Ask Terry Murray

In Crawford's system, defencemen were activated a great deal. While this augmented our offensive attack, I feel it also left us vulnerable on the back end. Will Murray impose a more "stay at home" philosophy to help stabilize our blueline?

Do the Kings intend to skate a team this year? They can't play till they reach the salary floor. What are they intending to do to get to that level?

I'd like to know if he has decided what the team goal will be for this season. Is he going to make it a central theme to make the playoffs? Or not? I can't imagine he'll say no, but I'd like you to get a feel for his answer and tell us if there is any indication the organization feels this season is a lost cause in regards to reaching post season play.

I'd like to know how Murray thinks the Kings match up physically against other teams and if he is going to ice a "tough" line-up like when he did in Florida and Philly. The Kings are pretty soft up front besides Brown and Ivanans...I would hope he plays Boyle and Ivanans on a regular basis to get that element into the line-up seeing how that has been missed in previous seasons...esp. now without Thornton, Avery, Kostopolous....

How does the west coast travel schedule effect the King's practice schedules? Do we get less ice time than the east coast team beacuse there is more time spent traveling?

Are most of the team plays (defense structures and offensive plays) put in during the pre-season or are they put in throughout the year? (or is your philosphy what Jason Allison said they did in Boston--have no set plays and just wing it ?(or was Allison joking when he said that?))

What are your thoughts on the "new" NHL trying to cut down obstruction? Have the rules worked well? Do you know if they will they be kept for now or changed anytime soon? How might the anti-obstruction rules be improved, in your opinion?

Can you describe your style of system you want the team to play?

Outstanding!!

1. How does he like to delegate responsibilities among his assistant coaches? i.e. will Hardy be doing PK, etc.

2. Since the hire, has he had a chance to do any "scouting" of the Kings prospects and if so are there any players he's looking forward to seeing at camp?

3. What's his philosophy on young defensemen? How much can we expect to see them and how many of them can we expect to see this year?

4. How does he see the role of enforcer in the NHL nowadays - necessary/totally unnecessary? Does he favor having a 6 minute/night guy in the lineup or does he prefer to have a variety of hard nosed guys who can drop the gloves?

Hi Rich.
Can you please ask Mr. Murray what he thinks about the team so far and what players he expects to lead this team.

And thanks again for this site.

Andre from Norway.

Has he taken any steps toward selecting a captain? Has he narrowed the field down? Has he talked to players to get their input on the subject? What does he look for in a good captain?

How would he rank the Kings' talent compared to the other teams he's coached?

Thanks, Rich! You're the best.

1. Are you going to roll 4 lines?
(It seems teams that do that are able to keep their energy throughout the game.)

2. How do you think you can tighten up the defense, without having a significant drop-off in scoring?

Terry Murray said he was going to speak to the Strength and Conditioning coach right away. What did he find out? Is the strength and conditional plan meet with his expectations?

It would be interesting to know how much tape he was watched of last year's Kings and if he could comment on the strengths and weaknesses (particularly in our defensive zone) of that team and how he plans to address the deficiencies. Also, I'd be curious to hear his opinion about trail by fire learning for young defensemen.

Does he have a limit as to how many 1st or 2nd year players he's willing to carry on the roster to start the season?

Does he plan to rotate his goalies during the season or ride the hot hand and have a true #1 goalie?

Why does he feel he is a good coach for young players?

How does he intend to combat 'lazy' or 'lackluster' play from the team like we saw so many nights last season; does he have a specific approach or style for dealing with it, and how does that approach change when dealing with an older team versus a young Kings team?

Does he want to bring 'east-coast' hockey to L.A., or does he plan to adjust himself and his system to the western conference?

Thanks Rich, you're the best!

In a division brandishing Shelley, Parros/May/Moen, Barch/Ott/Morrow/Avery, and Fedoruk/Carcillo/McGrattan, does he see a need for an effort to lighten Ivanans' load and bring in some middleweight help?

In terms of developing a winning in culture with the Kings, what are some things you expect to do in order to keep morale high in case the losses mount up especailly with such a young group?

along the lines of what the anonymous post said about heavyweight fighters in this division, could you ask Murray what he envisions for hockey's future. On the Y a h o o blog they're asking media and hockey people 5 changes they'd make in the NHL. Maybe offer the opportunity up to Murray to answer that and we can get some insight into his opinions and thinking. Coming from working next to Bobby Clarke it would be interesting to hear his take on how he likes to prepare his team for the NHL to come.

Rich,

Would you mind asking Mr. Murray what his process has been since acepting the job. He mentioned talking with the Strength and Conditioning coach first. What steps has he taken since then? And what are his next steps leading up to training camp?

Also, you may want to tell your interactive team the footer on this blog still says "Copyright ©2007."

Thanks!

what's with all the goon/fighting questions?

Hi, Rich!

There have already been a few posts regarding the defense and youth of the club. Could you please ask Mr. Murray if he feels comfortable with the D he has now or if he'd like to get one more veteran guy in to help bring the kids along? Thanks and keep up the great work. We appreciate it greatly!

Would he like to get an experienced veteran defenseman as a teacher/mentor for the young kids or would he prefer to go with what he now has?

How much does he believe in the veteran teacher/mentor role or is that an overblown idea by us fans?

does he have a good realtor in Kansas City? Has he been told to rent in Los Angeles or is he buying.

Can you ask Terry what he knows about the team right now? What has he learned in his time off from being a head coach?
How does he plan to overcome his teams' youth and inexperience when playing elite teams?

Rich,

I thought of a few questions:

1) Both Terry and DL seem to be in agreement that tough times will be ahead, as if we haven't already had to endure any. Exactly what kind of expectations do you feel this team will have? Because from what it seems like - you two are expecting this team to set a record in losses.

2) Have you gotten a chance to see film of Thomas Hickey, Drew Doughty, Alec Martinez and the other young defensemen vying for a spot?

3) When will you make your choice on who the team's captain will be? Is something you've already begun thinking about? What does a coach look at before he selects a captain?

4) One of the things that the Kings lacked last year was overall team toughness. There were guys who can hit like Dustin Brown, league leader in hits, Patrick O'Sullivan and John Zeiler... with the new players and some players that are no longer on the team... how do you intend to build that team toughness? How important is it in your overall coaching philosophy?

5) What recollections do you have of the game the Flyers played against the Kings last season?

6) Do you tend to favor veterans over younger players, in general? In terms of playing time, key situations...etc. Some coaches like Ted Nolan and Mike Keenan have famously favored veterans in those situations. What's your philosophy on that?

7) One of the biggest disappointments last season was the inconsistent play of Michal Handzus. How do you intend to use him in order to revitalize his career after the big knee surgery?

8) The team obviously needs to make overall defensive strategy and defensive play a focus ... how do you balance that without sacrificing offense?

Hey Rich,

What's his take on the "LA" hockey market/fans, and has he met Jerry Bruckheimer yet, and has he been invited to any "holllywood" party's yet?

Thanks!!!

what does he see as this teams srengths and weaknesses? what does he plan to do about the weaknesses? does he have a particular philosophy in regards to bringing up young goalies? how much say does he have in regards to player personnel?
thx rich

At what position do you see Patrick O'Sullivan skating?

Will Jack Johnson continue playing on the left side or will he be moved back to the right?

1. Why were Dean and Hextall the first to talk to Hardy. It seemed as if they handpicked Hardy and Murray had no say in it. Is Murray just a puppet for the organization? What restrictions does he have as coach?

peaches makes a good point, you could ask if he's received any assurances about the team staying put.

At present, the club has five D with NHL experience:

Johnson
Preissing
Greene
Harrold
Gauthier

The pro farm teams have very little to offer.

How will you avoid the temptation of prematurely forcing teenagers into NHL roles? Doughty/Hickey may be good players someday, but they have no pro experience.

Do you favor a more aggressive 2-1-2 forechecking system or a more passive trapping style of 1-2-2 or 1-4?

Do you prefer to roll all four lines or do you tend to rely more on the top three lines while using the fourth line less frequently?

riseandfall9, you're not supposed to sit up, let alone type - you're supposed to be recovering.

As for the Murray question: How do you discipline players? Hopefully its not like Andy Murray making everyone write an essay starting with "I play my best hockey when..."

The Ontario Reign of the ECHL, proud affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, announced today that they have signed C Jon Francisco and LW Chris Curran to the 2008-09 Reign roster. PER CLUB POLICY, TERMS OF THE DEALS WERE NOT DISCLOSED. I sure hope this doesn't upset Cristobal

What are the line combinations you are thinking of putting together? Any particuliar players you want playing together on a line?

1. Who are/were your hockey idols, and why?

2. Who are/were your coaching idols, and why?

3. How will your head coaching style/approach be any different in the "new NHL"?

4. How do you specifically blend the coaching roles of leader, motivator, teacher, disciplinarian, supporter, etc?

5. In general, what does a kid/prospect have to show you in order to earn your trust?

6. Open-ended: what would you like LA fans to know about you?

Thanks Rich

Will Coach Murray be asking Jack Johnson to assert a more physical type game similar to his college days?

Thanks Rich!

In what year do you truly envision the Kings legitimate contenders for the Stanley Cup?

If you specialize in grooming young defenseman, who will be in charge primarly of grooming the forwards?

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Triplcrown said:

2 Questions for Terry Murray:

1.Detroit has become very accomplished at quick breakouts (usually via a pass
to a FW breaking along the boards).
Do you think, with the skill of the players we now have, and will be adding in near future, that we could adopt at least SOME of those, or similar,
breakout approaches?

2. Will you be willing, at even-strength, to try Brian Boyle at WING, as well as Center, on the top 2 lines,
in order to utilize his variety of shots and
scoring instincts?

Thank you
triplcrown

Some really good questions that hit on stuff I am already interested in. Mostly I want to know why Murray feels he is a good teacher for young kids.

Will he try to teach the kids how to play a better balance of defense and offense ?

What three players from the 1980-81 Philadelphia Flyers would most help make the Kings into a top team and why?

Note: Terry Murray played almost a full season - 71 games - with that Flyer team. They went 41-24-15 = 97 points (6th best in league), scored 313 goals, gave up 249 goals and had 2621 penalty minutes (lead league by 640 minutes). They lost in the 2nd round of playoffs and were coached by Pat Quinn.

do you expect Jack Johnson to take more of a leadership role, with such a young team (especially on the blue line)?

can you describe your approach to dealing with the LA fan base? and what is one thing you want to tell the fans?

and, how much input do you expect to have when it comes to player moves? (be careful with this one, as we still have the Beachball on our minds.)

thanks Rich!

Thank you for your time and effort Rich......Also, I would like to say Good Luck to Mr Murray and Our New Assistant Coach! Mister Hardy!

1) How would you play our goalie situation?

2) Any official word on our team captian?

3) How would you match the other teams #1 D-line with a few of our vet D's traded?

sorry if these questions were previously posted...

Murray, what's a realistic goal for the team in the win catagory? 30?

Here some questions for Terry Murray. What kind of an identity do we excpect this team to have when playing? Do you have any strong beliefs in order to be a successful team in the league? How is this team to reach the salary cap before the beginning of the season? How would you describe yourself as being a head coach?

Can you share a Finley story with us?