Angry about losing?
This is the rest of the stuff I got before the Kings went on the road trip. I asked a fairly simple question to both Marc Crawford and Derek Armstrong (as one of the Kings' elder statesmen): Are the Kings angry enough about losing? The question being, is this team accepting losses too easily? Before the season, Lombardi spoke openly about young players ``taking responsibility'' for winning and losing and said it was an important part of developing a winning team. Here's Crawford's thoughts about whether that has been happening:
Crawford said: ``I see guys improving, for sure. Taking ownership? Well, that's a difficult thing. I think they're still very respectful of some of the older people on this team, people like Rob Blake, Thornton, Armstrong and those types of guys, even Jon Klemm and the fact that he has won a Stanley Cup. Even Handzus, some of these older guys that are in our lineup. I think we're still not at the stage where Brown or Kopitar or O'Sullivan or even Cammalleri, and certainly Frolov and Johnson, are coming in and being the voiceful guys in the room. That's not going to happen, to any great degree, right now. I think we're encouraging them to be a little bit more voiceful in the room. We have encouraged them to take ownership of things like our special teams and our rush chances against.
``When players know what's expected of them, then they know what they're going to be given positive and negative reinforcement on. You want that reinforcement, also, coming from your players. We've asked guys like Brown and certainly Cammalleri, and guys who have been here three or four years, to take ownership in those areas. And yes, I do see that improving, but don't expect them to be captain-like right now. I don't think that's fair and I don't think that's respectful of the older guys in the room. They're still the guys that lead this group.''
I followed by asking Crawford if the team has been angry enough about losing:
Crawford said: ``Well, I don't think anger is a real positive emotion, at any stage of time. I know what your point is. Your point is, are guys giving the type of effort that you'd expect in a predicament like we're in? I would say there's room for improvement, obviously, when you don't win. That's the fine line you can't cross. You can't accept losing and you can't give yourself the excuse of, `Well, we're developing and it's not important that we win.' Everything is about winning and we've got to try our darnest, in each and every game, to put forth the effort that allows us to win, and take hold of the little sidebars that are in each game. ... We're challenging individuals and certainly we'll challenge the team.''
Here's what Armstrong had to say about the team's attitude:
Armstrong said. ``We're a young team and we're trying to find our way through the league. Obviously winning is the most important thing, but I think making strides as a team is a big thing right now. The winning is going to come. I don't think anyone is satisfied with losing. You can go around the (dressing) room and ask anyone. We wouldn't have gotten to this level if we were satisfied with losing. You've heard it for a long time, but I think we are making strides as a team. I think that's the most important thing.
``The Detroits, back in the day, the Ducks, they struggled for a long time as well. As a reporter or as a fan, as you sit there and watch us I think you can see the progression, and that's the most important thing. It's like Michael Jordan said about winning: `You don't become a winner until you lose.' But once you start accepting losing, it's no good, but I don't think we're accepting that. I think we're making strides as a team.''
None of us need a history lesson from a player (and I use that term loosely) like Armstrong.
The only thing he needs to be angry of, is his own play.
By far one of the most disapointing player this season.
Remember, in the beginning of the season, all that power play time he was given on the second PP unit. All he did was produce a big fat GOOSE EGG. I've never seen a player miss so many open nets in a season.
I hope he's one of the players that gets sent packing this off season. Along with Lord Cammalleri and Lubocrap. Ship these players to Nashville for either Shea Weber OR Ryan Suter. That's a 3 for one deal.
I can no longer stand Derek Armstrong.
TSN in an article called "Bang For The Buck" rated Handzus as "the worst value signing from last summer's free agent crop."
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=232028&hubname=nhl
Voiceful?
Anonymous,
Good point.
Almost forget about the Great Handzus.
Don't get me started on him.
I can't believe our gentle G.M. signed him to a 4 year $16 Million contract.
It was even more difficult for my ears to believe that no other team made him an offer at all. Does anybody see something unethical and sneaky going on here.
My question is, did he get a no trade clause as well.
Army must be enlisted in a major 'dont ask, dont tell' army or something, because his play this season has been disgraceful! hes always offside, or putting his linemates offside, hes never finishing checks, or hitting people the way brown or any other 'physical' forward should... i dont care what people say about his 'play making chemestry'... hes not playing with Luc anymore... he's got to go... there was a glimmer of hope at the end of last season, after he dropped the gloves abotu 2 weeks before the end of the season, played physical and that translated into offensive production.....well, this season has been the polar opposite....anybody know what his contract situation is? UFA? i hope... DONT RESIGN HIM... give his roster spot to Boyle or Purcell or Moulson,,, even gauthier or murray! anybody but this panzie.... that does for Thorn(in my side)-ton and Will(not)-sie.... I WILL BE SO MAD IF THEY ARE RESIGNED!!! waste of roster spots...
Whats all this about no anger.... ofcourse they should use the anger that they (and the fans) have from this aweful season... but its to be transformed into legal sportsmanlike compeditive efforts... not bertuzzi like mindlessness.... but hell, use it to hit those D-men abit harder than they have been.... jeeze... if there was no anger in hockey it might as well be figure skating with sticks and t-shirt cannons (f-ing t-shirt cannons need to go too! send them back to anaheim where they belong)
Number of seasons with the Kings: 5
Number of playoff games with the Kings during those five seasons: 0
I rest my case.
haha, i noticed the same thing ryan.
anthony, please. we've heard it already. i agree army didn't need all that power play time, but the guy is actually even on the year. that's right. E. not every player has to score constantly to be useful... too bad the only thing you can pay attention to is whether a guy scores goals.
"The only thing he needs to be angry of, is his own play." not only was that sentence even worse than use of the term "voiceful," but it doesn't appear army is angry. he's actually concerned about his team and their growth, not what guys like you are saying about him. i, for one, think that's a good thing.
oh, and i'm not gonna argue with you about handzus. no excuses there.
im SICK of losing we are the BEST franchise in professional sports we're not living up to our potential CRAWFORD its 1-4 time 4 men backchecking NOW
I like how they both dodged the question. They didn't address whether they were angry or not...
Armstrong said that the Kings are a young team?
Let's look at the numbers (Average age):
Kings 28.8
Red Wings 31.4
Sharks 27.9
Avs 29.2
Stars 28.4
Ducks 30.4
Wild 28.6
Flames 30.3
Canucks 28.5
re: Handzus----anthony, we've got him until 2011 WITH a no movement clause---no trade, no waive, no assignment to the minors without his consent....yikes!!
last season ended with 27 wins and 68 total points. This season we have 28 wins and 62 points with 10 games to go. the kings look like they are going to improve on total points and have already improved the total wins. I know we are still at the bottom of the pile and still no playoffs but this is what san jose went through. improving every season. that is the goal, to improve every year.
i agree about handzus, what a bust. this is lubos first bad season and i think he will bounce back. i think all of you are expecting too much from armstrong. he is at best a 3rd or 4th liner. he has just been used in the wrong situations. and then there is cloutier. im not even going to get into it, i think we all share the same feeling towards him. especially after this last weeks comments.
i know we all want to win right now. but we are rebuilding and we are so close.
we have to let DL do his thing and have some faith because he has a good track record. that and because we have no choice. AEG writes his checks, not us.
stick together kings fans. soon we are going to have alot of playoff games to attend.
We need somebody like Tortorella to be our coach, simply because Angry John is to the point and gives a worthwhile (and entertaining) interview. Plus his team doing better than ours :)
Guys, be patient for gods sake. "Sick of losing", the reason we have lost for so long is because we haven't been patient. This team still needs 2-3 years and 1-3 good draft picks before it will become a real contender.
Does it drive you a little crazy, Rich, when Crawful takes your question, says "well what I think you meant to ask was ..." and then changes the whole question? And then doesn't even answer that question?
How complicated is it for him to say "you know I'd like to see more fire and desperation from these guys, but it's not that easy in the position we've been in it's something we need to develop here".
Instead you (and then we) get a lecture on how he's challenging the team .. something that WASNT ASKED OF HIM.
And to the guy that says "be patient" you can shut the hell up. The fans have been patient for 40 some years, the last 2 on Lombardis watch. Lets get out of LAST FRIGGIN PLACE then tell me to be patient.
Anyone know if and when the Kings practice on Monday or Tuesday?
Sure Anthony
Send over three of your crappy players and we will
give you Webber. Throw in
Cloutier and we will give
you Arnott. You are simply
CLUELESS.
"We wouldn't have gotten to this level if we were satisfied with losing. You've heard it for a long time, but I think we are making strides as a team. I think that's the most important thing."
What level is that Armstrong? Last place in the league?
That was a pretty funny comment.
That being said, I think I give DL another two years and see what happens. Crawford should be on a short leash this season because the team SHOULD be way better with the team we have. The glaring hole on D needs to be addressed this off season for sure.
Labs and Ersburg should be adequate until Bernier is ready.
Good points Dan H.
DL will be given atleast 2
more years IMO. I believe
Crawford will be canned very early next season if
they have a slow start. I
think he sucks as a coach
and believe a Ted Nolan
would have got more out of this team. Even with Ers
playing out of his mind this team is still losing
more than they win.