The Train Is Pulling Up To The Station

The Kings have been playing atrociously lately, which is not news. Their inconsistent play has made me one sad panda. I texted KMS2 this morning saying, “I have officially boarded the Fire Marc Crawford Train!!!” But once I calmed down, I realized that I haven’t fully boarded said train, rather, I have bought my ticket and am waiting for the train to pull up. My reasoning is this: this is the third 5-game losing streak the Kings have recorded this season and they are currently on a three-game road trip. I will fully board this train if they get zero points in these next two games. If they lose all three in this road trip, that would make it a 7-game losing streak and I’d upgrade my ticket to first class and ride in style.

I can’t tell you how embarrassing it was to listen to Detroit (25-6-3) absolutely dominate my poor team (12-21-2) last night (I think I would have hung my head in utter shame if had actually watched this on TV). Hearing Cammy get a penalty in the first minute of the first period and then have Hank score at 0:59 was ridiculous. How fucking predictable this has become. Not only are the Kings on a losing streak, but they have to play the NHL’s best team? Way to rub salt in the wounds, scheduling committee. But wait, I shouldn’t place the blame on you since you could not have foreseen the Kings sucking this much 35 games into the season. How could you, with a promising crop of players and a boatload of new free agents. But how do you think it makes me feel when I ask a Canadian buddy what he thinks of Aubin and the response I get is, “He’s a bag of crap.”

This reminds me of a very straight forward question Keith asked in Episode 7 of KingsCast, “Slippery Slopes.” He said, “If Dean Lombardi is so good at signing prospects and drafting, why is he so terrible at signing free agents?”

What is interesting to me is that it seems as if there are trade rumors constantly circulating. Talk about players, gossip about GMs, and the like, but I haven’t heard or read anything coming from Camp Lombardi. Is something going on behind the scenes that no one knows about? There has to be; DL can’t be sitting in his office okay with any of this. He’s been quiet this season and I’m wondering why. Am I correct in assuming that he’s waiting for the end of this small roadtrip to fire Crawford?

As I see it, Crawford has 2 guaranteed days of employment left. If he comes back to LA with two more loses, he’s gonna be packing his bags and hitting the road. I think I was the last person to jump on this train; I guess I was holding on to some non-existent hope. Stupid me; Crawford has taken this talented group of players and done nothing with them. There are so many new faces on this team and he really hasn’t given them time together to gel with each other. The whole line-changing again and again and again and again has got to stop. Next thing you know, we’ll have Aubin centering the top line!

This team needs a leader; someone that can challenge these guys because it’s obvious these players aren’t responding to jackshit. Things that have pissed me off thus far:

1) Our defense looks slow and disorganized. And aren’t the D-men supposed to switch sides on the PP? Vish looks awkward out there on the point.

2) I don’t know who made the final decision to send back Moulson, bring in Gauthier, and hold onto Klemm, but that was piss poor decision-making. Gauthier did absolutely nothing and, really, neither did Klemm. Why did Crawford put him out there as a forward when he’s a defensive defensemen? Why the fuck didn’t you just keep Moulson? Klemm is a left-handed shot as is Moulson. Honestly, what was Klemm giving you that Moulson wasn’t? Out of those three players, only ONE showed any promise, and that was the one that was sent back prematurely.

3) Why the hell does the PK suck so badly? Why do they always look like they’re back on their heels and afraid to challenge? And for that matter, why does the PP look weak too? Stop passing so goddamn much and take it to the net!

4) THANK GOD Bernier was sent back to Lewiston. I think I would have cried if he was on this team right now. He would have been destroyed trying to back this team up. But he's safe down there in the Juniors; look for him on Team Canada!!

What exactly is going on with the lines of communication on this team? It is apparent to me that Crawford is sending out bad non-verbal signals to go with his verbal messages. Or maybe it’s the tone with which he talks. Tone and inflection can change the meaning of a message entirely. What the hell is he doing in that locker room??

So the question here is this: Is Dean Lombardi going to give the city of Los Angeles a fabulous Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa gift and fire Marc Crawford?

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Updates, Questions, & An Introduction

Updates:
1) Jason LaBarbera was activated on Monday in time for the home game against the Avalanche.
2) Jonathan Quick was sent back to Manchester.
3) The Aves rolled through town and handed the Kings their 4th loss in a row. Just one more loss and they're gonna match their season high of 5 losses a row. Not a record you want to be breaking, guys.
4) Jaroslav Modry apparently has started his own blog! Well, on THN's site. His first entry is about his pairing with Jack Johnson. Man, with all these articles out on JJ, you'd think this guy was some stellar athlete or something! =P

Questions:
I must address the recent piles of excrement the Kings have been producing that they call "games." With the Caps getting a point in last night's game against the Red Wings, they have moved 3 points higher in the standings. The Coyotes have been on a tear lately. They handed the Rangers an embarrassing loss beating them 5-1. This win puts them 4 points ahead of the Kings.

So, tell me, how can a team look decent and promising on paper, but look like lost little boys on the ice? What’s the deal? I read an article a little bit ago where Jack Johnson said that he'd never played on a losing team before. (Sorry, I'm usually pretty good at citing where I read stuff, but this was probably more than a week ago.) So we have to step back and remember that individually these players shined while growing up on their respective teams. There is a verifiable reason why each of these players is on this roster. Everyone knows the role they’re supposed to be playing for this team for this year. But it looks as if Crawford is trying to fit squares together to make a circle. Something is not right in Hollywood, well, more like downtown LA. But I’m not here to argue logistics. Or maybe I AM.

Since this post on my thoughts on coaching, the Kings have played 8 games and they have gone 2-6-0. What’s the plan here, Crawford? Where are you leading these players? Like your lines, are you tweaking your long-term plan? You’ve gotten zero points in the last 4 games. What are you doing differently from 4 games ago to prepare for Detroit at The Joe tomorrow? Yeah, they were sent to the shootout by the Caps, but what is one mediocre game by the top team in the West? They will just wipe their brows and move on since they were able to leave that arena with two points.

I mean, take a look at this line during a practice; Frolov, Cammalleri, and O'Sullivan. Tell me how bad ass that line looks. They look solid, but something happens between here and a game where the meshing doesn't continue. What's the deal?

An Introduction:
But let’s take a deep breath and look somewhere else for some inspiration. The story of this player I’m going to talk about is what makes me love this sport even more. Chicago Blackhawks’ Jake Dowell is on IR with a broken foot. But recent events following this placement absolutely warm my soul. On November 22nd he was recalled from his AHL team in Norfolk to Chicago and scored his first NHL goal short-handed against Calgary. A couple of nights later against the Oil, he took a puck off his skate and brushed off the effects like a man on a mission. His mission? To get back to Chicago so that his parents could see him play on NHL ice in person.

There have been a couple of articles written about Dowell recently. Here is an excerpt from The Hockey News.

Jake’s father John, a former small college offensive linesman and a fitness buff, was diagnosed in 2003 with Huntington’s disease, an incurable genetic brain disorder that leads to a steady regression in mental and physical capabilities. With each passing month since the diagnosis, Jake has watched his father lose ground to the fatal illness. Those stricken with Huntington’s disease gradually lose control of their voluntary muscles until they’re almost immobile. At the same time, the ability to process information deteriorates. Death typically comes 10 to 20 years after diagnosis.

Now, the slap-in-your-face part of this reality is that this disease is hereditary, which means that Jake Dowell has a 50% chance of having this disorder already flowing through his body.

Everyone who has the gene develops the disease, which rarely strikes before age 35. Jake, and his mother Vicki, decided that he wouldn’t get himself tested until he turns 35 or when he gets married. The likelihood of negative news would be absolutely crushing.

"With the progress of stem cell research, hopefully they can come up with a cure before it even affects me," Dowell told Baggot last February. "Besides, I think with the way I am, I don't think it would go too well for me if I knew (the test result) and just had to carry on. I don't think I'd be able to do it."

Stories like Dowell's are necessary, yet tragic, because they cause you to sit back in your chair and reflect. Reflect on what you're doing in that instance. Everyone needs a cause to look inward and Dowell's story hits you in the face like a pail of cold water. I, most definitely, will be following up on Jake and his future in the NHL.

Oh, why is he on IR? Because the puck he took off his skate in Edmonton broke his foot. He was playing on a broken foot for not just that game in front of his parents but also for however many practices the team held as well. (Here is a more recent article written about this game his parents attended. Please scroll down about a third of the way.)

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Part II - GM

Part I - Coaching

Part II - GM

The reason why I decided to write about these topics is because of a recent column I read at hockeybuzz.com by Carla Muller. She wrote about an article she came across on foxsports.com mentioning rumors of Luc Robitalle filling in Dean Lombardi’s shoes as GM. My stance on most issues is mild at best (because I don’t want to foolishly make an uneducated opinion), but I definitely would not be an advocate for this happening. As as fan who is taking in (as much as possible) everything the Kings organization are putting out to the fans, I’m liking what I see. This is specifically referring to Robitaille becoming President of the business operations. But let me look at DL for a second.

If you check out his Wikipedia page, it appears that DL knows what the hell he's doing. He built up the Sharks into what they are today, a hated contender in the Western Conference. The players that he drafted before the lockout developed and made up the power house that they were 2-3 years ago causing them to be constant thorns in my side. I was a personal witness to many of their games, not that I enjoyed it, but I couldn't deny them their efforts. Now I don't know what DL is like in person, he could be a douche or he could be the kindest man ever, what I do know is that he's already building this team to something.

If you look at a previous post, you can see that there is a core that's being formed involving specific players. And what I think is promising is that this core does not include Cammy or Fro. These two are expected to be the veterans once this Core 4 begins to dominate. There is a lot that's going on within the team roster right now, which doesn't include the players developing in Manchester (and Bernier out in Lewiston). From an interview at Inside The Kings, DL said he drove 6 hours to see how Bernier was doing out in Lewiston. 6 hours of driving! If you don’t think that’s dedication, then you need to open your eyes. Lombardi has a plan and it’s not some one-year plan either. If you take him out of the equation, what’s going to happen to the developing players that are in the system? Are they going to be brought up prematurely or moved to some other team? My “Baby Bernier Watch” is on here for a reason. It’s not because I think he’s a cutie pie, which I’m sure every girl will tell you that he is. It's here because I believe he has the potential to rock the net when he’s good and ready to play a full season for the Kings. But I will not be hesitant to say that the players have to f-ing protect their goalie. The games at the beginning of this season were lost not because of Bernier’s poor playing; it was because he wasn’t protected! I can’t tell you how difficult it was to watch the defensemen not blocking shots for him or not cutting off the passing lane for him. Overall, they just were not acting like a cohesive unit. You can’t throw a 19-year-old goalie out there and expect him to be like Roy in his prime! It doesn’t work like that! Sorry, I think I stepped on my little soap box unknowingly...

In moving from DL to Robitaille, I think Lucky is doing a FANTASTIC job on the business relations end of the spectrum. He is one of THE faces of the LA Kings and I would be shocked if he didn’t stick with this job for a number of years. He is one of those franchise players that needs to be in this type of position, which enables him to be accessible to the fans while working toward the betterment of this organization. I don’t think he would be the best fit as a replacement GM. I don't know all of the inner workings of what GMs have to do, but I will say that I think Lombardi knows exactly what he's doing and how the Kings should be building. And I am a complete advocate in keeping Robitaille as the public face of the organization to the 20 million people living in Los Angeles. You can’t deny the draw that Lucky has; in knowing this, why would you put him in the GM position to face the wolves. He's already doing a hell of a job wooing the crowds now. I think maybe it's the fact that he's the highest scoring left-wing in the entire NHL. But what do I know, I'm just a girl.

Conclusion: I want to see what DL has up his sleeves and I love seeing Robitaille in this position, which keeps him visible to the fans. I’d rather not see a front office shakeup right now, but if that’s what the Higher Ups want…

Follow up: 12.07.07 : I found this over at The Hockey News, an article titled "All The Kings Mistakes." Could this guy have presented more lopsided stats? In order for me to even consider this guy as reliable, he probably should have presented the numbers in a more complete manner. He is basically letting you all know what he thinks of DL. Below was copied and pasted from this article.

Here’s a list of L.A.’s top five scorers so far this year and five of their worst regular roster players (from a statistical perspective). Some were brought in by Lombardi, some by former GM Dave Taylor, Deduce the trend.

Best

Anze Kopitar, 29 points (drafted by Taylor)
Mike Cammalleri. 25 points (drafted by Taylor)
Dustin Brown, 24 points (drafted by Taylor)
Alexander Frolov, 20 points (drafted by Taylor)
Lubomir Visnovsky, 16 points (drafted by Taylor)

Worst

Michal Handzus, 5 points, minus-11 (signed by Lombardi)
Rob Blake, minus-11 (signed by Lombardi)
Brian Willsie, 4 points, minus-7 (signed by Lombardi)
Patrick O’Sullivan, minus-7 (acquired by Lombardi)
Brad Stuart, minus-10 (signed by Lombardi)

Now, the resurgent Flyers:

Michael Richards, 31 points (drafted by Clarke)
Daniel Briere, 30 points (signed by Holmgren)
Joffrey Lupul, 17 points (acquired by Holmgren)
Mike Knuble, 16 points (signed by Clarke)
Jeff Carter, 15 points (drafted by Clarke)

Let me ask you this, Mr. Ryan Kennedy. Where are the plus/minus numbers for the first and third group of players? What are the point totals for all of the players in the second group? Where are the guys that Taylor signed and Lombardi drafted (P.S. These guys are kinda kicking a lot of ass right now). When you're trying to present an argument or trying to raise some eyebrows, why don't you give up ALL of the numbers. Thanks.

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Part I - Coaching

For starters, I’m just going to state that these are my personal opinions on two issues I want to address: coaching for Part I and GM for Part II. I am just a fan looking at the sport/organization from an outside perspective and who does not have the inside scoop whatsoever.

With all the drama-mama that’s been going around the league about who might be getting fired and why, I figured maybe I should toss in a thought or two. At the top of the headlines, the Leafs are currently getting blasted by the fans and even by those within the organization on how things are being handled. I’m sure there’s been enough talk leaking out of people's mouths so that I don’t have to reiterate what’s been allegedly said by whoever to whomever.

Part I - Coaching

On the home front, I really didn’t look at a front office shakeup being a possibility for my Kings. Maybe I’m just biased, but I believe in what Dean Lombardi’s doing. Do I agree with Crawford changing up lines like the Mad Hatter on crack? To be honest, I don’t really know, but I’ve definitely noticed it. Don’t get me wrong, we ALL have; but that’s his job, right? To tinker and tinker until something clicks. But at the same time, we’re 27 games in and it’s getting a little ridiculous. Fro is now on IR and Cammy is floundering. He’s getting shut down left and right and now I’m wondering if he actually got 10 goals in 10 games at the start of the season.

After last Saturday’s game against the Avalanche where they lost 5-2, I left Staples feeling dejected and angry at the same time. What the hell is going on? Why are the Kings falling apart? They had a great first period! Now I can’t speculate about what’s going on in the locker room, but I’ve read people’s opinions that seemingly blaming everyone in the organization. But from being on sports teams for many years, I believe that no matter how much the coach is trying to show the athletes the way, if they don’t take a stance and actually execute the plan, the results aren’t going to be there. Not surprisingly, this has caused me to absolutely despise clichés. “Buy into the plan,” “we need to play with more heart,” and my personal favorite to hate, “take it to the next level.” I’d like to punch whoever made that up in the FACE. Maybe it’s because I heard it too many times without a substantial result, but I’m hoping that Crawford doesn’t become a victim of cliché bashing.

I was taught never to question the coaching staff; they have an overall year-long plan of what they want to do and what paths they have to take in order to do so. With the Kings being a professional sports team with millions of dollars being spent every year, the pressure for results is extremely high. Any year-long project is at risk of being cut short if it becomes stagnant for too long. We can see from this season already that some teams have made this leap (Atlanta, Dallas, Capitals) while others have been holding on for as long as possible (Leafs, Phoenix). But let's face it, Gretzky owns the whole state of Arizona and isn't going anywhere.

Now I don’t like to constantly bash on my team, but I do angrily question what’s going on with them sometimes. But I’m not going to stand on a soapbox and demand that that Crawford be fired because you can’t deny him his efforts. If he decided he wanted to get fired, he would have kept all the lines the same and not tried to find some hidden chemistry that he believes is there. But I’ll reiterate the fact that athletes need time to gel with one another. But I do like to muse about what Crawford could do to run this team into the ground and not just into the bottom of the standings.

What could have been:

Scene: Crow sits down at his big oak desk and ponders how exactly he’s going to ruin this team. “Hmmm… I think I’m going to keep Cammy, Kopi, and Brownie together all year. After all, they’re pretty DAM good. (see that? see what I did there?) I think we’ll be able to ride that line for a while before people see I’m not doing a DAM thing. I’ll just let the other lines flounder around. Maybe I should have Vish center the 3rd line and I’ll bring up…Ratti to run D with Blakey. Wow, that’s fantastic! What else…oh! I almost forgot about the goalie situation! I think bringing back Cloutier will seal the deal. Yes, he’ll definitely be the back bone of this squad. I’m a flipping genius!”

As a note: I may like to make light fun of the players here and there, but don’t question for one second my complete loyalty to the Kings. No team can come in and take my attention and loyalty away. Ahem..cough cough DUCKS FANS cough.

Also, just to let you know, I’m not some beer-guzzling dude who thinks the new Reebok jerseys are too small because of my beer gut and who thinks I know what’s best for my team. Rather, I’d like to think of myself as a cute beer-sipping chick who will patiently wait for my team to get their act together without publicly bashing them to anyone who will listen. I’m not going to pretend I know what the best course of action is; I’m not making the millions of dollars to make these types of decisions. But even if they were to offer me the cold hard cash, I wouldn’t know the first thing about building up or saving a professional sports team.

Check out Part II - GM

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Sens' Face Versus Kings' Face

Original post date: Sunday, November 4, 2007

On Friday, October 2, 2007, Jason Spezza (24) extended his contract with the Ottawa Senators until the 2014-2015 season. Translated: $49M for 7 years. The Sens have also locked up Daniel Alfredsson (34) until 2011-2012 and Dany Heatley (26) until 2013-2014 ($45 for 6 years).

Spezza – Has been only with the Senators since 2002-2003. He has logged 256 games while going 83-183=266. He is +63 with 163 PIM.

Alfredsson – Has been only with the Senators as well, for him, since 1995-1996. He's put in 794 games and is 300-47=778. He's an impressive +130 over these 11 years and has accumulated 355 PIM.

Heatley – Played 3 years at Atlanta and has been with the Sens since 2005-2006. In 366 career games, he has accumulated 188 goals, 216 assists (=404), is a plus 31, and has 306 PIM.

The line has already proven that they can produce and the Ottawa Senators has now told us that these three guys are the official future of their organization. Let's take a look at the Kings' future guys. As I write this, I have thought about who the Kings have shown to be their top boys. Once the league takes notice of this team that is near the top the Pacific Division, who are the faces they will look to? According to Robitaille (while speaking at H & HH), it's Brownie, Kopi, JMFJ, and Bernier. So let's take a look.

The Kings have started in this path by signing Brownie for a 6-year contract for $19.05M. In 206 NHL games he has gone 38-51=89 with 163 PIM. We'll just ignore his plus/minus.

My boy Anze has played in 87 games and going 25-50=75. This center has only 28 PIM. Plus/minus? What's that? But the Kings had better lock him up soon for an extended contract because I really couldn't bear to see him in any other jersey.

JMFJ is a new rookie who I will definitely be keeping my eye on. In 20 games he's gone 1-1=2. 36 PIM and a better plus/minus than the first two Kings mentioned. I see Jack growing immensely this season. He's surrounded by veteran defensemen and I bet we're going to see a noticeable difference in his playing from now to the end of this season.

Jonathan Bernier – Why do I get goose bumps whenever I hear or read his name? Because I'm a nerd and because I have put more hope than I'm comfortable with in his future. I was so sad when the Kings sent him away, but ultimately it was for the best. The boys weren't protecting him and it would have been severely damaging to his development in becoming the fucking awesome goaltender that will soon emerge.

These four guys obviously do not make up the single top line like the Sens, but they are looking to create a solid foundation for this organization to grow on. Our top line? Did the arbitration kill Cammy's shot at a long-term contract? Perhaps. But, he IS the top goal-scorer as of this writing (11). But another thing to point out about Cammy is that he's 25 (he has the same exact birthday as I do down to the year, CRAZY), and the other boys are 22, 20, 20, and 19, respectively. Fro has also been moved around in this mix; at 25 he's a solid contributor as well. But Cammy and the Fro aren't considered part of this emerging flash and dash from the Kings.

The Senators' future versus our future. Is it even comparable? What say you?

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