Recently in Player interviews Category

It's tough to make judgments based on a phone call, but it seems safe to say the Kings got a great character guy today in Rob Scuderi. Often it's the little things that say a lot about in person. In Scuderi's case, he made two attempts to reconnect after his cell phone cut out, and apologized profusely for interrupting the conversation. It's already clear that Scuderi will be a ``go-to guy'' for reporters seeking quotes.

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Question: Did you think the Kings were an option from the start, or is this something that just developed over the last couple days?

SCUDERI: ``They showed some interest on the first day, but they didn't really make an offer, so my agent and I didn't really know what would happen. I was interested in the Kings, because obviously there's a lot of young talent there. Today they made an offer and we got it done.''

Question: You mentioned the young talent. How much do you know about this Kings team?

SCUDERI: ``When you play in the East, you don't look a whole lot at the West. I think we played them once or twice during my time with the Penguins, but when I talked to Lombardi and Hextall, they told me to take a long look at the roster. It's not hard to see the good mix of talented guys and the young talent they have coming up. It's hard to miss guys like Doughty and Johnson, and it looks like there's a whole lot of potential on this team.''

Question: In talking to Lombardi, he seemed to be looking for a guy with some experience and leadership. Did he talk to you about what he expects, on and off the ice?

SCUDERI: ``One of the positives, one of the things that made my decision easier, is that they don't expect me to do anything different than I did for the last four years in Pittsburgh. A lot of guys, when they sign a free-agent contract, they feel like they have to do more and they feel obligated to live up to it, and it ends up hurting them because they try to do too much. They know what they can expect from me, both on and off the ice. I'm a family man, and I'm not the type of man who's going to be out burning the candle at both ends. I hope I can bring some leadership to the team.''

Question: Fans saw a lot of you in the playoffs, obviously, but maybe not a lot in general. What should people know about your game?

SCUDERI: ``I'd say I'm an extremely under-the-radar type of player. If you haven't noticed me during a game, I probably had a good one. You can expect me to make the simple plays when they need to be made and not take chances that lead to bad mistakes.''

Question: During your time in Pittsburgh, the Penguins went from being a pretty bad team to being champions. What types of things do these young Kings need to know about winning?

SCUDERI: ``It's all about the attitude and work ethic that you bring to the rink every day. We tried to create a winning culture in Pittsburgh, and I've seen how fast things can turn around for a team. I'm hoping I can be one of the players who helps create that type of culture here. This is a talented team, with all the defensemen and with guys like Kopitar and Brown and Frolov. They're not that far away. They were in it until the final month of the season, and I really think they're not that far away.''

Here's the second half of the long interview with new team captain Dustin Brown...

Here's the first part of a long interview I did with Dustin Brown a few days ago. You'll note the question, ``What would it mean to you to be team captain?'' I did the interview before he was announced as captain, so that's why it's worded the way it is. Anyway, there will be a big story on Brown in tomorrow's Daily News, but this is the first part of the long-form interview that I did for the story.

I consider Brown to be a really interesting story on the Kings. He arrived at age 18 and basically sat in the corner and didn't say anything. Over the last five years he has really evolved, not only as a player but as a man and a teammate. It's no coincidence that his emergence, in both areas, coincided with the departure of Sean Avery, who really was a miserable teammate to Brown in particular. So I hope you enjoy the first half of the interview with Dustin Brown...

There's no debate about which player was the surprise of training camp. Wayne Simmonds showed potential 12 months ago, but he seemed to be a raw talent in need of a lot of development. Simmonds came in this summer, starting at the development camp, and impressed team management with his improved strength and puck-handling skills. He earned a spot on the roster and will get third-line minutes when the season opens. Of course, with Patrick O'Sullivan returning, Simmonds will need to immediately show that he should stick in the NHL. Here's what Simmonds had to say about his memorable training camp...

Here's what Patrick O'Sullivan had to say about his new contract...

Here's my interview with Oscar Moller from after today's practice. Moller is definitely making a strong impression. I asked a team official today if Moller was going to make the team, and he said of Moller, ``He's making it tough on us.'' If you're a young player fighting for a roster spot, that's what you want to hear... For those who need updates on tonight's game against Colorado, I'll do my best to provide live updates throughout the game. It is available on 1150-AM, with the audio also streamed on the Kings' site. Here's Oscar...

It's a shame that Richard Clune is now out with a broken bone in his chest, as he was just starting to develop some positive buzz in training camp. From talking to people around camp, it didn't seem to be a huge stretch to think that Clune might crack the NHL roster as that third- or fourth-line agitator/tough guy. I talked with Clune about the trade that brought him over from Dallas, and he also had some very interesting things to say about the somewhat-obvious comparisons to Sean Avery.

Clune, a third-round pick of Dallas in 2005, split time between the AHL and ECHL last season. In 38 games with Iowa of the AHL, Clune had three goals, five assists and 137 penalty minutes.

Plus, thanks to the wonder of YouTube, here are videos of Clune's three preseason fights. The first one is from the first day of training camp, against Drew Bagnall. The other two are from Monday's game against Phoenix, against Todd Fedoruk and Garth Murray.

Click after the videos to read the interview...

I sat down with center Derek Armstrong. Since he's one of the few veterans in the locker room now, I wanted to get his thoughts on playing on a team with so many young guys. Here's his thoughts...

I chatted today with goalie Erik Ersberg, who missed the first two days of training camp with flu symptoms. I'll spare you the gory details, but suffice to say, Ersberg is feeling better and hopes to build upon his strong play at the end of last season. Here, Ersberg talks about his work this summer and gives his thoughts on the upcoming season...

Here's what Jason LaBarbera had to say about Terry Murray's training-camp emphasis on defensive improvement...

``It's huge. Obviously last year was tough at times, for everyone. We had breakdowns all over the ice, including myself. The biggest thing is that, as a whole group of guys, we have to be better and be more committed. Right from today, we're already going over that kind of stuff, and that's huge. I think last year, not everybody was on the same page with things and not everybody trusted each other. It got us in a lot of trouble. Right from day one, if we can get on the same page and everybody knows what each other's roles are and understands what we're supposed to do as a unit, we're going to be all right.''