Training camp, Day One

Just got back in the office after the first day of training camp. Good to see everyone on the ice, with the exceptions of Patrick O’Sullivan and Justin Azevedo, who are, respectively, unsigned and out with a broken wrist.

Very high energy this morning, as the camp was split in two. Half of the players practiced while the other half played a scrimmage game, then they flipped places. Terry Murray’s plan to use both ice rinks in El Segundo prevented him from watching everyone at once but allowed the Kings to accomplish more, it seems.

There didn’t seem to be any real rhyme or reason to the way the players were split up, other than that the groups seemed to be equally split between veterans and rookies.

The most attention came courtesy of a fight, during the second scrimmage, between Richard Clune and Drew Bagnall. Not much of a fight, in terms of punches thrown, but Clune apparently is developing a reputation as a Sean Avery-type scrapper.

Lots and lots of defensive-mind drills today. Not surprisingly, the more veteran players impressed. Anze Kopitar looked strong and Jack Johnson has visibly put on weight (in a strength way, not a fat way). Jason LaBarbera is notably trimmer and talked about how he dropped weight and got stronger this summer.

I have lots of quotes to transcribe, which I will get to throughout the afternoon and night, so stay tuned. I’ll be glad to answer any questions anyone might have as well.

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