In the last part of this interview, I asked Lombardi what, specifically, he saw from Crawford that convinced him Crawford wasn’t the right fit…

“In anything like this, when you put it all together, it just comes down to your gut. Because you can’t just pick out one thing and say, `Oh, that’s it.’That’s really not the case. You go through the analytics that I talked about and maybe you’ve got some things that you witnessed in the past that might relate to the future, but in the end it’s a gut call. And that’s the truth. Obviously you could make a list and say, `OK, what about this and that,’ but that’s not totally accurate either.”

I asked Lombardi about the meeting, this morning, in which he broke the news to Crawford…

“I know it’s cliche-ish to say it’s hard, but it really is. If you ever get used to doing something like that, you’ve probably got a problem. It’s not fun and it wears you out. It’s a tough process and I don’t know anyone in this position who does like it.”

Finally, I asked Lombardi if he felt it was important to get a coach in place before either the NHL draft, which starts June 20, or the Kings’ development camp, which usually takes place in early July…

“I don’t think the draft is critical at all, in terms of that. A coach doesn’t really have responsibilities, other than to meet the kid. Obviously the development camp, yeah, there’s a little bit (of importance) but Jamie (Kompon) and Nellie (Nelson Emerson) kind of run that and a lot of it is individual skills, so we’re OK here. So I guess what I’m saying is yeah, it would be nice, but for us to hurry a decision because we want him there, and maybe making the wrong decision, no. The draft is totally irrelevant, as far as I’m concerned, for the coaching part. The development camp would have its advantages, no question, however not enough of an advantage to force our hand.”

I’m going to try to transcribe Lombardi’s conference call from earlier, if my fingers don’t start cramping.