On this Christmas Eve, KingsCast returns with our annual holiday special! In this episode we talk LA Kings hockey, the games against the Red Wings, Maple Leafs and Ducks, give some holiday gifts to Kings players and show the Xmas cards we received from Los Angeles Kings players.

This show is sponsored by Barry’s Tickets. Enter the promo code “kingscast25″ to receive 10% off!

KingsCast presents…The Most Miserable Time of the Year for the LA Kings. When you think of cheesy YouTube Christmas songs sung in a miserable harmony, think of KingsCast! So settle back and enjoy some tidings of great joy from Keith and Chris!

The Los Angeles Kings have hit (close to) rock bottom since the last show. Terry Murray has been fired, the Kings still can’t score and we’re in the market for a new coach that can bring on the goal-scoring fury…right? Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period joins us and brings the knowledge on Coach Murray, future Coach Sutter, Dean Lombardi and more LA Kings hockey talk. Listen to The Fourth Period Radio on Saturdays 4-7PM EST on Sirius 207, XM 92 NHL Home Ice.

This episode is sponsored by Barry’s Tickets. Click the link and enter the discount code “kingscast25″ to receive a 10% discount.
Music by The Graveyard Bandits.

We’re fans of Gann’s writing here at KingsCast but I really don’t understand how a coach whose team that is the bottom of the league in scoring after more than a quarter of the season shouldn’t be ultimately responsible. But that’s just us. Take a read. It’s a good counter-point.

LOS ANGELES AND EL SEGUNDO, CA — After all but one other player had disappeared from the main dressing room area to shower and change clothes, Los Angeles Kings right wing and team captain Dustin Brown sat dejectedly in his locker, slouched down, probably brooding about his team’s performance, or lack thereof, in a 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on December 10, at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

This is not a first for Brown, who has been seen doing the exact same thing in seasons past.

But this time, something was different.

Indeed, Brown sat there, unmoving, with the same dejected, disgusted look on his face, for considerably longer than the times I have seen him do that over the past few seasons since he was named as the Kings’ captain.

Sensing that leaving him alone in his thoughts was the wise and appropriate thing to do, especially since the media had already spoken with him, I do not know what was going through his mind. As such, I can only speculate. But an educated guess is that he has had enough of his team not playing the way they are supposed to.

Contrary to popular belief, the Kings’ problems on the ice boil down to execution, as detailed in an earlier story here on Frozen Royalty. In fact, what may not be evident to many is that their problems often start 200 feet from their opponent’s net.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

Hey, Kings fans, we have some exciting news for you we we think you’re going to love.

First up, we have an exciting new program that we are helping to pilot called Incrwd. It’s a really cool rewards program that gives all of our users the chance to win a real reward simply for interacting with our site.

Here’s how it works:

1) Click on the green Rewards tab on the right hand side of the KingsCast website.

2) Choose from one of our real rewards (you have to choose a reward before you can start winning points).

3) Interact with us— visit us, share your favorite articles on Facebook and Twitter, and add thoughtful comments to articles.

4) After unlocking your prize, a reward code will show up in the trophy case that you can take to the brand’s store or website to redeem!

Initially, not everyone will be offered the opportunity participate in the program. Incrwd will roll out their platform to all of our users over the course of a few weeks.

We think it’s a nice way to reward you guys for your contributions, and hopefully it makes your reading experience a little more fun!

For Incrwd customer service, please contact customer@myincrwd.com.

Next up, as we mentioned on our last show, we have teamed up with Barry’s Tickets, official partners of the Los Angeles Kings, to provide you with the best Kings tickets available. In addition to their already low prices, they have given KingsCast fans a 10% discount by entering the code “kingscast25″ at the time of purchase. So, next time you’re scouring the net for tickets (to any event), hit them up!

Finally, we have done a little housekeeping on our Facebook page. It’s cosmetic only but it’s still pretty cool (in our humble opinion). So head on over to http://facebook.com/kingscast and check it out. If you’re already a fan, you’ll notice our new Welcome tab.

Go Kings!

When the top team in the NHL comes to town and is known for playing a tight defensive game, do you really expect the Los Angeles Kings to drop five goals on them? Of course not. In this episode we talk about the Kings play of late, mention the games against the Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild as well as give our reasons why Terry Murray will not be fired. Do you think the Kings will replace coach Murray?

Sponsored by Barry’s Tickets. Enter the discount “kingscast25″ to get a 10% discount!

This is a guest-post from Dan Goodkin, a Los Angeles Kings fan and contributor from time-to-time on KingsCast. Check out his response to the media and their position on Terry Murray.

The focus on the Los Angeles Kings “system” of hockey has been subject to ridicule and scrutiny by fans as of late. Members of the media, who are kind enough to respond to on social media have pointed out that fans do not know exactly how the system works. Ok, fine. So let’s look at the explanations Terry Murray has given to Rich Hammond who has repeatedly questioned him about the “system” and the Kings’ lack of offensive production. I have grouped the arguments together with my responses. I am a fan. I have questions. I want answers that make logical sense. These do not.

1. Lack of a shot mentality. Not getting enough pucks to the net.

Well, ok. You have to shoot if you want to score, but it also counts as a shot on goal if you shoot from the red line. But where are those shots coming from? A fine article by Bobby Scribe makes the point that just throwing the puck at the net is not a recipe for success. If one wants a more recent example, take the fact that in the last five games, the Kings had 39 (a loss to the Ducks), 27 (a loss to Montreal), 26 (a win against Florida), 27 (a loss to Chicago) and 33 (a win over SJ). In none of those games did the Kings score more than two goals. So we can dispense with the “more shots equals more goals” theory. More quality shots equals more goals. Just throwing it at the net works now and then (see: Ethan Moreau’s goal against San Jose), but more often than not it’s an easy save and a momentum killer.

2. Teams are all playing traps and blocking more shots

I accept that as fact, because I’m not a hockey expert, that more teams are playing more defensively. I accept that there are more blocked shots. However, the playing field is level. There are 29 teams doing a better job of scoring than the Los Angeles Kings. Do the 29 other teams have better players? Better coaches? Or is this just a temporary rough patch that has lasted over a quarter of the season? One can fairly complain that it’s hard to score goals in the current NHL. One cannot use that as an excuse for being dead last.

3. Other teams are playing this system and scoring goals. Players need time to learn the system.

We have been told that Philadelphia, who has been leading the league in scoring, plays the same system. Great for Philly! The question must be whether it is right for this specific group of players. Kings announcers have pointed out that there are many new faces that need to adjust to the system. It is unclear to me who they are referring to given that Mike Richards apparently played in the same system his whole career and leads the team in goals. Similarly, Simon Gagne played in the Philly system and also in the Tampa Bay system which Anze Kopitar pointed out is similar to the Kings system. I don’t think anyone is looking to Ethan Moreau or Trent Hunter as the source of the Kings problems (editors note: it’s part of it). The lack of goal scoring is from players who have experience with this system, with this coach, on this team. Stoll, Williams, Clifford, Penner, Doughty. Kopitar has even gone ice cold as of late. So, if this is the same system, it isn’t working for these players.

4. It’s early and the Kings aren’t that far out of first. Fans want instant gratification.

Don’t you dare tell us to accept mediocrity. After decades of suffering through one empty promise after another, the consensus at the start of the season amongst fans and pundits was that this would be a breakthrough season for the Kings. This was felt to be one of the best, if not the best roster on paper the LA Kings have ever had. So don’t tell fans to relax and just hope that the Kings win enough games to make the playoffs in the admittedly tight Western Conference race. We have been promised more and we expect more. This team will get no props from this writer for being hard to play against or well respected. We should be past that. We are 27 games into the season. This is beyond the window that Dean Lombardi has talked about, at the last two Hockey Fest events, as being the time where you really know what you have on your roster and what you need.

What concerns me most is that the players seem to have bought in to these explanations. At this point, I see no reason to expect or hope for a change. Hopefully, Mr. Lombardi will hold someone accountable and take some sort of action. Coasting through this season on excuses is just not acceptable.

Dan Goodkin is an attorney by day, fantasy hockey commissioner and Los Angeles Kings fan by night. Give him a follow on Twitter.

I can only speak for myself on the subject of Terry Murray. I can’t speak for Alex or Chris on the subject quite yet. I believe that Terry Murray has worn out his welcome in Los Angeles. That said, you don’t come here for clear and balanced journalism. That’s why we link up Gann Matsuda on a regular basis. So here’s some good reactions from the players on Murray’s “system”. Enjoy!

ANAHEIM AND EL SEGUNDO, CA — Following a 3-2 loss to the struggling Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center in Anaheim on December 6, if you traversed the various web sites, Facebook and Twitter, one would get the distinct feeling that the Los Angeles Kings were already doomed, and that all hope for them to qualify for the playoffs was lost.

But one look at the standings reveals that the Kings are just three points out of first place in their division, and from third place in the National Hockey League’s Western Conference.

Despite that, the sky is falling for many of the Kings’ faithful, who seem to be looking, desperately, for something and someone to blame, and many are blaming head coach Terry Murray and the system he has the Kings playing, which many claim is archaic, and stifles his players’ offensive abilities.

For weeks, there has been a growing cacophony of frustrated fans blaming Murray for everything that ails the Kings, calling for him to be, not just fired, but run out of town on a rail, or worse.

After the December 6 loss at Anaheim, two replacements for Murray were suggested that should leave just about anyone shaking their heads in disbelief…

Former Kings head coaches Barry Melrose and Marc Crawford.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

The Los Angeles Kings continue to have trouble putting the biscuit in the basket. In this episode we talk about the games against the San Jose Sharks and Florida Panthers, talk about new t-shirt ideas, give our reasons why we hate the Panthers and give some love to Google. Interested in the Grinder Threads Keith and Chris wore for the show? Grab them here! http://zfer.us/HuWrX. Your thoughts on the recent play of the Kings?

Thanksgiving is over, our liver cleanse is in full effect and it’s time to get caught up on our reading. Gann Matsuda, of course, doesn’t need a liver cleanse as he’s been writing faster than we can post his stuff. We all know where the Kings stand in this see-saw of a season. So take a read at Gann’s latest!

LA Kings: Kevin Westgarth Celebrates First NHL Goal With Teammates, Family, Friends And Fans

Los Angeles Kings Should Take The Great One’s Advice About Shooting The Puck

Los Angeles Kings: Smarter, Better, More Disciplined Play Needed From Ethan Moreau

When Will The Los Angeles Kings Stop Chasing The Game?