Here’s the second part of a group question-and-answer session with Kings goalie coach Bill Ranford:
Question: How’s he (Martin Jones) doing it? Who is this guy and how’s he doing it?
Ranford: “It’s simple. He put the work in. It’s all on him. There’s things over the last couple of years of his development that we’ve asked him to do to get him ready to step into the NHL, and he’s done that. He’s the type of kid I think from the very first day he’s stepped into this building, there was a professionalism about him, the way he approaches his position and his work-ethic and how he’s grown as a goalie down in Manchester and that’s really what it’s all about, developing and putting the work in. That’s on him.”
Q: What was the biggest message to him at the end of the season meetings? What was the No. 1 thing you wanted to get across?
Ranford: “Well, the No. 1 thing was we knew Dean (Lombardi, the Kings general manager,) made a promise to (backup goalie Jonathan) Bernier that he was going to move him. Basically, the message was, you have an opportunity here, a huge opportunity to step in. The areas we talked about where flexibility and strength. Those two areas, he worked at hard this summer and it showed in his testing. When the decision was made for him to go to Manchester, it was to go there and dominate and he did.”
Q: Where does the poise come from, thinking back to the Ducks’ game? He was so unflappable.
Ranford: “That’s just his demeanor. That’s the way he’s been for as long as I’ve seen him. Not too many highs, not too many lows. You may not see it, but he does have some fire in him. He’s been like that for as long as I’ve know him.”
Q: When (No. 1 goalie Jonathan) Quick gets healthy, would it be best for his (Jones’) development to go back to Manchester?
Ranford: “That’s not my decision. I’d like to be able to answer that, but that’s what Mr. Lombardi gets paid the big bucks for. I’m off the hook on that one. Whoever is in front of me, I work with them. You know what? The way I look at it. That’s great that these two goals are going to make that a tough decision (as to who remains with the Kings as Quick’s backup).”
