“

LA Kings right wing Wayne Simmonds scores on a penalty shot against Ottawa Senators goalie Brian Elliott
on December 3, 2009 at Staples Center.
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

In that 2007-08 season with Owen Sound, Simmonds scored seventeen goals and contributed 22 assists for 39 points with 43 penalty minutes in 29 games before being traded to Sault Ste. Marie, where he scored sixteen goals and added twenty assists for 36 points with sixty penalty minutes in 31 games.

In fourteen playoff games with the Greyhounds, Simmonds scored five goals and added nine assists for fourteen points with 22 penalty minutes.

Simmonds went on to play in the 2008 OHL All-Star Classic and he represented Canada in the IIHF World Junior Championships that season, helping lead his team to the gold medal.

And after that? All Simmonds did was make the Kings roster right out of junior hockey last season, playing in all 82 games, scoring nine goals and adding fourteen assists for 23 points with 73 penalty minutes.

But if you think that was impressive, you haven’t been paying attention to what he has done so far this season.

To be sure, Simmonds has been one of the Kings’ best players since the start of the season, although his performance as a gritty, hard-working forward who can chip in here and there with a goal or two was vastly overshadowed by the dominating performance of the line of Anze Kopitar, Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams earlier in the season.

Now, with Smyth out of the lineup due to an undisclosed upper body injury, Kopitar has fallen off the face of the Earth in terms of goal scoring. Add to that the scoring woes of right wing Dustin Brown and Alexander Frolov, one would think the Kings’ offense would completely dry up, sending the team into a lengthy downward spiral.

But not if Simmonds has anything to say about it.

Indeed, in the Kings’ eight games without Smyth, Simmonds has been the biggest reason they have not only kept their heads above water, but are above the .500 mark with a 4-3-1 record.

During that stretch, the 6-2, 183-pound right wing from Scarborough, Ontario has scored four goals and has contributed four assists for eight points. He had a three-game goal scoring streak during those eight games and is in the midst of six-game point streak with three goals and four assists for seven points.

Simmonds has stepped up offensively, but his stellar play in recent games is not showing up only on the scoresheet. Indeed, he has been a force along the boards and in the corners where he has consistently won physical battles for loose pucks and has been solid in his own zone.

In short, Simmonds has been the Kings’ best player over the last eight games.

“He’s been playing really well for us,” said Brown, the team captain. “He’s been getting a lot of points. A lot of that is the result of him working really hard. He’s been really good in the corners and making plays.”

“He looks like he did at the end of the season last year, the last ten games,” said head coach Terry Murray. “He’s jumping, he’s got a lot of power in his game, he’s playing a hard, heavy game.”

An example of that hard, heavy game came on December 5 during the Kings’ 5-4 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues at Staples Center.

Near the midpoint of the third period, Simmonds fought hard to win a loose puck battle along the left wing boards. It was the key play that set up a goal by center Jarret Stoll.

“What a play he made on that goal that Stoll scored,” Murray beamed. “To get in there and beat the defenseman, to come up with the puck, that’s a courageous play. You’ve got a big defenseman bearing down on you and he walks out of the corner and finds the man in the open slot.”

That is exactly the type of play Simmonds has been coming up with a lot in recent games.

“He’s played tremendous in the last while,” said Murray. “Maturity, hunger. He feels a big part of this hockey club, and he is. The young guys should start to takeover ownership of this hockey team and that’s the ideal where you want for me to think that they can get to, that every night they’re a huge part of the effort.”

Simmonds is beginning to display leadership potential through his play and his work ethic.

“He’s showing us that he’s maturing and that he wants more,” said Murray. “I love what he’s doing. I love his attitude. He’s a good kid, he comes to work every day. I’m real happy for him.”

The maturity and skill now seen from Simmonds was only apparent in brief glimpses during his rookie season.

“You’re a first-year guy—what I did for the first 3/4ths of the season was chip-and-chase, chip-and-chase and just get on my horse and get [the puck],” Simmonds explained. “But now, I’ve learned the league a little more and it’s coming a bit easier for me.”

Indeed. Now in his second season in the NHL, Simmonds’ confidence level seems to be skyrocketing.

“Confidence is a huge factor,” he explained. “I’m not afraid to make plays. I get the puck now and I’m taking second looks everywhere. I’m just more aware of my surroundings.”

“Everything slows down a bit more [now],” he emphasized. “When you chip-and-chase, it’s going faster. You just swing it by, hit and then fly out. But when you have puck possession, it slows down. You get a chance to see what’s going on around you and make plays.”

“If I don’t have a play, I’m not afraid to dump-and-chase and go get it. But if I have a play, I’m going to make it. You just have to be safe with the puck.”

His teammates have certainly noticed the difference in Simmonds’ play.

“I think the one difference with Simmer is his confidence level,” said Brown. “When you have that confidence, it gives you the ability to go out and play like he is.”

“I think it’s a mix of experience—last year was his first year,” added Brown. “He’s a pretty young guy. I think he learned a lot. Secondly, he got bigger and stronger in the off-season and third is that confidence. That’s a huge part of the game at this level.”

That added strength and improved conditioning, the result of hard work during the off-season, has been a big plus for Simmonds’ confidence.

“I’m always ready to go [now],” Simmonds noted. “You go back to the bench, take a couple of seconds, or whatever. From where I was last year, I feel more energized and that I have more to give.”

“I love the crash and bang,” Simmonds added. “I put a little bit of muscle on and I think it’s helping out. I feel stronger, better and more comfortable on my feet. I’m getting hit and sometimes I’m just standing there and not even moving. It’s worked wonders.”

Simmonds also spent time over the summer working on his shot.

“This summer, I just worked a lot on my hand skills and shooting pucks,” he said. I did a lot of shooting clinics this summer and it’s proven to do well for me.”

His improved shot and hands were apparent on December 3 in a 6-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators. In that game, Simmonds was hauled down from behind on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot.

On that shot, Simmonds displayed the quick hands and shot that were not evident last season.

“I’ve been doing that move in practice for the last few shootouts we had,” Simmonds explained. “[Senators goalie Brian Elliott] had his legs spread far apart and I saw that throughout the game. I thought, ‘I’m doin’ it.’ I knew what I was going to do. I gave him a quick fake and then a quick slapper five-hole.”

Although Simmonds is riding high and has been the Kings’ best player of late, the fact is that he is still just 21 years old and is just a second-year player.

In other words, he is not yet a proven commodity.

“You don’t know what to expect from young players sometimes,” said Murray. “The way he played at the end of the season last year, you’re hoping he comes back and plays that way because he was one of our better players in the last ten games. That’s where you’d like to see him take off and it looks like he has.”

“He took off well again this year,” added Murray. “He took a step back for a little while, but he’s right back on top of his game.”

Unproven or not, the Kings need Simmonds to play that hard, heavy game Murray always talks about and to produce offensively when he gets the chance.

“Simmonds is a big part of it,” Murray stressed. “We rely on him, we look for him to make good things happen on both sides of the puck. It’s good for him. I’m very happy that he’s becoming a pro.”

But after all that, noting his vastly improved play of late and the fact that he has scored nine goals, already matching his total from last season, one question had to be asked during an interview with Simmonds following the December 3 game against Ottawa.

This writer asked, in jest, “Who are you and what did you do with Wayne Simmonds?”

“I am Wayne Simmonds,” he replied with a laugh. “I guess I’m the new and improved one.”

Quite the understatement.

All stories and audio content on this site are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. You may copy, distribute and/or transmit any story or audio content published on this site under the terms of this license, but only if proper attribution is indicated. The full name of the author and a link back to the original article on this blog are required.

“

Scott Parse (left), Michal Handzus (center) and Wayne Simmonds (right) celebrate after Parse scored against the St. Louis Blues on December 5, 2009 at Staples Center.
Photo: Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Brad Richardson scored his third goal in as many games. The Kings also got goals from Scott Parse, Jarret Stoll and Alexander Frolov.

Wayne Simmonds contributed two assists.

Prior to the game, the Kings honored former left wing and current President/Business Operations Luc Robitaille, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November.

NOTES: Simmonds extended his career high point streak to six games (4-4=8); Richardson now has a career-high three-game goal streak (3-1=4); Parse has points five of the last six games (2-4=6); Stoll has assists/points in three straight games (1-3=4); the Kings are 3-0-1 in their last four games (4-1-1 in their last six); the Kings 37 points is tied for the sixth best 30-game start in franchise history (16-9-5 in 1990-91) They are also off to their best 30-game start since 1999-00 (16-7-6-1 = 39 points);the Kings have hit the 40-shot mark in two of their last three games (season high 42 Tuesday at Anaheim).

Audio Interviews (raw, unedited)

Luc Robitaille (3:33)

Game highlights from NHL Video on YouTube:

Highlights from YouTube will be added later today when they become available.

All stories and audio content on this site are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. You may copy, distribute and/or transmit any story or audio content published on this site under the terms of this license, but only if proper attribution is indicated. The full name of the author and a link back to the original article on this blog are required.

“

Brad Richardson scores off a rebound in the LA Kings 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators at Staples Center on December 3, 2009.
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

During that stretch, the Kings allowed twelve goals while scoring just eight. To be sure, their defensive play, which was a major strength last season, had finally been exposed with Smyth out of the lineup.

“We’ve got to tighten up defensively,” defenseman Matt Greene said on November 22. “In this league, you’re not going to win games with the old run-and-gun—you’re not going to win championships. That’s something that needs to be addressed immediately, that commitment to defense and to taking pride in not giving up goals.”

“We just have to play with more confidence and make a commitment to defense,” Greene added. “We have to know our assignments. You have to know what you’re doing on the ice before you get out there. A lot of this game is read and react, but there’s a lot that’s structured, too, just knowing where you need to be. That’s what we have to get back to—knowing your job and doing it.”

Discipline in terms of playing within their system has also contributed to the Kings’ poor defensive coverage.

“Sometimes there are mental lapses out there,” Greene explained. “That’s what we have to eliminate so everyone’s on the same page, so you know where your partner is going to be or where you line mates are going to be. That’s how you play within your structure.”

Much of the talk since Smyth suffered the dreaded “upper body injury” that will keep him out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks has been that if the Kings can play .500 hockey until he returns, they should be in good shape for a playoff run.

But few believed they could do it.

Nevertheless, to the surprise of just about everyone, the Kings are 4-3-0 going into their December 5 matinee contest against the St. Louis Blues at Staples Center.

So far, so good.

A contributing factor to their recent success has been improved defensive play, and perhaps the best example of that came in the Kings’ 2-1 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks on November 28.

“We did a good job with our checking, keeping them to the outside,” said center Jarret Stoll. “They’re going to have their great chances, which they did, but you need good goaltending in this league to win, and we got it. [Jonathan] Quick has been great for us, not just tonight, but lately.”

“To win and to go deep [in the playoffs] in this league, you have to have a good d-zone, good communication out there and good coverage,” added Stoll. “Tonight, we did that. They’re one of the tougher teams to play in the league with your defensive zone coverage, trying to figure out where they’re going. At times, it seems like they have five forwards out there.”

“It’s tough, but we did a good job tonight. Quick was great. When we play good teams, we seem to rise to the challenge and play better defensively. We don’t give them too much respect. We don’t want to give up too many good quality chances. They had a lot of shots tonight and some good chances, too, but not too many that it was getting out of control. They had a lot from the outside.”

The reason for the improved defensive zone play? The Kings went back to the drawing board, so to speak.

“We went back to practice and we worked on it,” said right wing Wayne Simmonds. “We have that home plate attitude as [head coach Terry Murray] says—the five dots that everyone’s come back to. I think we’re reverting to that more. Guys are stopping in the house and then fanning out from there.”

Despite putting in a ragged performance in a sloppy, 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on December 3 at Staples Center, the Kings put in one of their finest defensive efforts of the season in the third period.

“I think we bounced back pretty good after they tied it up,” said defenseman Randy Jones. “We played some strong defense and Quick was there anytime we broke down. There were a few breakdowns and when do that against a good team with good players like they have, they’re going to capitalize. But we got back to our game plan and we played a strong second half.”

The Kings have won their last three games and have outscored their opponents, 12-7 during that stretch. Scoring is on the upswing again, and one reason is that even though star center Anze Kopitar is in the midst of a woeful eleven-game goal scoring drought, others have picked up the slack.

And one source has come out of nowhere, almost literally…center/left wing Brad Richardson.

Richardson, who has been centering the fourth/checking line, has seen his ice time creep higher and higher in recent games and he has even been getting time on left wing with Stoll and Dustin Brown…

To read the full story, click on: LA Kings: Richardson Gains From Purcell’s Struggles.

All stories and audio content on this site are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. You may copy, distribute and/or transmit any story or audio content published on this site under the terms of this license, but only if proper attribution is indicated. The full name of the author and a link back to the original article on this blog are required.

Logo courtesy LA Kings/NHL

This will be the first time that the NHL Entry Draft is to be held in Los Angeles.

“This is a very exciting and this is a very special announcement,” said Kings President of Business Operations, Luc Robitaille. “The Draft is the place so many young players in our sport begin their professional careers and next summer the future of the NHL will be on display in Los Angeles. It is also another example that Los Angeles is a thriving hockey market with knowledgeable fans.”

“It has been terrific to watch the continuing evolution of the Los Angeles Kings, as well as the growth of hockey in the state of California,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “With local youth programs producing an increasing number of elite players, we are extremely pleased to bring this showcase event to California for the first time.”

“The Los Angeles Kings organization would like to thank NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Bill Daly, John Collins, Don Renzulli and the entire National Hockey League for awarding the Kings, Staples Center and the City of Los Angeles this prestigious event,” said Kings Governor Tim Leiweke. “The fact that the Draft will be at Staples Center and at LA Live next June is very special to us as our team has been built largely through the draft and our patience is being rewarded right now.”

“We are excited that the NHL Draft is the first of many League Drafts that LA expects to host in the future,” added Leiweke.

“With the draft being here in LA next summer, maybe we can find another Luc Robitaille,” said Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi.

First priority for all Draft ticketing at Staples Center for June 25 and 26 will be given to Kings full season ticket members and STAPLES Center premier seat and suite holders. For official Draft ticket information, call 1-888-KINGS-LA or register for official Draft ticket information by clicking on: LA Kings Ticket Inquiry.

The first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft will take place on Friday, June 25, beginning at 4:00 PM PDT. On Saturday, the draft concludes with rounds two-seven.

ESPN’s 30 for 30 series is fascinating, unique and surprisingly good.

They’re also heavy on the big sports – except hockey.

Basketball is especially represented: there are docs on Reggie Miller, Len Bias, Allen Iverson and Hank Gathers. So is football, with docs touching the USFL, the Raiders in Los Angeles and Miami’s powerhouse Hurricanes in the 80s. Baseball is also in the mix: Jordan’s foray with the White Sox, Steve Bartman and the new Yankee Stadium.

Hockey’s lone entry: one about the cultural impact of the 1988 Wayne Gretzky trade.

Not to bash ESPN – I do understand that hockey is still a niche sport in the eyes of The Worldwide Leader – but it does feel a little lacking, especially given how other, far less popular sports (women’s tennis, for instance).

But rather then write some lengthy diatribe about how ESPN has screwed the NHL – a topic beaten to death – how’s this: five angles that ESPN could use to fill any remaining slot in it’s 30 for 30 series.

One: McSorley’s blade – The rise and fall of the Los Angeles Kings

Game two, the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals. Canadiens down by one, late in the third. Montreal coach Jacques Demers makes a risky gamble – he has the referees measure the curve of LA defenceman Marty McSorley’s stick. If it’s found to be illegal, the Canadiens would go on the power play, with the inverse true for LA.

Jump back to 1988. The Kings trade for Gretzky and almost immediately turn from a perennial basement-dwelling team to a contender. In 1989, they come back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Oilers. They make the playoffs every season after Gretzky joins the team, but until 1993, never make it out of the first round.

Over to the 1993 Canadiens. Led by the goaltending heroics of Patrick Roy, they win an unprecedented seven overtime games to get to the Finals. There they meet a rolling LA team, fresh off a tough seven-game series against Toronto. And lose game one, 4-1.

Back to game two’s risky call – which goes Montreal’s way. They pull the goalie for a 6 on 4 and tie the game up, then win in overtime. They win the next two games in overtime and the series in five.

After their collapse in the series, the Kings are never the same. Gretzky is traded to St. Louis in 1996 and eventually ends up in New York. Leading scorers Jari Kurri, Tomas Sandstrom and Luc Robitaille are gone within three seasons. Since reaching the finals, the Kings have only made the playoffs four times, only once making it out of the first round. It’s not hard to look at that penalty and what almost immediately followed as the turning point for that franchise.

Two: The Night the Lights Went Out – the 1987 World Juniors

January 4, 1987. Canada and the USSR are playing in their final game of the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship.

Both teams have loaded rosters. The Canadian team included Theo Fleury, Brandon Shanahan and Pierre Turgeon, while the Soviets had Alex Mogilny, Valeri Zelepukin, Sergei Fedorov, among others. Despite this, the Juniors are still a fringe event; according to lore, only one reporter accompanied the team.

Canada is assured of a medal, the Soviets are out of contention. To clinch the gold, Canada has to run up the score and win by at least five. With the score 4-2, tempers (and elbows) fly. There’s a crosscheck, a punch, a brawl, with both teams spilling on the ice. Overwhelmed by the action, referee Hans Ronning left the ice. Trying to figure out a way to control the action, officals turn the lights out in the arena. It doesn’t work.

In the end, both Canada and the USSR are disqualified. The game never appears in the IIHF’s record book. But it sets off a storm in the Canadian media; did the Soviets try and deny Canada a medal? Were they right to fight? Thanks to the attention – and the infamous brawl – the world juniors dramatically increases in popularity.

Three: Blackout – Game four of the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals

May 24, 1988. A sweltering night at the Boston Garden, that pit of an arena that lacked basic features like air conditioning. The Bruins are trying desperately to avoid a sweep and fighting their way back.

So it the arena.

In an odd and spooky night, the Garden shows complete unwillingness, at least as much as an arena can show. The ice cracks before the faceoff and the game is repeatedly stopped because a fog has settled over the ice, cutting ice-level visibility to almost nil.

The Bruins score a game-tying goal late in the second and… the power goes out, plunging the arena into darkness. In the dark, with only emergency lighting, the ice begins to melt and is rendered unplayable.

Using a little-known rule, the game is nullified, to played again in Edmonton (although, if the series were to go to seven, the final game would be played in Boston).

This is a night that’s often overlooked in NHL lore. But why? Looking back, it was the second-to-last (and could have been the last) game for Gretzky in an Oilers uniform. It had a deciding game of the league final cancelled and replayed – just as the home team was showing signs of life. And what was it like for the players? Or the commentators (both ESPN and CBC broadcasted the game live)? For the Stanley Cup?

Four: The Last Night of the Montreal Forum – March 11, 1996

Few, if any, teams in sports have the symbolic history that the Montreal Canadiens do. And none have the kind of ties that they had to the Montreal Forum, host to them from 1926 to 1996.

There the Canadiens won 12 Stanley Cups, hosted 11 All-Star games, eight NHL drafts, six Memorial Cups and one of the 1972 Summit Series games.

But no night was more symbolically important, more significant and more memorable then the final night of the Forum, a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars. More importantly, after the game the Canadiens hosted a ceremony honoring all those who had played for them. Taking a cue from the quote inscribed on the dressing room wall, a torch was carried to the ice by Émile Bouchard and passed by each living former captain – including greats like Maurice Richard, Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard and Yvan Cournoyer – up to then-captain Pierre Turgeon.

It was a fitting tribute to the most famous arena in hockey history and to the team’s history, capped off with a ten-minute ovation to Richard. Quite simply, there has never been another moment quite like this in hockey history – yes, including the Maple Leafs’ ceremony at the close of the Gardens, a pale imitation that attempted to exorcize the ghosts haunting the Leafs.

Five: Best of three – the 1987 Canada Cup

September 1987. The fourth edition of the Canada Cup. Back before the Olympics had NHL players, the annual Canada Cup series was the place to see top-tier international hockey. This tournament, in partular, stands out as the cream of the Canada Cup crop, and perhaps the greatest internatonal hockey ever played.

Look at the rosters, a variable who’s-who list of hockey. Gretzky. Mario Lemieux. Fuhr. Bourque. Hawerchuk. Coffey. Or on the Soviets: Sergei Makarov, Valeri Kamensky, Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov.

Meeting in a three-game final, both the Canadians and the Soviets played at an extraordinarily high level, each pushing the other to the limit. Look at the line scores for each game:

• Game one: USSR 6 – Canada 5 (OT)
• Game two: Canada 6 – USSR 5 (2OT)
• Game three: Canada 6 – USSR 5

Unlike the NBA, where Larry Bird and Magic pushed each other to greatness, nobody really pushed the two best players, Lemieux and Gretzky, quite to the same degree. This tournament was the closest they ever got to it – the Soviets pushed them (and team Canada) further then any team could have in the NHL. It’s no coincidence that Lemieux went into overdrive the following season, scoring 70 goals. And besides, this was a rare occasion that the two best players in a sport played on the same line.

Gretzky summarized the series best. “I don’t think you’ll ever see better hockey than what was played in that series,” he said. “For me, it was probably the best hockey I’ve ever played.”

******

Last week, I was okay with my picks. I was way off on a few – Buffalo really surprised me, as did the Saints complete demolition of the Patriots – but for the most part, I was pretty okay; 9 of 13. Here’s hoping I can keep it up in week 13. Home team in Caps.

• CHICAGO over St. Louis – This one could be close. The Rams have a bit of an offense, the Bears have major problems on defence… it’ll be neat to see how this one goes.
• CAROLINA over  Tampa Bay – My ‘low hanging fruit’ pick of the week
• Houston over JACKSONVILLE – The Jags are good at home, but I like Houston to rebound from their loss the week before.
• Denver over KANSAS CITY – The Broncos are kind of coming back. They’ve lost their grip on the AFC West, but I wouldn’t count them out of a wild card birth.
• INDIANAPOLIS over Tennessee – I’m not going against a hot team… but the Titans will test them as hard as anybody. If the Colts can handle Young – with pressure, forcing him to throw early and limiting his scrambles – they should have an easier time with this one.
• ATLANTA over Philadelphia – I’ve heard this called the Vick Bowl. He won’t even take a snap in a homecoming of sorts. The Falcons are still 5-0 at home.
• New Orleans over WASHINGTON – Still can’t believe the Saints are unbeaten. I wonder how they’ll look in cold weather, being a dome team. Still, the Redskins are looking awful, so I’d imagine that would compensate for any home-field advantage.
• PITTSBURGH over Oakland – Nothing snappy here, much like Jamarcus Russell’s throwing ability
• CINCINNATI over Detroit – Another game that probably looked a lot more appealing at the beginning of the season
• New England over MIAMI – The Dolphins are hot, coming off a win over Buffalo, and the Pats are cold, coming off a devastating loss… but I’m still going with N.E. I don’t know how well Miami can run on the Pats and I really don’t like the Fins pass protection.
• San Diego over CLEVELAND – Sometimes, Santa hands out coal before Christmas.
• NY GIANTS over Dallas – I think the Giants will win at home here to stay alive in the competitive NFC East. It’s chilly, the Giants are hungry, and I’m not sold that Romo is a good big-game QB. A win here would help sell him, though.
• San Francisco over SEATTLE – I like Alex Smith to have another big game at QB. The Seahawks are pretty easy pickings, really.
• Minnesota over ARIZONA – A dark horse for the game of the week. A win here would really help cement the Vikings as real contenders and things seem to be going in their favor… but I can also see the Cards stealing one at home, too. But I’m going to go with the hot team.
• Baltimore over GREEN BAY – Why? The Ravens just got a huge conference win and things seem to be going their way. I like Ed Reed, and their defence is tearing it up. They need a win to stay above .500 and get a shot at an AFC wild card. They remind me of that Steelers team that won the Super Bowl a few years back, the one that won three road playoff games.

LOS ANGELES — Randy Jones, Brad Richardson and Wayne Simmonds scored a goal each and Drew Doughty scored the game-winner late in the second period to lead the Los Angeles Kings to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators in front of an announced crowd of 14,997 fans at Staples Center on Thursday night.

Justin Williams added two goals late in the third period to seal the victory for the Kings, who were generally outplayed by the Senators for the majority of the game.

Simmonds goal came on a penalty shot at 17:24 of the first period.

NOTES: the Kings have now won four of their last five games and are seven games above .500 for the first time since 2005-06; this is the best Kings 29-game start since 1999-00 (15-7-6-1 = 37 points); the Kings are tied for the seventh-best 29-game start in franchise history (also 17-10-2 in 1975-76); Doughty has scored seven goals and has added fourteen assists for 21 points this season. Last year, Doughty scored six goals with 21 assists for 27 points; four of Doughty’s seven goals have come on the power play; Doughty now has three game-winning goals, tied with Michal Handzus for the team lead; Simmonds extended his career-high point streak to five games with four goals and two assists for six points in that span; the Kings are now 14-41 all-time on penalty shots; Williams had his second three-point game of the season; Handzus is 39-53 on face-offs in the last three games (73.6%); the Kings are 11-0-0 when leading after two periods and are 13-3-2 when scoring first.

Audio Interviews (raw, unedited)

Brad Richardson (1:18)

Game highlights from NHL Video on YouTube:

All stories and audio content on this site are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. You may copy, distribute and/or transmit any story or audio content published on this site under the terms of this license, but only if proper attribution is indicated. The full name of the author and a link back to the original article on this blog are required.

“

Brayden Schenn skates during a pre-season game against the Phoenix Coyotes on September 15, 2009 at Staples Center.
Photo: Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The five Kings prospects are the most any National Hockey League team will have at the camp. Only the Edmonton Oilers with three prospects attending will have more than two prospects at the camp, which will be held December 12-16, 2009 in Regina, Saskatchewan. 36 players were invited to participate.

Canada’s National Junior Team will be selected at the end of the camp. The team will then play three exhibition games before the start of the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships, which begin on January 2, 2010.

Schenn, 18, made his Kings and NHL debut on November 26 at Vancouver after signing a One-Day NHL Regular Season Amateur Tryout Agreement.

In 26 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League this season, the 6-1, 192-pound center has scored thirteen goals and has contributed 28 assists for 41 points with a +14 plus/minus rating. He leads the Wheat Kings in overall scoring and assists and he ranks fourth overall in WHL scoring.

Schenn, who is the captain of the Wheat Kings, has been a part of two gold medal-winning Canadian teams at recent International events.

Schenn, a native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, was selected by the Kings in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Kozun, 19, has played in 29 games this season for the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL, scoring thirteen goals and adding 38 assists for 51 points with a +11 rating. He leads the WHL is overall scoring and leads his team in assists. He is also tied for second on the team in goals.

Kozun, the captain of the Hitmen, is a 5-8, 155-pound right wing from the Los Angeles area. He was selected by the Kings in the sixth round (179th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

“

Colten Teubert skates in the CHL Top Prospects Game on February 4, 2008 at Rexall Place in Edmonton.
Photo: Dale MacMillan/Getty Images

The 6-4, 194-pound native of White Rock, British Columbia, the captain of the Pats, was one of two Kings’ prospects (Thomas Hickey) to win a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Juniors.

Teubert was selected by the Kings in the first round (13th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Deslauriers, 18, has scored five goals and has added fifteen assists for twenty points with fifty penalty minutes in thirty games this season with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He ranks third among the team’s defensemen in overall scoring, tied for second overall in shots on goal (93) and is second overall in penalty minutes.

The 6-0, 196-pound native of Lasalle, Quebec ranked 12th among QMJHL defenseman in overall scoring. He was selected by the Kings in the third round (84th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Jones, 19, has appeared in seventeen games for the Calgary Hitmen this season, earning a 12-5-0 record with a 2.74 goals-against average (ranked eighth in the WHL), a .901 save percentage and one shutout.

The 6-4, 185-pound native of North Vancouver, British Columbia was signed by the Kings as an unrestricted free agent on October 2, 2008.

The full roster for Canada’s selection camp: Hockey Canada: Selection Camp Roster.

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“

Scott Parse (center) celebrates his first period goal
during the LA Kings' 4-3 win over the
Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center.
Photo: Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Scott Parse, Justin Williams and Randy Jones also scored for the Kings while Jonathan Quick stopped 27 shots in his 26th appearance this season.

Here are the game highlights from NHL Video on YouTube:

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Species Name: Foiegrasicus Panzicus

Fuck the Ducks.  I hate everything this team stands for.  And it’s not just because I am a die hard Los Angeles Kings fan.  I hate the fact that Disney thought, “hey you know what would be absolutely fantastic?  Let’s take the rag tag, pee wee hockey team from our hit movie The Mighty Ducks and turn that into a professional hockey team in the NHL!  And you know what else?  We don’t even have to change the logo, we can totally keep the same logo the kids used in the movie because professional atheletes will love wearing this logo on their chest:”

This team is a joke.  Always has been and always will be.   I’m sorry, as much as you try to change your image, you will always be known as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in my eyes.  Pussies.  There will undoubtedly be some Ducks fans out there that will say I’m just bitter because the Ducks won a Stanley Cup before the Kings and to that I say, yeah I am, go fuck yourself.  That still doesn’t change the fact that your whole organization is the laughing stock of professional sports.  Even your announcers suck.  They are such fucking homers, they make me want to strangle a puppy.  If my mother called me and told me that Brian Hayward, the Ducks color commentator, was my long lost brother, I would be forced to carry out a murder/suicide, killing Hayward and then myself for the shame of being related to that fuckwad.

In a world where the Anaheim Ducks weren’t around to be the bane of my existence:

• One of my favorite childhood movies, The Mighty Ducks, wouldn’t elicit the Pavlovian response of me punching a baby in the face every time it’s on TV.
• Plenty of other, more deserving sports markets may have gotten a franchise over Anaheim.  Somehow I feel like hockey makes more sense in Seattle, Portland, Milwaukee, Hartford, I could go on…but Anaheim, really?
• The Kings would still have George Parros and his sweet mustache.

• Hockey fans wouldn’t have had to endure Chris Pronger’s consistently dirty playing in a Ducks jersey.  Prick.

Chris Pronger...the Johnny Lawrence of the NHL.

• The one sad thing is that we wouldn’t have been able to see Paul Kariya getting his clock cleaned:

• Everyone would’ve been spared this horrendous jersey…I hope whoever designed this was promptly fired:

• Children wouldn’t have been scarred for life by watching the Ducks mascot, Wild Wing (lame), go up in flames while trying to jump the “Wall of Fire” during the intermission of a game back in 1995:

I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see the Ducks in the cellar of the Western Conference.  I’ve had to sit and watch this team of douchebags make the playoffs year after year while the Kings haven’t made the playoffs since 2001-2002.  Well I believe the tide is changing my friends, but nevertheless, I still believe that Al Qaeda should target the Honda Center for a terrorist attack, wiping out the entire Ducks organization and their fans.  Oh wait, Al Qaeda wouldn’t do that because not enough fans attend Duck games…because nobody in the OC gives two shits about hockey.

But one has to have dreams right?

“

Jonathan Quick is all smiles after stopping Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to help lift the LA Kings to a 2-1 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Photo: Harry How/Getty Images

Anze Kopitar and Jack Johnson scored in the shootout for the Kings, while Quick stopped Blackhawks star forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

NOTES: Quick stopped a season high 32 shots in the game. He has also won three straight shootouts, stopping all eight shots faced; Kopitar played in his 200th consecutive game tonight (March 21, 2007 to present); Simmonds now has a career-high three-game goal streak (three goals, one assist for four points) in that span). He now has eight goals and seven assists for fifteen points this season. Last season, Simmonds scored nine goals with fourteen assists for 23 points; Scott Parse has assists in three straight games; Dustin Brown had a season high nine hits in the game; the Kings out-hit Chicago 41-25 in the game; Michael Handzus won 12-of-16 faceoffs (75%); the Kings are 7-0-3 in their last ten home games against Chicago; the Kings 15-10-2 start is tied for the eighth-best 27-game start in franchise history; the Kings are 9-0-0 when leading after two periods.

Audio Interviews (raw, unedited)

Jonathan Quick (1:34)

Game Highlights from NHL Video on YouTube:

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Rogie Vachon
Photo: LA Kings

Even fewer know that Vachon’s accomplishments rank him among the greatest goaltenders to have ever played the game, yet he continues to be denied the honor of being inducted into the hallowed halls of the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF).

A close look at Vachon’s career statistics shows that he ranks ahead of a considerable number of goaltenders who were inducted into the HHOF years ago (for details, see Time To Right A Wrong: Hockey Hall of Fame Must Induct Rogie Vachon).

“If there was anyone who deserves to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame who is not—if you look at his numbers, a Vezina Trophy, three Stanley Cups, and the fact is, he wasn’t just the second fiddle on that [Montreal Canadiens] team,” said Brian Kennedy, who featured Vachon in his new book, Living The Hockey Dream. “He shared the goaltending duties with Gump Worsley in that Vezina season and they won the Cup that same season, let alone everything he did for the Kings in the mid-Seventies.”

“There is no way we can keep that guy out of the Hockey Hall of Fame,” added Kennedy.

Vachon got his start in the National Hockey League with the Canadiens in the 1966-67 season, back when the league still consisted of its Original Six teams.

“They called me up with nineteen games to go and, at that time, the coach never told you who’s going to play that night,” said Vachon. “The tradition was that the trainer would come in just before the warm-up and give the puck to the goalie who plays.”

“That night, the trainer gave me the puck, so that was a bit of a shock,” added Vachon. “Especially during the warm-up when I was trying to settle down. On top of that, my first shot in the National Hockey League was a breakaway from Gordie Howe from the blue line in.”

Facing the legendary Gordie Howe, at the time, the best player to have ever played the game, on a breakaway in his NHL debut? Talk about a rude welcome to the league!

“It was incredible,” Vachon noted. “The defenseman [Ted Harris] stood up [at the Detroit blue line] and the pass came across to Howe on the wing. From the blue line in, he was all by himself. That was a little scary.”

“I don’t know how, but I stopped him and that probably helped me with my career because I settled down,” Vachon added. “That night, I had about forty shots and beat Detroit, 3-2. Everything went really well at the start.”

Things continued to go well for Vachon, who went on to win three Stanley Cups with the Canadiens in four seasons.

He almost won another one with them as well.

“When I broke in, there were only six teams in the league,” said Vachon. “That was the last year Toronto won the Cup. We lost [to them] in the finals, so I came close to winning another Cup.”

Off To The New Frontier

Although Vachon won his third Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1970-71, it was Ken Dryden who backstopped the Canadiens in the playoffs, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

Vachon knew the Canadiens would anoint Dryden as their number one goaltender after that.

“It was pretty disappointing because I was just starting my career, too,” said Vachon. “But Kenny comes in, plays all the playoffs, wins the Cup and winds up the MVP of the playoffs.”

“I knew that management was going to go with him the [next] season,” added Vachon. “I was still young and I wanted to be the number one goalie somewhere, so I asked to be traded.”

The Habs honored his wishes, trading Vachon to the Kings on November 4, 1971, in exchange for Denis Dejordy, Dale Hoganson, Noel Price and Doug Robinson.

For Vachon, exchanging the Canadiens sweater for a Kings jersey was a drastic change, to say the least.

“It was a culture shock, that’s for sure,” Vachon reminisced. “Coming from the best team in hockey to here where the team was lousy—we were terrible. That year, I popped my knee so I was out for the year and we were out of the playoffs by Christmas, that’s how bad we were.”

“It wasn’t only the weather outside, but also, we didn’t have a lot of fans coming in,” added Vachon. “Compared to Montreal where we had a sell-out for every game. So yeah, it was a big difference.”

Indeed, Vachon went from a dynasty team to a struggling, four-year-old expansion franchise.

“When I first [joined the Kings], it was pretty rough,” said Vachon. “We used to go on the road and sometimes, I would give up five goals and play an incredible game, but still lose 5-0.”

“In those days, we gave up a lot of scoring chances because we weren’t as good,” added Vachon. “Especially the top teams like Boston, Montreal and the New York Rangers—when they came into town, they just blew us away. They spent eighty percent of the game in our zone.”

Vachon toiled in the nets for a couple of awful Kings teams until they finally broke through and made the playoffs in the 1973-74 season.

“When Bob Pulford came in as coach [in the 1972-73 season], it really changed things around,” he said. “He installed a good defensive system and they brought in some decent defensemen and a couple of scorers. The franchise changed around quite a bit in 1974-75.”

That season, when the Kings set a franchise record that still stands today with 105 points, is the one that stands out for Vachon.

“It was a good time,” said Vachon. “When Pulford came in and we started to be respectable and a lot of fans started to come in, they made the trade for Marcel Dionne—all of a sudden, the franchise started to get a little better.”

But even though Vachon often won games all by himself on teams that were mediocre, at best, he was unable to get the Kings past the first round of the playoffs.

“Unfortunately, in those days, the first playoff round was a two-out-of three, which was ridiculous,” Vachon lamented. “You lose the first game, you had no chance to come back. We lost to Toronto and to [superstar goaltender] Tony [Esposito] and Chicago.”

Despite not being able to get the Kings out of the first round of the playoffs, Vachon was not just a superstar. He was also a leader, a part of his game that he brought with him from Montreal.

Indeed, one of Vachon’s most vivid memories about his time wearing the bleu, blanc et rouge (blue, black and red) jersey of the storied Canadiens is the attitude and pride that was present throughout the franchise.

“We had great defense and a lot of scoring,” Vachon explained. “There was so much tradition in those days. Everyone refused to lose. If we lost two games in a row, it was total panic in Montreal.”

“There was just so much pride in that jersey,” Vachon elaborated. “It meant so much for everybody, especially the players.”

Bob Berry, a pro scout for the Kings, played six seasons with Vachon here in Los Angeles.

“The fact that [Vachon] came from [the Montreal Canadiens] organization, which still has a mystical, mythical ring to it—but in those days, to come from Montreal, he was not just bringing Rogie Vachon,” said Berry. “He was bringing a little bit of one of the great championship organizations ever in any kind of sport. It was special.”

“He was a competitive guy who had a lot to do with teaching us how to win because of the way he played and the way he competed when he first came here from Montreal,” added Berry. “He came here with really high credentials.”

Berry said that Vachon competitiveness is what he remembers most.

“There would be times, especially when we were at home, when we were asleep in the first period and got outshot, 12-4, and only be down, 1-0,” Berry related. “Rogie would come [into the dressing room] and break his stick over the water cart and that really was all he did. He didn’t curse or swear or anything.”

“We realized that here was a guy who was a winner, he was competitive and he really worked hard, and I’m not making this up,” Berry elaborated. “This is the way it was. [We thought], ‘Jesus Christ. He’s really mad at us. We’d better get going,’ and we did.”

“It wasn’t usually verbal. We all knew what kind of competitor he was. It was just a tacit feeling throughout the room that Rogie was pissed off and that he’s bailed us out so many times we’d better get going, and I’m sure if you asked all the other guys who were there, they’d tell you the same thing.”

Vachon explained that all he was trying to do was light a fire under his teammates.

“It did happen a few times and it was all about motivation,” he said. “It started in Montreal, doing that kind of stuff. I hated to have anyone score on me, even in practice. When you get used to that mentality, when you go into the games, sometimes I would come in after the first period after giving up a goal, I’d say, ‘All right. You get me two goals and that’s it. We’re going to win the game because they’re not going to score another one.’”

Indeed, even with superstar center Marcel Dionne joining the team in the 1975-76 season, Vachon was the biggest reason the Kings teams Berry played on had any success at all.

“Part of us learning how to win as a team was to keep our goals against down and I think under coach Bob Pulford, we all thought we were doing things well defensively,” Berry explained. “He brought a lot to it. But that said, it was still Rogie who was the last line of defense, and on most nights, when we would win close games, 3-1 or 2-1, or whatever it happened to be in those days, it was usually him who bailed us out and made big stops.”

“He would keep the ship afloat and we’d finally understand that we’d better get going,” Berry stressed. “It didn’t happen every night, but it happened enough. He taught us how to win.”

Of course, the leadership Vachon provided would have meant nothing if he was a poor or even just an average goaltender. But he backed up his leadership with elite level skill.

“He was a goaltender, and there haven’t been many in Kings history, that when he was in goal, you knew you had a chance to win the game, or that he would keep you in the game,” said long-time “Voice of the Kings,” Bob Miller, who called the action for five of Vachon’s seasons with the Kings.

“He was so good, so good,” added Miller, the 2000 recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, recognizing those members of the radio and television industry who made outstanding contributions to their profession and the game during their career in hockey broadcasting, making him a media honoree in the Hockey Hall of Fame. “I remember one story…we were in Chicago Stadium and Dennis Hull was playing for Chicago. He came down left wing and, to this day, it was the hardest shot I’ve ever seen. It got deflected up into the third balcony. I couldn’t even see it.”

“I saw Rogie later and I asked him, ‘tell me what you’re thinking when you see Dennis Hull ready to shoot.’ He said, ‘well, I know the only way I can stop it is if he hits me, so I hope he hits me.’ I said, ‘what?!’”

Miller, who is now in his 37th season of calling the action for the Kings, said that Vachon’s courage was one of the reasons he was a superstar.

“He was a courageous goaltender and a huge fan favorite here,” Miller explained. “I think he was probably the first real fan favorite here for the Kings and he had some outstanding games with teams that, early in his career and my career here, were defensive-minded teams under Bob Pulford.”

“Pully’s idea of a great game was 1-0 and the puck went in off of somebody’s rear end,” Miller added. “But [Vachon] fit that mold perfectly because he was so good.”

Miller marveled at Vachon’s superior skill.

“I remember how acrobatic he was in goal,” said Miller. “The other thing I remember is that he had such a good glove hand. He’d keep his glove down at his side and let he shooter think, ‘I’ve got that upper corner,’ and then, all of a sudden, he’d flash that glove up.”

“I remember some of the games against the Montreal Canadiens and games against some of the other teams that were really good at the time,” added Miller. “Players used to think, ‘I’ve got him’ and he’d make the save. He was really fun to watch, there was no doubt about that.”

Shame On The Hockey Hall of Fame

As stated earlier, Vachon’s career statistics and accomplishments make a rock solid case for him being more than worthy of induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“He wasn’t a big guy, yet he played so well and really, the shame is that he’s not in the Hockey Hall of Fame when the numbers he has are better than some who are in the Hall of Fame, and he has those seasons and those numbers with very mediocre Kings teams,” said Miller.

“The nights he played for us, he certainly was in the [Hall of Fame] category,” said Berry.

Vachon’s stellar play in the 1976 Canada Cup tournament also adds to his credentials, as he led Canada to the tournament championship with a 1.39 goals-against average, a .963 save percentage and two shutouts in seven games. He was named as the best goalie of the tournament and the Most Valuable Player for Canada.

“That was pretty awesome, too,” Vachon beamed. “It’s totally different from winning the Stanley Cup because you’re playing for your country. We had such a great team and I was really hot in goal, but we still had to go into overtime to win the [championship]. That’s how good the other teams were.”

“I remember the last game we played against the Czechs,” Vachon added. I made one of the best glove saves of my career. A forward came in, about thirty feet away, I think it was [Ivan] Hlinka. He was the top star in those days for the Czech team. I just grabbed it and that was in overtime.”

The biggest reason Vachon has been overlooked by the Hockey Hall of Fame is because during his time in the NHL, cable and satellite television, the World Wide Web, YouTube, mobile phones and the like, did not exist. Moreover, the Kings only had about fifteen games on television each season at the time.

“There were very, very few games on TV,” Vachon explained. “There were probably 15-20 games broadcast locally and the all people back East would just read about it in the paper.”

To be sure, Vachon played in complete anonymity on most nights except to those in Southern California.

“It’s pretty strange,” said Vachon. “When you played in the West in those days, you didn’t get the recognition that guys like [Ed] Giacomin got in New York or some of the guys playing in Montreal. It hurt some of the guys here, including me.”

“If you compare my numbers with the guys who were inducted at that time, there’s no question that I should’ve been there,” added Vachon. “But what are you going to do?”

“If [Vachon] had [been the number one goaltender] in Montreal [for all those years], he would have been a first ballot Hall of Famer,” Miller emphasized. “But he did it here and they didn’t hear about it.”

Although Vachon does not seem to be bitter about being passed over for induction, he is disappointed.

“It’s disappointing,” he said, “Every hockey player dreams about being in the Hockey Hall of Fame. But certain things in life you can’t control and that’s one of them.”

Vachon came ever so close to induction in 1987, his first year of eligibility.

“The first time around, someone on the [selection] committee told me that I had missed by one vote,” he said.

“That’s missing from my resume,” he added. “Even though my jersey has been retired [by the Kings], that’s it. [Induction into the Hall of Fame is] the ultimate for an athlete, to be in the hall. All the people come in and see that you’re there. It would mean a lot.”

But since 1987? Nothing. Nevertheless, hope remains.

“A few years ago, Dick Duff, [who played in Montreal, Toronto and briefly in Los Angeles] had to wait all those years but they finally put him in the Hall [in 2006],” said Vachon. “He was like me, waiting more than twenty or thirty years.”

Miller said that the Hockey Hall of Fame’s credibility is weakened by the fact that Vachon is still not an honored member.

“It really is a shame and the Hockey Hall of Fame should be ashamed of themselves that he wasn’t nominated earlier or not nominated at all,” said Miller. “If some of those guys who are on the Selection Committee played against him, I would think they would say yes, he deserves to be in there.”

“He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, there’s no doubt about it.”

Audio Interviews (raw, unedited)

Rogie Vachon (25:40)

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The Los Angeles Kings squandered a solid effort in goal by Jonathan Quick when their lackluster play gave the Vancouver Canucks three unanswered goals in the third period, handing the Canucks a 4-1 victory at General Motors Place in Vancouver on Thursday night.

Here are the game highlights from NHL Video on YouTube:

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Brayden Schenn skates in a pre-season game
against the Phoenix Coyotes on September 15, 2009.
Photo: Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Loktionov, 19, suffered a dislocated shoulder during his NHL debut at Edmonton on November 26.

The 5-10, 179-pound native of Voskresensk, Russia led the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League (Kings’ primary minor league affiliate) in scoring and was ranked third among AHL rookies with seventeen points on six goals and eleven assists in twenty games at the time of his recall. He also ranked second among AHL rookies in assists.

Loktionov was selected by the Kings in the fifth round (123rd overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Schenn, 18, has played in 24 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League this season, scoring twelve goals and adding 27 assists for 39 points, leading the team in overall scoring and in assists.

The 6-0, 182-pound native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is the captain of the Wheat Kings, is tied for second on the team in goals and has a +13 plus/minus rating. His 29 points also rank him fourth in the WHL in scoring.

Schenn was selected by the Kings in the first round (fifth overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft last June. He made his NHL debut in a 4-1 loss at Vancouver on November 26. He did not accompany the Kings back to Los Angeles.

For more on Schenn, click on:

LA Kings Select Brayden Schenn In First Round Of The 2009 NHL Draft
Los Angeles Kings: Getting Physical At Development Camp.

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Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Greene (left) fights off a check by Calgary Flames center Jamie Lundmark on November 21, 2009.
Photo: Jeff Gross/Getty Images

In both games, the Kings not only put in spotty efforts, but their offense sputtered without Smyth’s constant presence in front of opposing goaltenders and in his tenacious work along the boards and in the corners.

“What he does very well is his composure with the puck,” said head coach Terry Murray. “He handles it in pressure situations, makes the game look easy, slows the game down, takes the puck to the net, makes plays in the offensive zone. He can make something happen out of nothing and he has that mentality that it has to end up at the net.”

Indeed, that mentality, or the lack thereof without Smyth in the lineup, is like a black hole on the ice. But the Kings know they have to overcome his absence.

“He’s definitely going to be missed on the team,” said defenseman Drew Doughty. “He’s one of the best players in the league, but we’re going to have to learn to step it up that extra notch and try to replace what he does for us.”

“[Smyth is] one of the key guys on our team, but that doesn’t matter right now,” said center Anze Kopitar, who leads the National Hockey League in overall scoring with 33 points on fourteen goals and nineteen assists. “He’s going to be gone for a month. Somebody else is going to have to step up. We’re going to have to play hard without him and win games.”

“I’m going to come here, play hard and make everybody around me better,” added Kopitar. “We’re all going to miss him, but his injury isn’t going to be [healed] tomorrow. We just have to play and win.”

To be sure, Smyth has set an example and has been an inspiration for his teammates, who were producing well offensively. But without him, the Kings have scored just two goals in each of their last two games, while allowing a total of seven goals.

Although the Kings’ scoring woes caused by Smyth’s absence are easily apparent, what no one has been talking about is that the Kings were much better defensively last season when they allowed 2.76 goals per game (ranked 11th) and just 28.1 shots per game (ranked fourth).

Fast forward to this season and we find the Kings have allowed an average of 3.04 goals per game (ranked 25th) even though they are allowing just 26.2 shots per game (ranked second).

Given those numbers, the problem that stands out first is goaltending and it does not take a genius to see that Jonathan Quick is not on top of his game.

Last season, Quick rarely had an off night while earning a 21-18-2 record, with a .914 save percentage, a 2.48 goals-against average (GAA), and four shutouts.

But in 22 games this season, Quick has struggled, despite earning a 12-8-2 record. He has a poor .894 save percentage with a 2.79 GAA.

Quick is often not interested in talking about his struggles, perhaps because he is only 23 years old and is in just his second year in the league.

“All I’m thinking about [is the next game],” Quick said after his 3-2 loss to the Flyers on November 18. “I’ll take the next two days, look at some video and prepare.”

When asked about specific aspects of his game that he works on in practice, Quick did not seem to want to give out many details.

“We have a goalie coach, Bill Ranford,” Quick added. “I talk with him a couple of times a week and we work on stuff that needs to be worked on…the little things. Being as detailed as possible and doing the little things right. That makes the game a little bit easier.”

Even though Quick has not been the player he was last season, placing the blame squarely on his shoulders would be unfair, to say the least.

One thing that has been apparent since opening night is that the 2009-10 Kings are not nearly as good in their own zone as they were last season, especially in terms of their positioning and decision-making.

With Smyth out of the lineup, the Kings are no longer scoring goals in bunches, exposing their defensive weaknesses, which were immediately apparent against the Flyers.

“On those goals, I’d like to have them all back,” Murray lamented. “[They were the result of] misreads. In my view, we played well enough to win, but the Flyers capitalized on turnovers, mistakes, decisions that we made. We should’ve been better in our positioning.”

Indeed, it is not that the Kings are giving up a ton of shots. But they are back to giving up too many grade A scoring chances due to poor positioning, bad decisions and blatant mistakes.

“It was a game we’re going to look at as one where we gave it away,” Kopitar said after the loss to the Flyers. “I think we were playing decently, but those two breakdowns in the second period cost us two goals. When you’re behind, you’re chasing, and that [doesn’t work most of the time].”

“We were in the game, but we let them take it to us and gave them three easy goals,” Doughty said following the game against Philadelphia. “We weren’t bearing down in our own zone. It’s important. We watch video all the time on our own zone and we’re working on our defensive zone coverage all the time, It’s something we take pride in, so giving up those three goals was disappointing.”

Despite the fact that Murray has tried winger Alexander Frolov on the first line and will now give winger Teddy Purcell a look on that line, no one can replace Smyth’s tenacity and grit, especially in front of the opposition’s net. As such, if their offense continues to suffer, it becomes even more important for the Kings to clean up the problems in their own end.

“We’ve got to tighten up defensively,” said defenseman Matt Greene. “In this league, you’re not going to win games with the old run-and-gun—you’re not going to win championships. That’s something that needs to be addressed immediately, that commitment to defense and to taking pride in not giving up goals.”

“We just have to play with more confidence and make a commitment to defense,” added Greene. “We have to know our assignments. You have to know what you’re doing on the ice before you get out there. A lot of this game is read and react, but there’s a lot that’s structured, too, just knowing where you need to be. That’s what we have to get back to—knowing your job and doing it.”

Discipline in terms of playing within their system has also contributed to the Kings’ poor defensive coverage.

“Sometimes there are mental lapses out there,” Greene explained. “That’s what we have to eliminate so everyone’s on the same page, so you know where your partner is going to be or where you line mates are going to be. That’s how you play within your structure.”

Greene also defended Quick.

“You can’t rely on your goaltender to bail you out of every game,” Greene stressed. “Quick has been playing great for us. He’s stopping everything that he sees and it’s not the first one that’s going in on him. It’s the second or third one that guys are getting a whack at.”

“It’s our job defensively to be better in front of him,” Greene added. “We know he’s going to make the saves that he should and it’s our job to make sure that we don’t give up the ones that he shouldn’t.”

The Kings begin a quick, two-game road trip tonight and on Thursday in Edmonton and Vancouver, and are looking to right the ship quickly.

“I think the guys have it under control, with the leadership in the room and the guys are mature enough to realize we’ve had some problems in the last couple of games and that we can turn it around,” said Greene. “We’ll make a good effort to do this on this road trip and carry it on through.”

With the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States right around the corner, getting things turned around on this road trip would certainly be something the Kings would be very thankful for.

Audio Interview With Matt Greene (2:44)

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Los Angeles Kings center prospect Andrei Loktionov carries the puck in a 6-1 loss against Phoenix Coyotes prospects on September 10, 2009.
Photo courtesy Thomas LaRocca/LAKings.com.

Loktionov, 19, leads the Monarchs in scoring and ranks third among AHL rookies with seventeen points on six goals and eleven assists in twenty games. He also ranks second among AHL rookies in assists.

The 5-10, 179-pound native of Voskresensk, Russia, who was selected by the Kings in the fifth round (123rd overall) of the 2008 National Hockey League Entry Draft, will wear jersey number 48.

Segal, 26, has scored six goals and has contributed eight assists for fourteen points with 34 penalty minutes in 21 games with the Monarchs this season. The 6-2, 209-pound native of Richmond, British Columbia played in his first two NHL games last season with Tampa Bay and also appeared in 69 games with the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL, scoring 26 goals and adding 26 assists for 52 points with 95 penalty minutes.

Segal was named to the Canadian AHL All-Star team last season. He was signed by the Kings as an unrestricted free agent on July 13 and will wear jersey number 49.

Smyth, 33 suffered an “upper body injury” and has missed the last two games. He has scored nine goals and has added fourteen assists for 23 points in 22 games.

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Shaky goaltending by Jonathan Quick and a poor third period effort doomed the Los Angeles Kings to their second straight loss on Saturday afternoon, this time coming at the hands of the Calgary Flames, who dropped the Kings 5-2 at Staples Center.

Frozen Royalty was unable to attend this game, but here are the game highlights from NHL Video on YouTube:

In Overtime Episode 27- Up to a Month by KingsCast, Keith Korneluk and Chris Kaliszewski note that the Los Angeles Kings are facing adversity for the first time this season and they look at how they might handle the added pressure.

You can watch this episode of Overtime by KingsCast here:

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Kopitar #11

Photo: Folklore Publishing

In Living The Hockey Dream, author Brian Kennedy, Ph.D., a native of Montreal, an Associate Professor of English at Pasadena City College and a freelance hockey writer who covers the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks for Inside Hockey, explores the hockey dreams—realized or not—of people involved with the game at all levels and all walks of life.

To be sure, this is not a book focusing on National Hockey League superstars and their glory days in the NHL—if that’s what you are looking for, prepare to be disappointed.

“What I was trying to do was get them to tell similar stories,” Kennedy explained. “Take a guy like [former Kings superstar] Marcel Dionne. It wasn’t just ‘tell me about your hockey career,’ because I can find that out from books, from the Internet, whatever. But tell me about you growing up in the game. What was your corner rink like? What was your neighborhood like? Then, of course, it extends into their career.”

“What I was trying to do was get, not just an inside story, but a story that had the theme of the young person and the way the game appeared or had meaning to him or her and then how that extended into the present,” Kennedy elaborated.

Like his previous book, Growing Up Hockey: The Life and Times of Everyone Who Ever Loved The Game (see Recommended Reading For the “Lull:” Growing Up Hockey), this is not your typical hockey book about NHL stars, past and present. In fact, even when dealing with a former NHL player, Kennedy’s approach was unique and refreshing.

“What I tried to do was, instead of looking at their lives starting from their careers, I went from the opposite way,” said Kennedy. “Start with you as a kid. Tell me who you are and what your dreams were. How were they lived out as a child and in your younger days? What happened later was a product of that.”

“The focus is on stuff that maybe most readers wouldn’t know and that I certainly didn’t know, and, in some cases, stuff that these guys hadn’t even thought about in years,” added Kennedy. “Some of them, I would ask them a question about their corner rink, or when they got their first hockey stick. They would look at me strangely because they hadn’t thought about that forever because they get the same questions over and over. I was trying to get at some different aspects of their lives in the game.”

Of course, what NHL players did in their careers remains significant. Nevertheless, Kennedy was looking deeper into the souls of those who are profiled in the book.

“I talk about their numbers and the number of goals guys scored or the Stanley Cups they won,” he said. “But all that can be found on the Internet. But that stuff isn’t a narrative. What I was trying to do was create a narrative about what the magic of the game is for these guys.”

“Ian Turnbull, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and also for the Kings, told me exactly what he was like when he was a boy and the things that happened to him, including one time when he got in trouble,” he added. “When you get to know him now, and he’s in his fifties, I guess, you realize that he’s the same person and that’s the magic. So if people want that glimpse into the personality behind the player or what generates that spark of passion, that’s what I was trying to bring out.”

Some of the former players profiled in the book are among the all-time greats, including the legendary Bobby Hull, the great Chicago Blackhawks left wing who, along with teammate Stan Mikita, brought the curved stick blade to hockey. To be sure, Hull is one of the few players who revolutionized the game.

But when the time came to interview him, Kennedy got a rather severe case of cold feet.

“It was funny…his son, Bobby Jr., told me his story and then he told me, ‘here’s my Dad’s cell phone number, but you’ll never get ahold of him because he never answers his phone,’ said Kennedy. “I had that number for two or three months and never could work up the courage to call him.”

“But I finally dialed the number, even though I was terrified to call him,” added Kennedy. “I had done my research and had my questions ready. But with all of these stories, you don’t know the direction they’re going to take until you start chatting with them where that story is until you start talking to the guy.”

Kennedy then described his exchange with the great Bobby Hull.

“He answered in his gruff, somewhat raspy voice, ‘Hello?’ I introduced myself. ‘Mr. Hull. This is Brian Kennedy and I’m writing this book…’”

At that point, Hull cut Kennedy off.

“Oh, OK,” Hull told Kennedy. “Let me tell you what happened when I was a little boy. You just listen.”

“He started to tell me the story and I said, ‘Oh…that’s very interesting,’” said Kennedy.

“No, no. Don’t interrupt me, just let me tell the story,” Hull said to Kennedy. “You just listen and then after, you can ask any questions you want to.”

“He talked for about five or six minutes and gave me some great details about his childhood and he let me ask all the questions I wanted,” Kennedy noted. “I guess we talked for about thirty or forty minutes. The first few minutes was almost surreal because I couldn’t believe I had this guy on the phone.”

Kennedy was totally in awe of the legend on the other end of the line.

“While I was interviewing him, I was seeing that famous picture of him with the curved stick that we all saw when we were kids,” Kennedy beamed. “I was seeing video of him scoring certain goals and I was thinking of everything I’ve ever read about the slap shot and when he first started launching those missiles.”

“So I’ve got all that going on in my head at the same time, so I’m not fully grasping the fact that I’m having a conversation with the great Bobby Hull.”

Another player from days gone by who is profiled in the book was former Kings and Montreal Canadiens superstar goaltender Rogie Vachon.

“[Vachon] is the kindest person, the most warm and honest,” said Kennedy. “I talked to him in person at a game and I called him to do the interview, but I felt like I was sitting in his living room. He’s just that open.”

“He is from way far north in Quebec,” added Kennedy. “The chances of him ever making it to the NHL, based on the remoteness of where he was and the time he was playing his minor hockey, was extremely unlikely, and especially to make the Montreal Canadiens, given the depth of talent they had in goal over the years. So in a way, he set up his own success, and that’s what makes it so nice to tell his stories. You just get the feeling that he thinks of his career as a gift, even though it’s not—it’s something he deserved because he was so talented and courageous as goalie back in those days.”

“While talking to him, you get a sense of reverence for the game in the era when he played. Talk about the icon of a goalie of his time. For me, that’s Vachon.”

Kennedy also noted the black mark on the history of the Hockey Hall of Fame in that Vachon has not been inducted as an honored member.

“I asked him about that and people who read the book can see the reaction…again, very gracious,” said Kennedy. “But if there was anyone who deserves to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame who is not—if you look at his numbers, a Vezina Trophy, three Stanley Cups, and the fact is, he wasn’t just the second fiddle on that team.”

“[Vachon] shared the goaltending duties with Gump Worsley in that Vezina season and they won the Cup that same season, let alone everything he did for the Kings in the mid-Seventies,” added Kennedy. “There is no way we can keep that guy out of the Hockey Hall of Fame.”

Kennedy also looked at the lives of some of the current players in the NHL, including Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal.

“When you look at a game, you don’t read the depth of these guys’ pasts,” Kennedy stressed. “I love the history part of the game, including the recent history. Look at Eric Staal. He’s one of four brothers and we know a little bit about his parents and they have that commercial on the NHL Network, so we’ve seen them. But you don’t think about who he is really and what he sacrificed as the oldest brother who leaves home early to play the game, and that’s an experience that most of these guys have.”

“Especially for an American fan who isn’t in a city where you have a junior team—I went to high school in Ontario [Canada] and we had the Peterborough Petes in our school, so we knew these guys were hockey players and came from somewhere else,” Kennedy explained. “I think a lot of people don’t think about that. For a guy like Eric Staal, that’s a dimension of his life that comes out in his story. I think that gives fans more of a glimpse into the human side of it or the depth of these guys as people.”

“We think of hockey players like our elementary school teachers. When you go home, they either don’t exist anymore or they live in the classroom. After all, you don’t see them anymore. What these guys are doing is showing me facets of their lives from before they played in the NHL, and, in the case of the retired guys, afterwards. That’s something you don’t see when you watch them on the ice and that you don’t read in game coverage.”

In the past, Kennedy has talked about the love Canadians have for the Stanley Cup, and in covering the Ducks during their 2007 run to the Stanley Cup Championship, Kennedy got to touch that most revered of all sports trophies.

“To me, [former Canadiens legend] Maurice Richard is still alive,” said Kennedy. “Howie Morenz, the great Montreal Canadiens player from the Thirties. All those guys are there in that trophy. So when I touched it—and I could feel it—I really could, under my fingertips, feel the surface of it, I still have that exact feeling in my mind. It was like I was part of something huge and eternal, in a way.”

“I had seen it before and I had touched it before, but in another context, when the Los Angeles Kings hosted the 2002 NHL All-Star Game,” added Kennedy. “You could get your picture taken with it and everything. But that’s out of context. The night I touched it on the ice [when the Ducks won it] was a totally different thing. I felt like all the moments that all the great players had ever touched it were distilled in that moment when I touched it. I know that I was never much of a hockey player and that there’s no way I would’ve won the Stanley Cup by myself. But I think everyone wins it in their own way and that’s my way of winning it.”

Kennedy’s love for the Stanley Cup gave him the idea to profile the “Keeper of the Cup,” Phil Pritchard.

“Here’s a guy who takes the Stanley Cup with him to his hotel room every night,” said Kennedy. “He could dance around with it. Take it into the shower if he felt like it. What’s that like? What would you do?”

“I managed to get ahold of him and it turns out that he’s the most regular guy on the planet,” added Kennedy. “But he takes his role almost as a sacred obligation. He understands what that trophy means.”

Indeed, Kennedy looked way beyond NHL players in writing the book.

“It’s not just about hockey players,” he emphasized. “It’s about other people in and around the game. [USA women’s hockey great] Cammi Granato. [Television reporter] Chris Simpson. The paralympic captain, who lost his leg to cancer, even the minor league players. They’re all in there for different reasons.”

Another chapter went in yet another direction, looking at Kennedy’s nephew, who is playing youth hockey. But even though the chapter does not come right out and hit you in the face with it, there is an unmistakable message here.

“This generation is probably asking too much of kids,” Kennedy stressed. “I know I never was a great hockey player. But when I look at my nephew Daniel’s games, I think ‘wow. You don’t really have to be that much better to be the best kid out there.’ So you think, ‘c’mon boy. Why can’t you be the one?’”

“But what you’re really saying is, ‘why couldn’t I have done that back then,’” Kennedy added. “So I guess if there’s an underlying message it’s to parents to say ‘look, let the kid play the way he wants to play. Don’t try to make your lack of having fulfilled the dream come true in the child.’”

“Daniel, if he makes the NHL, that would be great. I know we’ll all be very proud of him. But I don’t think he has to do that for hockey to have meaning in his life or to give him something.”

After reading and seeing all the news reports about parents pressuring their children to be better in their respective sports, not to mention reports about how that pressure has often led to altercations at games, Kennedy’s message is one that should resonate with all parents with children in athletics, not just hockey.

One chapter really brought out Kennedy’s love for the game. And before anyone thinks something is fishy here, let me state for the record that this reporter was involved in this particular story, as Kennedy is a colleague of mine who has sat next to me in the Staples Center press box the last handful of seasons as we’ve covered the Kings. Nevertheless, the story ends up really having absolutely nothing to do with me at all.

A couple of seasons ago, after Kings goaltender Erik Ersberg was injured during a game, Kennedy wondered what would happen if the backup goalie was injured as well?

So what did Kennedy do? He asked Kings head coach Terry Murray during the media scrum interview after the game.

Murray told him, jokingly, but as deadpanned as he could, that someone from the press corps would probably have to put on the pads.

At that moment, knowing that Kennedy had spent some time in goal during his youth hockey days, I pointed to him and said to Murray, ‘he’s played in goal.’”

Murray then said that the duty would have to fall to Kennedy.

Of course, I am not telling the story as well as Kennedy does in the book, and I am doing that intentionally. Nevertheless, this chapter might be the one that, not only captures the magic of the game for himself, but also shines a light on how the book captured the magic of the game for all the other people profiled within its pages.

“I’m a person who has an imagination,” said Kennedy. “With that incident, you and I both know that I’m not the official Kings press box backup goalie. But in my imagination I am, and in some kind of funny way that the chapter lives out, I actually am.”

“Of course, I don’t really believe some of these things, but it’s fun to play with these ideas and sometimes, what you imagine kinda comes true,” added Kennedy. “If I thought, when I had a ticket to a Kings playoff game—I saw two playoff games in 2002—if I had thought then that I would walk into Staples Center’s Team LA store that I would see a book about this team or about hockey that I had written—if I had imagined that, there was no possible way this could’ve been true. But like Growing Up Hockey, this book is a product of that same energy and imagination.”

Kennedy, Brian. Living The Hockey Dream. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Folklore Publishing, 2009. ISBN (10-digit): 1-894864-82-4. ISBN (13-digit): 978-1-894864-82-4.

LA Kings defenseman Alec Martinez (right) pressures Phoenix Coyotes forward Mikkel Boedker (left) on October 3, 2009.
Photo: Harry How/Getty Images

Martinez, 22, played in one game for the Kings this season, making his National Hockey League debut on October 3. He suffered an ankle injury during practice two days later and was placed on the injured reserve list on October 29, retroactive to October 5.

The 6-1, 208-pound native of Rochester Hills, Michigan scored eight goals and added fifteen assists for 23 points with 42 penalty minutes in 72 games with the Monarchs last season.

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LOS ANGELES — In their first game without injured left wing Ryan Smyth, the re-configured Los Angeles Kings put in an uneven effort and dropped a 3-2 decision to the Philadelphia Flyers at Staples Center on Wednesday night.

Jarret Stoll and Drew Doughty scored for the Kings, while Mika Pyorala, Mike Richards and James vanRiemsdyk scored for the Flyers.

The Kings got off to a good start and took a 1-0 lead at 14:53 of the first period when Stoll wristed the puck into the crease from the right corner. The shot beat Flyers goalie Brian Boucher beaten between his skates—a bad goal allowed by Boucher.

But the momentum shifted in a big way after the Kings completed fizzled during a two-man advantage that lasted the entire two minutes.

The Kings regained some jump in their step following a power play goal by Doughty at 12:09 of the third period, but it was too little, too late, as several defensive miscues and a lack of effort in their own zone led to all three Flyers goals.

NOTES: Stoll scored a goal and added an assist in the game, had four hits and won 12 of 17 faceoffs (71%); Justin Williams had a season-high eight shots; the two teams combined for 59 hits (Flyers: 30, Kings: 29).; The Kings outshot the Flyers 21-5 in the third period (39-20 in the game); The 21 shots in one period and 39 in one game are both season highs for the Kings; The Kings are still 9-4-2 in their last fifteen games; Their 13-8-2 start is the eighth-best 23-game start in team history; The Kings have outshot their opponent in ten of the last eleven games and in fourteen of the last sixteen).

Here are the post-game audio interviews (raw, unedited) and the game highlights from NHL Video on YouTube:

Post-Game (raw, unedited) Audio Interviews

Anze Kopitar (2:54)

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On this day when, here in the United States, we are supposed to give thanks for all that we’ve been blessed with, the folks over at KingsCast hit us with both barrels (you get to choose if we should be thankful for that) with a new episode of Overtime by KingsCast and a new edition of the official fan podcast of the Los Angeles Kings.

In Episode 3 of the podcast, entitled Injury Bugged, Keith Korneluk and Connie Kim discuss the impact that the loss of left wing Ryan Smyth to injury will have on the Kings.

You can listen to the podcast here (31:07):

In Overtime – Episode 28: KingsCast/Hockey Zen Mashup, KingsCast and the folks at The Hockey Zen square off to discuss the Kings/Edmonton Oilers match-up on November 25 and to take a look at the season-long “rivalry” between the two teams.

Watch the episode here:

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Wayne Simmonds and unlikely suspect Matt Greene scored goals while Jonathan Quick stopped 22 shots to lead the Los Angeles Kings to a 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place in Edmonton on Wednesday night.

Here are the game highlights from NHL Video on YouTube:

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