The Los Angeles Kings are back in regular season action and so are Keith and Chris. In this episode we talk about Drew Doughty’s contract, analyze the regular season games, talk about playing “at home” and give our Top 10 Reasons why we love Europe. Kings hockey and KingsCast…is back!
Training camp is open and hockey is back in Los Angeles. The good news for you news junkies is that Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty is at training camp and he’s not playing Angry Birds. Here’s a great list of stories and interviews has done thus far. Tune in to Frozen Royalty for the latest. Enjoy, folks!
2011 LA Kings Training Camp: Andrei Loktionov Clears The Air While Thomas Hickey, Tyler Toffoli Turn Heads can be read here.
LA Kings 2011 Training Camp: Time To Start Thinking About The Stanley Cup can be read here.
LA Kings 2011 Training Camp: No More Stick Handling In A Phone Booth For Dustin Penner can be read here.
LA Kings 2011 Training Camp: Netminder Jonathan Bernier Is Focused On His Game…And Nothing Else can be read here.
Making Do Without Doughty: Los Angeles Kings Open 2011 Training Camp can be read here.
You can also follow Frozen Royalty on Twitter.
The puck is close to dropping on a new season of LA Kings hockey and what a better way to ring it in than the annual Hockey Fest? In this show we show some highlights of the day including Dean Lombardi’s State of the Kings, we show a clip of the Kids Press Conference and interview Dustin Brown, Dustin Penner and Anze Kopitar.
Hockey Fest 2011 is in the can and the Kings are set to open training camp. Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty has a nice little write-up on Dustin Penner and his physical conditioning coming into the 2011-2012 season.
LOS ANGELES — Back in July, during the Los Angeles Kings’ 2011 Development Camp for their young prospects, veteran and much-maligned left wing Dustin Penner emerged from the team’s dressing/weight room area to take a break during a workout.
Penner made his appearance on a day when the local media covering the team, including those representing two major newspapers in the area, the team’s official web site, a web site operated by NBC Sports, and several other web sites known for having solid reputations and writers with real sources, were all gathered at the Kings’ practice facility to cover the Development Camp.
As the target of frequent, heavy criticism for his poor play after he was traded to the Kings, Penner immediately became the big story, not the young prospects.
Following the Kings’ first round exit from the playoffs in April, Penner was openly criticized by Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi and Kings head coach Terry Murray for his poor conditioning. But he did not take the criticism negatively. Instead, he used it as motivation, spending at least three days each week during the off-season working out.
Indeed, when he came out of the dressing room area and spoke to the the throng of reporters that fateful day in July, Penner stood there in sweaty, workout clothing, looking trim, fit—considerably leaner and meaner than he did at any time after he joined the Kings last season.
At the time, Penner said that he had already lost about ten pounds.
Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.
Guest blogger Dan Goodkin joins us with a new post about Hockey Fest ’11 coming up this weekend. You can follow him on Twitter at @dangoodkin.
Hockey Fest 2011 is only four days away!
After an incredibly exciting June and July for Los Angeles Kings fans, marked by the trade for Mike Richards and the signing of Simon Gagne, the summer settled into endless speculation about when Doughty would sign (it will be soon, right? Right?). Of course this summer also has to go down as one of the worst off-seasons for hockey. So I recognize that my indignation and confusion regarding the announcement of the Kings alumni who will attend Hockey Fest is petty and insignificant in light of the real tragedies experienced by the hockey world over the past few months. Nonetheless I feel compelled to complain a bit and since I had to look up who some of these people were I figured I’d save some people some time and share the results of my research.
The announced alumni, subject to change are: Daryl Evans, Jim Fox, Mark Hardy, Bernie Nicholls, goaltender Gary Edwards, Glen Murray, Brandon Convery, Brad Norton and Ian Turnbull.
When I first saw this list I wondered whether it was a list of Kings broadcasters and wondered whether Bernie would be doing the sideline reporting in place of Heidi Androl. As I read further and recognized a few of the names, I had to wonder..well..why these guys?
Here is some information about the attendees and my grades for these selections:
Daryl Evans and Jim Fox, though significant and treasured parts of Kings history, are at Hockey Fest every year because they work for the Kings. Mark Hardy was an assistant for the Kings for years and now works for the Kings ECHL affiliate. So, I’m not impressed with any of the three attending. Grade: C (would be an A, but knocked down two grades for cheating)
Bernie Nichols is legit. He scored more than 30 goals in six straight seasons for the Kings (1983-1988), topped off by his 70 goal performance in 1988-89. He was the star of the team and I look forward to hearing from him and would be happy to get an autograph. Grade: A
Gary Edwards played five seasons for the Kings between 1971-1977 primarily as Rogie Vachon’s backup. As Vachon and Edwards were runners up for the Vezina trophy in 1975, he is a part of Kings history, although the lesser part, but how many times can the Kings make Vachon appear at these things? My answer would be every year until the NHL wises up and gives him his Hall of Fame jacket, but that’s a rant for another day. Grade: B
Glen Murray had a few nice seasons with 29 goals for the Kings in two out of the four that he played with the club. He went on to better seasons with the Boston Bruins, three times eclipsing the 30 goal mark (2001-2004). Still, I find myself wondering if Mr. Murray was involved in any defining or even interesting moment in Kings history. I suppose he was on the 2001 team that defeated the Red Wings, but did not score during that series. Grade: C
Now is where it gets bizarre.
Brandon Convery? Who? I had to look him up. He played 3 games for the Kings in the 1998-199 season. I don’t think there’s much more for me to say about this choice. I guess “once a King, always a King” doesn’t have a games played requirement? Grade: F
Brad Norton played for the Kings for a total of 73 games over two seasons (02-04) before fading into obscurity. I do recall Norton, mostly because he was a fighter (97 PIM in 55 games in 2002-2003 and 77 PIM in 20 games in 2003-2004) and because it was fun to shout “Hey Norton!” when he was on the ice, a reference to the Honeymooners. Other than that, his stint with the Kings was no more significant than say Matt Johnson, Steve McKenna or Ryan Flinn. This is the second time Norton has appeared at Hockey Fest. I guess he impressed the first time? Grade: D (not an F because I hope to be able to shout “Hey Norton!” when he is introduced.
Ian Turnbull played for the Kings for 42 games during his one and only season (1981-1982). He had a stellar career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, cementing his place in hockey history with the record for most goals by a defenseman with five for Toronto in a game against Detroit in 1977. If this was a Maple Leafs Hockey Fest, I would understand his inclusion. As it is a Kings Hockey Fest, I’m left to scratch my head and wonder. Grade: D (not an F because he holds an NHL record and that’s neat)
In summary, the alumni trotted out by the Kings this year is somewhat pedestrian and in other ways confusing. There are plenty of players that hold a dear place in the hearts of Kings fans and hopefully will be part of Hockey Fest in the future. But Brandon Convery? Come on.
Which Kings alum would you love to see at Hockey Fest this year?
Training camp is finally upon us and the media is starting to roll through Toyota Sports Center and work the phones. Gann Matsuda has already sat down with Terry Murray for a little in-depth interview prior to the season. As always, it’s a good long read packed with good stuff. Take a look!
Los Angeles Kings Head Coach Terry Murray Looks Back At 2010-11 Season can be found here.
Terry Murray Dishes On 2010-11 LA Kings’ Offensive Zone, Power Play Struggles can be found here.
LA Kings Head Coach Terry Murray: Drew Doughty And Jack Johnson Need To Take Steps Forward In 2011-12 can be found here.
Terry Murray: Added Talent Up Front Does Not Mean A New Style Of Play Is On The Horizon For LA Kings can be found here.
LA Kings Head Coach Terry Murray Talks Prospects, Goaltending, And The Return Of The Trap can be found here.
You can also listen to the full interview here.
Nothing says off-season like a blooper reel from last years episodes! No, we’re not perfect, so check out the flubs, the cursing, the unplanned interruptions and so much more. Rated R for language. Special appearances by Drew Doughty, Ice Captain Debbie and random people from Frozen Fury. Cheers!
Since there isn’t a Stanley Cup parade in Los Angeles this year, Kings fans don’t have much to talk about during the summer. Common on-going threads on the internet-o-sphere include “When will Mike Richards score his first goal”, “Brayden Schenn was a bust”, and “When will Drew Doughty Sign”? It gets boring fast.
Luckily, our pal Gann Matsuda continues to churn out the writing. And, no, this time I’m not talking about part 21 of his interview with Pete Demers where he talks about his sock drawer. Gann attended the Kings development camp this summer and got a chance to talk with Robbie Czarnik, Jordan Weal and Tyler Toffoli about their development. It’s never too early to brush up on your LA prospects! Click the links below for much more:
LA Kings Center Prospect Robert Czarnik Is Working Hard To Stay Out Of The Shadow
You can follow Gann on Twitter at @frozenroyalty.
Taking a quick break here from “real life” and dipping into LA Kings hockey. Check out Gann Matsuda’s latest piece on Jake Muzzin. Is the guy ready to compete? Read here to find out!
EL SEGUNDO, CA — Last season, defenseman prospect Jake Muzzin came out of nowhere to make the Los Angeles Kings’ 2010-11 opening night roster, despite having playing in just one regular season game and 13 playoff games at the American Hockey League level in 2009-10.
Prior to that, the 6-3, 213-pound native of Woodstock, Ontario was a standout with the Sault Ste. Marie (Soo) Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for four seasons, scoring 15 goals and adding 52 assists for 67 points in 64 games with 76 penalty minutes.
That was when he caught the eyes of the Kings scouts. The result: the Kings signed him as an unrestricted free agent on January 4, 2010, to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Muzzin was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fifth round (141st overall) in the 2007 National Hockey League Entry Draft, but had surgery to repair two herniated discs in 2005, and played sparingly in 2006-07—just 37 games.
Not wanting to take a risk on a young player who already had major back problems, the Penguins did not sign Muzzin to a contract, nor was he selected in the draft by another NHL team. Accordingly, he became an unrestricted free agent during the 2010 off-season.
Last season, Muzzin played in eleven games in two stints with the Kings at the start of the year, recording one assist, before being assigned to the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL (Kings’ primary minor league affiliate) for the remainder of the season on November 23, 2010.
At Manchester, Muzzin scored three goals and tallied 15 assists for 18 points with 39 penalty minutes in 45 regular season games. In seven playoff games, he scored three goals and added an assist.
Looking a year older and more mature, Muzzin participated in the Kings 2011 Development Camp earlier this month.
“Just in his appearance, he’s more mature,” said Kings head coach Terry Murray. “You can see the growth.”
Read the rest on Frozen Royalty
Gann Matsuda is concluding his stories on LA Kings trainer Pete Demers. His latest talks about Demers’ departure after Dean Lombardi was hired. Always good reading for any LA Kings history buff!
LOS ANGELES — After a career with the Los Angeles Kings that spanned 37 years, starting with three seasons with their former American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield prior to joining the big club in 1972, head athletic trainer Pete Demers left the club after the 2005-06 season. But that came right after four straight seasons when the Kings were absolutely ravaged by injuries (see Retired LA Kings Trainer Pete Demers Recalls Record-Breaking, Injury-Filled Seasons, 2001-02 to 2005-06).
In two of those seasons, the Kings set unofficial records for man-games lost to injury, with 536 in 2002-03, a record they eclipsed in 2003-04 when they lost 629 man-games.
Those seasons were sandwiched between years when they lost 211 man-games to injury in 2001-02, and 366 in 2005-06 (the National Hockey League did not play in 2004-05 due to a labor dispute).
That is an unfathomable, mind-blowing 1,742 man-games lost to injury in just four seasons.
Although the Kings made the playoffs in 2002, losing their first round series against the Colorado Avalanche in seven games, they would fail to qualify for the post-season party until 2009-10, four seasons after Demers left the organization.
With more injuries than anyone could possibly imagine on top of some very poor hockey during that period, there was a lot to complain about when it came to trying to figure out what was wrong with the Los Angeles Kings. Not surprisingly, general manager Dave Taylor was fired right after the 2005-06 season on April 18, 2006, and was replaced by Dean Lombardi just three days later.
As many general managers do when they join a new team, Lombardi made changes in the front office and in hockey operations, cleaning house almost completely. He brought in his own people, not only so that he would be working with people with whom he was comfortable and familiar, but also to change the attitude and philosophy throughout the franchise.
But the house cleaning began before Lombardi’s arrival. Indeed, it started with Taylor firing head coach Andy Murray on March 21, 2006.
Read the rest on Frozen Royalty
