LA KINGS OUTSIDER 2.0

Terry Murray Apparently Shows More Emotion During Press Conferences The Kings have 84 points and are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.  Alot of credit should go to Terry Murray and the coaching staff for staying the course with a defensive-first system and believing in this roster.  With that said, his criticism of the fans after Thursday night's listless effort is ridiculous and completely out of line. As proud as I was of Terry Murray for showing some emotion after the Kings controversial loss to Vancouver at the beginning of March ; I'm equally disappointed with his criticism of the fans.  Coach had this to say on Thursday. “You know what the most disappointing, frustrating thing was? At the end of the second period, we were booed off the ice by our fans. That is the most embarrassing thing I have ever been through. That’s the worst I’ve ever been through, in all the years I’ve been coaching. I’ve been behind the bench almost 3,000 hockey games in the NHL, and bo...

Jonathan Quick Has Struggled In January I‘m with every other Kings fan that’s frustrated with this team’s inconsistent play this season.  I decided to look at some monthly splits; hoping that the stats would shed some light on why the Kings have looked so terrible.  Instead, I found something a little more interesting: the team’s statistics through 46 games this season fall right in line with last season’s averages. The Kings had some expectations going into this season.  The next Chicago Blackhawks was repeated more than once by the so-called 'experts.'  DL failed to acquire an impact forward.  Instead, he made a couple lateral moves/slight improvements looking for ‘the right fit.’  He replaced Frolov with Ponikarovsky.  O’Donnell with Mitchell.  And proclaimed that Scott Parse was the next Kris Versteeg.  Nothing ground-breaking. He put it on the ‘core’ group to improve and take their games to the next-level.  It looks like they...

King Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla Pierre LeBrun jumped on Hot Stove on HNIC and speculated that if the Calgary Flames were to move Jarome Iginla; the Kings would be a perfect fit .  He reiterated his point on HNIC Radio that he's got from sources that Iginla is atop the Kings 'wish-list' if he were to become available. (Iginla) would go along with the character-type guys the Kings have added over the last two years, players like Ryan Smyth and Willie Mitchell. I couldn't agree more.  The Kings failed to acquire Kovalchuk.  The cap space is still sitting there.  The team is still missing that top-line scoring winger.  Dean Lombardi has exhausted the point that he doesn't want to jeopardize the signings of Doughty, Johnson, and Simmonds.  I absolutely get that point but look at any of the teams that have won a Cup in the post-salary cap era and all of them went 'all-in' for a couple of seasons before losing some key contributor...

This news may have flown under the radar for most Kings fans but for me this is a crime.  An absolute shame.  The Manchester Monarchs for some odd reason decided to change their jerseys for the 2010-11 season.  I got my first glance of these new sweaters in NHL 11 but thought EA Sports just didn't get the design in for some reason.  Once the AHL season began; the new jerseys were unveiled on the ice.  The Monarchs went from having one of the cleanest looking jerseys in the AHL to having one of the ugliest.  I'm glad I got my Trevor Lewis gamer.  Remember ? They use to look like this...     And now they look like this... If it ain't broke...don't fix it!

Dan Ellis: "I make millions of dollars to play hockey & I'm stressed!" It's been a while since my last blog post.  I'm still recovering from the news that Paul Kariya is sitting out all of the 2010-11 season.  I've been a bit sidetracked since the arrival of NHL 11 which I'll be writing about soon enough if I can ever put it down.  But moving on.. The majority of NHL fans have no idea who Dan Ellis is.  A few fans will remember him as the Predators starting goaltender who lost his starting job to Pekka Rinne last season.  Well with the power of Twitter; Ellis has some new found fame.  I was going to blog about Dan Ellis and his controversial tweets right after I read them.  I was too lazy but  Puck Daddy took the story and ran with it .  Here's what Ellis tweeted . If you lost 18% of your income would you be happy? I can honestly say that I am more stressed about money now then when I was in college.  I can't explain it and I ne...

Is Ponikarovsky The 'Missing Link'? Since the Kings haven't done much of anything this offseason; I'm forced to over-analyze the one player Dean Lombardi did acquire.  While searching for 'Alexei Ponikarovsky' I stumbled across this Puck Prospectus article .  Puck Prospectus thinks very highly of Poni and they've got some obscure statistical analysis to back it up.   CORSI number is the relatively new statistic being discussed in-depth by hockey geeks.  It was actually derived by long-time Buffalo Sabres goaltending coach Jim Corsi . Corsi is a plus/minus stat that measures shots directed at net. For example, if the Edmonton Oilers direct 30 shots at even strength at the Calgary Flames' net in a game, while the Flames direct 45 shots at the Oilers' net, the Oilers have a Corsi of -15 for the game. This team Corsi number is also broken down and applied to individual players. For example, if Sheldon Souray is out on the ice for 10 shots directed ...

A Bit Awkward?... I know I'm kind of late but the photo was so disturbing; it deserved it's own blog post. The Red Wings finally announced last week that they've signed Mike Modano to a one-year deal .  The 40-year old signed on to be the Wings third-line center.  It was a difficult situation in Dallas where the management team led by GM Joe Nieuwendyk, a former teammate of Modano's finally decided that he was no longer in the organization's plans moving forward. Modano, the all-time leader among U.S.-born players in points and goals scored will wear jersey #90 for obvious reasons (Gordie Howe).  Modano will always be a Minnesota North Star/Dallas Star just like Ray Bourque will always be a Boston Bruin.  Bourque chased his Cup; Modano already got his so I guess he' just chasing the dream of playing one more NHL season back home in front of family & friends in his home state of Michigan.

Did The NHL Really Outdraw Nascar Did Game Two of the Stanley Cup Finals really outdraw Nascar and the Indy 500 ?  I find this really hard to believe. NBC's Philadelphia Flyers-Chicago Blackhawks NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 2 on Monday night drew a 4.1 overnight, which translates into 4.1% of TV households in 56 urban TV markets — the best Game 2 Cup Final overnight ever. That's also up 21% from last year's Detroit Red Wings-Pittsburgh Penguins Game 2. Considering there's no Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin playing in this finals; this improvement is quite impressive.  But keep in mind that the NHL's 4.1 rating is still miniscule compared to other major sports.  Compare 4.1 to last year's NBA Finals (8.4) and the World Series (11.7); the NHL is still way behind. While we're talking about the Finals.  I can't stand the broadcast team.  Read more after the jump...

I've been without my computer for the last week and a half.  Definitely have alot to get to.   On a sidenote: I really think they Apple needs to re-name their 'Genius Bar' to something more accurate like...'The Slightly More Competent Than Those Apple Store Employees In Orange & Turquoise Shirts Bar'... Anyways... That is all.  Lots to come.  Stay tuned.

We'll Get Em Next Year, Smitty! Now that the season has ended so abruptly; blogging has become my way of dealing with the disappointment of losing Game One by inches, a blowout loss in Game Five and losing twice in the same series on home-ice when leading after two-periods. The blog posts should come fast and furious for the next couple week so check back often. Check out my Season Recap in Pictures at my Shuttefly site.

This Guy's Not The Problem LetsGoKings.com has come to the conclusion that Dustin Brown is the problem for all the team's failures .  That notion is absolutely ridiculous.  And here's the reasons why.  I stole a few quotes from the original posters argument. Dustin Brown is a poor hockey player, and a terrible choice to lead "the room". A poor hockey player doesn't make the Team USA Olympic Team.  And as far as leadership goes; his play and reputation earned him an 'A' on his sweater for Team USA over the likes of Chris Drury aka The Great American Hero.  Next. Dustin plays for penalties. On three separate occasions tonight Brown skated INTO contact to try and draw a call instead of working hard and forcing his will thru tight checking. He is almost as bad a diver as Avery. He draws penalties yet doesn't get called for diving like Avery did.  Isn't that a good thing?  This would be a non-issue if the Kings could succeed on their 5-on-3 opport...

My Best Barry Melrose Impression I've played alot of NHL10 on my PS3. Their overall PP has been very good in March; succeeding at a 30% (15 for 50) clip. The Kings power play versus the Wild was frustrating to watch.   Two 5-on-3 PP's.  One of them for 50 seconds.  The other for a full two minutes.  And yet the Kings can't capitalize. I'm no Barry Melrose.  But I don't understand why Kings continue to set up their 5-on-3 PP in a 'umbrella formation.'  That formation is fine if you've got Alexander Ovechkin firing one-timers or Mike Cammalleri for that matter.  Both of those guys are snipers; they hit the net. Jarret Stoll is a not a sniper.  He's a good player with a decent shot.  He's Fulton Reed (shameful Mighty Ducks Movie plug).  "One out of five."  That's about how often Stollie hits the net. On a 5-on-3, the Kings need to move the puck down low and look to work off a cycle.  Or look to pass in the slot. ...

After watching the Kings hold on in two games against Colorado.  Watching them get dominated by the Blues.  And then get dominated again tonight versus the Stars on home ice.  I came to one conclusion. The Kings are tired.  Some would say the Kings are catching some bad breaks with officials.  That might be true but the Kings have been back on their heels for a while.  Time to step up their game.  Soon. This group has never been in this position before; playing games that mattered in late-March.  And it's beginning to show. It's been widely discussed that Jonathan Quick hasn't played this many games.  And it's becoming clear he hasn't gotten his game on track since that extended Olympic break. Drew Doughty looked outstanding in the Olympics.  Since returning; he looks spent.  I've never seen him turn the puck over more than once in a game.  It's become more frequent with each game. I don't know what they're going to do....

I blogged earlier this year and claimed Ovy was a dirty player . After thinking about it a bit more.  I think he plays the game so hard that he's more reckless than anything else.  I don't think he has intent to injure other players. He wants the puck.  He wants to shoot the puck.  He wants to shoot the puck into the net.  It's pretty much that simple.  His borderline push/hit on Brian Campbell cost him two games and Campbell the season.  The sad thing is the hit didn't deserve a suspension as much as a couple of his other hits earlier this season. Now Matt Cooke is a whole other story.  He's a dirty player with the intent to injure and he has a track record yet, no suspension?  Come on NHL.  Get your act together.

I would recap the Breakfast with Dean Lombardi earlier this morning but there was really nothing to report.  Read Hammer's recap for full details . Day old bagels and danishes.  Bottled juices and coffee.  A slight step-up from the pre-packaged danishes they served at the last one. The event was packed.  Got there around 10 and there was no parking to be found. Dean gave his usual ten-minute answers to every question and handed off the tough ones to Assistant GM Ron Hextall. The highlight of the event was hearing Dean speak about changing the culture.  And he pulled up a slide of what he expected from his players.  What it mean to be a King.  What it took to be a good teammate and so forth.  He spoke with such passion and fire.  I almost felt like I was a prospect at the Kings Development Camp minus the talent and multi-million dollar contract. Anyways, I appreciate that the leadership team provides this platform for dialogue between the...

Bob Miller Is Awesome If you had a chance to watch the Kings-Habs game on television like me you had yourself a bit of a scare last night.  The broadcast started off with Patrick O'Neal. It's never a good thing when Patrick starts off a broadcast.  He went on to inform Kings fans that Bob Miller would not be doing the play-by-play and that Jim Fox would be stepping in for the night.  Phew.  What a relief.  Until we heard Foxy.  Foxy the analyst is good.  Foxy the play-by-play man not so much.  I wanted to watch the game but it was so hard to listen to Foxy deliver the play-by-play the same way he delivers his analysis as the color man.  Short segments.  All Night.  Kings dump it in...Andrei Markov back to get it....Bad pass by the Canadiens....Kings dump it in...Nothing happening...Kings reset...Nothing happening. I love Bob Miller.  I grew up wanting to become a sportscaster and I idolized L.A.'s trio of Hall of Fame bro...

Nothing Went Right For Russia Last Night The NHL has done it's best to build up a rivalry between the league's two biggest stars. Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-finals last year was built up bigger than the Stanley Cup.  Pens versus Caps.  Crosby v. Ovechkin.  And then what happened?  The Caps got blown out on home-ice.  After two periods, it was 5-0 Penguins.  Pens embarrassed Ovechkin and the Caps winning 6-2 on their way to capturing the Stanley Cup. The NHL has built up a Russia-Canada Matchup.  They dedicated an entire day of programming to a Crosby v. Ovechkin Special.  This was supposed to be the Gold Medal game.  The two most highly-skilled teams in the World.  The two biggest stars of the NHL.   The matchup came a bit earlier than anyone expected but it was going to be great none the less. And then Russia took a big dump on everyone:.  A big dump of "Euro-trash" according to Mike Milbury.  Russia'...

Are they seriously going to tape delay the Czech-Russia game and overlap it with the US-Canada game? Unbelievable!

Kariya A King?: Has A Nice Ring! NOTE: I've been meaning to write this post for weeks.  Finally, I get some time to do it because the Blues/Wings game was on Versus and I've got DirecTV.  And of course, Kariya has himself his best game of the year.  Anyways.... Paul Kariya to the Kings makes sense on so many different levels. First off, he's my favorite player and the reason I love hockey.  It's hard to believe he's 35 years old now.  For years, I've been attending Kings games wearing a Kariya Ducks, Avs, Preds, and now Blues jersey every time his team's in town.  I've yet to put a name and number on the back of my Kings jersey because I've been waiting for this moment, this opportunity. (queue Eminem's verse now). "WHY DO THE KINGS NEED HIM?" Justin Williams's season is in doubt.  The Kings are looking for a left wing.  Dean Lombardi came close to acquiring Ray Whitney.  It's been rumored that Whitney was looking for a thre...

Homers: These Two Make My Ears Bleed What happened to the line combos tonight?  What happened to the combos that got us the nine-game win streak? The Kings looked lethargic all night.  A step slow to the loose pucks.  No effort along the boards.  And their lack of effort turned into penalties. And did I see Raitis Ivanans taking a regular shift out there?  Raitis.  Drop the gloves.  Your team is losing.  Mix it up.  It's your JOB.  I know Petey would do anything to get in the lineup. Jonathan Quick looked spectacular at moments.  And absolutely terrible the next.  The Ducks willingness to go hard to Quick's crease and interfere obviously rattled him at times tonight.  Corey Perry did the same thing to Quick that Holmstrom did to him on Saturday.  Quick needs to push back and the defense needs to body up.  Lastly, I'm not sure if Bill Ranford is working on Quick's puckhandling skills but he seems to be getting...