Mid-February approval ratings

Well, we know Anthony will vote no to both. I can't believe anyone else would

wow. Talk about support.

As of the 47th vote it is 100% in favor for both. (with my vote included)

As of now...

Lombardi:
217 Yes
1 No

Murray:
213 Yes
2 No

As of now...

Lombardi:
243 Yes
2 No

Murray:
245 Yes
2 No

Paul,
How did you know.
Actually, I voted:
DL - disapprove
TM - approve (but that can change any second)

Anthony-

What did Dean do/didn't do that made you vote against him?

Just out of curiosity. I don't see what Dean can be doing right at this point in this season that's going to make/break the Kings right now. The only thing I can see him trying to do is getting another shooter, but there's really not much available right now.

These votes of support are the reason AEG can sit back and do relatively nothing to improve the Kings going on 15 years now. No playoffs since 2002, the team needing to go 7-1 in the last 8 games just to be a few points out of last place in the conference. Why you folks don't demand more is beyond me and does nothing but lend credence to outsiders who say folks in L.A. are laid back and don't know and/or care enough about the sport. So what if the team is a bit better this year than we had anticipated. At best they finish 8th and get swept in the first round. Where is the demand for accountability? If you were AEG and saw this poll, what would you think?

DL has put together a great team. We are competitive in a tough Western Conference despite being the youngest team and with the lowest payroll in the NHL.

As for TM he has done a wonderful job with what he has. The combined salaries of our starting D and goalie from yesterday (bonuses excluded) are less than some individual players like Neidermayer, Pronger, Lidstrom... That is pretty impressive considering we have the 7th best D in the league.

I agree with Andy to a certain extent. If there was a poll for AEG I am sure there wouldn't be many supporters here. But you cant blame TM for the Kings past history. They have improved under him. And DL will probably have shown improvement in each of the 3 seasons he has been our GM.

Andy,

It just sounds like you are expecting far too much far too soon.

You're speaking as if this team has been together for years and the coaching staff is completely familiar with the team and knows everyone's strengths and weaknesses.

The team is just now, finally, starting to come together and actually function as a team.

They coaches and players are holding themselves accountable. They rebounded wonderfully from that last losing streak and created a winning streak.

So, what is there to bitch at AEG about in regards to the team and its management?

To Andy:

Dude. Chill out. What more do you think needs to be "demanded"? Sell off prospects for a quick fix? Oh wait. Been there, done that. This is called rebuilding, the first true rebuild of this team *ever*. We have home-grown goaltenders, a multitude of prospects in the system, a teacher behind the bench, and a team that finally looks and plays like they are all on the same page.

To put in in "real world" terms, when a homeowner finds that the foundation is cracked and the entire structure of a home is riddled with rot and termites, one can't expect a couple of new boards, some fresh drywall and a coat of paint to make the house livable. No, the foundation needs to be re-poured, walls have to be torn down, and significant care needs ot put into the *rebuild* of the house to make sure that the same problems never occur again. This all takes time.

That's where we, as a team and a system, are today. The foundation has been poured. The walls are being restructured. The sealing of cracks and joints and all the porous surfaces are slowly and carefully being undertaken. *Next* year (or even in the off-season) the final paint job will be ready.

Have patience.

Uh, Andy...

AEG has lost well over 300 million on this club. I think we have asked enough of them.

Beyond that, you are asking them to improve this club. How would you suggest doing so when A) Free agents do not want to come here. B) Trading away talented prospects and future draft picks are what got this franchise into this mess to begin with. C) They are running a business, and until some people begin to realize this, they might as well just go bang their heads against the wall. AEG's goal has never been to win. Their goal is to make money, period. It's called a business.

We all know why they purchased the Kings, to get a foothold in the LA downtown marketplace, so they can build their other project, to make money there. In that facet, they have been successful.

Now, insofar as the Kings? They did try the quick fixes...guess what...quick fixes NEVER work. It has been proven throughout the history of all sports over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over and over again (want a few more?).

Meanwhile, those clubs that we all love to hate...Detroit, Dallas, San Jose, Anaheim (to an extent), New Jersey, Washington, Montreal, Chicago, etc...just take a look at their rosters, their CORE, and tell me how that core got there. Through the draft. Yes, the rest of the squad was built up around that core, once the core was ready to take that next step.

Once the Kings begin beating these top teir teams, on a regular basis, THAT is the time you go out and blow your wad on those essential missing pieces you weren't able to pick up in the draft.

I really don't understand why this is so hard to understand for others. It isn't exactly rocket science.

Sooo...here come the normal, I hate AEG posts, and go and buy us Hossa, Heatly, Kovalchuk, and everyone, and all will be good posts...it doesn't work that way people.

Voted yes for DL. I think he is locking up good young players, has a nice stable of young D, has good goalies in the system; all of which are going to make L.A. a better team long-run, and more desireable for free-agents. Lubo for Stoll & Greene has been a better trade for us than the Oilers (I still miss Lubocookie, tho.)

Voted no for TM. I think the team mainly improved due to factors outside of his control:
-The arrival of Drew fricken Doughty. One of our three best players. Better than any d-man we had last year. Thank DL for that one.
-Handzeus getting healthy. He is so much better this year and it has nothing to do with TM.
-Jack mf'en Johnson, more experience and with something to prove. Healthy competition between him and Doughty.
-Kyle Quincey, thank DL.

Our defense is better BECAUSE WE HAVE BETTER DEFENDERS.

Strikes against TM.
-Stuck with JLB for too long.
-Plays Wrongias too much.
-Has an offensive system that discourages creativity. Safety first, keep puck along the boards, don't take risks. OK, fine, but there's a reason we've been shut out 8 times this year and that's because TM's goal is to reduce goals against, but you can't win when you don't score.
-Players with bad +/- last year still have bad +/- this year, ex Kopi and Brown, but their offense is down. So it's hard to say that he's made his players better defensively.

TM is a "bridge" coach. A calm guy who tries to instill a defense-first approach while giving the young guys experience. But to win at some point we'll need to attack more, and that's just not TM's way.

TM's biggest pluses are:
-Doesn't scream negative things at the players on the bench.
-Has the players playing more aggressively up the ice and on the pk.

But again, the main reason for our improvement is that we have better defenders and goaltending, for which TM gets no credit.

Andy, get a clue. This team has far exceeded everybody's expectations, from fans to media. I attribute this to, one part DL as his long term plans slowly begin to bare fruit, and one part TM for being a great teacher. Not everyone can nurture these young men, it takes a special talent. Just ask Marc Crawford.

Andy,

AEG blows, but that doesn't mean Lombardi and his staff aren't doing a good job. It's year 3 in the rebuild. What are you expecting? If the Kings aren't making the payoffs and doing some damage by year 5 then call for his head. I'll be right there with you.

Bring Back the Shield Jersey,

Dude, it's the coaching. Yeah, we have better defenders, but Marc Crawford's system was WAAAAAY too wide open and he has been sited as being a prick to rookie defenders. TM is calm and demands accountability from everyone, not just his defensemen, for taking care of the King's end. I'll bet if you ask the players that were here last year they'll credit TM and Mark Hardy for the huge turnaround first.

Bring Back the Shield Jersey--

Yes we have better defenders, and the youngest defenders have gained some valuable experience...

...But one play from last night's game in the third period shows how much the forward's game has improved.
Can't remember which Flame it was, but I watched a 2-on-1 move in on Quick where I said to myself, okay, game over, a goal right here and we have no chance--then Dustin Brown swoops in and knocks away the puck from behind on right wing to the boards, no penalty because he hit the puck first, no contact because of his huge effort and BETTER COACHING! The rest of the Kings got back into the play and the team was still in the game.

Last year, that play would've drawn at least a penalty if not a penalty shot or a point-blank 1-on-0 shot. This year they stay in the game... and, when the Kings PP improves to the point of touch-touch passing (it WILL, trust me!), the team is going to win consistently at a two-of-three or three-of-four pace, just like Boston, San Jose or Chicago.

The Kings may or may not make the playoffs this year (I think we will miss by the thinnest of hairs), but there is NO QUESTION that improved coaching has resulted in improved play.

I just pray that AEG, DL and the Fan Base stay the course. This team is about to be very, very good.

Andy,
You are part of the reason that people think Kings fans have no clue about the sport.

It's called building a winner. If AEG is listening to others teams announcers, writers, and players they'll realize that they are sitting on something really special here.

Rich,

I have some free time at work. Hopefully this shows up, doesn't say anything one wouldn't expect about us kings fans.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=mj96rd&s=5

[IMG]http://i39.tinypic.com/mj96rd.jpg[/IMG]

http://i39.tinypic.com/mj96rd.jpg

Where's the option "Do you approve of how the Kings players are playing?"

It's amazing what a little thing like winning can do for approval ratings....

I agree with BBTS for the most part. We went through 8 games where there was little change to the offensive lines and remarkably, we get the offensive chemistry that we were accustomed to last year. Who'd have thunk it?

We start the first period of yesterday's game and I got to see that chemistry in person. Then he started futzing with the lines and despite the fact that we had many shots on goal, none were the quality of opportunities we had in the first period. Chemistry gone.

Doughty is our defense. With the addition of Jack Johnson, our defensive transitions to offense have more bite and we can score due to a better level of skill from the point setting things up.

I'll admit, the team is more physical than last year and Murray deserves credit for that. Even Frolov is hitting people. However, I haven't seen anything on offense that would suggest the workings of a master strategist other than a bunch of line alterations. This shows me that Murray has little to offer us on offense besides mixing things up and hoping for a fit. If this is the making of a great coach, maybe I'm in the wrong business.

Oh, and Bako... I remember the play you are talking about with Brownie. The reason there was a breakaway and Brown was in position to make the defensive play was because he gave it away on a forced pass to O'Donnell that never should have been made. He giveth and he taketh away. The defense is just plain Brownie. He's a great player and was making plays like that last year. The offensive mistake is one of very few that he makes and is an illustration of the lack of offensive strategy and chemistry that I'm talking about.

I do agree that next year will be exciting and the team is looking great. I'm pumped about it almost enough to buy season tickets again. That is... If AEG doesn't screw us season ticket holders by discounting tickets like they did this year!

RB,

I fail to see how offering a limited number of seats (roughly 500-1000 out of 18,118 seats) at a discount price to a limited number of games (What, ten games now?) is screwing the ticket holders.

Up until that point you seemed to have some sort of thought behind what you were saying.

TM & DL...Proof of them doing their jobs has happened to date.
TM needs to get us thru the finish in contention for and if we make the playoffs great, but the biggest issue is to make sure there is no late season collapse.
DL needs to resist the challenge of making a trade unless it makes absolute sense. We have to think long term here now. There is no 1 or 2 players that we could add this year that would take us to the cup....PERIOD. We emptied the franchise for a lot of years to get the supposed talent to help Wayne get us a cup and did we get that...NO. Business decision and we have lived with that one as well as the ones before and afyer.
DL....PLEASE count to 10 before making any deal..any deal !
The pain hurts like no other to suffer as we have, but we are on the right track...FINALLY. This is how it is done, get strong to the point where it takes only a piece or a rental to be over the top. Then the NHL UFA's will come as a rental or even for keeps. I know no NHL player that likes to shovel snow, but they will to win so we need to get that culture here.
I was there in the Forum when we the fans held Frank Mahoney from starting the anthem 3 times cheering our team so loudly it shook the place against Boston and it was beautiful. We did not make it then but we supported our team in spite of that idiot JKC. AEG is in business and it is our business to make a difference again supporting our team. It is too quiet in Staples ! Get there early, make that trip to the ice to start the game by the team be loud, long and show the team we care for their effort. Bad ownership is no stranger here or a ton of other places, but we finally have something to give us real hope...it's coming so stand up and be heard.

ByTheWay...

Any Reign Fans going to the Condors game tonight in Bakersfield? If so, see you there tonight in section 105/ I'm the guy with the camera-on-a-stick... Two Reign/Kings fans went to the last game in Bakersfield, the ones with the Ducks/Kings jerseys. Talked with them, hope they had a great time. It's hard splitting between the Condors and Kings...

Go Kings!

Bring Back The Shield -

Do you really think we've lost more games becasue we can't score, or that we've won more games because TM has preached defense first? I thought so....please think before you type.

Its official...Anthony has been replaced. Andy is now the new public enemy no. 1 on this blog. hahahah!

Demanding? laid back? don't care? thats just funny stuff.

Just an FYI, AEG has been working on correcting their own faults for two years now. Basically, they admitted their weaknesses and addressed them. It started with making the Kings their own business unit and giving Luc the keys to the castle (President of the team). Lieweke backed off...Second, they mandated that we start from the bottom up and plant the proper seeds to create a winning culture especailly in the management and scouting positions. So easy with your hot tempered remarks. And if you think we don't care...go to a game and see how a team that finished tied for last the previous season still fills the seats.

Are you aware that a recent poll around the league named the Kings as the team with the very best farm system? I'm sure you didn't champ. Theres a team in anaheim that would be glad to have your support. Leave.

Gary-
They did screw the STH with that $11.50 sale. My sales rep said they had sold over 2000 tickets just on that Friday afternoon by phones, not counting ticketmaster sales or the other 24 hours. I pay over $60/ticket for my season seats and it does irritate me when the person sitting next to me paid $11. They should have offered STH priority purchasing like they do with all other sales.

If AEG will leave DL and his staff alone and not try to make a deal...just for the sake of making a deal...then this team will continue to flourish. I think the Beckham fiasco is a obvious example....we like western canadians...leave the french out...thanks.

Reb,

That in no way screwed you.

The only way it could perhaps be negative to you is if you were to be selling those tickets and hope to make a profit.

Again, it is a limited number of games and a limited number of seats.

Those tickets sold out for the lower bowl in minutes. The rest were all over the stadium in random places. I doubt they sold more than 1/5 capacity of staples at that price. It was a radio promotion too. So, the radio station was footing part of the difference in price for those tickets. What sort of budget do you think an AM station has?

It is not as if they were selling any number of seats to yours for any game of the season for 1/6th the price you paid.

If you feel as though you were ripped off or screwed you focus on the wrong things in life.

That promotion was great for the long term building of this franchise by allowing fans that gave up on the kings long ago due to bad management a chance to meet the current team. It allowed people unfamiliar with the sport to have a chance to give it a more serious look. It allowed die hard fans with little income the ability to fill some seats and cheer louder than you, cause you're too busy muttering crap under your breath about some undeserving poor kid is in the seat next to you.

Those promotions are helping to reestablish a loyal fan base in a city that needs to remember who the LA Kings are.

And, if you think it is hurting the season ticket holders, you don't fall into the "loyal" category.

How can anyone be upset with Lombardi? What he has done with this team in 3 years had never been done in nearly forty years! He has re-tooled (rebuilt) this team in a very smart way, stocked the farm teams with great prospects, got great draft picks and has made some very good trades and yes some maybe less good trades, but overall, he has done very, very well in the short time he has managed.

TM came here to teach the kids to play and to win. He has done that with a system that emphasizes defense first. IMO, his plan is to take baby steps; first shore up the defense, get these players playing well 5 on 5, then special teams (PK then PP). If you go back over this year, it's clear to me he is slowly leading the players along this very deliberate path. And it's working very well. Players are responding and when they begin to excel at each phase, he introduces another facet of the game for them to tackle.

AEG gets a lot of criticism and to accuse them of not caring is absurd; they have spent losts of money building a state-of-the-art stadium and practice facility, they have bought farm teams and european teams and facilities, they have invested in premium GMs, coaching staffs and scouting. Theirs has always been a long-term goal. Many of you want to claim their only desire is for the development of real-estate - guess what, that's the reality of today's business and like it or not owning a professional sports is a BUSINESS! It's only smart to leverage the business with other businesses. Their goals are much broader than just owning a hockey team and so far it has benefited us as well.
Considering the current financial landscape, it's damn good AEG has deep pockets and is dedicated to the long-term health of the team and yes their other assets as well.

TB...your not serious about the remark that Luc is (President of the Team) are you? Business Ops maybe or Marketing maybe...but not Hockey Ops. That my dear belongs to Dean Lombardi....as it should stay that way.
And somehow...I don't think Leiweke has backed off anything.

TB...your not serious about the remark that Luc is (President of the Team) are you? Business Ops maybe or Marketing maybe...but not Hockey Ops. That my dear belongs to Dean Lombardi....as it should stay that way.
I also agree that the Business ops should've given first rights to buy additional tix before the general public.
And ...I don't think Leiweke has backed off anything. Especially now that they're winning. Takes the pressure off the soccer issue.

the proof is in the points...
...many of you made great points about why they both deserve lots of credit year-to-date...

- d.l. is following the same path of success that he had in san jose...and now look at them...

- d.l. has built a team based upon defense...and we are becoming the envy of most gm's around the league in the fact that d.l. has coupled tons 'o' draft picks w/ tons 'o' cap space...

- do you realize that d.l. drafted toskala and nabokov and got kiprusoff in the entry draft of '95 (officially gm in '96)...? look at all the goaltenders he's stockpiled for the kings...? all it takes is for one of them to step up...i really love our chances there...

- t.m. wins everywhere he's gone...in one of the more unique situations ever to happen in professional coaching, after taking the '97 flyers to the cup finals and losing to one of the greatest teams ever put on ice ('97 red wings), he gets fired...AND THEN becomes a scout for them the next season...that says a lot about his commitment, focus and ability to be a team player in an organization(s) filled w/egomaniac owners/gms/players...he has the perfect coaching style for what these kings need...

major mistakes:
for d.l...they are obvious...the signing of ladislav nagy...and the big matzo ball...dan cloutier...
one could make the argument about the brad stuart signing and then the trade...but the kings ultimately got brad richardson and voinov with the pick they received...
notice i didn't mention the other two big pick ups that year...calder and handzus...i think both those players are doing their best to prove the naysayers otherwise...particularly handzus...he's worth mentioning in comeback player of the year...(zednik will and should win it)...zus has played the second best all-around game (brown 1st) among forwards this year...

for t.m....the only issues i have/had w/t.m. is perhaps the early season juggling of the lines...i guess he really wasn't as familiar of what he had when the season began and it showed...he's still quick to shake things up...however, the type of game the kings are playing right now warrants he not tinker w/things too much...
and, up until last month, i thought t.m. was mismanaging frolov...as t.m. involved fro more in an offensive role, putting him on the top line and double-shifting him on the 4th line, fro has responded and has become a more physical presence on the ice...

they both deserve accolades at this point for a team well ahead of schedule...let's see what happens during the next 3 weeks as the team strives for the playoffs and the trade deadline approaches...

Gary-
While I understand that every once in a while there needs to be a way to bring in new fans, I would just be curious to know how many would return and how much of it was just people who wanted to come to Staples for cheaper than they could for even the Sparks or Avengers games. The people around me were not hockey fans and left after the first period against the Detroit game. While that was admittedly not the Kings best game, if we were trying to get more fans, I just don't agree with the way it was done. Yes, its a good idea to offer those specials. And yes, I realize its like airline tickets. But when there are people who are never going to go to a game again, what is the point other than parking selling out and the concessions making money? Sales reps saw none of that money for their commissions. And it really makes you think that if they can sell tickets for that cheap in January, why not the rest of the season?

I did enjoy last nights game. Quick made a save in the 2nd where he put his hand up and punched the puck above the goal. Maybe in a few years he will be Kippy, where the other team outshoots by more than twice the amount but we win. I was wary of the line changes that TM seems to like, but on the road trip he stopped. Last night it was back with Ivanans/Calder switching and more. This team can do better and go to the playoffs, but needs to go into games confident without being overconfident.

tantrum4 said:

Do you really think we've lost more games becasue we can't score, or that we've won more games because TM has preached defense first? I thought so....please think before you type.

Well I know for sure of 8 games we've lost because we didn't score. And how has our defense-first stopped us from coming from ahead to lose quite a few games? And frankly you haven't addressed the main criticism that our defense is better mainly because we have better defenders and goaltending. And I, for one, do think before typing. You should try it.

Reb,

"And it really makes you think that if they can sell tickets for that cheap in January, why not the rest of the season?"

I touched on why. It was a cross promotion with the radio station.

1150 AM foots part of the bill to get word out for their radio broadcast and drive more listeners to it. They can't do this all season long because the return on their advertising dollars would be in the red. BIG time if they were to do this each game. Again, that is just at limited numbers of seats at promotion prices.

There is no way anyone could do the whole season at those prices.

18,000 seats at $12 = $216,000

Let's say on average tickets cost $60 at staples:
$1,080,000 for 18,000 seats.

Season (38 games) would bring in $41,040,000

But, at promo price tickets only $8,208,000 would come in.

That is a huge difference in income. And, I don't think there would be any way to find sponsors to make up the difference for a whole season.

I also doubt people would spend the extra $38 on food just cause they have it in their wallet still. A $10 hotdog is still a $10 hot dog and no less heart wrenching to pay for. So, concession stand sales wouldn't increase enough to make up for the lack of income on ticket sales.

That's why it doesn't happen for an entire season.

-----------------------------------------------------

It's of course a gamble for both the radio station and the Kings to do these promotions. However, I think even though those people near you left early and were not that into it, they still are going to talk to their friends about the Kings and maybe the radio station when asked how they got tickets for so cheap. Good or bad, it is publicity just the same and will pique interest in the people they talk to.

It's just a matter of time for it to be brought in front of the right people that will be passionate about the game and the team.

Anthony's still pissed that DL didn't trade up for Stamkos.

bailout...my dear...

Of course Luc isn't in charge of hockey operations. He is the President of Business operations (perhaps I wasn't clear enough). As far as the daily capacity of Tim Lieweke's job, he IS NOT involved in the daily decisions of running the team's BUSINESS or hockey operations. The hockey decisions are 100% left up to DL.

AEG made a clear mandate to have the team be a completely independent subsidiary of the corporation. Meaning, the Kings' own staff dedicated 100% of their efforts to the team's interests. Before this decision, Lieweke and several other 'decision makers' were juggling the Kings' business along with several other initiatives under the AEG umbrella. With careful consideration, they realized this was one of the areas that needed to change to create a winner. Hence, the creation of Luc's position within the organization along with a complete restructuring of the Kings front office staff. Look it up. My Dear.