Murray, on young defensemen
Here's what Terry Murray had to say about the idea of young defensemen playing in the NHL...
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Question: Not just talking about your situation here, but is it possible for 18- and 19-year-old defensemen to play and succeed in the NHL these days?
MURRAY: Young defensemen can play in the National Hockey League and be very successful in playing in the league. Over my years of coaching in the league, I've had 18-year-olds and 19-year-olds step in and have an impact on the team. A couple of guys I had early in my coaching career...Scott Stevens played as an 18-year-old and Kevin Hatcher came in as a 19-year-old. Both were players who ate up big minutes and important minutes of the game and really went on to have great careers. There's absolutely an opportunity for that to happen with this organization, and I'll be watching closely to see if some of those younger guys can step up and take a big piece of this thing.
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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.
doughty looked great out there. no panic at all. he definitely belongs.
tuebert did not look that good out there. he was ready to fight someone who kept getting under his skin.
martinez looked pretty good.
the russian kid looked alright.
i think there are several youngsters who are really close to nhl ready. can they compete this year? i would not bet $$ on it. the future? looks pretty bright. i know lombardi liked what he saw out there. the permanent pk and pp 4 minute drills are great.