How can you people trust Dumbardi with his list of "spectacular" prospects when every single move in his 130 game reign he has made on the NHL roster has sucked? The Kings in the NHL are far worse than when he took over. Why would you think a guy that can't find NHL talent is gonna be any good at finding 18 year old talent? WAKE UP.

Then get rid of the f%&kn fragile-minder players and lets move on already. I'm tired of the same song and dance that this team gives after every loss. "We're not playing with confidence, we're letting teams take control, we're not setting the tempo" Can anyone say broken record?

Oh who cares what this idiot says anymore. Its meaningless. It goes through one ear and out the other. I don't even believe the players listen to him either.
But obviously, it doesn't appear that DL is gonna fire MC. How could he. How bad would it look on him to hire a coach to a multi-year contract and fire him after only a season and a half.
It's obvious that when DL gets a G.M. job, his is a 3-4 year plan. That means we still have to wait 2-3 more years before we can all cheer for a descent team.

The goaltending situation gave me doubts from day one. Berfore the puck was dropped in London, I knew we had a goaltending crisis. With the NEW NHL rules, this sport has become faster. More penalties are being calleed. There is NO WAY in HELL any team will make the playoffs without a descent goalie. No F-ing way. What this G.M. did was set the stage that Bernier is our man. And he acquired Aubin, Cloutier and sign Babs as a temporary plug, and prayed that one could put up descent numbers until Bernier is ready. Probably 2-3 years.
This is a bad idea for two reasons. #1 it basically concedes that 2-3 years will be wasted before we, as fans, can finally see results. Like 40 years hasn't been long enough. #2 What if Bernier turns into another Jamie Storr, (I hope not), Who says every single first round pick will be a success. Then we'll be told to wait a couple more years for Quick or Zatkoff to develope. Next thing you know 2 will become 4, 4 will become 6, 6 will become 8, ETC...
The goalie position is the most important position on the team and must be filled immediately. NOT in the future. Otherwise a team will be in a situation the Kings are in. A career minor leaguer and a journeyman pretending to be a #1 goalie. And not to mention, plenty of losing seasons.
This G.M. has sat around and done nothing to fill this #1 need. That's why he should be fired before the coach. I no longer have any confidence in his system. I'm not even gonna mention his free agent signings.
So finally, it's official. The Kings are the laughing stock in the entire NHL, AHL, & ECHL.

I thought Crawford was going to be fired right after the last road trip, but I didn't realize that DL was off at the World Juniors.

It's got to happen any day now. The team's defensive zone coverage is just awful. We're over halfway through the season and they're playing like it's the first week of training camp. Jim Fox mentioned it in the post-game show, but really the same gaping holes have been evident for most of the last two seasons.

I wonder what John Torchetti is up to these days?

Crawford says, ``This is first game in months we played poorly... it's uncharacteristic of how we've played of late."

What a crock of BS. We've lost 11 of 14, and you don't do that by playing well or playing hard. Truth is we've only had 3 good games in the past month.

He goes on to say, "You can’t mask this one in any way." Well, that's the truth right there. My only question is do you realize you just admitted that you've been trying to mask it???? Let's call a spade a spade and start with the veterans.

Derek Armstrong is the second line center and you think Crow is to blame for the team's demise?

Face it, the Kings are rebuilding and the future looks great. Enjoy the suck for the time being.

Lombardi should've sold the farm to get Roberto Luongo. So what if he didn't want to come here. DL should've given him a year to think about it and develop a relationship with his teammates (because it would've been HIS team). Do you think Vancouver would be playoff bound without him? Please.

I don't know what else Crawford needs to do to be fired. He could show up to a game naked, run out on the ice and still keep his job. What a side show act this has all become. My name will very soon be known as 41 YEARS OF LOSING.

Goon Squad +100 points!!

Im not saying is isnt a good coach, i just dont think he is the right one. I mean its just not happing, if i can see it then some one that is important can see it. How long can this really go on? Maybe there all drinking the Kool-Aid and no one sees what we see

This is what Mark Morris, coach of the Manchester Monarchs had to say about his team's horrible performance (that was similar to ours)

http://www.monarchshockey.com/fullstory.php?id=2955

What a difference between coaches! I can't wait until you get a chance to interview this guy Rich. And I certainly can't wait until he is our coach. This guy is what this team really needs!!!

This team was guessed to be third in the pacific conference behind san jose and anaheim this season. So far we are by far the worst team in the NHL and have not improved. Just because we can score a lot of goals means nothing, the sharks do not score a ton of goals yet are a favorite to win the stanley cup this year due to their amazing defense and penalty kill. We have one of the worst penalty kills in the league and can't stop any team from scoring goals on us.

So far our win's this season have come from the other team's playing horrible, not from us earning them. We are by far the worst team in the NHL making me not want to buy any tickets (as I am already regretting the 6 games that I did purchase) and not wanting to even admit that I am a Kings fan. I hope spring training comes very soon.

kind of a bold statement, "Fire Dumbardi." every single move? not defending him fully- still think he should stay, but he definitely hasn't done well in many aspects- but maybe you're just mad? anyway, back that up a little more.

didn't see the game tonight. glad i didn't. maybe i think lombardi is fine to hang around, but that definitely doesn't mean i think the same of crow.

oh, and nice mocking aubin reference there.

Rich or Matt, thanks for your great work. As bad as this has been do you know if the Kings have had any players only meetings yet or anything that says enough is enough type of attitude? If not why? I have the impression that the losing is just plain acceptable!

That was friggin embarrassing. That was a collective team effort out there. All should take a bow for how they embarrassed the jersey on their back.
This was the 1st time I got the impression that Crawford must be feeling the heat. He was talking about how the coaches are spending hours analyzing or over-analyzing to find out whats wrong. That sounds like someone needing to justify his job.

We should have traded the farm for Luongo? I guess giving up Kopitar and Fro or Brown would have been a fair deal? So we make that move. Now we have a great goalie getting no help from his D and oh, by the way, What does the top 6 fowards look like? I guess Willsie would have to be included. Stop the crazy talk. Players like Luongo cost a fortune. We're not that close to winning that he would make a difference.

I heard the DL interview on youtube. That was a little scary. A few weeks ago he was talking like we were close to the end with Cloutier. Now he saying that Cloutier might be brought up soon. They asked if he was playing well. He's not, but he's healthy. Gee, can't wait!
We're averaging giving up the 1st goal in the the first 4 min of the game. That should change drastically with Cloutier. We'll be down to under a minute.
Also, I don't like hearing about the maturity problems with Bernier. I heard he went off on Team Canada's coach for not playing him. First he's crying, now he's yapping.
Kid, you're 19 years old...shut the f*** up and stop the pucks. The way he's behaving, it doesn't sound like he'll be ready next year to play in the NHL. That's not good at all. It still doesn't justify trading Kopitar for Luongo. I wouldn't mind seeing if a guy like Manny Legace is available.

Hard to believe, but only Calder had a +/- of 0. Blake was a team high -4.

Bad game, bad team, bad season. Do we root for the TampaBay DevilRays?

Maybe the Kings should have open tryouts.

CALL UP MORRIS!!!!

Nice bit on the Monarchs website. I would have liked to have seen the punt of the laundry hamper.

I don't think Crawford knows what a 'Tirade' is. (LOL)

Both Lombardi and Crawford should both be sent packing on the nearest train leaving downtown L.A.!!

What were they thinking when they signed washed up goaltender Dan Cloutier to a two year six million dollar contract extension, BEFORE HE PLAYED AN ACTUAL REGULAR SEASON GAME FOR THE KINGS?

Dean Lombardi is not the one to fire. He's gotten some very good talent, but some of it is underachieving, and the rest are still a few years away from playing.

And throwing Bernier into this mess, as some have suggested, would destroy the kid. That would be the WORST thing we could do.

Everyone thinks the defense is to blame, and it has been terrible, but the team won't play well in front of a goalie they don't trust.

It's clear that Crawford doesn't trust Labarbara. He's pulled him twice this week.

How can we expect a defense to play well if they don't think the goalie will stop shots that get through?

Dean Lombardi needs to get off his butt & go out and trade for a goalie! I'm fairly sure the Kings could get someone like Emery, or one of Boston's goalies, or maybe one of Atlanta's goalies.

The point is there are guys out there that are better then Labarbara & Aubin. DL needs to go get one of them.

Of course we'd have to give up some talent to get some talent, but I would say only a few guys on this team are "untouchable".

And while I'm on the subject of DL, could we get some reaction from him about how bad this team has played the last 6 weeks and what he thinks it would take to turn it around?

Eric K look at the roster. All the leftovers from the Taylor era are playing well. There's what 2 or 3 Dumbardi players doing OK and the rest? It's his roster, his team. He picked it. He put it together. Maybe he started a little light on talent, but it's 130 games later and the Kings are FAR worse while the leftover Taylor era players are playing FAR better. Believing that the draft picks and young players Dean has acquired are going to take us from worst to first is like believing in the tooth fairy (sorry to break that one here Matt). Why would Dean be good at picking young talent when his picking of veteran talent has taken us lower than the Kings have ever finished before? This is about to become the first ever LAST PLACE finish by the Kings and you think everything is OK? Wow.

Look at you guys! And you wonder why management has never tried to build our hockey club from within before. Maybe the LA fan base is too childish to be able to sit through a rebuilding process. "WE MUST WIN NOW!!!" will always be the call here - we'll fire Crow & DL & the new regime will trade all our picks & prospects to assemble a decent team that will ALWAYS lose in the first or second round. But "hey, we're in the playoffs bro!!!"

If we fire Crawford, who do we go for ? Promote Dave Lewis ? He didn't work out as head coach in NY or Boston. Hire Pat Quinn again ?

The Kings are the Tampa Bay Devil Rays of the NHL. This year has set the team back when I didnt think it was possible to go backwards. Wasting money on mediocre talent all while destroying the attitudes of the young players makes no sense. I have been a fan since the franchises inception and even when they were mediocre in the purple and gold, they had some talented players and competed. This team has the worst mix possible. The GM is a joke.

Rebuilding sucks. It's hard on the fans, the players, the coaches and the entire organization. Still, I would rather suffer as a fan this season and next season and have a chance at drafting elite level prospects like Stamkos, Doughty, Tavares and Hedman than barely make the playoffs, lose in the first or second round and be perpetually mediocre. The Kings are doing the right thing and they are doing it the right way. I'm looking forward to a decade of dominance and the first shot at the Cup since the Gretzky era.

I've always been a staunch supporter of Lombardi and his plan. But if he doesn't fire Crawford before the next game I will have to question DL's priorities. This is not a knee-jerk reaction, either. Change has to be made. Remember what happened in Dallas after the Kings scored 5 in the 3rd?

That game last night was not an NHL-caliber performance. If anyone, commissioner included, thinks that was acceptable for an NHL team needs to be removed from the league. Bad games happen every once in a while. What happened last night should never happen.

Also - THIS GOES OUT TO EVERYONE - stop calling this a 'young' team. The Kings average age is 28.4, which ranks 7th oldest in the league. Our best players are under 25. Youth in not an excuse. It's the guys like Army, Willsie, Giuliano, Thornton, Nagy and the goaltenders that make the Kings horrible and, to spin an old motto, 'easy to play against.'

As disheartening as the score was, the worst part about the loss last night is that our team gave up. The first three goals stung, but what hurt the most was seeing guys peel off for a line change with 8 seconds to go in the period when we had the puck with momentum in the neutral zone. We ended up getting somewhat of a scoring opportunity and in my opinion it would have been a much better opportunity had all our forwards stayed on the ice. I know short shifts are necessary, but with 8 seconds left in a period when you are down 3-0? To me, I saw the Kings totally give up last night and it stings.

John a few posts above, couldn't agree more. I already posted about some of the nonsense being thrown around. This team is along way from playoff contention, I don't know who in their right mind would have predicted 3rd place in the Pacific division. Pretty much all pre season predictions had them out of the playoffs.

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha just what i said you guys suck !!!!!!!!!!
how bout them DUCKS ????

Look, I've been a die hard for YEARS, but this kind of dying is way too hard.

I have read up on the Kings this site for a long time (thanks guys for your hard work), perusing and laughing and agreeing, never feeling the need to speak up or vent, but here's my deal...

Labs is a rebound machine. He's more of a blocker than a net minder. I can’t remember the last time (unless it was shot at his face) he used his glove. Rebounds happen, but EVERY time?! Even Aubin can stop the puck…speaking of Aubin…

Aubin scares me every time he tries...yes TRIES...to play the puck. Last night was quintessential Aubin – watch the game again IF YOU DARE (and the Kings should…over and over again), every time he steps out of the crease and plays the puck he passes it to the opposing team. DUDE JUST LEAVE IT THERE it’ll be better in the long run.

I cringe every time opposing teams skate into our zone (so does my wife. She actually let’s out a verbally uttered, “uh oh.”). Both can be summed up in words that, were I a goaltender, I would never want to be described as: severely inconsistent. Yeah, coaching may be a problem, but I see goaltending as the root issue.

Here's why I say this...

I may be wrong but I see it like this. Allow me a Football analogy (sorry but thinking about hockey makes me think of the Kings and that makes my bowels quake): when a team has a solid, consistent quarterback - Montana, Favre, Elway, even Brady - each of the other players trust him. They know that he’s going to take care of his job – he’s not going to be perfect every play or even game, but generally consistent and solid. Each player then concerns himself with his own job, and a beautiful symbiosis obtains. But if a team doesn't have a quarterback they can trust. They’re always playing their own game AND keeping their eyes out for him, he's on their mind, trying to take care of his weaknesses and over thinking. Concentration is off; thinking too much and playing not to suck ensues, instead of playing to win. (that’s what seems to have happened last night – they were playing NOT to be scored against. And then they the Preds scored they gave up…)

So, our defense sucks because they are over compensating for the weakness in goal. they're playing scared and erratic and on their heals. Instead of passing to score, they’re passing not to create turnovers – tentative, unsure - instead of passing, they're TRYING to pass.

Our forwards (with last night being a sad exception) are scoring, and having a respectable Goals For Avg. Compare our top ten scorers to the top ten scorers for other teams – go ahead…check out these: Vancouver, Anaheim, San Jose, Dallas. We're not far off scoring-wise. What the difference? I’ll just mention their names: Luongo, Giguere, Nabokov, Turco.

Our PP is our pride, but our PK is atrocious - and what's the common mantra on the PK: Your Goalie must be your best penalty killer?

What’s a coach to do? “Alright boys, get out there and play my system half @$$ed, because that’s the only way we can play it right now, cause our goaltending sucks. Now try not to suck too badly tonight.” I actually like Crawford’s system – I love puck possession and active defensemen. But defensemen aren’t going to jump into the play as easy when, in the back of their minds, they’re thinking, “If I jump in, that leaves the backdoor open a bit, and I can’t trust my goalie.” DL was playing his cards for that kind of system, and for the most part got players that, on paper, would have thrived in it…but we have a terrible tandem in goal (nice nickname huh: the Terrible Tandem).

There…I feel cleansed.

Just awful. It was completely unwatchable, and they were rightly booed off of the ice. The Kings may be the worst team in the league (points-wise), but they should still play like professionals. Every one of them should return their paychecks for that game, as they didn't earn them....

John, best post of the thread, couldn't agree with you more. We're REBUILDING, it doesn't happen over night. The Kings problems in the past were caused by trying to win this season, not rebuilding, sure you can make the playoffs but then get booted in the first round. Deano is building for the Stanley Cup, not just to make the playoffs this year and appease the mob.
Do I wish we had a better record? Of course I do but we have a group here that needs to learn how to win, that takes time. Making trades just to try to salvage the season doesn't make sense in the long run. Is Lombardi perfect? Of course not, but no GM is.
Rangers got Gomez and Drury, the cream of the free agents, how well are they doing?

Is it LaBarbara's fault? Ask Legace, Huet or Garon, they are all doing well playing behind defensively conscious teams. Stay the course, let's see these young kids and draft choices blossom. Make trades as appropriate.
I hear Barrett Jackman might be available, St. Louis is heavy with D men, we have an abundance of top line forwards with more on the farm, these are the types of trades I would like to see.

Too childish after 40 years?

Isn't it Blake that has the "C" on his jersey indicating the team leader? I have yet to see Blake out there actually leading his team. I think we should get rid of Blake first, and have Kopi, Cammy or Brown earn that Captain spot. At least when they are out there they try to lead the team. Something within the team definitely needs to shake things up. Getting rid of Crawford isn't going to do it. It needs to start on the ice and then with the coach.

Trying to be patient here... I can deal with DL's 3-5 year plan (lots of great teams had to go through some ugly growing pains just like what we're going through now); I can deal with young guys not being experienced enough to find a way to win; I can deal with the lack of team chemistry caused by an influx of many new faces; I can even deal with MC having a tough time figuring out what to do with the team he's got (though my patience is about gone for this one). But for me the hardest thing to deal with RIGHT NOW is the lack of effective leadership on this team. This really concerns me. With all due respect, Rob Blake is not and has never been an effective leader in the NHL. The Kings have never been winners with Blake wearing the "C". His physical presence and offensive skills are obviously assets, but he's often been a rather sloppy, undisciplined defender, especially this year. For a defenseman who's been around the block, he's sadly too much of a liability in his own end. So I wouldn't exactly say he's capable of "leading by example". He definitely does NOT have the personality to command the sort of respect from his teammates that leads to improved play, nor to hold any teammate accountable for poor performance, nor to provide that vital link between players and coaches that is so necessary when success isn't happening. He's not the kind of player who will take the team on his shoulders when the going gets tough. When I look at leaders like Messier, Yzerman, Sakic, Iginla, Crosby -- their talents aside, these guys HATE LOSING. They're determined to WIN and they play a big part in their teammates having that same determination. It shows in how these captains respond to adversity, how their teammates follow their lead, and in the overall character of their teams. I've never seen that determination on any Kings teams when Blake has been captain. Do you think this year's club HATES to lose? I wonder. I don't intend to bash Blake, I just don't think that leadership is one of his strong points. Right now he's the roll model for the future leaders of this team and I think this leaves a lot to be desired. I'm really concerned that nobody on the team has YET emerged to take on this essential role. I don't really care who it might be: Brown, Armstrong, Cammalleri, Jack, Kopi -- any of them, all of them. I'd be a lot more reassured about the future of this club if I saw some truly effective leadership emerging and a winning character start to be cultivated. I haven't seen that yet. Have you?

I would trade Kopitar for Luongo in a second. Problem is Vancouver would never do it. Kopitar is young but still does not average a point a game on a team that sucks defensively. He may turn out to be a great offensive
player but I seriously question his play in defensive zone. Brown is a way more complete player.
Luongo will win MVP and Vezina this year if he does not get hurt.

Worst team in hockey by a long shot. There are plenty of teams in the NHL right now who are rebuilding too. Are they in DEAD LAST PLACE? No.

What's CHILDISH is sitting around for 40 years listening to cockamamie excuses and promises (wait till deader gets back, wait till the cba salary cap hits, wait for Jamie storr) and accepting it.

As for wanting to "win now" how bout "win anytime?". This CLEARLY was not the plan. Being the worst team in the league is NOT what year 2 of rebuilding looks like. You guys are on the pipe.

Perfect time for an interview.

has Lombardi ever coached?

Rebuilding or not, last night was seriously depressing... It makes me wonder who will go first - Crawford or the asinine mascot... Has anyone out there given any thought to making a claim against the franchise for the all emotional distress they've caused? How about some accountability (or possibly a discount/refund)???

P.S. Totally random question - does anyone know what the song with the bagpipes is that they've been playing before a game at Staples?

As bad as last night's loss was, the bottom line is this... no matter how loudly you all hammer away at DL and MC on this and other message boards, neither is going anywhere, anytime soon.

Lombardi didn't get hired to produce a miracle and win a cup in 2 years ala the Ducks, he got hired to re-build a crumbling organization up almost from scratch and hopefully get lucky by making the team competitive in the mean time. Lombardi made no promises of this team being in the playoffs this year and if he did and you believed him, you are a fool. Lombardi hoped for the best and said all along that this team wasn't in great shape if it had to fill 6 or 7 holes like he had to do last offseason.

The free agents he acquired haven't played to the level he thought they would, and I am sure that at the end of the year, he will be the first to admit he made a couple of bad decisions. He believed in LaBarbara and obviously, while LB has had his moments, its clear he is not the answer and neither is rushing a young, unproven goalie like Bernier and throwing him to the wolves on a nightly basis. Even Luc believed in LB, gushing about him in a personal conversation I was lucky to have with him last April, and if Luc said it, would we have much reason to doubt it??

DL also didn't hire Crawford to fire him 1 1/2 years later for leading a team he knew wouldn't be that great anyway.

Dean did several things to get his house in order and has made moves that will pay dividends down the road. He locked up Brownie for 6 years when we all wondered if he would ever fulfill his promise and now we are seeing the payoff. He got O'Sully for Demitra and I believe O'Sully has begun to play the way they have always wanted him to and next year this deal will look real good. He got JMFJ for Gleason, enough said!! He kept Cammi's salary in check via arbitration and I am sure he will lock him up long term next year and if he doesn't, its because cammi wanted too much money anyway so good riddens. He may even deal Blake and add to the stockpile of picks and prospects that fill the lower levels of this top rated minor league and junior talent pool that we now have.

As far as goal, good goalies are hard to come by in this league. DL will try hard again in the offseason to get one, he will have more bargaining chips with the picks and prospects and if he sees something he likes, he will bite. If not, it may be berniers chance next year.

It sucks to wait, we keep falling for the same story every time a new GM comes along but give DL the time it is realistically gonna take.I have been a Kings fan since birth, 30 long years. I can vividly remember listening to games on the radio since before the Gretzky days so I know what I speak of. I have faith in DL and MC, at least for another year or two.

metalmaster said:
I would trade Kopitar for Luongo in a second. Problem is Vancouver would never do it. Kopitar is young but still does not average a point a game on a team that sucks defensively. He may turn out to be a great offensive
player but I seriously question his play in defensive zone. Brown is a way more complete player.
Luongo will win MVP and Vezina this year if he does not get hurt.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dude wtf have you been smoking, Kopitar bad on D? Kopitar is the only forward that hustles back when Blake or Stuart get caught pinching in. If you watch more closely you'll notice that he is the only one that backchecks to break up an oppnents play. Not to mention the fact that he also dives to block shots on PK when hes out on the line.

Agree completely with Daniel and JP Kelly. It's the older guys who are stinking up the place.

Rich or Matt, is it possible to get Lombardi to comment on his reluctance to call up young scorers from Manchester. Why do we give Zeiler and Giuliano months of time in LA, but refuse to give Boyle a shot? Purcell isn't ready? Peter Harrold...still developing???? It troubles me...when somebody like Moulson or Gauthier actually gets a call up, they are plugged into the checking line while Thornton and Willsie move up to the top 6. Why wouldn't you leave T&W on the 4th line and let young scorers have a chance to prove what they can do????

And don't even get me started on what a mindf**kingly dumb concept an "energy" line is. "I just go out there and try to bring energy, that's my role." Dude. Dude! I guarantee those words would never come out of Kris Draper's mouth. This team can't cycle the puck to save their lives.

I to would like to know what that song is. I've tried searching for it to no avail.
It may be the only reason I go to games now.

To those of you who say we should calm down, that finishing last was part of the "plan" please answer me the following:

ARE WE THE ONLY TEAM REBUILDING?

Of all the "rebuilding" teams, can you name the ones that are behind us in the standings?

If this is year 2 of the plan and it's a 3-5 year plan shouldn't some progress be made in the standings or is the mark of year 2 finishing last?

What function to Nagy, Handzus, Willsie, Blake, Cloutier, Calder, La Barbera etc play in the rebuilding efforts?

Do any of you remember Dean Dumbardi agreeing that there really isn't a way to build over a long time ina salary cap league that it's now a 3 year turnover?

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful replies. Neil rules.

ummm... did i ever say everything was ok, F.D.? no, i agree he's screwed up most of the free agent moves, but go ahead and tell me if you'd rather have eric belanger and tim gleason for the next few years than jack johnson.

it's really easy to criticize dean in hindsight, isn't it? if you look at the reactions on this blog from the lubo extension, every one is positive. the reactions from the big "five free agent day" are fairly positive, but nobody back then was criticizing dean heavily. no, the plan didn't work this year. yes, we need more D-minded D-men. yes, goaltending needs improvement, although i really believe that labarbera's struggles have more to do with a lack of help than a lack of ability. but in 3 years, i guarantee we won't be stuck in last.

the only point i was trying to make was that lombardi has made some solid moves. not all of them, but some of them. brown's extension was an absolute steal, JMFJ was a steal, calder was a solid pickup. and yeah, call me an ignorant optimist who's drinking the kool-aid, but i'm fine with being patient. i still believe we will win a stanley cup in the next decade, and i still think it's gonna be kopitar, brown, cammi, JJ, and bernier who lead us there. to echo john, if you'd rather alternate between 7th and 10th every year, then go ahead and give up on the kings.

oh, and if you're rebuilding, the fact that you're gonna get worse is a given. we know the kings are worse than when lombardi came aboard, that's not exactly a revelation.

Metalfan,

Are you serious? How could you even consider trading the franchise player?
Kopitar is the best thing to come into this organization since Gretzky.
Did you ever think that Vancouver pays attention in their own end more than we do?
I don't see many guys wearing the other jerseys getting knocked on their ass in front of our net.
Our goalies have sucked lately...but nothing short of a complete cement wall can keep pucks from going in with our ice capades defensemen.

nykingfan
Do you know what a franchise player is? It is not a player who is -10 and not even averaging a point a game.Every team in the league with the exception of maybe Tampa Bay pays attention to their end more than the Kings. Luongo is a franchise player who stands on his head and wins games almost singlehandedly on some nights when his team is outshot on a 2-1 basis.
Down the road Kopitar may turn into a franchise player but he is nowhere close to that yet. First let him have a full season where he averages a point a
game before you start giving franchise label.

Whoa! We've got some pissed off people here....Now the Kings have you guys fighting with each other, probably for good reason. Everyone who logs onto this blog does so because they're passionate about hockey and, for the most part the Kings. I've been a Kings fan since 67-68, yes the very beginning. I was an LA hockey fan when the old LA Blades (anyone remember them?) were around. I used to go watch the old LA Sharks (yes, we had a WHA franchise in LA too....). Basically, I love and have played hockey for low these 40 years +.

So what's wrong? It appears to be the same thing that this blog is so loaded with, passion. The team seems to have none, there's no motivation. Honestly, last nights game was embarassingly the worst I've ever seen an LA Kings team play. It's not that they didn't seem prepared (they weren't), it's that they didn't seem to care. That's a problem. Unfortunately, we can't just send down to Manchester the entire team, one hellevua idea but not possible (see waiver rules). They'd never clear waivers, believe it or not, yes some of our sorry ass players would be welcomed with other teams. So, what do we do? Our goaltending sucks, no question but really, they're not getting much help. Lubo is having an aweful season, he just seems lost out there. Stuart, ugh. Priessing, more ugh. Blake, we'll he at least is playing better than at the beginning of the season. But what can you say when in reality your best defenseman is Modry?? Enuf said.

Bringing up Bernier just isn't realistic at this point. Bring him up now and he's toast for sure and for good. Until the Kings learn (again) to play team defense, the goalies don't really have much of a chance.....

Some of the forward play has been good this year but it's got to happen every night from the first drop of the puck. Hockey is a 60 minute game; we've had so few of those this year. I was really impressed with Calgary. Keenan has them forchecking all over the place. Not bad for a team that was supposed to be out of the playoffs this year.

Ultimately, it comes down to coaching. Many on this blog felt that Andy Murray should be fired when he was let go with the team holding onto the 7th playoff spot. They haven't been that close since. Do I wish we had Andy back? You bet, he's by far one of the best coaches in the league and would have the Kings playing to their potential which they're not even close to. Dave Lewis? Honestly I like the guy, he's nice but he's not the answer either. I'm intrigued by the idea of Pat Quinn but I don't think you could get him out of Canada and I don't think he'd come back to LA (yes, he actually coached the Kings once, just ask Vancouver). The Kings had a great coach at Manchester by the name of Bruce Boudreau but they let him slip away. He took Hershey to the AHL championship after the Kings let him go. Many of the current Kings and Manchester players played for him. He knows the system. Now he's coaching the Capitals....

I honestly don't have an answer for LA's woes. This team certainly isn't the worst they've ever had but they're playing like it right now. The team's whole attitude is reflected in it's leadership. I've said it since the beginning of the season, Cammy should be captain but he's hurt now and the timing isn't good. Blake has said he'll waive his no-trade and I think the Kings should take him up on the offer, for draft picks, period. They won't release some of our over paid, underachieving "talent". Send them down to Manchester, if they don't clear waivers, we'll pay a portion of their salary and get to see some of our kids sooner than expected (by the way, I like the idea of bringing up Clutes, if he doesn't clear reverse waivers, who cares? If he does, can he actually do worse than what we've witnessed this season?).

Ultimately it begins at the top. I like DL, I do and I truly believe he's on the right track, not breaking from the rebuild. But the team is going in the wrong direction on the ice and that's the coaches responsibility. It's time for a change for sure. Crow just isn't the right guy for this job, non a rebuild anyway. This team needs someone they can relate to. I wouldn't mind seeing Tony Granato back behind the LA bench. For this team to win, something will have to happen soon. Otherwise, we're sure to be drafting Steven Stamkos next June....

Whoa! We've got some pissed off people here....Now the Kings have you guys fighting with each other, probably for good reason. Everyone who logs onto this blog does so because they're passionate about hockey and, for the most part the Kings. I've been a Kings fan since 67-68, yes the very beginning. I was an LA hockey fan when the old LA Blades (anyone remember them?) skated at the Sports Arena. I used to go watch the old LA Sharks (yes, we had a WHA franchise in LA too and we had the Sharks before San Jose did....). Basically, I love and have played hockey for low these 40 years +.

So what's wrong with LA? It appears to be the same thing that this blog is so loaded with, passion. The team seems to have none, there's no motivation. Honestly, last nights game was embarassingly the worst I've ever seen an LA Kings team play. It's not that they didn't seem prepared (they weren't), it's that they didn't seem to care. That's a problem. Unfortunately, we can't just send down to Manchester the entire team, one hellevua idea but not possible (see waiver rules). They'd never clear waivers, believe it or not, yes some of our sorry ass players would be welcomed with other teams. So, what do we do? Our goaltending sucks, no question but really, they're not getting much help. Lubo is having an aweful season, he just seems lost out there. Stuart, ugh. Priessing, more ugh. Blake, we'll he at least is playing better than at the beginning of the season. But what can you say when in reality your best defenseman is Modry?? Enuf said.

Bringing up Bernier just isn't realistic at this point. Bring him up now and he's toast for sure and for good. Until the Kings learn (again) to play team defense, the goalies don't really have much of a chance.....

Some of the forward play has been good this year but it's got to happen every night from the first drop of the puck. Hockey is a 60 minute game; we've had so few of those this year. I was really impressed with Calgary. Keenan has them forchecking all over the place. Not bad for a team that was supposed to be out of the playoffs this year.

Ultimately, it comes down to coaching. Many on this blog felt that Andy Murray should be fired when he was let go with the team holding onto the 7th playoff spot. They haven't been that close since. Do I wish we had Andy back? You bet, he's by far one of the best coaches in the league and would have the Kings playing to their potential which they're not even close to. Dave Lewis? Honestly I like the guy, he's nice but he's not the answer either. I'm intrigued by the idea of Pat Quinn but I don't think you could get him out of Canada and I don't think he'd come back to LA (yes, he actually coached the Kings once, just ask Vancouver). The Kings had a great coach at Manchester by the name of Bruce Boudreau but they let him slip away. He took Hershey to the AHL championship after the Kings let him go. Many of the current Kings and Manchester players played for him. He knows the system and the players. Now he's coaching the Capitals....

I honestly don't have an answer for LA's woes. This team certainly isn't the worst they've ever had but they're playing like it right now. The team's whole attitude is reflected in it's leadership. I've said it since the beginning of the season, Cammy should be captain but he's hurt now and the timing isn't good. Blake has said he'll waive his no-trade and I think the Kings should take him up on the offer, for draft picks, period. They won't release some of our over paid, underachieving "talent". Send them down to Manchester, if they don't clear waivers, we'll pay a portion of their salary and get to see some of our kids sooner than expected (by the way, I like the idea of bringing up Clutes, if he doesn't clear reverse waivers, who cares? If he does, can he actually do worse than what we've witnessed this season?).

Ultimately it begins at the top. I like DL, I do and I truly believe he's on the right track, not breaking from the rebuild. But the team is going in the wrong direction on the ice and that's the coaches responsibility. It's time for a change for sure. Crow just isn't the right guy for this job, non a rebuild anyway. This team needs someone they can relate to. I wouldn't mind seeing Tony Granato back behind the LA bench. For this team to win, something will have to happen soon. Otherwise, we're sure to be drafting Steven Stamkos next June....

Moondoggie,

I may not agree with some of what you are saying, but I have no problem with you or other people expressing their opinions.
I disagree with metalfan but hey, that's what makes the world go 'round.
For the most part we are all passionate about our team but we disagree with how to fix it. Nobody's opinion is right or wrong, but everyone should have the right and the comfort to express theirs.
The people who get personal in their attacks are my biggest problem.

"By the way, I like the idea of bringing up Clutes, if he doesn't clear reverse waivers, who cares? If he does, can he actually do worse than what we've witnessed this season?"

Moondoggie.....Did you happen to catch any of the games "Clutes" played in goal for the Kings last year? What was his save percentage, like 85%?

David....

Yea, just all of them, at least those he played which weren't many...Point exactly...How much worse could he do than, say what Aubin has done?? Pop quiz...What's Aubin's sv% this year???

Lababs has been fair at best. Oh by the way, I'm certain you've seen Clutes sv% at Manchester this year....My 11 year old son could play better and he's willing to do it for free....

PS - Our goalies have seen more rubber this year than a dead skunk on the Trans Canada Highway.

nykingfan - Right on...

Enuf!

nykingfan
We disagree and it is no biggie you get it.We all have our own opinions and in the end the only one matters is Lombardi. We can chant fire Crawford until were blue in the face and he is the one who will decide. Barring a miracle Crawford will finish the season and aftere that who knows. I
think DL had very low expectations for this team so he is not too suprised by what has transpired.
Joe Dirt- I only smoke the best-you have to be high to watch this shit on a consistent basis