Initial Lombardi answers
It's going to take me a while to transcribe stuff, because I also have some non-Kings duties tonight, but here's what Lombardi said, paraphrased...
-- The move was made now because the Kings did some evaluation in terms of where they're going. Lombardi indicated that there's going to be more of a move toward youth for next season -- and that others in the organization have encouraged him to go ``even younger'' with the roster -- and he believed, based on that, that a coaching change was in order.
-- Lombardi said there was no particular thing, or concern, that led him to make the change. He attributed it mostly to a ``gut feeling'' and a combination of factors.
-- He does not have a replacement already in mind and does not expect, at this point, to make a hire before the draft. Lombardi seemed more open to the possibility of hiring a coach before the development camp.
-- There are no pre-qualifications to be the next Kings coach. It doesn't have to be someone with NHL experience and it doesn't have to be someone with a ``reputation'' for coaching young players.
Lombardi went into deal on more of these topics, and I will post the full comments as soon as possible.
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About the bloggers
Rich Hammond has covered the Kings, on a full-time or part-time basis, since the 2000-01 season. He was the beat writer for the entire John Torchetti era and has witnessed Bob Miller singing country music in a Nashville honky-tonk bar. A native of Los Angeles, Rich has worked at the Daily News since 1999 and also serves as the paper's deputy sports editor. E-mail Rich at rich.hammond@dailynews.com.
Jill Painter joined the Daily News in 2000 and during the last eight years she's covered the Dodgers, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Kings, golf and everything in between. Even though she's from Colorado, she still freezes in the Staples Center press box but always manages to thaw her fingers in time to make deadline. E-mail Jill at jill.painter@dailynews.com.
Cool, he answered my main question, whether he would hire before or after the draft.
Rich, do you think that has anything to do with Dean not wanting a coache's opinion on who he drafts? What do you read in to that decision?
Thanks Rich!
So i Hope this means they will play some young guys like Boyle, Purcell, hickey, Doughty,Bogosian, Bernier. This is a team I would pay to see, not a bunch of third liners DL will sign and plug them in hoping they can tank one more year to get either Tavares or that huge Swedish D-man.
Crawford nice guy, wrong coach.Blake nice, guy wrong d man.Enough said, one down one to go. Thank`s Rich for all you do!
It means we're most likely going to see Doughty or Bogosian or whomever is drafted on the Kings roster next season. Either it will be a big difference, or it will be more of the same.
Rich, you are a Godsend. If not for you & your blog we'd have no reliable place to get Kings' news. To get quotes from the General Manager just hours after a big announcement is something we've learned NOT to expect from other media outlets in Los Angeles.
Thank you, Rich.
Come the start of next season I'm gonna start home delivery of the Daily News - just to show my support.
alright, everybody get on board for another poor season as far as the standings go. DL is going full blown YOUTH. This means it is highly likely that we will suck. The result would be next season DL would have been forced to fire and hire someone mid-season - not the best time of year. At least now he has better options available to him. Going with the youth means the individual performances will be the better way to rate the team than overall team standings.
Who's the "others in the organization"? TL perhaps?? say it ain't so....
I hope they don't rush Bernier
I pray that DL does not hire Tortorella. If next year's edition of the Monarchs... err, Kings, is going to be loaded with youth, maybe the Kings should be coached by one who coaches the youth year after year. Hire Morris or Cunneyworth!
Rich, what other non-Kings duties could you possibly have ? Now that the hockey season is over, what other sports could be going on in LA ? j/k
Accelerating the youth movement a bit is a very good idea. Quite a few of our prospects are already in the 22-24 year old range. They're inexperienced young men, not teenagers. Watching the young guys develop will be more fun and interesting than watching the fillers.
So how does this all jive with the previous mantra of bringing the kids along the right way?
I like where we're potentially going next season. Even if it means our inexperience will hurt us in the standings, this will be fun to watch.
Forget bridges or fillers, it's time for the TRUE KINGS to play - Brian Boyle, Lauri Tukonen, Jonathan Bernier, and Ted Purcell. They're ready for the big time.
Good2BKings:
Torterella can coach the youth. He won a calder cup with the Rochester Americans in the AHL way back in the day.
does anyone know if the assistants were also let go? maybe DL wants to go with Lewis...
To fill in the gap, you can listen to the interview on www.Lakings.com. Look for the headline that Crawford was fired,click it and you'll find the link. I personally like Rich's transcriptions better, but in the meantime you can listen to it.
Rich, is there any chance you'll weigh in on Crawford's firing soon?
Why has DL decided to go younger when all along he has stated his philosophy was to not rush the kids?
Lombardi always has been preaching that to build contenders year in year out you have to have organizational stability like the Red Wings. So he goes and fires a coach after 2 seasons on the job? If you want to go in a different direction, why didn't you figure that out 2 years ago instead of now?
Why DOESN'T it have to be an NHL exp. coach?
Everyone is missing the point here. Younger means CHEAPER. Cheaper means more money for AEG. No million dollar contracts needed for the kids. It's all about the money. I'm surprised Brown accepted such a low amount, but I guess he had his reasons.