Lombardi quotes
Here's the transcript of the conference call that Dean Lombardi held with local reporters tonight. In it, he covers the Bernier situation, the Murray situation and the Kings' early-season struggles...
Q: Can you share a little about the conversation you had with Bernier today?
LOMBARDI: I met with him this morning and I told him what we were going to do. Whenever you're dealing with young players, and I've always believed this, the communication and the message, when they get sent down to the minors or junior, is critical. So I told him this morning... I think at the time, it was an emotional time for him. I told him to go see his teammates, to go through the emotional roller coaster and come back at 5 (p.m.) and meet with Ron Hextall and Billy Ranford and I. We met with him and went over how proud we are of him and how much he has accomplished. He's way ahead of schedule. Billy went over the four things we think he needs to work on, to stay focused and try to get better.
This is, in no way, an indictment of how he has played. Like I said, he went beyond our expectations. There's no way that we anticipated him going this far. We thought, when he came in, that he would get half an exhibition game, but obviously he continued to play well and showed enormous potential. We feel that the best way to ensure he realizes it, though, is to take it a step at a time and go back to junior. So that's basically it, in a nutshell. The meeting was a lot longer, but like I said, it's important that he understands where we're coming from and also what we expect of him now, going forward.
Q: You could have waited nine games before sending him down. Why did you choose now?
LOMBARDI: I struggled with this right from the beginning. It almost bordered on a moral dilemma. I think there's the
question of what's best for Jon. Most people know me enough, and how I feel about development, that is has to be taken a step at a time. I think I've made clear that I'm not big into hype for young players. So I was cautious at the beginning even, and like I said, I had to ask myself too, what's best for him and the franchise? I can remember a dilemma I had in San Jose my last year, when we were struggling to make the playoffs and I could have gone one of two ways. I could have traded draft picks just to try to make the playoffs that year, or do the right thing and actually load up on picks, and those picks turned into guys like (Steve) Bernier, (Milan) Michalek and (Matt) Carle. That was the right thing to do. At the time, it might not have looked that way, but that's how I feel about this. It's a tough decision, but I think it's the best thing for the franchise in the long run.
And I think, like I said, it's a very tough position to play. My experience with Nabokov and Kiprusoff and Toskala, you just have to be careful. And we're starting to put together now, with Jack Johnson coming in and Kopitar last year, there's nothing wrong with another piece maybe coming in down the road. That's how it's built. So it wasn't easy, but on the other hand, once you realize what you thought was best for the franchise, it was kind of easy. The only risk in this, as we told Jon, is that what happens sometimes with kids, particularly ones that do well, they'll go back and they'll struggle for a month because they're not focused or it's such a big letdown. I don't think Jon is like that. Last year, he didn't make that World Junior team, which was a huge setback for him. And he went right back and worked his butt off and took his team and went 16-1 in the Memorial Cup and just kept on going.
So it's a little setback for him, in his own mind. But we conveyed to him that it wasn't. `Look how much, how fast, you've come. To play in England, to have played at this level and played well.' So again, as a young man he probably doesn't look at it that way, but we're looking at it and saying, `Wow, we might have something here.' But you've got to do the right thing.
Q: Which specifically about this situation made you decide it wasn't working? Was he just not getting enough support from the defense or was it something you saw in his game?
LOMBARDI: Part of being a goaltender, and I guess you could say it with any athlete, but goaltending success... Other than a quarterback or a pitcher, the emotional toughness with the position is probably second to none. I think that's why a lot of young goaltenders have failed. You can't overlook the maturity factor, and being able to deal with the ups and downs and having, at some point, to carry a team. That is an enormous responsibility that he's going to have to do some day. I think that's why you see so many young goaltenders fail. They might, athletically, be capable of it, but the mental part of that game is incredibly...
I think, to me, that's why Ron Hextall was so successful. Everyone knows that mental makeup, that mental toughness, as much as his athleticism, made him great. Same with Billy Ranford. Both of those guys were Conn Smythe Trophy winners, not only because of their athleticism but because of their mental toughness. I just think you can't push that too fast. I know it may be a nebulous thing, but again, why risk it at this stage of the kid's career? And why risk it for the franchise? It just didn't make sense when you add it up. I think the experience for him was great. I mean, he got more experience than we anticipated. Like I said, knowing the way the kid came back from the World Juniors (experience), I think it's going to be tough at the beginning but I think he's going to come back and continue on with a vengeance. He's a pretty special kid.
Q: Did you anticipate the team being in the situation that it's in at this stage?
LOMBARDI: No. I think we all felt that we were going to be better than this. I don't think there's one person (in the front office) or downstairs who thought that we would be in this situation, but we didn't have any legs here. It's been one of the issues, the way we've come out from the beginning. There's not a lot of juice there, for whatever reason, and it's something that we're going to have to figure out here. We put ourselves in a hole. When you bring in a lot of new players, on a team that's searching for an identity, and you get off to this kind of start, it's certainly not a great recipe, but we're going to have to find a way through it. It starts in the (dressing) room. You can throw out all the cliches, but I don't think there's one guy in there who thinks we're playing up to our level.
Q: Following up on that, I was wondering if you could respond to something Crawford said this morning. He said, `We protected Jonathan Bernier and we protected Brady Murray from an environment that's not conducive for younger players.' How do you respond to that?
LOMBARDI: I don't know if this is what he's getting at... I don't think that's in Brady's case. We went over Brady this afternoon. There are some things that we want to tighten up on Brady. We went over some of his film and he was good, he understands where he was short and what he's got to work on. I think he realizes too, with the European game that he was playing there (in Switzerland), that he's going to have to tighten some things up. The kid is a real driven kid and I would expect him to embrace this. He was good and he understood. He said something to the effect of, `With the big rink, it's different and I've got to be better in these areas.' So in Brady's case, I don't think that was the case at all. In Jon's case, I think one of the things (Crawford) might be alluding to is, because we have not played well, I think the tendency is, when you see seven goals, is to look at the goaltending. I don't think, when you look at the goals, that you pin it on Jon. But I think the tendency is, sometimes, to do that, and it's not fair, particularly to him as a 19 year old.
So to put that burden... And this is what we told Jon. At some point in his career, and this is what the great goalies do, they put a team on their back. Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, the great ones... Hexy did it. `Here we go, the team is flat. Just get me one (goal) boys and I'll get it done.' At some point, you're going to expect your No. 1 goalie to do that, and hopefully Jon is the guy. But I don't think that's fair to him right now. I don't think anybody does. So I don't know if Marc's alluding to, in Jon's case, to expect him to put a team on his back, that has not found its legs for whatever reason, that part is not conducive for any player. I don't think that is fair. So if that's what he meant, I concur. The one thing to know is, as far as the room, there's not any fracture in the room, so to speak. I don't think there's a lack of character, so to speak, or guys that are bad influences. I think it's more that it's not fair to put it on Jon's back.
Q: How concerned are you about the play of some of the offseason acquisitions?
LOMBARDI: I'm not concerned about them. I'm concerned about who has been going. A couple guys. If you look at it, just on reaction without even going back to the tape, you get a feel. You say, `OK, who was going tonight? Who was playing up to their potential?' Two or three guys. So it's not only the new guys. It's some of our guys who are established. It's almost across the board, other than two or three players. You can go right down the line. And this is what I said before. One of the things with free agency, when you have to be that active, it means you have a lot of holes. Ultimately, when you're a really good team, you're only looking to fill one or two holes. But part of it is -- and I don't think it's the case until they get their legs under them -- is chemistry and guys finding their roles and getting to like each other. There's maybe a little of that, but I don't think that can explain the lack of legs, for lack of a better term.
Q: At this point you believe it's legs, rather than heart?
LOMBARDI: Yeah. I don't know... I mean, I'm not prepared to say that guys don't care. I'm not prepared to say that. I think when you talk about lack of heart, it's a part of lack of caring, and I'm not prepared -- there's caring and there's competitiveness -- and I'm not prepared to say that at this point. From what I've seen and felt around there so far, I don't sense a lack of caring.
This terrible excuse for a G.M. is not only in DENIAL. BUt he's also clueless as to what needs to be done to improve this team.
I got to admit, I was once optimistic about his hiring. After acquiring O'Sullivan & Johnson, I felt the team was headed in the right direction.
But then he blew the money he saved in the Pavel Demitra trade only to spend on that worthless captain of ours. After that things went downhill.
Hasn't anybody but me noticed that he is surrounding this team with ex-shark and ex-flyer players. It's as though he feels sympathy or style of loyalty to them. I'm talking about ex-shark Alyn McCauley & Scott Thornton. They might have been good 10 years ago when he was G.M. there. But they Suck now. In addition he signs Brad Stuart another ex-shark.
After San Jose fires him (I wonder why), He gate a job as a scout for the Flyers, which would explain Kyle calder & Michael Handzus. The way he brags about Handzus, you might guess that they once shared a room together. Or maybe he did it to keep Ron Hextall happy. Who happens to be an ex-flyer, and now he's mysteriously Lombardi's assistant G.M.
This kind of team management is to only unacceptable but also unprofessional.
He's filled up our salary cap with average players, injured players, and no talent players.
I wonder if ownership has caught to this travesty yet.
The above take is very interesting
rich, is there some kind of spam filter to make it so we can't see anthony's posts?
im glad lombardi decided to send him down, it will pay off in the long run.
And I thought I was the only one!
I think the Kings made the right decisions on Bernier and Murray. The young guys have to be able to develop in their own time. Look at Cammalleri and Brown pre- and post-lock-out. Look how Frolov has improved each year. Look how O'Sullivan is evolving.
My question: is Crawford's "system" sound or are the players just not making it work or some of both? There doesn't seem to be much cohesion to the teams play.
An observation: last year and this year the Kings' strength was supposed to be "a solid veteran group of defensemen". What's the deal? Blake and Visnovsky are the same. Stuart, Preissing and Modry replaced Norstrom, Miller and Sopel. If it wasn't for Jack Johnson this would be a pretty disheartening development.
Now Dean, I don't feel like Anthony does. I feel as if I understand your plan. You made some mistakes, but you admitted them. I can deal with that. Lots of GM's make mistakes. Good GM's FIX them. Great GM's don't wait to FIX them.
Remember, you have a guy down the freeway from you that basically started from scratch like you and at about the same time:
He's already won a cup.
He did it with LESS talent in the talent pool than we had to start with.
He got a no BS coach who DEMANDS accountability and toughness from his players.
He created a 'TEAM' concept that went from ownership to the equipment trainers, one focus, one goal.
He spent the money necessary to get talent to match the 'TEAM' focus and demanded they play tough.
Are you getting the picture? No matter what your front office/organization thinks of you, our rivals won the freaking CUP and we had a head start on the road to it!!! This hurt us DEEPLY! Anyone else but them. The fans of this team are sick of this year after year, especially when our rivals SHOW us it is entirely possible IN ONE YEAR!
Dean, I personally appreciate your openness with the fans. If you are not prepared to call your employees out....quit now. That is what a boss does. Burke did it more than once. Carlyle did it more than once.
WRITE THESE DOWN!
- We want a TOUGH team.
- We want a TOUGH coach.
- We want a TOUGH GM.
I'm sure you see the similarity in each point. You will be measured by the Ducks achievement for the rest of your career with the Kings from this moment forward. Everything you do will be measured against what Burke did in one year. THAT is YOUR challenge. I personally believe you can do it, BUT you're gonna have to get serious and drop the hammer on some people NOW! Clean house. Make it hurt. You have got to show the organization, the fans and the NHL that YOU MEAN BUSINESS! If you can't do this, respectfully resign. Again, I believe you can do this or I'd be asking for your firing.
If you need me to propose this in person, contact me. You are the type of person who will. I've put my e-mail link in this message. I'll make an appointment.
Crawford is the problem, period. This team isn't motivated and that's the responsibility of the coach. Look at AM's teams over the years...depleted with injuries, but always came to play. Win or lose, they competed and they PLAYED HARD. Have not seen that in a Kings teams since Murray was fired. I watched the Sabre/Leaf game tonight. Wow, our team shouldn't even be competing in the NHL when you look around the league. Fire Crow and get someone in here to wake these boys up!
The e-mail didn't take, so here it is:
paincorp@yahoo.com
I'm scrolling down reading the article and I come to the top of the comment section. In the very first sentence I see, "terrible excuse" and "DENIAL" and I think to myself, it has to be Anthony. Sure enough, LMAO!
I'm not so worried about whom the Kings signed or did not sign, or how the money was spent. I am more concerened about the EFFORT on the ice. What I've seen so far is unacceptable. It's almost as if the PLAYERS DON'T CARE. If they don't care to put in a better effort, put up some fight, and at least do the SIMPLE FUNDAMENTAL THINGS that an NHL player is supposed to be able to do, I will not only NOT BUY TICKETS, but I may not ever watch this incredibly PITIFUL HOCKEY CLUB on television any more.
I give it another 1-2 weeks. After that, I give up my Kings allegiance, which spans about 40 years now.
Yeah, I'm learning to spot Anthony's comments before I find his name too.
Paincorp, dude, sign me up.
Paincorp, you are right on target! He shoots, he scores!
Anthony,
Blake (who is grossly overpaid, I agree), McCauley (bought out), Thornton, Willsie, Modry and Aubin are fillers. I betcha none of them are on the team next year and most of them might not make it with the Kings to the end of this season. Also, trading for and extending Cloutier was definitely a bad move.
Stuart and Nagy are like 'reverse' rental players. Both will probably be traded by the deadline, but maybe either one could prove worthy of keeping for the long term.
Handzus and Preissing, each with four year contracts, along with Visnovsky, five year extension after this year, form a veteran group. Armstrong and Calder, two years each, supplement them.
Most of the rest of the roster is made up of good young players and solid prospects. Check out the website hockeysfuture.com. The Kings have the NUMBER ONE rated list of prospects in the NHL.
So, why are you obsessed with bashing Lombardi and Hextall? Building a good team takes time. The loud thud that was the collapse of the last two months of the 2005-06 season wasn't just a temporary setback. The Kings needed to be pretty much blown up and rebuilt. That's what is happening. It will work. Relax.
thank goodness that there are some King's fans who are able to examine the "game" from an objective standpoint and are able to appreciate a franchise that believes that "buying" a Cup is not the same as "winning" a Cup. I suspect that those who are making comparisons to the Ducks, have personal vendettas against DL and Craw, and display the patience of a 15 year old about to get his first BJ, have limited experience with a "team" setting and even less with the intricacies of the game of hockey. Those of us who have followed this team through thick and thin, triumph and tragedy (mostly the latter), only want to see a competitive product on the ice. A team that we can be proud of and defend and cheer for even if they struggle. Although it is frustrating at times, having experienced many worse coaches (anyone remember Ftorek or Webster?) and an owner who wouldn't spend a dime on talent unless it could shoot a basketball, this is an improvement, and I am going to be patient and see what transpires. Sure I'll continue to be frustrated and second guess line changes, scratches, effort , and player moves, but ultimately I am a King's fan and always will be.
Those of you who can't handle the "process," hit the 405 and stop bitching. We don't need fans like you.
I think being a Kings fan is bad for you health.
I don't mind DL signing a bunch of ex-sharks and Flyers. This team is rebuilding and he's not trying to win the Cup this year. Instead, he acquiring guys that he KNOWS have character (i.e. he knows what he's getting in these players).
I am happy that we finally have a GM who is willing to stick to his guns and not trade our future for the quick fix. If DL makes a panic trade after only 6 games, he will contradict everything he's said earlier.
As far as the ducks go, certainly, Burke did a heck of a job. But, let's not forget without SCOTT NEIDERMEYER the quacks do NOT win the Cup. SN was acquired prior to the lockout (you know, when Kings ownership was talking about how GREAT A POSITION the Kings would be in after the lockout for not spending money on top talent UFA's like Neidermeyer). Not only are the Kings worse than ever, but the quacks went on to add Chris Pronger.
DL took over an organization that had been run to the ground by ownership. We've finally got a true hockey GM in Lombardi who is willing to go through the tough times so that we compete for the Stanley Cup as opposed to just HOPING to make the playoffs (much less make it past the first round).
Hats off to DL for putting the future of the franchise in front of saving his own behind (at least in the impatient fans' eyes).
come on, people. who honestly expected a cup winner this year? yeah, it's disappointing, but we were third-to-last last season. if we start this way next year, be concerned.
however, there are concerns. we truly need a shutdown defenseman; forget how many points he has! norstrom and miller were glue guys who kept the D together, and we are missing matty dearly right now. other than that...
chemistry is tossed around a lot, but it's true here. so many new guys, we DO need time to gel, and the mixture of inexperienced and new kings is showing.
give it time; we'll be more respectable over the rest of the year. until our team really comes together and reaches Cup potential (AKA the next 3 or 4 years), we can be patient. we're kings fans, right?
I think it is fair comment to compare the job Lombardi has done with what Burke has done. You can not deny that everything that Burke has touched has turned to gold wheras everything lombardi has touched has turned to crap.
I like what Lombardi has done with the young players, but remember the likes of Kopitar and Frolov and Cammy were all drafted by Dave Taylor. And his FA's signing have been absolute garbage. No a single one has panned out.
Dean we need a goalie and a coach - we will see how he does
Thanks Steve. You seem to have figured him out too. But don't force Lombardi's hand this way.
He's liable to sign Sandis Ozolinch and Alexander Mogilny for $6 Million each.
Regarding the comment above about "buying the Cup" not being the same as "winning a Cup": I'd be perfectly happy if the Kings went out and "bought" the Cup. Funny that many of the organizations accused of "buying" a championship (prime example being the NY Yankees) actually DO win championships. If the OC quacks can buy one, why can't we?
I can't believe it's because we don't want to...
Ownership is the real problem here. Lewieke might even be a ducks fan. Seriously, this guy can care less about the team. He's just in it for the money that hopeless Kings fans keeps shelling out. Win or lose, we're always in the stadium.
two things I would like to hear a little bit more on are 1) what's his views on how crawford is doing. 2) how does bernier's call up situation work? I hear emergency, but can someone put some clarification into that? Also, does the 10 game rule still go itno play?
Paincorp, didn't Lombardi already clean house but firing everyone but Jim and Bob??
Crawford can take a team that has jelled and are together as a team and bring them to the promised land (Avs) but NOT a team that is rebuilding.
Crawford is almost a carbon copy of Andy Murray, Lombardi should have just hired Murray back if that was what he wanted as a coach.
that worthless captain of ours.
Like it or not, some player personel moves are done to acquire familiar-to-the-casual-fan names for marketing reasons.
Hasn't anybody but me noticed that he is surrounding this team with ex-shark and ex-flyer players.
Be thankful he could even get them. LA is a pariah in the NHL due to the travel schedule and the whiny, clueless fans.
I wonder if ownership has caught to this travesty yet.
LA Live construction is on schedule and under budget.
The Nokia Theatre opens soon.
There, I've just told you all the news from LA that Phil Anshutz cares about.
I'm a pretty mellow guy and do my best not to pass judgment on others, but I think that I've finally been driven to the point of hatred for Anthony... It's pretty sad when he obviously refreshes this site all day long just to be the first to rip apart every topic.
Anthony, you act like all of Lombardi's UFA signings this summer were for 10 year contracts with a No Trade clause...
Step out of your little box for one second and try to think of the long term for this team. Look at contract lengths and try to see the big picture. Do you think that blowing our wad on 1 big name this summer would have really made the difference for this team? If not...what the hell did you expect Lombardi to do this off season? Do us all a favor and find a team that is winning NOW....Minnesota would probably work for you.
Your rants are repetitive and annoying. Until you have something new to say, for God's sake...PLEASE STOP!
I hope the Kings win one soon. The dialogue on this board is getting downright stupid. If you put things into context it's really not time to freak out yet. And if you're that freaked out, you should jump off and come back to the bandwagon in a few years. Many of us have seen years of real bad Kings hockey, and this doesn't even come close. Enjoy the process, or if you don't then go enjoy some other hobby.
PS. The Ducks didn't magically win the cup in one year. That is absurd.
I disagree with your assessment of Burke vs Lombardi. Burke will be the first to admit he inherited a highly talented team, (including the farm system) and that he lucked out in getting Scott Neidermayer due to his brother already being on the team. He had tons more to work with including an MVP PLAYOFF GOALIE. DL basically started with 3 talented forwards and a rookie he didn't expect to make the team, and as he put it, a giant Black Hole. Burke mearly had a few pot hole that needed filling.
for the record--robbie ftorek was a pretty damn good coach.
I call 'BS' on anyone who tells me that Crawford is a clone of Murray. No friggin way is that the case. Murray's teams showed determination and resilience (sp?)....not this team, not last years team. NO WAY.
Crawford is not a carbon copy of Andy Murray. Murray took the Kings far as he could, which isn't saying much. I guess everyone forgets about Crow taking a young Nordiques team and making them a consistent playoff team, then with the acquisition of Roy that Avalanche team was unbeatable. He did the same with Vancouver helping them with their youth movement and also making them consistent playoff winners. Keep in mind that Crow is the only Coach to coach the Kings that has won a Cup ring and last year got nothing but praise from the best Coach ever in the NHL...Scotty Bowman. It's not the Coach here fellas, its the players that aren't on the same page.
"Crawford is almost a carbon copy of Andy Murray, Lombardi should have just hired Murray back if that was what he wanted as a coach. "
I couldn't disagree more Golfnut. Murray made people earn ice time. As seen with Crawford and Cloutier last year, he gives it to the veterans and doesn't sit anyone that's been in the league any amount of time it seems.
As I stated in another thread, Murray even sat Luc Robitaille a few games, and if anyone's past has earned ice, it was Luc. But he wasn't doing the job NOW so Murray sat him to give him a message.
I wish Crawford would take a page out of that book.
I really hope that the Kings turn it around pretty soon...if anything just to stop stupid people from posting stupid things on this awesome site.
Rich and Matt, thank you for your hard work and dedication to this site. It truly is above and beyond anything else.
Hey i liked Webster, he had great aim when it came to trowing Sticks at refs and other people lol. But really i know its a process to win, i think i was just shocked like most that it hasnt been closer is all, hell losing i dont mind but the way we have lost is just said, pulling stats that are 20 to 30 years old about how bad we are doing just kind of takes you by surprize is all.
Anthony,
Your Lombardi bashing is a tired act. Put it to bed.
As far as comparing DL to Burke I'm not sure that that is fair. Burke had guys like Selanne, Neidermayer, and Pronger (to a certain extent) fall into his lap. Lombardi has had Blake, Thornton, and Cloutier fall in to his lap.
That said, I watched the Wings/ Ducks game last night and it seems the thing that both of those teams have in spades, that we lack, is "Team Toughness."
The Kings have no grit. None of our players like to get dirty and work for the goals. The Wings and Ducks battled for every single puck. The Ducks and Wings skilled players (Getzlaf, Perry/ Zetterberg, Holmstrom) like to muck it up as much as guys like May and Moen. They are fiery competitors.
Furthermore, we don't have any defensive defensemen. Nobody that can lay a hit or stand up for a teammate. Stuart, Preissing, and Modry (somewhat) are Lubo clones -- Offensive D-men, with a good shot, who like to skate out the puck.
Burke said that when he was building the Ducks he didn't try to build a one-dimensional team. A team that was offensively gifted or defensive minded or just a group of goons. He said that he wanted a team that could beat all of these types of hockey clubs. He succeeded.
The King's unfortunately, are one-dimensional and are paying the price.
Those of you talking about what a great job Burke did in just 1 year seem to forget that the youth (Getzlaf, Penner, Kunitz, etc) that was a big help in their run to the Cup was already there when he took over. Granted he did a great job with the Federov trade but Pronger just kind of fell in his lap. Who saw that deal coming after his year in Edmonton and their run to the finals?
I believe that it's not about this year or even next year. The Kings are taking the slow route and want to have a team that can compete in place just in time to take advantage of the new 'LA Live' mall that is going up now. Why waste money on a decent goalie or free agent (or even Bernier) when it will screw up the chances for another high draft pick come July? The team is content to lose and be in last place for at least another 2 years. Get used to it.
Anthony-
Are you naive or starved for attention?
Your comments suggest both!
Kings have no leadership. blake does should not be the captain. this team needs someone to light a fire under there asses. This team needs a Mark Messier or a Steve Yzerman. I think we are going to have to wait and develop a guy like this. WE HAVE NO CONFIDENCE!
Crawford needs to be fired. The team looks flat and indifferent. No one's going after pucks, pounding the bodies, bringing the puck in the opponent's end, playing tough and desperate defense. This team has too much talent to stink this poorly. I don't blame Bernier. He maybe could've come up with some more saves, but he was getting virtually no help. It comes down to who's motivating the team. Murray demanded hard work and got it. A lot of guys would get hurt under him, but they played hard. Dean, we need a new coach. Now.
If memory serves me, Webster had to step down because he had a serious inner ear problem and couldn't fly, this came up late in the season and Melrose was brought up from Adirondak?? to take over. Now tell me he didn't inherit a great team and they went to the finals. If Burke is so great then what happened up in Vancouver??? Thank you. It takes the RIGHT OWNERSHIP first of all and one that cares about the game, and if you don't believe that, take a look at the New York Islanders now and in the 80's.
Anthony, you have got to relax! DL is doing what ANY GM in the league is going to do. It is his job to look at things and try to put a positive spin on them. He acknowledges that things are not the way they are supposes to be, but we are only six games into the season and you are demanding his head on plate right next to Crow's. Give the team a chance to find themselves and above all else, calm down!
So what if Anthony moans about DL's mediocrity and DENIAL. He's right! DL's comments are so obviously ones in denial, and he dances around exactly how this is gonna get fixed. Anthony also is right about DL trying to recreate his past "genius" at San Jose. DL also makes convenient statements such as "I don't like to hype young players" (see our recent 1st round pick) and in the case of Bernier "we might really have something here". Huh? The best is his statement that perhaps "somebody is not going" Really? Dean, The "NEW GUYS" are not going. THEY SUCK. I'm with Paincorp as well. We need a coach who will scare these guys into performing. They don't perform, they skate until they drop. It worked for the US Olympic team against the Russians, and I think it worked for Andy Murray too.
Rich and Matt, thanks for hosting this forum. Without it a postal shooter might emerge.
How about if we all just not respond to anything Anthony posts, because it's either something he has already said a dozen times or just drivel.
Constructive criticism is great, but outright bashing and name calling is just stupid. Anthony you don't have to worry about me responding to your posts anymore because I just won't read it, it's a waste of my 30 seconds.
i'm not a huge fan of crawford, but firing him at this point would be, in my opinion, counter-productive. they would be in even greater disarray than they are now.
I agree with Paincorp in that I can handle the Kings losing-anyone who has followed the team is and should be well used to it. But what I cant handle is the lack of effort, the inability to play a physical game, the inability to actually make other teams have to work for their goals-all of these factors are unacceptable.
I love the comment from the guy who said that Burke had Selanne, Neidermeyer, and Pronger fall into his lap. You forgot to add that he had Beauchamin fall into his lap while that overpaid stiff Federov fell out of his lap. lets be honest Burke has done a great job with trades and FA's and Lombardi has been an absolute disaster. Remember he inherited a team that just missed the playoffs and took us right into the dumpster. He has to be held accountable for his signings - Name one that has panned out
Crow will never be anywhere close to Andy Murray. The only reason why he won the cup was the load of Hall of Fame talent that he had on his team. Andy Murray has taken a pitiful St. Louis Blues team and gave them the opportunity to be winners. Crawford has been part of the locker room problems with his constant berating of the players. Dean Lombardi's method last year to spark Frolov is an example of what Crawford needs to start doing.
A lot to address:
My take on Anthony is that he is overly passionate. I don't agree with a lot of what he is saying, but I understand it. He seems to have more passion, albeit negative, than our team has.
In reference to Gord, if DL e-mails me, I'll invite anyone who wants to come with me. Hey, I don't expect it, DL is busy enough, but stranger things have happened and I'm speaking from experience with contacting this team.
In making a comparison to the Ducks, Their farm system was way worse than ours. They got lucky with Getzlaf & Perry. You never know who's gonna pan out in the draft. Penner was a freakin' BEER LEAGUER before he blossomed. NOBODY expected him to rise up. Kunitz was picked up on waivers from Atlanta. He comes here and does well. Might have something to do with the coaches he has worked with. TOUGH, GRITTY coaches who don't accept partial success and make players EARN their respect. Are some of you starting to understand my thinking a little?
Regarding Burke, it was not 'Magic' that the Ducks won the cup. Giggy has been up and down his whole career and after his first cup run, he had issues. He was a rework. Selanne didn't 'Fall into anyone's lap'. It helped that he lives in OC, but Selanne has been a few places outside of cali and could have gone outside again. Scott Niedermayer wanted to play with his brother. Was it free??? NO! Burke had first shot, but he had to get creative and make room for him. Pronger was approached by Burke. It wasn't like Bertuzzi coming to him. Niedermayer was part of the process to get Chris on top of that. Anyone who thinks Burke has all this fall into his lap has not been paying attention. These are the reason I think it's fair to compare them. DL didn't want to sacrifice any of the future to get guys like Pronger and Niedermayer....yet he went and got Blake??? I wasn't exactly happy with this move either. Whoever mentioned getting players for marketing purposes is dead on with regards to this example.
There are no personal vendettas in my beliefs in these situations. I don't know these guys personally. If I did, I'd be rippin' them all a new one in person and asking a lot of 'WTF' questions. I'm going by what I see and equal (IMHO) comparisons in the NHL.
Natural lawyer has a GREAT point. I don't care if we find the cup in the gutter on Figueroa, shine it up and bring it to Staples! Buy it, barter for it, do disgusting things on Howard Stern for it....JUST BRING IT! Most of us are not fans of this team solely to make the playoffs every year and fail to win it all. For 28 years now, I've dreamed of see MY team win the cup, not watch it be won by someone elses team. If your a fan of this team more for the cool jerseys or $10 beers, you need therapy.
Hey Golfnut - when you clean house, does it stay clean by itself? Or do you have to maintain it? DL needs to clean a little more IMHO. While I don't agree Crow is like Murray for the reasons stated many times already, I DO agree with the fact that Crow's system only work with extremely skilled guys who can execute it. We don't have that....yet.;-)
Finally, I don't want to take anything away from Rich's article that started this. He is the catalyst that is getting us all talking about a team that, bottom line, we all truly care about and want to win. This forum reaches the people in Kings Management that can make this happen. Feels good to know that our feelings are going to be heard by someone who will listen. I respect DL because he WILL listen. He's proven it. We've never had this before and I appreciate it and am going to take full advantage of it while it lasts.
That being said....my position hasn't changed: Please give Crow his walking papers.
"Pronger was approached by Burke. It wasn't like Bertuzzi coming to him. Niedermayer was part of the process to get Chris on top of that."
I might be wrong here, but that statement reeks of tampering by the ducks if it's true.
@Anonymous 10:07 PM
Neidermeyer was going to play for the Ducks because his bro was playing there. Whether the Kings were going to try to sign him or not is moot.
I know b/c my Sharks were trying to sign him as well, but family came b/f money.
I respect everyones opinions but enough is enough.We need to get real and stop kidding ourselfs.Everything starts at the top with the ownership and ends with the players.When fans finally get this, then and only then will ownership ever get the point. I to love this team for over twenty five years.and hate the fact year after year since the gretz years we the fans settle for bs miss managment and of course no playoffs and bad no brainer trades.Then were left with 40 yrs of no cup and excuses and the notion it takes time and just relax.Oh and the best one, theres always next year LMAO.People get a clue and if u love your team as much as i do ,speak out and dont settle for last place.Their are 3 nhl clubs that came in the 90's that already have cups.The ducks did it in one year.We need a owner who cares about the fans and not just for their money or sell the team.We also need a GM & coach who is going to stop making excuses and get the players (coaches) if needed to bring the cup to la or at lease put a nhl team on the ice with respect to the fans.If dean and crow cant then they need to resign or be fired.Also stop making excuses for Dean and crow and always giving them a pass on everything.Their paid to make decisions.There is no if buts about it.I'm frankly tired of this team being the laughing joke of the nhl.Go Kings!!!!!!!