, France, Poland and the Netherlands. But whatever division Slovenia plays in, they have their work cut out for them. Kopitar stated that his team should not underestimate their opponents in the tournament.
“We are mistaken if we think that with my presence, everything will go smoothly," he said.
But Slovenia is betting that the budding NHL star will carry the team far, pairing Kopitar with some of the team's best skaters. According to Kopitar's father, Matjaž, Anze will be joined on the top scoring line by Tomaž Razingar and Ivo Jan. Razingar, 28, had 49 points (20 G, 29 A) for Acroni Jesenice in the Austrian League this season. The 32-year-old Jan has 747 points over his illustrious 16-year career, and will be playing in his tenth tournament for Slovenia.
At 19, Kopitar is the youngest player on the national team, but his success in the NHL this season has made him the face of the club. His face is on the cover of promotional posters for the tournament. But all his success still hasn't fazed the humble hockey player.
“I’m very, very pleased that I’m back home again," he said. "It was very special when we flew over my hometown Hrušica and the Karavanke mountains. In L.A., I’ve missed all the things that are in Slovenia: my family, friends, girlfriend.” He also mentioned that he was looking forward to some good, old-fashioned home cooking.
He then went on to recall the whirlwind of events that has happened to him since being drafted 11th overall by the Kings in the 2005 draft.
“Everything went pretty fast since the draft. The season in Sweden (when he played for Sodertalje SK in 2005) was over fast. But I can tell you that this year went by like crazy. I remember like it was yesterday: My arrival at training camp, how I made the Kings' team and especially my first game.”
His first official game was against the Anaheim Ducks, when he scored the first goal of the season for the Kings. He went on to score 19 more and wind up with 61 points on the year. As with his homeland team, Kopitar quickly became the new face for the Los Angeles Kings. He scored on premiere goaltenders like Martin Brodeur, Manny Fernandez and Tomas Vokoun. In the YoungStars game during All-Star weekend, a game that highlights NHL rookies, he had 5 points (2G, 3A) for the West, out-performing this year's apparent Calder winner, Evgeni Malkin in that game.
But the rigors of an 82-game season wore on the Kings' rookie, who is looking forward to a little leisure time this off-season.
“I’ll take some rest after this tournament for my body and also for my head," he said. "I didn’t expect to score so many points this season. The Kings are a very young team and we want to be a lot better next year."
(Thanks Milana from letsgokings.com for the translation!)
Most Valuable Player: Michael Cammalleri
Best newcomer: Anze Kopitar
Outstanding defenseman: Lubomir Visnovsky
Defensive player: Derek Armstrong
As voted by the Kings players:
Most Inspirational Player: Tom Kostopolous
Unsung hero: Tom Kostopolous
As selected by the Kings Care Foundation
Community service: Derek Armstrong
As selected by the Kings Booster Club
Most popular player: Anze Kopitar
So, the season isn't a total loss. According to TSN, the Los Angeles Kings and college phenom defenseman Jack Johnson has agreed to terms to a new contract.
If you have been living under a rock, Jack Johnson came to be in the Kings pipeline when Dean Lombardi sent Tim Gleason and Eric Belanger over to the Carolina Hurricanes for Oleg Tverdovsky and the rights to Johnson. He had been drafted third overall in 2005, the same draft as Sidney Crosby and Anze Kopitar. This season, Jack had 16 goals and 21 assists in 35 games for the Michigan Wolverines.
But even though he averaging a point a game this season for Michigan, that's not what has many fans excited. Jack is being touted as the "Next Big Thing" for Los Angeles. He can bang on the blueline, or take the puck and score. He's already the top defenseman prospect for the Kings, without even playing one game professionally. According to hockeysfuture.com, Jack is the fourth-highest rated prospect in the pros, behind Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, Atlanta's Kari Lehtonen and St. Louis' Erik Johnson.
Want to see what all the hullabaloo is about?
Jack Johnson is scheduled to make his Staples Center debut this Thursday against Vancouver.
According to TSN, The Kings will face the Ducks in a home-and-home series, Sept. 29-30, in London, England, in the state-of-the-art O2 Arena.
This will be the first time two non-Original Six teams will play games in Europe, and the first time the Kings will have opened their season outside the North American continent.
I would kill to go see this event. Maybe if I start collect cans or something. I'd love to see the Kings take on our hated rivals across the real pond in England. You know that Anze Kopitar's fan base in Slovenia will turn out in force.
It's been reported that Mattias Norstrom, long-time Kings and current captain has been dealt to the Dallas Stars. Apparently the Kings couldn't find Matty to let him known he was traded. It's being reported by the Los Angeles Times that Norstom and winger Konstantin Pushkarev have been traded to Dallas in seperate deals in exchange for former King Jaroslav Modry and a grip of picks. The Kings also received the rights to Johan Fransson. a 22-year-old defensive prospect from Sweden.
I'd like to wish Uncle Matty, as he was commonly refered to by fans, the best of luck with Dallas.
The news easily eclipsed the other trade talsk the Kings were involved with. Earlier, the Kings announced that they acquired a fifth-round draft pick from Tampa Bay in exchange for forward Jason Ward. Also, Brent Sopel was traded on Monday to the Canucks for a a fourth-round pick in 2008 and a second-round choice in either 2007 or 2008.
According to LAKings.com, veteran center Derek Armstrong received a two-year extension with the big club. Terms were not announced, but it's been suggested that it's probably around $1.9 million for the first year and $2.1 million for the second year.
Armstrong has been a solid contributor this season, and is currently the club's number one center with Alexander Frolov on his wing, with Anze Kopitar centering Michael Cammalleri and Dustin Brown.
I think this signing is good for the Kings, because Army is a servicable center capable of getting the puck to his linemates. This season, he has a career-high 30 assists, along with nine goals. He also leads the club with a plus/minus +16.
Will this scuttle the plans of bringing in some top-line talent for next year? Even though he's starting right now, he'd work well on any line and on the power play. Last season, he was tied for third on the club with seven power play goals. He's a hard worker, and he got what he deserved.
So today is the day that Luc Robitaille's jersey gets hoisted to the rafters of Staples Center. Technically, it's not really in the "rafters", but rather on the wall. But that doesn't sound very impressive. "Tonight, the Los Angeles Kings honored the greatest left winger of all time by putting his jersey... on the wall." Walls are for paintings, clocks, dart boards. Jerseys should hang in the middle of the arena. But this is a holdover from the Fabulous Forum, which doesn't make too much sense. There's nothing but room in the middle of Staples, minus the huge scoreboard.
But I digress. Luc's retirement ceremony has allowed sportswriters to wax poetic about the man, myth and legend. Here's a few that I found interesting:
First, Wes Goldstein from CBSSportsline.com wrote a nice piece on Luc's career, starting with how he got his nickname "Lucky."
"Tiger Williams started calling me that after (his first game)," recalled "Lucky Luc," who will have his No. 20 retired by the Kings on Saturday. "I was a kid, living in the biggest house at Marcel's (Dionne), driving his Mercedes and then I score a goal right away, so he thought I was lucky."
Sports Illustrated did a nice photo gallery spanning Luc's career over on SI.com, the hardest image is one of Luc hoisting the Stanley Cup... as a Red Wing.
At KingsRadio.net, over two hours of audio interviews with Luc and others talking about No. 20 can be heard. Jimmy Carson, Tom Webster, Pat Brisson, and Detroit play-by-play announcer Ken Kal are included. Also, Luc's most recent interview on KLAC with Money and Petros just yesterday.
TSN.ca has a nice write-up of Luc. In it, Luc recalls on some of the first celebrities he met:
"Chad Lowe came to see us after a game with his brother Rob," said Robitaille. "And Melissa Gilbert was with them. I was a big fan of Little House on the Prairie. She came in the dressing room with those guys, and she saw every guy walking around naked in the dressing room and I'll never forget, she stepped backward about five feet so fast. "We were like, 'Hey, that's the girl from Little House on the Prairie."
Someone uploaded a Luc retrospective over on YouTube.com from Fox Sports last season. Another notable entry was this photo flashback of Luc's career. Two nice bits of video that are a nice reminder of just how great Luc was.
According to reports, Dan Cloutier had season-ending surgery on his hip. Even though he ranked last in the NHL in save percentage and goals against average, it's still disheartening to see a player have his season, let alone his career, possibly end.
But then the news came down that Mathieu Garon was injured in the Kings loss to the Sharks Thursday. On Friday, it was announced that Garon would be placed on IR, and Kings prospect goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji from Manchester was brought up on an emergency basis. Garon, who was spotted wearing a splint on his right index finger at Meet The Players Tuesday, was asked how his injury was, he replied "Not well."
The news that the Kings are down to Barry Brust and Fukufuji made the news of Jason LaBarbera playing well just that much more frustrating. LaBarbera, who was sent down at the beginning of the NHL season, is having a stellar season for the Monarchs in the AHL. With 19 wins and 13 losses, Labs led the league in minutes played and number of saves made. On Jan. 9th, LaBarbera was tabbed to represent the Kings' farm club in the AHL All-Star team.
So now, the Kings are going into their three game road trip at St. Louis, Dallas and Atlanta with two relatively unproven goaltenders. Not that the Kings had a realistic chance of making the playoffs. Los Angeles is dead last in the West, allowing the most goals in the league. They are second to last in killing penalties. Things are not good for the immediate future for Kings fans.
At least, not at first glance. All hope is not lost. The arrival of Konstantin Pushkarev has been a pleasant surprise for Kings fans, where in three games, he already has a goal and an assist. He was put on the line of Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, and that line has clicked. Add to that the soild play of Alexander Frolov, Michael Cammallari and Lubomir Visnovsky, and you can see the pieces falling in place for this club. In the wings, we have Jack Johnson, who is still playing for Michigan but could join the big club sometime after March 16 at the very soonest.
Patrick O'Sullivan, who started the season up in Los Angeles, is having a good year for Manchester. He's currently ranked second in points for the Monarchs, and was also announced as an All-Star for the AHL. He was sent down for some more seasoning i the minors, and it seems to be doing him good.
So, we're getting a sneak peak at the future for the Los Angeles Kings a little sooner than expected. And even though I'm a little disheartened at all the big news that has come out today, I'm encouraged that we're giving some of these younger players a chance to see if they are indeed ready to play at the NHL level.
So, as everyone is L.A. knows, Anze Kopitar has quickly grabbed the majority of the attention of Kings fans. Since he's in a fierce battle with Evgeni Malkin for Rookie of the Year honors, stories are finally following one of the few bright spots for the Kings this season.
The Edmonton Sun reported that it was Anze's sheer determination that won him his spot on the opening day roster. The Edmonton Journal points out that not only is Anze putting up numbers on par with the highly-touted Malkin, but he's only 19 days older than Sidney Crosby.
Anze Nation is in full effect. In an informal poll, the top gift received by many Kings fans this Christmas was a Kopitar jersey. Kopitar has ignited a spark with many fans this season. I, for one, check to see how he does in the box score before I check the game score. I scoff aloud when I hear radio and TV announcers mispronounce his first name. I've gained a respect for the country of Slovenia, whose fans have trickled over online to follow their lone hockey prodigy.
This season may be a rebuilding one for the Kings, but if the returns given by Kopitar are any indication, Los Angeles will soon be focusing more on winning the division and going deep in the playoffs than on a player winning the Calder trophy.
According to Manchester's website, Patrick O'Sullivan scored a natural hat trick against the Toronto Marlies Saturday afternoon. It was O'Sully's first natural hat trick of his career. He had three hat tricks in his rookie season with the Houston Aeros last season. So far this season, Patrick has 11 points in 9 games. Let's hope PO gets the call in December.
Noah Clarke also had a good game on Saturday, scoring twice, after being sent down by the Kings Friday. Jason LaBarbera notched his first shutout of the season for the Monarchs.
The Kings first round pick, Jonathan Bernier, playing for the Lewiston Maineiacs picked up two wins this weekend against the Halifax Mooseheads. He allowed one goal in each game. Bernier leads the QMJHL with 15 wins.
The Kings' other first round pick, Trevor Lewis, has one goal and three assists for the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL.
In college, Michigan's Jack Johnson has been tearing it up for the Wolverines, with a point a game for Michigan (6 G, 5 A) and is a +17, leading his team. Boston College's Brian Boyle has has a point a game for the Eagles (6 G, 4 A). He scored a power play goal Saturday night against Northeastern.
This time in a more impressive list: The Forbes.com NHL Team Valuations.
Team Value $205 milThe Los Angeles Kings are owned by Philip Anschutz (Net Worth: $7.8 billion) and Edward Roski Jr (Net Worth: $1.8 billion), who bought them in 1995 for $113 mil.
Not a bad investment on Anschutz's part. Much better than the Playstation3 scam I was going to attempt this week. I decided I'd rather sleep in a bed than throw my back out sleeping in a banana chair waiting to buy a $700 toy that I would turn around and sell on eBay. If my butt is going to stay outside for three days, I'm keeping the damn thing!
Unfortunately, it's a list compiled by CBS Sportline.com's Wes Goldstein of the Tepid 10. The Kings have two players on this list:
4. Rob Blake, Los Angeles: Entertainment value is important in Los Angeles, and with the Kings in the initial stages of a major transition, they needed someone with marquee value who could help them maintain a little credibility. Blake was a star here in his first go-round and a force with the Avs, but at 36, he's no longer a player to rally around, especially with a $6 million price tag. His individual numbers are disappointing, and his overall impact on the struggling Kings has been virtually nil.
8. Dan Cloutier, Los Angeles: The Kings felt they needed a No. 1 goalie, and their new coach Marc Crawford had a history with Cloutier in Vancouver, so they traded for him. Of course Crawford knows that Cloutier was effectively run out of town by fans there who blamed him for most of the team's ills. So he shouldn't be surprised things haven't been much better down the West Coast. Cloutier has some really ugly numbers and basically has lost the starting job to Mathieu Garon.
According to lakings.com, rookie Patrick O'Sullivan, who was touted at the beginning of the season as one of the most NHL-ready rookies, has been reassigned to Manchester.
Although it was no surprise to many, I'm still a little disappointed that he got the hook so soon. The Kings are really not going to contend for the playoffs this season, so this move serves no purpose other than to clear a roster spot for Ayln MacCauley, who should be coming off the DL pretty soon.
With the emergence of Kopitar, O'Sullivan has been relegated to playing on the fourth line. Despite his lack of ice time, he ranks sixth on the team in shots. But since training camp, he hasn't impressed anyone with his play. Many times he seemed out of his element during games.
Let's hope that this doesn't mess with O'Sullivan's head, seeing how the Kings traded their one offensive star, Pavol Demitra, to acquire him.
This image was captured from Fox Sports.
Anze is showing why so many Kings fans are excited. In this clip, Kopitar knocks in a goal, on an airborne puck. It's pretty impressive. Check out the slo-mo replay. You can see that he had the presense of mind to wait until the puck was waist-high before knocking it in.
The funny thing about this clip is the interview with Jim Fox later on. Fox looks like a member of the Lollipop Guild standing next to Anze. Keep in mind, Kopitar is standing on skates, but still....
"So Anze, what do you think of the flying monkeys' chances in the third period?"
Actually, I've got nothing but love for Jimmy Fox. His insight during Kings games is far more entertaining that trying to listen to Mychal Thompson wax poetic on Laker broadcasts. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum. Jim Fox is the Southland's most underappreciated color commentator, and you can take that to the bank.
(Think that's enough brown-nosing to placate Fox, so he doesn't pummel me the next time he sees me?)
One last note: just in case all three of my readers aren't doing anything after Sunday's game against the Ducks, the Kings are holding their third annual Freeze The Disease Pro/Celeb game, benefiting children and young adults suffering from cystic fibrosis. One of the highlights is bound to be hockey legend Gordie Howe, who will be behind the bench as a special guest coach.
For more information about this event, you can call call (818) 353-8687 or visit the website http://www.freezethedisease.org/
Duh. Not surprising there. According to ESPN.com, L.A., Chicago and Colorado have played to small crowds this year. The announced crowd for the Kings last Thursday was 14,167.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Hawks had 8,008 fans show up... in the 20,500 seat United Center. The Denver Post reported the Avs broke their streak of 487 consecutive home sellouts on Monday, when they came up a little over 300 at the turnstiles. That streak started back in 1995!
Bettman was quoted in the L.A. Times, saying not to worry. Two to three weeks into the season is nothing to get worried about. Well Mr. Bettman, I would have to disagree with you. You better pray that attendance improves, or else you are going to find out that even though the fans came back last season, they aren't stupid.
Even though hockey in SoCal is treated with as much respect as lawn bowling and beer league softball games, there aren't any other fans more rabid than Kings fans. How else could the team almost sell out their season tickets allotment? But the tide is slowly turning. Fans will voice their displeasure by just not going. And all the Luc Retirement Ceremonies in the world won't change that.
Now is the perfect time to panic, because the second-largest market will be without a competitive team. The Ducks don't count, because they are in Orange County. They might as well be in Montana, because TV stations and newspapers in Los Angeles really don't care about anything on the other side of the Orange Curtain.
Pretty standard questions, considering it's a chat room interview. You can view this here.
One cool thing was how he signed off.
Got to run to practice, everyone. Thanks, it's been a pleasure. Go Blue, go Kings.
It's nice to know we actually have some kids who are anxious to play in L.A. Johnson has been on record, saying that he's looking forward to playing with Blake. Maybe we'll get a peek at him toward the end of the season.
What do you expect? This is a rebuilding team, and L.A.'s finicky fans won't tolerate a loser. The announced crowd was 14,167, but there was less than that.
When Bettman decided on this lame plan, did he take into consideration that fans really don't want to see so many divisional contests during the season? I like going to the occasional Kings-Ducks game, but I'd rather go see clubs that have history behind them. How many times can I get excited about going to a Sharks/Kings tilt?
L.A.'s fans have far too much entertainment competing for their dollars than other regions. And even though the Kings' season ticket holders are at 90%, how many of those were just for the Luc retirement game?
Mark my words, 14,167 won't be the smallest home crowd for long.
...in a few years.
So Dean Lombardi has done it again, by trading Tim Gleason and Eric Belanger to the Hurricanes for Oleg Tverdovsky and super defensive prospect Jack Johnson. Johnson is rated by hockeysfuture.com as the third overall best prospect currently. This is a tremendous deal, but will not affect the Kings' chances of making the playoffs this season. In fact, it may decrease it some. But, you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs.
However, I think Deano has been looking over my shoulder when I play my EA 2004 game. You see, in this game for the Playstation2, you can run a franchise for 20 seasons in the game. You can pick a team, draft the roster and run the team, it's quite in-depth. So much so that I haven't finished it. (I've just finished year 19, with my pernnenial winger, Ilya Kovalchuk, 30 points away from Wayne Gretzky's actual all-time scoring record.) During the course of the game, you have to deal with keeping your salary low while keeping butts in the seats. It was a tough thing to do, until I read a stategy that makes it super easy to stay young while winning Cups.
You just keep track of who was the number one pick the previous year, and remember who drafted him. Then, when the season starts, you offer that team some crappy player and a draft pick in exchange for their number one pick. Rookies are usually rated low when they enter the league, so it's easy pickings. The game's AI is stupid, so it'll trade if the ability levels are the same. Hey, it's a video game... there's always a glitch.
This same thinking has allowed Lombardi to cherry pick two highly-touted prospects this preseason, first with Patrick O'Sullivan, drafted #56th overall by the Wild, and now Johnson, drafted third overall in the Crosby draft of 2005. The Hurricanes get immediate help on their blue line with Gleason, since several 'Cane D-men are shelved with injuries. And the Kings get a young defenseman who, according to Deano himself, should finish the season in Michigan and be in a Kings uni by the end of the season!
The loss of Eric Belanger opens up a spot of Kopitar, who has had a great preseason, and the Kings get a vet on defense who's good on the offensive side. As far as I can see, L.A. has Kopitar and O'Sullivan penciled in for the big roster. When was the last time the Kings had a top C prospect, top LW prospect, top D prospect, and a top G prospect in their farm system? Never. Dean clearly has a long-range plan for the club. This season may be a lost cause, but look out in the near future.
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