LOS ANGELES — While the National Hockey League pauses its season to put on its annual All-Star festivities this weekend, what’s a hockey writer to do if the NHL All-Star weekend is not their cup of tea, especially since the game itself has become a complete bore, barely resembling the game we normally enjoy?

Sure, I could have watched the All-Star draft (yawn), and I will watch tonight’s skills competition, the only redeeming spectacle during All-Star weekend. But with some extra time on my hands, why not see how the kids down on the farm are doing?

Indeed, the time has come to take a look at some of the Los Angeles Kings’ young prospects, and, in this installment, the focus will be on the blue line corps.
Deslauriers Already Making An Impact

In his first season in professional hockey, defenseman Nicolas Deslauriers’ development appears to be proceeding at a good pace, despite not being able to crack the lineup with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, the Kings’ primary minor league affiliate, right off the bat.

“For anyone in my place, you know that with a veteran team, it’s hard to find a spot, [with the top six defensemen, including] guys who have played in the NHL,” said the 6-1, 214-pound native of LaSalle, Quebec. “I knew that, so I worked hard to earn a place in the lineup.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

LOS ANGELES AND EL SEGUNDO, CA — 48 games into the 2011-12 National Hockey League season, the Los Angeles Kings have a 23-15-10 record, good for 56 points. That puts them in second place in the Pacific Division, one point behind the San Jose Sharks (through games played on January 20), and in seventh place in the Western Conference, four points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche, their next opponent (Saturday, January 21, 7:30 PM PST, Staples Center).

San Jose is third in the conference, and the Chicago Blackhawks, with 64 points, leads the West. As such, the Kings remain in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, and could still come out on top of the Pacific Division, even though the Sharks have four games in hand.

But the Kings could be in much better position if they could get out of the bad habit of getting themselves into three-point games.

Indeed, the Kings lead the league in games that go beyond regulation time, with 17 contests going into overtime or a shootout, and they are tied with the Minnesota Wild for the league lead in games that go into a shootout with ten.

If the Kings continue on their current pace, they will play in 29 overtime games, which would set a new franchise record (27 in 2003-04), and 17 will end up in a shootout, which would be one game shy of the club record (18 in 2009-10).

The problem for the Kings is that they have a losing record in those games this season, with a 3-4 record in overtime games, and a 4-6 record in shootout contests (Kings had a 10-2 shootout record last season).

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LOS ANGELES AND EL SEGUNDO, CA — Since taking over the reins as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings on December 20, 2011, head coach Darryl Sutter has already juggled his line combinations a few times, trying anything to get his team’s struggling offense going.

The first, most notable change was to move center Mike Richards to left wing on the first line, with center Anze Kopitar and right wing Dustin Brown.

Despite the move, the Kings’ offense remained locked in its deep freeze. But Sutter shuffled the deck again when the Kings hosted the Alexander Ovechkin-led Washington Capitals on January 9, at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

For that game, Sutter moved right wing Justin Williams up to the first line with Kopitar, while Brown skated across the blue line to left wing, where he prefers to be while on the attack.

The result: The Kings dominated the high-powered Capitals in a 5-2 victory, and have not looked back.

Indeed, since that game, the Kings have scored 17 goals in those five games, averaging 3.40 goals-per game (GPG), with the line of Brown, Kopitar and Williams combining for eight goals and ten assists for 18 points.

Although the Kings still rank dead last in the league in scoring with an average of 2.15 GPG, that 3.40 GPG clip would place them second in goals per game in the National Hockey League, behind the league-leading Boston Bruins (3.54 GPG).

Indeed, after struggling mightily for much of the season, the offense is finally coming around. But how?

“Maybe we’re more aggressive, which is causing turnovers,” said Richards. “But we knew that if we stuck with the system, we would, eventually, get some opportunities.”

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LOS ANGELES AND EL SEGUNDO, CA — On January 9, the Los Angeles Kings, owners of the worst offense in the National Hockey League, averaging just 2.09 goals per game, miraculously scored five goals against the Alexander Ovechkin-led Washington Capitals, in a decisive 5-2 victory, shocking a sell-out crowd of 18,118 fans at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

That night, fans were so thoroughly shocked at the Kings’ offensive explosion that throughout the arena, they were pinching each other to make sure they weren’t dreaming. Some made appointments with psychiatrists, fearing that they were suffering from some sort of mental breakdown. Others were fearful that the end of the world was upon us, and began to get their affairs in order.

Seriously speaking, that massive offensive output from the Kings was a rarity this season. After all, they have only scored three goals or more (during regulation play) twelve times in 43 games this season (through games played on January 11).

And talk about extremes. Just one game prior, the Kings were shutout on home ice by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the worst team in the league, who handed the Kings a 1-0 defeat on January 7.

In that game, the Kings had eight opportunities with the man advantage, but really never came close to scoring.

“I don’t care how many power plays it is, as long as we get one, or two, or three—anything,” said forward Jarret Stoll. “We’re pressing. You could tell there, later on in the game. They were blocking everything. Three-quarters of our shots probably didn’t make it to the net. But every team does that. We’ve got to find a way. We all know we haven’t scored many goals.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — We’re not even at the halfway point of the 2011-12 National Hockey League season, but far too many players have already gone down due to concussions.

In no particular order, the NHL has lost stars like Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers, Milan Michalek of the Ottawa Senators, Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes, and Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators, all to concussions.

Most notably, the league has also lost Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger, who is expected to miss the rest of the season, and Pittsburgh Penguins superstar forward Sidney Crosby is out indefinitely after a recurrence of post-concussion syndrome.

Crosby, who is, arguably, the best player in the league, missed 41 games last season, and has played in just eight this season with no timetable for his return, after a high hit by then-Washington Capitals forward David Steckel during the 2011 Winter Classic, followed by another big hit by Victor Hedman on January 5 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Here in Southern California, Los Angeles Kings center Mike Richards recently missed eight games due to a concussion. Without him, the Kings went into a nose dive, losing five straight before winning a 2-1 decision at Columbus on December 15, on their way to a dismal 2-6-0 record in those eight games.

Since returning to the lineup on December 22, the Kings are undefeated in regulation play, earning a 3-0-1 record in their last four games.

The Kings most recent concussion victim is left wing Simon Gagne, who suffered his injury on December 26 against the Phoenix Coyotes at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Gagne, who has a history of concussions, was placed on injured reserve, and did not make the Kings’ current two-game trip to Chicago and Winnipeg. The earliest he can return to the lineup would be on January 5, 2012, when the Kings host the Coyotes.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

EL SEGUNDO AND LOS ANGELES, CA — On this Christmas Day 2011, families around the world are celebrating the holiday season, while young children, who have been dreaming for weeks about what Santa Claus might bring them, are, hopefully, waking to find that their dreams have come true.

For the Los Angeles Kings, they are hoping that Santa will bring them the extra goal or two per game that they have sorely missed all season long. They are also hoping that they have found their savior in new head coach Darryl Sutter, the 53-year-old native of Viking, Alberta, who was hired on December 20, replacing Terry Murray, who was fired on December 12, after the Kings slipped and slid their way through the last few weeks.

The 24th head coach of the Kings, Sutter has earned a 409-320-131 record in 860 regular season games. He is tied for 27th among all-time National Hockey League head coaches in games, and is ranked seventh among active coaches). He is also tied for 24th all-time among NHL head coaches in wins, seventh among active coaches.

Sutter is also one of only nine head coaches in NHL history to lead three different teams to 100 wins. Only Scotty Bowman and Ron Wilson have coached four different teams to 100 wins.

Despite having a losing record (47-54) in 101 post-season games, Sutter’s teams have qualified for the playoffs in ten out of eleven seasons, leading the Calgary Flames to the seventh game of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

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.

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?

LOS ANGELES AND EL SEGUNDO, CA — Much has been said about the Los Angeles Kings and their struggling offense this season, one that has seen their power play improve rather dramatically from last season, when they ranked 21st in the National Hockey League, with a 16.1 percent rating.

This season, their power play is carrying them offensively, ranking seventh in the league with a 20.3 percent rating, through games played on November 15.

But like the last two seasons, the Kings are struggling to score at even strength, especially five-on-five, dragging them down to 23rd in the league in goals scored, with an average of 2.41 goals per game.

If you take a spin around the World Wide Web, criticism of the Kings’ system and the coaching staff abound. Many emphatically claim that the system that head coach Terry Murray has the Kings playing is archaic, that it stifles offensive production, and that it should be scrapped.

They also insist that Murray should fired. A good portion also seem to want him run out of town on a rail, and that is putting it mildly.

Yet, one look at the NHL standings reveals that while the Kings are currently tenth in the Western Conference, and would miss the playoffs if they were to start today, it is only mid-November, and they are just four points out of third place in the conference.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

LOS ANGELES — During the second intermission of the Los Angeles Kings’ 2-1 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 5, colleague Dennis Bernstein, Senior Writer for The Fourth Period Magazine, a columnist for TheFourthPeriod.com, and the Executive Producer of The Fourth Period Live on Sirius/XM Radio, was talking with me about the play of Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.

It is not exactly a trade secret that Doughty has not lit the National Hockey League on fire so far this season, with just two assists (both coming on the power play), a -3 plus/minus rating, and twelve shots on goal in eight games.

We discussed the possibility that Doughty is likely still feeling the effects of his recent right shoulder injury (he missed five games due to that injury), and that he may have returned to action too soon. I said that it is more likely that his contract holdout, which forced him to miss the team’s training camp, has caught up to him.

About a month into the season, Doughty has not displayed the speed, physical play or offensive capabilities that he has displayed since his rookie season in 2008-09.

While playing catch-up to the rest of the team, Doughty’s play also appears to be a drag on the Kings’ offensive attack, which has not even come close to performing near expectations.

Following his team’s shootout loss to the Penguins, Kings head coach Terry Murray indicated that he believes that missing training camp is indeed a factor in Doughty’s slow start.

“I’ve seen this so many times over the years, with players who, for whatever reason, miss training camp,” said Murray. “There’s some lag time here, to get the rust off, to get the cobwebs out, to get going.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

Here’s your latest from Gann Matsuda at Frozen Royalty – News and Views on the Los Angeles Kings and National Hockey League. Gann focuses on two rough edges in the Kings’ offense – Scott Parse and Dustin Penner, and how their contributions outweigh those of Drew Doughty’s right now. Capped off with a quick update on Simon Gagne’s return to the Kings lineup tonight.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Eleven games into the 2011-12 National Hockey League season, the Los Angeles Kings have a 6-3-2 record, placing them second in the Pacific Division, and fourth in the Western Conference, through games played on November 3.

In other words, although things could be better, especially in the attacking zone, there are a lot of positives for the Kings at this point in the season.

“I feel good about the start of the year, very good, actually,” said head coach Terry Murray. “When I take into consideration how the schedule was for us, through the week before we went to Europe, it was very busy. [We played five games in seven nights], then, we go overseas, we had a couple of games over there, and then make the adjustment to come back to the East Coast. That was demanding in itself. That was a big test, and I was very, very concerned about it during the off-season, looking at that part of the schedule.”

“How fast do you get re-adjusted? I’ve never done that before as the coach of a team,” added Murray. “I did it as a player, but you never pay attention to it. You just do it. I’ve seen where teams come back, and have a tough time getting back on track, settled in, getting the fatigue out of the way, and start to play the game at the right pace again. But I really like the way we handled the schedule here. Emotionally, the players understood what it was all about, and prepared themselves very well.”

Although the Kings only managed to break even on their last three games, going 1-1-1 on a three-game road trip to Dallas, Phoenix and Colorado, Murray was not disappointed with his team’s performance.

“Our game, going into this last road trip that started in Dallas, was high energy,” he explained. “There was compete, great pace to the game, we were playing a very good game going into Dallas, and we wound up winning it.”

“There was a nice continuation over the next two games,” he elaborated. “We only got the one point. Still, coming out of Colorado, I felt good about it. I was proud of the way the players played—three [games] in four nights.”

“I’m very pleased with how the early part of the season has unfolded for us.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Although the Los Angeles Kings showed signs that their offense might finally be running on all cylinders during their first handful of games to start the season, indications are that there is still a lot of work to do.

After eleven games and now, starting their second month of the 2011-12 campaign, the good news for the Kings is that their power play is ranked fourth in the National Hockey League, with a 23.1 percent rating (through games played on November 1).

That is a dramatic turnaround from their pathetic 2010-11 power play, which ranked 21st in the league with a paltry 16.1 percent rating.

Although the Kings have not been a model of consistency on their power play yet this season, movement by players away from the puck has been added to the equation, opening up considerably more quality scoring opportunities with the man advantage, compared to last season.

While the power play appears to be on the upswing to this point in the season, the Kings are still struggling in terms of five-on-five scoring, with just 16 goals in eleven games in five-on-five situations (ranked 22nd in the NHL).

The lack of five-on-five scoring has been a huge drag on the Kings’ overall offensive numbers, as they are ranked 21st in the league, averaging 2.36 goals-per game (GPG).

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

Dustin Penner, Slava Voynov Are Both Anxious Get Off To Strong Start – link.

Los Angeles Kings Are Getting Really Offensive…And That’s A Good Thing – link.

Down On The Farm With The Manchester Monarchs: Can Jeff Zatkoff Reclaim Top Goalie Spot? – link.

Down On The Farm With The Manchester Monarchs: Blue Line Corps May Be Their Greatest Assetlink.

Down On The Farm With The Manchester Monarchs: Departures Create Opportunities – link.

2011-12 Los Angeles Kings Could Contend For Pacific Division, Western Conference Titles – link.

BOOM.

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.

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.

At least give your Hockey Fest ticket to someone else, man. Those b*tches are SOLD OUT.

An offer of nine-years at $61.2 Million has reportedly been denied by Drew Doughty‘s camp.

Leaning Toward Dean: Here’s my chance to be blunt about the Drew Doughty contract situation, straight forward. That door was opened today amidst reports of Doughty’s most recent contract denial offered by Dean Lombardi. Lord help me if I didn’t worship Doughty’s timeline to re-sign and waste more important thoughts this summer. If the Kings weren’t trying, it’s another story. That’s three offers Lombardi has thrown on the table this summer, the most recent offer carrying Anze Kopitar-type money. Still, not good enough. The guy is 21 years-old, arguably the highest-touted young defenseman in the NHL, and a celebrity in the Canadian hockey market after his stellar performance during the 2010 Winter Olympics with Team Canada. So yes, Doughty’s camp is in the hunt for serious pay and solid job security; But is nine seasons while equaling the yearly salary of Anze Kopitar not good enough?

Thinking it’s time for a gut-check.

Shut the f*ck up Penner. Christ.

Back To The Future
Queue the first installment of June’s KingsCast Summer Hockey Roundtable for a serious dose of honest Doughty critique. Food for thought.

Sour Aftertaste: Please realize here, the members in this group of hockey media in the Episode above are not bashing Doughty’s skill, his value to the Kings blue-line, or his career potential. That’s been well advertised by Doughty himself, but the issues at-hand center on his attitude, his conditioning, feeding to the question that’s building solidity: Is Drew Doughty really worthy of being the highest paid-player on this team?

Attitude wasn’t the only downfall last season.

Trying To Find A Balance: Let’s swap those statistics, and if Doughty’s camp is being this stingy with contract negotiations, then so be it, you can’t argue with 82 games and 59 points. However, a pretty drastic downfall is the reality here, and there seems to be a bit too much demand for the supply – at this point in time. On August 30th, less than ten days ago, Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times reported what seemed to be a concurrence of terms between the Kings and Drew Doughty:

“Lombardi said he spoke Monday with Doughty’s agent, Don Meehan, and made an offer that “codifies what we’ve been talking about for a while.” Lombardi said the offer includes “different lengths for him to consider,” likely six to eight years.”

I consider this report to still be deemed ‘recent’ the way this summer has gone, and the Kings’ latest offer of $61.2 million over a 9-year span must be a result of it. Once the funds are broken into a yearly-salary, Doughty is earning just as much as Anze Kopitar – and situated until he’s 30 years-old. I’m lost here, what’s wrong? They may not want more money overall, but a chunkier yearly-salary over a shorter term, positioning him young and rich with NHL freedom in a few years.

Thirsty for Attention.

M.I.A. – Missing In Appearances: Doughty’s lack of public appearances have jolted the nerves of fans all summer, stemming from his cancellation to boarding the LA Kings Fan Cruise to the recent revelation that #8 will not attend Sunday’s Hockey Fest. The common justification for this will be something along the lines of “Doughty is afraid of getting hammered with contract questions.” If Doughty and the Kings were seriously on the same page, and confident in negotiations, this problem is fixed in an instant. What do scrap employees go for these days, 8.50 an hour? That’s what I make, so I’d consider that fair. “No contract questions for Mr. Doughty, Ma’am”. Simple. If everything is on-par internally with the Kings and Doughty, there’s no shame in shielding certain questions from fans in public environments.

Speaking of Hockey Fest, let’s back-track to last year’s event to take another look at Dean Lombardi‘s “Passionate Proclomation”. Check 3:19 – 5:10 in KingsCast‘s Episode 69.

What’s It Going To Be?: It’s starting to have a negative effect on the Kings’ fanbase, who will miss Doughty’s presence at yet another team event Sunday at Staples Center. That, a team can withstand, but when it begins to have an effect on the team itself, that’s when we’ve got real problems; and the way negotiations have been going, they’re flirting with that possibility. As Keith stressed to me earlier tonight, you don’t want to play games with team chemistry, and any sort of holdout from Doughty would do so. Believe me, I want Drew Doughty to re-sign, and I think Drew Doughty will re-sign. But, does he deserve what he and his agents are asking for? How much more will Dean Lombardi‘s stiff reputation on the hockey market withstand the displeasure coming from Doughty’s camp? One of the sides needs to swallow a slice of pride here, and the way this process has been trending, its time for Don Meehan and Drew Doughty to sacrifice a slice of that cake.

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.

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

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.

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LOS ANGELES — Right wing Ziggy Palffy displayed great skill and speed when he played for the Los Angeles Kings from 1999-2000 to 2003-04.

Right wing Adam Deadmarsh was hard-nosed, physical, and was a very talented, determined, intense player for the Kings from 2000-01 to 2003-04.

Underrated defenseman Mathieu Schneider showed great ability to quarterback the power play for the Kings from 2000-01 to 2002-03.

Fans might have vivid memories of these and other Kings players from the early 2000’s. Then again, they might not. After all, so many of those players spent more time in the training room than they did on the ice—memories of them could very well be rather hazy up to ten years later.

Although this will undoubtedly bring up bad memories for many, the Kings lost a staggering, unimaginable 1,742 man-games to injury during those seasons (the National Hockey League did not play during the 2004-05 season due to a labor dispute in which the owners locked out the players).

In 2001-02, the rash of injuries began, with the Kings losing 211 man-games to injury. 177 were caused by contact, such as a body check, to go along with 15 muscle pulls or strains, three illnesses, and 16 other assorted injuries.

But even though concussions seemed to be the injury du jour of the time, only two players suffered concussions that season, right wing Nelson Emerson (22 man-games lost) and defenseman Philippe Boucher (one man-game lost).

Leading the team in man-games lost that season was Schneider, who suffered a hernia in November 2001, requiring surgery that forced him to miss 23 games, and center Eric Belanger, who missed 29 games after surgery to repair a badly sprained wrist, an injury suffered on January 15, 2002, against Nashville.

If you think 211 man-games is a lot, as the saying goes, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

LOS ANGELES — In a 41-year career in professional hockey, Los Angeles Kings retired head athletic trainer Pete Demers has certainly seen and heard enough to fill the pages of a good-sized book, sights and sounds that fans and even the media would virtually never have access to.

Whether it was the pre-game rituals some players adhered to game after game, the practical jokes, humorous stories, or just memories of the different characters in and out of the training room, Demers saw it all in 37 years with the franchise, beginning with three years with Springfield of the American Hockey League (the Kings’ minor league affiliate from 1967-75 and 1977-79) before he joined the Los Angeles Kings in 1972.

“Every player will put one skate on before the other one,” Demers said about some of those pre-game rituals. “Some players like to get dressed really early before a game. [Former Boston Bruins all-time great defenseman] Bobby Orr would get dressed at 5:00. Some players come to the rink real early. [Former Kings forward] Ian Laperriere would come to the rink with us on the road at 3:30 PM on a game day.”

“Everybody’s different, that’s what make the job so much fun,” Demers added. “They have all these different things that they like to do. Some guys will take two cups of coffee, put ice in it and down it, just to get a little bit of caffeine. Some guys like a candy bar before the game. [Former Montreal Canadiens superstar forward] Guy Lafleur used to have a cigarette and a hot dog between periods.”

Some pre-game rituals simply do not lend themselves to any sort of comment at all.

“There was a player [who used] Vicks VapoRub,” said Demers. “Usually, you’d put a little under your nose, and it would give you a good feeling. This guy would take two fingers full and put it right on his tongue. That was his way of preparing for the game.”

Moving right along…then there were the characters in the game.

“[Former Kings goaltender] Mario Lessard was a fun guy,” Demers recalled. “I said to him, ‘one of these days, you’re really going to hurt your groin if you’re not doing any stretching.’”

“He said, ‘you can’t pull fat,’” Demers added with a laugh.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

LOS ANGELES — The annual unrestricted free agent frenzy begins on July 1 at 9:00 AM Pacific time, and while everyone knows the Los Angeles Kings have a couple of big holes to fill among their top six forwards, do not expect them to be in the running for the biggest fish of all, Dallas Stars center Brad Richards, who will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Richards, who earned $7.8 million per season on a five year contract, will command a premium price, likely to at least match that annual amount.

Unless something changes prior to the “opening whistle,” the Kings will go into the 9:00 AM start of the frenzy still in the midst of negotiations with defenseman Drew Doughty over a long-term deal that will likely pay him more than $6 million per season. Although the Kings currently have $16.08 million of salary cap space to work with, a good chunk of that will go to Doughty. Given that, along with the gobs of cash that Richards will demand, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi will not have the flexibility to compete with the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs, who are expected to lead the way among those bidding for his services.

Richards has strong connections to Rangers head coach John Tortorella, who coached Richards when they were with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Richards also has connections to the Maple Leafs. He is likely to be signed very, very quickly, probably within the first 24 hours of the frenzy.

Lombardi has already indicated that the Kings will not be in the running for the cream of this year’s unrestricted free agent crop.

“It’s safe to say that there’s a potential for a midrange move,” he said.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

For those of you starving for anything LA Kings this off-season, our pal Gann Matsuda is pumping out the writing on a regular basis. As always, this is required reading if you’re a Kings fan. Check it out!

Ryan Smyth Gets His Wish: Los Angeles Kings And Edmonton Oilers Finally Agree On A Deal. Catch the article here.

Even Without A First Round Pick, LA Kings Are Looking For Big Things From Their 2011 Draft Class. Catch the article here.

Ryan Smyth Is Still With The Los Angeles Kings…For Now, Anyway. Catch the article here.

Blockbuster Deal Gives LA Kings A Potent 1-2 Punch Down The Middle. Catch the article here.

LOS ANGELES — Retired head athletic trainer Pete Demers spent 34 years in the Los Angeles Kings training room, and he quickly earned the deep respect of the players, coaches, general managers, owners, and team staff, many of whom continue to maintain friendships with him.

“[Demers] was a young guy who came into Los Angeles when I was there,” said Bob Pulford, who played on left wing for the Kings from 1970-71 to 1971-72, and was their head coach from 1972-73 through the 1975-76 season. “In those days, there was two of them [Demers and assistant athletic trainer John Holmes], and they did all the work. He was a hard working guy, and I demanded a lot from him. He learned to do the work, and he did it very well.”

“In those days, you became friends with your employees, and I found him to be a straightforward, wonderful person.”

Demers credits Pulford for making him a “real King.”

“He made me a real King,” he stressed. “Really firm. But if you had on your mind to stay at a place for a long time, you’d want to have it tough on you in the beginning. Something has to mold us into being able to do our jobs. They don’t just keep us here because we bring them their coffee, or something. Pulford was really firm, and I think that made the difference.”

“I got to be really good friends with him,” he added. “I’ve got to thank him for my longevity because he molded into me what it’s all about to be in the NHL. You have to have someone hammering you.”

Pulford acknowledged that he was tough on Demers, and that it was indeed a calculated move.

“I would imagine that I would’ve been difficult on him,” said Pulford. “But I did that to get him to be a better trainer, and I probably made him work a lot harder than he had done in the past. But he became a top trainer, something he’s very proud of now, too.”

“To become a top trainer, he has to know the industry, and he got to do that. You can’t let the players tell you how to treat [their ailments]. He learned to stand up to the players, and he made them do the right thing, which enabled him to give them the right treatment.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

Get your fix. Get it here, and get it now. No looting on this side of town, folks.

KingsCast‘s annual Summer Hockey Roundtable has all six episodes running LIVE. If you’re behind on the times, or itching for a double dose of satisfaction, we’ve got you covered with clear-cut HD streams filled with offseason Kings analysis right here – all on one page. Keith and Chris bring this high profile cast straight into your living room with Kings banter from all angles.

While it’s hot!

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Take a break from those talking heads on the collective networks tracking the NHL‘s Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’ve got eight local Los Angeles-based analysts and media members in this segment providing predictions to the outcome of the final series, which sees the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins getting together for a few dates.

Straight-cut here, with each member predicting the series winner, the number of games needed, and who they see as best fit to win the Conn Smythe trophy. We’re repping ESPN, The Fourth Period Magazine, INSIDE SPORTS, Hockeytalk.biz, Frozen Royalty, and NBC Sports – and it isn’t Pierre McGuire!

Series Outlook

These two clubs met just once during the regular season, the Boston Bruins coming out on top on February 26th in the Vancouver confines that houses one of the toughest atmospheres in the NHL. The Bruins won 3-1, overcoming an early one-goal deficit with a Milan Lucic go-ahead tally with under five minutes to play, and Patrice Bergeron shutting the door with some empty-net insurance. Roberto Luongo faced 24 Boston shots, with 22 saves. Tim Thomas took on a heavier load, facing 28 Vancouver shots with 27 saves. The Boston Bruins finished the campaign with 103 points, winning the Northeast Division and taking the third slot in the Eastern Conference. The Vancouver Canucks finished with 117 points, and not only won the Northwest Division and Western Conference, but took the NHL‘s Presidents’ Trophy. Predictions from some of the top Los Angeles hockey media and analysts are below, with mine included at the end.

Dennis Bernstein – Senior Writer/Director at The Fourth Period Magazine

Vancouver Canucks in 5 Games – Ryan Kesler for Conn Smythe Trophy

“It’s the Canucks year, after slaying the Blackhawks dragon, they’ve gotten better with each round. Roberto Luongo, thought to be the weak link, put up his most impressive effort of the post season in the elimination game vs the Sharks. The Bruins were life and death against the East’s 5 and 6 seeds and are 2nd best in every facet of the game.”

Charles Smith – Executive Producer at INSIDE SPORTS

Vancouver Canucks in 6 Games – Ryan Kesler for Conn Smythe Trophy

“Roberto Luongo should have no problem being the equal of Tim Thomas between the pipes. Bruins are tough, but lack the mobility on defense to shut down the Sedins. Ryan Kesler has taken his game to a stratospheric level. Vancouver has been building up to this for the past several seasons, and finally, the team has achieved critical mass.”

Matt Reitz – Writer at Pro Hockey Talk for NBC Sports

Vancouver Canucks in 6 Games – Ryan Kesler for Conn Smythe Trophy

“If the Bruins thought the Lightning power play was tough, just wait until they see the Canucks who were the best with the man advantage this year. Then there’s the Bruins’ PP that has been absolutely anemic, which won’t get any easier against Vancouver who had one of the best PKs in the NHL. Tim Thomas is the kind of goaltender who can steal a few games in a series, but the Canucks are just too good in every facet of the game to be denied.”

Dave Joseph – Morning Sportscenter Anchor at 710 ESPN Los Angeles

Vancouver Canucks in 6 Games – Roberto Luongo for Conn Smythe Trophy

“The Canucks’ offense will exploit a less-than-mobile Boston defense while Vancouver’s back line will neutralize the Bruins offense. Roberto Luongo will continue his stellar play this post-season and bring the Conn Smythe and the Cup back to Canada. Vancouver’s depth will prove too much for Boston.”

Gann Matsuda – Executive Publisher at FrozenRoyalty.Net

Vancouver Canucks in 5 or 6 Games – Ryan Kesler for Conn Smythe Trophy

“With the Sedins and Ryan Kesler leading the way, Boston won’t have the answers to what the Canucks will be throwing at them, not with the Canucks holding an advantage in terms of skill and speed, which should negate Boston’s ability to play a physical game. The Canucks also hold a huge advantage on special teams, which spells big, big trouble for the Bruins.”

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Chris Kaliszewski – Co-Editor and Producer at KingsCast.net

Vancouver Canucks in 6 Games – Roberto Luongo for Conn Smythe Trophy

LOS ANGELES — Despite earning a 46-30-6 (98 points, seventh place in the Western Conference) record this season, just three points less than their 46-27-9 (101 points, sixth place in the Western Conference) record in 2009-10, the Los Angeles Kings, along with just about everyone who follows them and the rest of the National Hockey League, expected the team to not only make the playoffs this season, but to at least advance to the second round.

Extenuating circumstances, namely, the loss of star center, leading scorer and top defensive forward Anze Kopitar to a serious ankle injury and not having right wing Justin Williams at full strength—both were injured in late March—severely diminished the Kings’ chances of winning their first round playoff series against the much more talented San Jose Sharks.

But even without Kopitar, and with Williams playing with a separated right shoulder, the Kings exposed the Sharks’ weaknesses and could have won the series if they adhered to their system and structure. But they failed miserably in that regard, dropping the series in six games.

The turning point came in Game 3, when the Kings blew a 4-0 lead through the early stages of the second period, only to lose the game in overtime, 6-5. Like their entire playoff series against the Sharks, that game pretty much mirrored how their entire season went…more on that in a bit.

As detailed in an earlier story here on Frozen Royalty (see 2010-11 Los Angeles Kings Were Reminiscent Of A Roller Coaster Ride), the 2010-11 Kings were highly inconsistent, and that might be a drastic understatement.

After a hot start to the season, the Kings followed that by losing seven out of eight games during the last two weeks of November.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

2010-11 Los Angeles Kings Year-In-Review: Defense And Goaltending Was Their Strength

2010-11 Los Angeles Kings Year-In-Review: Evaluating The Forwards

This id definitely required reading for any LA Kings fan!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT. EATING AND THINKING. AND KINGS HOCKEY. HELL YEAH.

Kopitar’s tint is more publicly acceptable to me than most of the sunglasses people wear these days – helmet included. Circa 2007. Circa Still Awesome.

TOP FIVE Update: Due to time constraints, which are the cause of me roughing through the last week of a semester at College, and the mind edging away from the hockey scene as the summer commences, there will be some changes to the TOP FIVE countdown here at Dancing in the Reign. The top three games will be crunched into one final segment, due by the end of the weekend. Look out for it, cause it’s going to be an absolute f*cking crisp dollar – I assure you. You can catch #5 on the list HERE, and #4 on the list HERE. Get ready for some memory remedy with recaps of vital victories against another Florida club, a California counterpart, and a Detroit dandy.

Someone Set The Table, We’re Coming At You With Summertime Kings Talk.

That’s Right Folks, The Off-Season Roundtable Is Taking Place This Weekend.

KingsCast Roundtable: Keith and Chris will be hosting yet another off-season roundtable this weekend. They’ll be welcoming a slew of guests to recap the 2010-2011 Los Angeles Kings season, while looking ahead to next year. Here, you’ll get insight analysis on free-agents, trade possibilities, and how the Kings look going into the 2011-2012 season. You can expect to see some solid names in the discussion:

Keith Korneluk & Chris Kaliszewski – KingsCast.net
Jonathan Moncrief – LA Examiner and Inside Sports
Charles Smith – Inside Sports and HockeyTalk.biz
Dennis Bernstein – Senior Writer & Producer – Fourth Period Magazine
Gann Matsuda - Frozen Royalty
Matt Reitz – View From My Seats
John Hoven – Mayors Manor
Dave Joseph – ESPN Radio & ESPN Los Angeles

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Leaving a Trail

Purple to the side, Black and White’s All Right

Purple Nurple: The Kings have all but confirmed uniform changes, it’s all hinging on a public showing, which I expect to come on September 11 at the annual Los Angeles Kings Hockey Fest. The Kings’ website has dropped purple from it’s repertoire like 5th period Algebra, leading you to believe what the club’s future color scheme will look like. The marketing directed toward the 2011-2012 season has been predominantly coded in black and white, further adding substance to the non-official official announcement from Rich Hammond of the LA Kings Insider. Ever since I realized the new “LA” logo was supposed to mock a shield, I’ve grown to like the template a bit more. It took me two and a half years to not see it as a “home plate” or “UPS” design, and that instantly jacked up it’s credibility. I’m shocked at my inability to see this, as it has me questioning my self-proclaimed NHL uniform expertise. But still, they need to knock it off with the unnecessary shoulder piping, and how about adding some shoulder patches?

It’s a clear-cut photoshop job, but figure this as the most credible first look at the new Road uniforms for the 2011-2012 season. Anze, watch that f*cking walk signal and keep the pressure off of that right ankle.

LOS ANGELES — The Stanley Cup Conference semi-finals are almost over, with three of the four conference finalists decided, and with the San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings heading into a seventh and deciding game at San Jose on May 12.

It has been a little over two weeks since the Los Angeles Kings were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs in six games by the Sharks, and Frozen Royalty has been taking a break, catching its breath, so to speak, and taking some time to do other things.

But the time has come to look back on the 2010-11 season for the Kings, one that is filled with highs and lows, some expected, others not.

Those highs and lows typified their season, taking everyone on a season-long roller coaster ride.

The lows began in July, when the Kings, who were expected to be the frontrunner for unrestricted free agent superstar left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, were suddenly pushed out of the limelight by the New Jersey Devils, who signed him to a 15-year, $100 million contract.

But missing the boat on Kovalchuk was not the real problem. After all, it became clear after Kovalchuk signed with the Devils that he never intended to sign with the Kings at all. Rather, all the negotiating, the visit to Los Angeles—it was all a negotiating ploy. Indeed, he used the Kings as a bargaining chip in negotiations with other parties, most notably, the Devils.

No, the real problem was that Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi, either out of necessity, overconfidence, orders from above, or whatever other reasons there may have been, put all his eggs in one basket. There was no “Plan B.”

Indeed, for the Kings, it was sign Kovalchuk or Bust.

The Kings did shore up their blue line by gambling on unrestricted free agent defenseman Willie Mitchell, who had finally recovered from a concussion. But when the summer came to a close, “bust” is exactly what the Kings did, having to settle for unrestricted free agent left wing Alexei Ponikarovsky, who was signed to a one-year deal.

Ponikarovsky was certainly not in Kovalchuk’s class. Of course, no one was expecting him to be that kind of player. However, Lombardi knew the Kings needed a sniper, but he had no backup plan to acquire the help his team desperately needed, and that would play a huge role in the Kings’ 2010-11 successes and failures.

As such, the Kings headed into the 2010-11 season with their only significant additions being Mitchell on the blue line, Ponikarovsky up front, and rookie Jonathan Bernier taking over the backup goaltender position from Erik Ersberg.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — To anyone who has watched the Los Angeles Kings fairly regularly over the last seven weeks, left wing Dustin Penner has been very, very noticeable…

…for all the wrong reasons.

Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi acquired Penner in a trade deadline day deal on February 28, 2011, in a deal that sent defenseman prospect Colten Teubert to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange, along with a first round selection in the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft, and a conditional third round pick in the 2012 draft that will become a second round selection should the Kings win the Stanley Cup this season.

Penner was acquired to score goals and create space for center Anze Kopitar. But with Kopitar out until next season with a broken ankle and torn ligaments, Penner, who is one of the most skilled forwards on the team, was expected to step up and give the Kings a lift.

But Penner ended the regular season scoring just two goals and adding four assists for six points in 19 games with the Kings. Even worse, he ended the regular season without a point in the final twelve games, and he last scored a goal on March 13 at Dallas.

That was 16 games (including playoffs and regular season) ago.

Through three playoffs games, Penner has just one assist, and, like he ended the regular season, has mostly been a non-factor. Even head coach Terry Murray has noticed, as he has demoted Penner to his team’s fourth line during Games 2 and 3 of their Western Conference Quarterfinal playoff series against the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks lead the series, 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for tonight at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Despite his poor play, Murray is reticent to make any drastic personnel changes.

“Dustin Penner’s a very talented guy,” said Murray. “He can become a very good player in this game. Size, strength, speed, skill—he can make a difference in a game for us, and that’s what we need right now, for him to give us that kind of a performance.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

And, if you want to read more about the abysmal game three, read Gann’s other latest: LA Kings On Short Road To Recovery After Game 3 Flop Against San Jose.

Before you start rolling your eyes, this is not really about the merits of Los Angeles Kings center Jarret Stoll’s hit from behind on San Jose Sharks defenseman Ian White in Game 1 of their Western Conference Quarterfinal series on April 14. It is also not about if Sharks defenseman Jason Demers should have been suspended for his hit on Kings left wing Ryan Smyth in the same game. Even the punishment Anaheim Ducks right wing Bobby Ryan should receive for stomping on Nashville Predators defenseman Jonathon Blum’s’s foot in Game 2 of their first round series on April 15 is not what this story is about.

These incidents shine an ultra-bright spotlight on the haphazard way the NHL hands out fines and suspensions. Indeed, it often seems that whether or not the incident results in an injury, along with the severity of the injury, dictates whether or not a suspension is handed down, not to mention the number of games.

Of course there are examples where the resulting injury does not appear to factor in the decision. But, more often than not, that is exactly what happens.

To illustrate the haphazard nature of NHL discipline, Stoll received a one-game suspension for his hit from behind on White, and will miss Game 2 of that series on April 16.

But compare that to former Anaheim Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger, who threw a vicious elbow to the head of Ottawa Senators forward Dean McAmmond during Game 3 of their Stanley Cup Final series on June 2, 2007, and received a one-game suspension.

At the time, Pronger was already a repeat offender in the eyes of the NHL, and had a reputation for head hunting going back to his days with the St. Louis Blues. Yet all he got was a little, teeny, slap-on-the-hand one-game suspension, rather than being forced to miss several games, as he deserved.

Of course, this incident is just one out of many that have bewildered hockey fans for decades.

Stoll is not a dirty player, and did not appear to run White with any intent to hit him in the head. Nevertheless, the hit was clearly from behind, and he made contact with White’s head. It was the kind of hit the league is trying to rid themselves of.

But Demers’ hit on Smyth also falls under that category, as he skated hard at Smyth and launched himself, leaving his feet with his left elbow raised, hitting Smyth in the head.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

Kings Will Need A Miracle To Win First Round Series Against San Jose – Gann has decided to go against “blind faith” and write the truth. This is an uphill battle here, my friends. Big time. Gann grabs some quotes from the team and Terry Murray. He also peppers in the reality of the situation. Great read though, if you’re one of those fans who is predicting Kings in four, this might enrage you.

Being Offensive Would Be A Good Thing For The Los Angeles Kings – If you’ve been watching the Kings with any sort of regularity since Anze Kopitar (and Justin Williams) went down, you know that scoring goals has been an issue. Coach Murray stresses the importance of Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty stepping up during the playoffs. This story is complete with notes, quotes and the raw audio interviews that Gann assembled.

Yeah, Kings fans, we’re really behind. Gann also had some nice commentary before the Kings actually made the playoffs. Here we go!

LA Kings Want 4th or 5th Place In West, But Don’t Control Their Own Destiny – Remember that brief but fleeting moment when the Kings were hoping to cling to fourth in the West so they could secure home ice advantage? That didn’t last long. Here, Gann breaks down the where they could land and who they could face. Damn those Ducks!

LA Kings Would Be Court Jesters If They Don’t Take Final Two Games Seriously – The final two games against the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks who were surging and Corey Perry who is making a strong case for the Hart Trophy. We were going to win both, right? One? None? They certainly ended up court jesters at the end of it. But, going back to Gann’s latest article: if they can pull off a miracle, we can can take away that title.

As always, there is some highly informative and interesting reading from Gann at Frozen Royalty and there will be much more as we get into the thick of the playoffs. But, don’t worry, if you’re too lazy we’ll always post his stuff here. Go Kings!

EL SEGUNDO, CA — With star center Anze Kopitar and right wing Justin Williams out of action with serious injuries, the Los Angeles Kings are struggling, even more than before, to score goals. As such, there is a ton of added pressure on their defense and goaltending to keep the puck out of their own net, knowing that their offense is sorely lacking.

Although he was brought in to play alongside Kopitar and create space to free Kopitar up to produce more offensively, left wing Dustin Penner was also expected to contribute his share of goals when the Kings acquired him in a trade deadline day deal.

Penner, 28, was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers on February 28, in exchange for defenseman prospect Colten Teubert, a first round selection in the 2012 National Hockey League Entry Draft, and a conditional third round pick in the 2012 draft (the pick becomes a second round pick in 2012 should the Kings win the Stanley Cup this season).

So far, things have certainly not gone as expected, or hoped.

To be sure, losing Kopitar and Williams have not helped Penner’s game. Nevertheless, as one of the Kings’ top six forwards, more is expected from him than the two goals and four assists for six points in 16 games since he joined the Kings.

Head coach Terry Murray noted that Penner is having difficulty learning the Kings’ system.

“I wish [his progress in learning the system] was further along,” said Murray. “I see some hesitancy in this game, and in reading the play without the puck. As an example, on the opening face-off last night [a 6-1 loss at San Jose on April 4], when we lost the face-off, our F1 [forward] on the neutral zone forecheck is our right winger, and [Penner, on left wing] jumps [instead].”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

LOS ANGELES — In 43 years of existence, the Los Angeles Kings came close once in 1993, but they have never been able to win the Holy Grail of hockey, the most revered and treasured trophy in professional team sports, the Stanley Cup.

That’s 43 years of stinging disappointment felt by players, coaches, general managers, owners, and fans alike. That also goes for the athletic trainers, and Kings head athletic trainer Pete Demers felt that sting for 37 of those 43 years, before retiring in 2006.

Although Demers won a Calder Cup championship with the Springfield Kings of the American Hockey League, the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL affiliate, back in 1971, little did he know that would be the only championship in professional hockey that he would ever be a part of.

But with the Kings often failing to qualify for post-season play, or getting bounced out in the first round time and time again, Kings players, coaches and staff were often called upon to represent their countries at the international level, usually in the annual World Championship tournaments.

That includes Demers, who was the trainer for Team USA at the World Championships in Austria in 1996. That same year, he served as the trainer for the United States, the championship team at the World Cup of Hockey.

In 1997, Demers once again served as trainer for Team USA at the World Championships, and, in 1998, he was with Team USA once again at the XVIII Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

But Demers’ international experience did not start with the United States’ hockey teams. In fact, it started in an entirely different sport altogether when he served as a United States Olympic Committee athletic trainer for the United States’ gold medal-winning Men’s Basketball team during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

A hockey trainer? Working for a basketball team? Despite how it might seem, this is not at all far-fetched.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

LOS ANGELES — Going into the 2010-11 season, the Los Angeles Kings were expected to be a playoff team, as they were last season. But expectations were higher this season, their benchmark for success being to make it into the second round, the Western Conference semi-finals, and with just eight games remaining, their prospects were looking good.

But all that may have come crashing down on March 26, during a decisive 4-1 win over the hapless Colorado Avalanche, as the Kings lost star center Anze Kopitar, who suffered a broken right ankle in a freakish fall late in the second period.

He will be out of the lineup for a minimum of six weeks.

Kopitar will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination on March 28, when the full extent of his injury will become clear, and although there has been no further word from the Kings medical staff, no one should be surprised if Kopitar will be out of the lineup for much longer than six weeks.

At the 15:39 mark of the second period, Kopitar fell backwards, his right leg twisting while his skate remained firmly planted on the ice. Video of the incident, especially slow motion replay, was a gruesome sight to behold.

“He just fell backwards,” said head coach Terry Murray. “I didn’t see anyone around him, other than [Avalanche defenseman Ryan] O’Bryne up against the boards, and they were just reaching in, battling for the puck, and he fell back.”

“I don’t know if there was some contact, but if there was, it was just a hockey play,” added Murray. “There’s no way you look at another player on this one. It’s just unfortunate the injury happened.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

That said, the latest two stories from Gann are absolutely fascinating. If you love the Kings, you need to catch up on this great series:

LA Kings Retired Trainer Pete Demers Dealt With Much More Than Injuries To Players.

Wayne Gretzky’s Arrival Changes Everything For LA Kings And Retired Trainer Pete Demers.

Maybe because Keith is a huge fan of the Great One this article on the Gretzky era is a must-read for any sports fan.

As always, we love Gann’s writing and we hope you enjoy this fantastic series!

EL SEGUNDO, CA — One day after arriving in Los Angeles, left wing Dustin Penner was hard at work, trying to get to know his new teammates, along with the system his new team plays.

Penner, 28, was acquired by the Los Angeles Kings from the Edmonton Oilers on February 28 in a trade deadline deal that sent defenseman prospect Colten Teubert, a first round selection in the 2012 National Hockey League Entry Draft, and a conditional third round pick in the 2012 draft (the pick becomes a second round pick in 2012 should the Kings win the Stanley Cup this season).

“Good guy, big body,” said defenseman Matt Greene, who played with Penner when they were both with the Oilers. “He’s got a lot of skill for a guy with his frame. He’s got a great touch around the net.”

“I think the big thing, too, is that he’s young, he’s getting better, and he’s got a great personality,” added Greene. “He works hard, I think he’s going to fit in real well with this team on the ice and off the ice, too.”

Penner arrived in Los Angeles on March 1, and spent some quality time with head coach Terry Murray.

“He made it in yesterday afternoon,” Murray said. “We spent some time with him in the afternoon yesterday, just reviewing some of the special teams play, and just getting to know him, getting to talk a little bit.”

“I’ll do the same here a little later this afternoon, when things settle down, to start to review the team play,” Murray added following practice on March 2.

As it turned out, talking, and a lot of it, was also a big part of his first practice with the Kings, as he tries to learn the Kings’ system.

“I’m comfortable with it,” said the 6-4, 245-pound native of Winkler, Manitoba. “A lot of NHL [teams] have the base, the pyramid, to use a metaphor. Everything branches out differently, but they all start with the same building blocks and move up from there. I’ll learn it quickly. It might not happen the first day or two. After a week, I’ll probably know it as well as I can.”

“There was a lot of conversation,” added Penner. “It was exciting for me to get here, and be a part of a playoff drive. Everybody has welcomed me with open arms. It’s been a good first day of practice. I’m just trying to figure out the system. A lot of the talking you saw out there, for myself, was just, ‘what do you want from me,’ stuff like that.”

What the Kings want and expect from Penner is goal scoring.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

LOS ANGELES — In an illustrious 37-year career with the Los Angeles Kings organization—three years with the Springfield Kings, the big club’s American Hockey League affiliate, followed by 34 years with the Los Angeles Kings (for purposes of this story, “Kings” refers to the Los Angeles Kings), retired head athletic trainer Pete Demers bore great responsibility. To be sure, along with assistant athletic trainer John Holmes, Demers wore all the hats of the trainers, equipment managers, strength and conditioning coaches, and the massage therapists.

But even after endless hours treating injured players, sharpening skates, darning socks, ordering new sticks, and much, much more, Demers also had to deal with the demands of the eccentric Jack Kent Cooke, who owned the Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Forum in Inglewood, California, which was the Kings’ home arena from December 30, 1967 to October 20, 1999, when they played their first game at Staples Center.

To say the least, Cooke was quite the character.

“I remember being [at the Forum] one day, and I was going down to the Kings offices, down past his office, and he came out of his office,” Cooke explained. “I had my little girl, Aimee, with me. She was hardly walking. She couldn’t talk—she was a tiny baby. He got right down on the floor and said, ‘say the Kings will win the Stanley Cup. Can you say that?’ He was quite a guy.”

Quite a guy, quite the understatement, as Cooke was very demanding of his employees, often times, unreasonably so. As a result, they were often on edge.

“[Demers had] quite a bit [of contact with Cooke], probably more with Mr. Cooke than any other owner,” said Demers. “I think I [worked under] six owners. He was a very, very unique guy. He meant business. He had that funny kind of drawl—[long time television play-by-play announcer] Bob Miller does it well. He’d drag his words out, or something. He knew the answer to the question before he asked you the question.”

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LOS ANGELES — Today, National Hockey League teams have a head athletic trainer, at least one assistant athletic trainer, an equipment manager, a couple of assistant equipment managers, and a strength and conditioning coach. Most teams also have a massage therapist.

But back in the late 1960’s when Pete Demers began his career in professional hockey, through the time he became the head athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Kings in 1972, things were very, very different.

Indeed, when Demers started working with the Rhode Island Reds of the American Hockey League in 1965, or during a brief stint in 1968 with the Columbus Checkers of the International Hockey League, and even with the AHL’s Springfield Kings (the Los Angeles Kings’ minor league affiliate at the time) starting in 1969, there were no equipment managers, strength and conditioning coaches, or massage therapists.

Even when Demers got called up to join the big club all the way across the continent in Los Angeles, nothing changed. The entire staff consisted of the head athletic trainer and the assistant athletic trainer. They handled everything that the trainers, equipment managers, and the rest of the staff do today—an aspect of the game that many who became hockey fans in more recent years are not aware of.

“It was me and [assistant athletic trainer] Johnny Holmes, who was with us for several years before going off to the horse [racing] business,” said Demers. “The job was different. We had one [exercise] bike in the Culver rink [now known as the Culver Ice Arena, in Culver City, California, where they practiced].”

“I was the trainer, I was also the equipment manager, so I ordered all the gear,” added Demers. “You also did the strength and conditioning, the massage—they have a guy for that now. Then you do the assistant equipment manager’s job.”

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LOS ANGELES — He never scored a goal in the National Hockey League, but was always at the players bench. He never made a pad save, blocked a shot, or threw a body check on NHL ice, but he was a bigger part of the Los Angeles Kings than most would probably give him credit for.

To be sure, after 34 years and 2,632 consecutive games with the Los Angeles Kings, retired trainer Peter Demers, arguably, the Dean of professional hockey trainers, past and present, left a huge, indelible mark on the franchise.

Of course, those who remember Demers, who retired following the 2005-06 season, have probably seen him behind the bench at a game, or when he has had to run out onto the ice to care for an injured player. But few know much more than that, not only about Demers himself, but also about all the duties and responsibilities of an athletic trainer for a professional hockey team, work that relatively few people ever get to see.

With this story about how he got his start in professional hockey, Frozen Royalty begins an exclusive series, spanning several months, on Demers and his 41-year career as an athletic trainer in professional hockey. The series will look at the job of the athletic trainer and how it has evolved over the past forty years, his memories of the different “eras” of Kings hockey, his thoughts on how the game has changed over the years in terms of conditioning, nutrition, treatment of injuries, and the like, a day in the life of an athletic trainer, working for former owner Jack Kent Cooke, how things changed for the franchise when Wayne Gretzky was acquired by the Kings, memories of the 1992-93 playoff run to the Stanley Cup Finals, the hazards he faced on the job, the circumstances surrounding his retirement, and much, much more.

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EL SEGUNDO, CA — After melting the ice in his crease last season with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League (primary minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings), not to mention three brilliant games with the Kings in 2009-10, goaltender Jonathan Bernier, who is expected to get the start against the Washington Capitals on February 12 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., has struggled to find his groove in this, his rookie season in the National Hockey League.

To this point in the 2010-11 season, the 23-year-old native of Laval, Quebec has a 5-8-1 record, a 2.84 goals-against average, a .894 save percentage, and one shutout—definitely not numbers one wants to see from an NHL goaltender, especially one who was selected by the Kings in the first round (11th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, and who is thought to possess elite level skills.

However, Bernier’s statistics are a bit deceiving, especially when you consider five of his losses came when the Kings’ skaters did absolutely nothing in front of him defensively, leaving him to fend for himself.

In those games, Bernier allowed 25 goals on 143 shots, good for a .825 save percentage and a 5.52 goal-against average (GAA), all horrible numbers.

Although he got no help in those games, Bernier would be the first to admit that he was not on top of his game to start the season. He even admitted that after being a starter throughout his hockey career, having to adjust to being a backup for the first time was a big challenge, one that he was having some difficultly with (see Jonathan Bernier Is Making The Adjustment To Backup Role With LA Kings).

“I discovered that when you don’t play a lot, it’s kind of hard to get a rhythm,” said Bernier, adding that he felt rusty during a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on October 20, 2010. “It’s my first time being a backup, so I’ve got to find a way. It may take time. I’ve got to find something. I think the big thing that I’ve got to adjust here this year is going to be feeling comfortable right off the bat.”

Head coach Terry Murray was not pleased to hear that Bernier said that he felt rusty, and he issued a challenge to his young netminder.

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EL SEGUNDO, CA — The Los Angeles Kings appear to have turned things around, earning a 5-0-1 record in their last six games, and a 6-3-1 record in their last ten. All that comes after an absolutely dreadful stretch from late December through much of January that saw them lose ten out of twelve games.

But with six more ahead of them—a brutal road trip that includes contests against three of the Eastern Conference’s best—the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Washington Capitals, and the Philadelphia Flyers (they skate at Anaheim to end the ten-game stretch), it will be quite the struggle for the Kings to come out of that six-game trip with even a .500 record.

The problem is that the Kings need to come out of that six-game trip with a winning record just to stay in the hurt for playoff berth in the National Hockey League’s ultra-competitive Western Conference. But to do that, they will need more from top center Anze Kopitar, who is mired in yet another of his all-too-familiar goal scoring droughts, with just one goal in his last 19 games, and none in his last nine games. His last goal came on January 15, in a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at Staples Center.

Although Kopitar has continued to contribute with 14 assists in those 19 games, still leads the team in scoring with 16 goals and 34 assists for fifty points, and is ranked 15th in the league in scoring, the ninth-place Kings desperately need goals from Kopitar if they expect to gain ground on the eight teams currently holding onto the playoff spots in the Western Conference.

Indeed, Kopitar must break out of his slump. But how?

“I don’t know, maybe a bounce or two, maybe shooting the puck a little more,” he said. “A mix of everything, I’m sure. I’ve been there before, so I kind of know—well, I guess I don’t know how to handle it, because I’m in [a slump] right now. I just have to play hard, and things will come.”

“I wish I had that one answer that could turn it around,” said head coach Terry Murray. “You just have to work your way out of it. Just about every player that’s played sports—you’re going to go through a hard time, and there is no magic. It’s just getting back to the hard work, the fundamentals.”

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EL SEGUNDO, CA — Even with the Los Angeles Kings underachieving in a big way to this point in the season, one bit of a bright spot has been the emergence of center Trevor Lewis as a reliable player who can provide energy, put in a solid effort as a checking forward, and be a stalwart on the penalty-kill.

To be sure, an argument can easily be made that the 24-year-old native of Salt Lake City, Utah is a bust, given that he was a first round selection (17th overall) by the Kings in the 2006 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Indeed, one would expect more of a scoring touch from a player drafted in that position.

However, while Lewis, has not shown that he has the necessary skills to become a player who can score twenty or more goals in a season, he has moved from being a healthy scratch to a fixture on the third line.

In fact, Lewis played in just two of the Kings’ first eleven games at the start of the season. But since November 4, 2010, he has played every game.

“He was not in the lineup at the start of the year,” head coach Terry Murray said with a big smile. “We had other players who were in front of him, but he was very patient, he continued to work hard in practice, and had the right attitude. He got his chance on the fourth line, and, to me, he always played really well when he was into the game.”

“It’s nice to get some consistency in there, play every night and try to find a groove,” said Lewis, who has scored two goals and has tallied three assists for five points in 42 games this season. “I think I just stayed positive when I wasn’t playing, and worked hard. I kind of worked through it and found my game. Hopefully, I can just keep going.”

The challenge for any young player who is spending more time out of the lineup than suited up and on the ice is maintaining a positive attitude.

To his credit, Lewis never sulked.

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LOS ANGELES AND EL SEGUNDO, CA — With the 2011 National Hockey League All-Star festivities in Raleigh, North Carolina now just a fading memory, players are now returning to their teams facing the uphill climb that is otherwise known as the stretch drive to the playoffs.

But after a dismal 3-8-0 performance in January, which was part of a larger skid in which they lost ten out of twelve games, the Los Angeles Kings find themselves in a huge hole that they must climb out of before they can even start thinking about the stretch run.

But wait, you say. The Kings are just one point out of a playoff berth in the Western Conference standings aren’t they? How is that a huge hole?

To answer that, just take a look the Kings’ February schedule. It will be a brutal month that has them playing their next ten games on the road, starting at Minnesota on February 1. To make matters worse, the Kings also have to play games on consecutive nights four times in February.

The Western Conference has been hyper-competitive this season, with the top teams bunched together very closely in the standings all season long, and that is expected to continue right to the end. As such, conventional wisdom dictates that the Kings need to earn at least twelve points during those ten games just to remain in the hunt.

But what went so terribly wrong in January?

Turnovers, poor spacing on breakouts that led to poor puck support that created even more costly turnovers, played a huge role, as did inconsistent effort. But just as glaring was not getting enough traffic in front of opposing goaltenders, who generally had an easy time seeing Kings’ shots.

“We need to get inside a little more, get better position at the net, and, in turn, get a rebound goal or two,” said right wing Justin Williams following a 2-0 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes at Staples Center in Los Angeles. “That’s what we need to get us off this hump.”

“Net presence is definitely an area that has to be addressed, every day, every game,” said head coach Terry Murray. “That’s not a part of the game that’s instinctive to a lot of players, and that’s pretty true around the league. You’ve got a lot of skill in the National Hockey League, and everybody thinks they can pass the puck into the net. But you get teams that are good teams—you look at Detroit. They’ve won Stanley Cups. They’ve got a net presence guy in [Tomas] Holmstrom. He’s there all the time. That’s his home plate.”

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LOS ANGELES — Heinz Field in Pittsburgh has long since been converted back into a football stadium after the National Hockey League’s 2011 Winter Classic, played on January 1. But, since then, there has been a lot of talk about other NHL cities that want to host the annual outdoor game.

To be sure, a lot of NHL cities, especially in colder regions of the United States, are already lined up, waiting for their chance to host the annual spectacle, and, if you listen to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, only cities with cold weather will host the Winter Classic.

“I think, for the foreseeable future, it’s more likely than not we’ll continue to do it in climates that we hope will be more hospitable, and we saw what happened in Pittsburgh this year,” said Bettman, noting that the NHL had to deal with unseasonably warm temperatures and rain, forcing them to turn a day game into an evening contest, starting at 5:00 PM Eastern time.

Bettman added the league would be open to having teams located in warmer climates participate in the Winter Classic as the visitors.

“I wouldn’t rule out the so-called ‘Sun Belt’ teams from participating in an outdoor game as a visiting team,” he said. “But I think we’re more focused, in the shorter term, on markets that, at least from a weather standpoint, would seem to be more predictable because this game counts. We want conditions [that are] as good as possible.”

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LOS ANGELES — Losers of six of their last seven games heading into their January 13 contest at Staples Center in Los Angeles against the St. Louis Blues, the Los Angeles Kings have blown a huge opportunity.

Indeed, the Kings could have built a nice cushion for themselves in the hyper competitive Western Conference standings before playing ten straight games on the road in February while Staples Center hosts the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards and the events surrounding the 60th NBA All-Star Game, among other events.

“It’s so important to win all these at home because we go out on the road for pretty much the whole month of February, so these are really important for us,” defenseman Drew Doughty said following a 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on January 6.

“Home games are important, and we have a good record at home,” said right wing and team captain Dustin Brown. “These last games, we’ve kind of let go. There’s no rhyme or reason. We’ve got to be better. That’s the bottom line. It comes back to that work.”

Getting off to fast starts, only to see the effort and intensity drop way off after that has been the issue throughout the home stand.

Head coach Terry Murray noted that an attitude adjustment and an emotional commitment are needed.

“You guys saw the game where we came out in the second period, after a pretty good start in the first, and got away, totally, from everything that was going the right way,” he noted. “Turning pucks over the in the neutral zone, not getting [pucks deep], not skating the right way, and our pursuit of the puck, whenever it did get in, was not there with enough support to recover pucks, and they kept coming at us.”

“Emotionally, we just let up on the gas pedal again in the second period.”

“Something needs to be changed with our attitude, because that’s all it is, an attitude—playing the game right,” said Brown. “We’re halfway through the year. This is a big home stand for us. The playoffs are at stake [right now].”

As Brown noted, the playoffs are at stake after a dreadful 1-6-0 record to this point in January. But having blown the opportunity to give themselves a cushion in the standings ahead of their brutal February schedule, the playoffs are no longer simply at stake. Rather, even though there still forty games left to be played, the Kings’ season is more likely in serious jeopardy.

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LOS ANGELES — Last season, the Los Angeles Kings tantalized their long-suffering fans with a 101-point regular season and their first playoff appearance since 2002. To top it off, they got off to a blazing hot start in 2010-11, earning a 12-3-0 record in their first 15 games.

But then the wheels fell off the cart in November, with the Kings losing seven out of eight games from November 15 to November 29.

The Kings followed that up with a 9-3-0 record in their next twelve games, only to lose their last four games, the latest being a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks at Staples Center in Los Angeles on January 3.

To paraphrase Garrett Morris, one of the original cast members of NBC’s Saturday Night Live…

Can you say inconsistent? I knew that you could!

Early in the season, the Kings were playing solid defense and were getting just enough scoring to put them firmly into the win column, despite the fact that their power play was virtually non-existent. But when they got into their big losing streak in November, their defensive zone coverage fell apart as well.

During their strong December, the Kings fixed their defensive zone issues and the power play started to heat up. Then, in games at Colorado (a 5-0 win on December 21), against the Anaheim Ducks (a 4-1 win on December 26), and at San Jose (a 4-0 victory on December 27), the Kings put in their best performances of the season, and in recent memory.

“In those games, the Kings played the best hockey I’ve seen them play in twenty years,” said Jim Fox, Kings television color commentator and former right wing who ranks eighth on their all-time scoring list.

One might think that playing that well would spur the team onto even greater heights.

Guess again.

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LOS ANGELES — The fact that Los Angeles Kings rookie goaltender Jonathan Bernier struggled to start the 2010-11 season came as quite the shock to many observers, especially those who have watched him excel at every level.

Whether it was junior hockey in Canada, leading the Manchester Monarchs (Kings’ primary minor league affiliate) to the American Hockey League’s Eastern Conference Finals last season, or three games with the Kings last season when he was brilliant, Bernier has shined in the starting role.

But this season, the backup to Jonathan Quick has struggled, despite the fact that he oozes elite level skills and technique.

Bernier was just 2-2-0 in his first four starts, despite posting solid numbers with a 2.26 goals-against average (GAA) and a .922 save percentage.

Looking deeper, Bernier was inconsistent in those games as he was having a tough time adjusting to life as a backup goaltender.

“I discovered that when you don’t play a lot, it’s kind of hard to get a rhythm,” the 5-11, 186-pound native of Laval, Quebec said, adding that he felt rusty during a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on October 20. “It’s my first time being a backup, so I’ve got to find a way. It may take time. I’ve got to find something. I think the big thing that I’ve got to adjust here this year is going to be feeling comfortable right off the bat.”

Kings head coach Terry Murray seemed to be a bit miffed when told that Bernier said that he felt rusty.

“[Bernier has to] figure it out,” Murray rather bluntly. “You can never come back to me at the end of the game and say, ‘I felt a little rusty.’ Work at your game in practice. Put that kind of game focus and work ethic into practice so that you’re prepared for your opportunity when the game is there.”

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LOS ANGELES — For most people here in Southern California, the region has been drenched by rain the past few days. But if you are involved with the Los Angeles Kings or Anaheim Ducks, either as part of the teams or as fan, make no mistake…those drops are not from rain.

No, not rain at all. Rather, the dark clouds reflect sadness and the drops falling from the sky are tears, as the hockey gods, at least, the ones who watch over the Kings and Ducks, are crying.

Graig Woodburn, 50, died on December 19, after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. He covered the Kings and Ducks for the Riverside Press-Enterprise, Associated Press and The Sporting News until a couple of seasons ago, and most recently, he moved to Boston to cover the Boston Bruins for WEEI.com during the 2009-10 season, and to be closer to his family.

His last assignment was to cover the 2010 National Hockey League Entry Draft here in Los Angeles last June, when the Bruins had the second overall pick (Tyler Seguin).

The Bruins public relations department will dedicate Woodburn’’s press box seat at Boston’s TD Garden to him for the rest of the season.

Woodburn was also an attorney here in the Los Angeles area, specializing in consumer protection and class action law.

There is a better than average chance that if you follow Kings and/or Ducks, you may not be familiar with Graig’s work. After all, he did not work for the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register, or any of the MediaNews Group newspapers, such as the Daily News or Long Beach Press Telegram, all of whom have had beat writers covering the local NHL teams in recent years.

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LOS ANGELES — After a smoking hot 12-3-0 start followed by a 2-6-0 nose dive, one thing has been a constant for the Los Angeles Kings this season…

…that they have a gaping hole on their top line at left wing, as evidenced by the fact that so many players have played that position this season with varying degrees of success…or failure. Indeed, so many players have played alongside center Anze Kopitar that one could fill an entire roster just with those players.

That is an exaggeration, of course, but you get the point. The Kings’ first line was inconsistent, at best, during the team’s hot start. In fact, the first line was supplanted by the Kings’ second line of left wing Ryan Smyth, center Jarret Stoll, and right wing Justin Williams as their top offensive line in terms of production.

During their 2-6-0 skid, the Kings’ problems started in their own end, where they were giving up Grade A scoring chances and goals in bunches. But later in the slide, the problems moved to the other end of the ice as the team stopped scoring.

The solution? Following their 2-0 loss at Anaheim on November 29, head coach Terry Murray made yet another change on his top line, moving Williams up to play the right side with Kopitar while right wing Dustin Brown shifted over to left wing.

In the two games (both wins) the Kings have played since the change, the new first line has combined for four goals and four assists for eight points.

Two of the goals were game-winners by Kopitar, who has scored ten goals and has added 14 assists for 24 points in 25 games this season.

Kopitar was quietly putting up numbers during the Kings’ hot streak. But, like some of the other top players on the team, he appears to be heating up just as the Kings are getting healthy.

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EL SEGUNDO, CA — When Terry Murray was hired as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings on July 17, 2008, his highest priority was to teach his young team how to play defense, something that seemed like a foreign concept to the Kings in the seasons just prior to his arrival.

Two years later, Murray’s mostly young charges had improved their defensive zone play in dramatic fashion by emphasizing coverage of the “home plate” area in front of their own net. That new focus, along with improved goaltending, resulted in a dramatically reduced number of shots against, far fewer quality scoring chances by opponents and, as a result, a lot less pucks ending up in their net.

That focus was on point to start the 2010-11 season, one that saw the Kings jump out to a 12-3-0 start. But their defensive focus went by the wayside in mid-November, and the Kings have been in a deep slump ever since, losing five of their last six games while allowing one glorious scoring chance after another and giving up goals in bunches.

“We got away from our little home plate attitude, and it’s been costing us,” said right wing Wayne Simmonds. “We’ve got to fix that quick.”

Indeed, on November 26, while many were running around town or surfing the World Wide Web in search of Black Friday bargains, the last thing the Kings had on their minds was bargain hunting. Instead, they were hard at work at their practice facility, studying video and working on their defensive zone coverage.

“It’s real tough to say, for me, since I’ve only been here for a couple of days, but just from the Montreal game [on November 24], it’s just battling a little bit harder—we went over a lot of video this morning,” said defenseman Alec Martinez, who was recalled from the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League (Kings’ primary minor league affiliate) on November 23.

“The systems are good,” added Martinez. “We’ve just got to get that little extra push, finish when we have our opportunities, take care of the puck, and just settle down and make plays in our own end.”

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LOS ANGELES AND EL SEGUNDO, CA — To this point in the 2010-11 season, if anything is clear about the Los Angeles Kings, it is that other teams view them as one of the best teams in the NHL, and that is showing up in terms of physical play, as many opponents are going into games against the Kings trying to get them off their game through physical intimidation.

To be sure, despite the fact that right wing Kevin Westgarth, the Kings’ heavyweight enforcer, has not been in a fight yet this season, perhaps due to the fact that he broke Colorado Avalanche heavyweight David Koci’s jaw in a pre-season scuffle back in September, teams seem to be going into games against the Kings with the intent of knocking them around, both with big hits and their fists.

“There were a few hits, a few confrontations,” head coach Terry Murray said after his team’s very physical 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 4. “A little old time hockey with the scrums that were going on. It was a very competitive game out there—two first place teams. The battle heats up.”

One of those hits, albeit a missed one, came late in that game against the Lightning, when Tampa Bay agitator Steve Downie took a run at Kings star defenseman Drew Doughty.

Downie came from distance at nearly full speed and left his feet on the hit. Doughty was able to get out of the way, but the two exchanged words as they skated towards the neutral zone.

Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell, Doughty’s defensive partner, quickly came to Doughty’s aid, knocking Downie to the ice and then dropping the gloves with him.

“I was real happy to see that,” said Murray. “That’s the kind of play where you want your partner to stand up for you in a situation like that. Doughty would do the same thing.”

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LOS ANGELES — On a night in which the Los Angeles Kings handed the once-vaunted New Jersey Devils a 3-1 defeat, shutting down the mighty $100 million superstar Ilya Kovalchuk in the process, the Kings took time to pay tribute to their past, and to one of their own.

Former Kings defenseman Mattias Norstrom was back in Los Angeles on October 30, and was honored by the team during a pre-game ceremony.

“It is fun, it’s great being back,” said Norstrom, who played in 780 regular season games with the Kings over eleven seasons after being acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on March 14, 1996. “I haven’t been back here for two-and-a-half years. The last time I was back was with the [Dallas] Stars in the Spring of ’08.”

“It’s always good to be back, especially after such a long history—eleven years,” added Norstrom, who ranks second in franchise history in games played by a defenseman and fifth overall. “So it’s the hockey side of it, but it’s also the private life we lead. Both [of his] girls were born here. It’s just fun to be back.”

“It’s a fun night, it’s a real pleasure to be here, and for the Kings to put something like this on—I thank [former Kings teammate and current Kings President/Business Operations] Luc [Robitaille] a lot. I think he was the one pushing the idea.”

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