I’ve been saying for the past two years or so that we need to build a team more like the dux. They are not only a tough team to play against but are also mean and nasty. On the other hand, the kings are a bunch of nice guys who really don’t care to fight or intimidate but just want to play the game much like the way they do in the olympics. It’s a nice thought but it really doesn’t bode well in the real nhl. We need not only to get bigger but nastier. We have plenty of talented young forwards but we desperately need to add more muscle on both the forwards and especially on defense. DL, this is all your doing so please take care of it in the offseason.

I miss Randy Holt, Dave Hutchinson, and Dave “Tiger” Williams.

Just wait til we get Simmonds and Boyle up and going.

I love Simmonds and I for one look forward to seeing him in a kings uni soon but I don’t see Boyle being a physical player. He’s a big guy but he doesn’t play big. Still I look forward to having him up here next year but I wouldn’t expect for him to drop gloves much if any.

We only had 1 guy on the team who’s willing to drop the gloves. And he went a month without being able to fight anyone. They really do need to add a little more toughness on the team next year.

uhhh…we don’t even have a fighter on our team.

…and if any of you count that beast with the rodent-like first name, who attempts to skate around and “hit” people…you’re kidding yourself. What a waste of size…

Kelly Buchberger

The Ducks are thugs!
Kings maybe in last but there is something to be said for taking “cheap shots”. Fighting is good, cheap shots are not. Ducks are cheap shop artists.
And Ducks are thugs, hate them all!

Stu Grimson one-punching a San Jose Shark. Dude went down lawn chair-style. No need to take names.

I’m European (Swedish to be precise), so the whole fighting thing is rather alien to me anyway – I’d rather see people play hockey than fight.

Sure some heated emotions come up and a fight break out sometimes even in European hockey, but it seems like most of the fights in North American hockey are just for the sake of fighting. Which is just silly. Never understood why the North American hockey crowds seem to love those fights so much…

Those are my 2 cents, anyway.

I dont know how important fighting really is theese days, maybe for inspiring the team and get their spirit up….but I dont know.

I agree with you all that this team needs more energy and size though, both on the defense and offense.

for the most part, fighting is meaningless to the success of a team. It’s mostly a circus act.

Nice puckingugly, sawyer. you remember his ass out cold tryin to get off theice?

“The Duck that got KO’d was Kevin Sawyer and it was the second beatdown he took in the same game. Kip Brennan destroyed him first and then he went back for more and Norton KO’d him. And yes, I believe that ended his career. And the guy Flinn knocked out was Brad Brown, in I believe Flinn’s first ever NHL game. ”

damn, good memory. the Kings have a good record in fights just about every year, they just don’t do it as much as some teams. Ivanans has crushed a few guys the past couple seasons but most won’t fight him because he’s a true heavyweight and a pretty good one at that because of his sheer strength.

there’s a pretty good video on Youtube of what it’s like for a regular guy (pro skateboarder Mike Vallely) to fight Brennan on the ice.

The Oiler that got abused by Petr Prajsler was Jeff Beukeboom.
As for TK’s last year that was Steve Ott.
The Flinn KO on Brad Brown was due to a broken leg. He had some amazing early fights. He also re-arranged Scott Parker’s nose. Unfortunately he got ended by Vandermeer. Lappy also felt the wrath of Vandy recently. I would have loved the Kings to aquire Vandermeer for Modry which worked out to the same deal from Calgary.

As for the Kings being second to last in the fight dept.? I find it pretty embarassing as we lack identity and balls. The culture here has totally changed for the worse. We use to be tough to play against and players would stand up for each other. I still don’t see it. It starts with our captain and him talking players out of fights (Lappy) is pretty lame. We’re charmin soft!

So how many fights take place beyond the first round of the playoffs? And ‘playoff hockey’, for any one who’s witnessed it, is usually the most intense hockey you’ll ever experience. Less fighting, more intensity, hmm.

I think NHL hockey is the best sport on the planet. But as long as bare fisted brawling (which is assault and battery in most other parts of society) exists, hockey will remain the bastard step child of major sports.

Ranked in the ratings behind people sitting on their butts, shuffling little pieces of paper and plastic discs around a table. Or as they call it, Poker. That’s pathetic for such a great sport. And the impression fighting creates doesn’t help at all. Just play.

“Would you consider Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne, J.S. Giguere & Samuel Pahlsson thugs?”

wow you came up with four guys out of…? one’s a goalie, one a euro checker and a euro scorer. Niedermayer is not a repeat offender but not squeaky clean. his talent level just overshadows that.

bottom line everyone in the NHL knows about the Dirty Ducks, it’s no secret, led by their chief thug Pronger – consistently one of the worst thugs in the league. nobody’s saying they aren’t good, they just aren’t clean and take way too many penalties.

“Wow you came up with four guys out of…?”

I initially thought of four of the classiest guys on their team, and the entire NHL for that matter.

I could have also named:

– Joe DiPenta
– Ryan Getzlaf
– Kent Huskins
– Todd Marchant
– Travis Moen
– Rob Niedermayer
– Corey Perry
– Bobby Ryan
– Mathieu Schneider
– Doug Weight

Perhaps you should watch WrestleMania XXIV on Pay Per View this Sunday instead of hockey!!

one example of mr. clean jeans:

Niedermayer hit Florida’s Peter Worrell on the helmet with his stick in 5-2 victory over the Panthers Sunday night and was assessed a match penalty with intent to injure. ”I deserve something because it was a stupid play,” Niedermayer said when asked if he expected to be suspended. ”It’s obvious that I hit him and I can’t take it back. But I don’t think I hit him hard enough to hurt him.”

- at least he knows when he screwed up, unlike ‘Prongs’

LOL That’s hilarious—you reference one incident from EIGHT years ago and all of a sudden Niedermeyer is a dirty player. Or as you put it “not squeaky clean”. I’m no fan of his but he is definitely not dirty–
Pronger?—dirty
Brian Marchment?–dirty
Andrew Ference?–dirty
Jordan Tootoo?–dirty
Niedermeyer?–not dirty

Sorry ducklovers but I’ve seen J.S. Giguere play pretty dirty. He’s been known to hack somes ankles, and pretty visciously I might add. And even still, if you don’t believe he’s a bit of a thug is ladies make-up, then you have to admit he’s one worse than and less respectable in a sport for tough guys; he’s a sulking whiner. I’ve never seen so much pouting on the bench.
I know you’ll say his emotional level adds to his talent, which is considerable (when he’s not too busy throwing a fit). But in a discussion basically about professionalism his antics, which I’ve seen on many occassions, show a severe lack of it.

Secondly, to those accusing fighting as being the cause of hockeys lack of average couch potato interest in America, consider this. Hockey was at perhaps it’s most popular when goons reigned supreme. People love that stuff.
While that amount of fighting is something I’m happy the nhl put a stop to, god bless hockey players for their spirit. Fighting one of many great things in the sport that separates it from other mindless ‘dribble’, so to speak. Hockey draws a feverishly intense crowd, much more interested in a good game than a new pair of sneakers. I don’t mean to pick on basketball either, I put hockey leagues beyond all other sports equally. Back to the point though, fighting is fun, unique, exciting, motivating, inspiring and never happens unless both guys want to fight.

I wish there a few more kings fights this season, it makes losses more tolerable when there are a couple of good fights in a game… or hell, even one. And you never know, had the kings dropped the gloves a little more, maybe they’d have gotten in to some of those games emotionally that they played so flatly. And maybe, juuuuuust maybe they’d have won 10-15 more games, or gotten 15-20 more points out of forcing OT’s.

Just a thought.

Thank you for a great post