Much has been discussed of the Kings this year. By my estimation, four of the most maligned players this season are Blake, Handzus, Visnovsky and Armstrong. At the 30 game mark, Visnovsky now has the most points of all Kings’ defenseman and earned the #2 Star of the Night. Handzus has now scored 2 goals in the last 3 games and was the #3 Star of the Night. Blake, well, Monday’s game just might be the night he really earned his “C”.
Some have taken issue with me this year when I suggest that the team’s appointed leaders are more than just symbolic designations. I maintain that the players, consciously or unconsciously, do follow the lead of their captain and alternate captains. Monday’s Canucks’ game is Exhibit “A”.
Blake began to change his presence and disposition on the ice ever since that ill-fated night where Smyth snapped his stick on LaBarbera’s ribs. At that game, the entire team starting with Blake did exactly
nothing. I read in more than one message board that the Kings, starting with Blake, were heartless. Heck, Ducks’ fans on Hockey Buzz couldn’t have chimed in fast enough how differently their team would respond in a similar situation. What hurt most reading those Ducks’ fan responses is they were right. They just were.
Fans waxed poetic how different and better things would be if only Avery was still here. Speaking only for myself, not only do I not miss Avery, if asked, I would have driven him to the airport personally. Seriously.
Of all the highs and lows of this season, that loss just may be the team’s actual turning point. That night, the players learned how not to be teammates. Ever since, with Blake leading the charge, the team is evolving in exactly how to be a team.
It started when Crawford changed up his defensive pairings and matched Johnson with Blake. It followed with Blake getting tossed at the last Coyotes’ game. In a lengthy Hall of Fame career, Blake explained to the Kings’ Daily News reporter, Rich Hammond, the following on Tuesday:
“. . . . it was the first time in his 18-year career that he's received a game misconduct for something he said."
``I probably shouldn’t have said anything,'' Blake said. ``It was not a very good decision by me. You just don’t put yourself in that position to let that happen. That was my mistake. You put your team in jeopardy, put them down to five defenseman and put yourself short-handed too. There’s nothing good that can come out of it. Just keeping my mouth shut would have been the best decision.''
The entire write-up can be read here:
http://www.insidesocal.com/kings/
I wholeheartedly disagree that nothing good came out of Blake’s sudden display of intensity. The Coyotes began to take similar liberties against Aubin. Blake took issue physically and verbally, earning his first game misconduct
ever. I wanted and needed to believe that Blake’s first show of passion and protection for Aubin may be just what the Kings ordered. He became an on ice example of what is required when an opponent goes after your goaltender. After the captain got tossed, the Kings found yet another way to lose against the Coyotes.
Fan comments were again on display and not in a positive way. My take differed regarding Blake. This uncharacteristic show of passion and ‘fight’ seemed to me to be perhaps just what the Kings required. If he starts hating to lose, then the players just may follow him. I get that one game does not a season make; but, there is a trend beginning to unfold over the last couple of games. It started with Blake against the Coyotes. Against the Canucks, he became like the Pied Piper of Hamlin.
Thornton fights Canucks’ Brown when he takes liberties with Zeiler. Cammalleri came to Kopitar’s aid when Burrows elbowed him. You have to start believing that 23 guys become one team when the team’s smallest player of 5’9” comes to the aid of one of the largest that stands at 6’4”.
If there remains any residual doubt how Blake earned his “C”, check out the last 2 minutes of the Canucks’ game. Despite playing a near text book game of how to play with a lead in period three, Vancouver showed some real legs at the end of the game. Los Angeles stepped up their play at the end of period 2 when they had as many shots in the last 2:30 as they had over the first 17:30 of the second. Vancouver followed the Kings’ example. The Canucks had 2 shots in the first 16 minutes of the 3rd and 9 in the last 4 minutes.
Vancouver pulls Sanford in the last 90 seconds and the Canucks seemed everywhere. Cooke parked his backside in front of Aubin and started taking liberties. Blake basically turtled the guy with a decisive cross check to get him out of the way. The referee rightly penalized him. The Canucks played the last 30 seconds with essentially a 2 man advantage after pulling their goalie and simultaneously being on the power play. Without Blake on the ice, but with his inspirational play as an example, they followed his lead and for the first time in awhile held a lead not only successfully, but decisively.
For those still questioning the Kings’ hearts, Blake, Cammalleri and Thornton were not the only players who showed tenacity. Armstrong’s game winning goal in the second highlighted why he became the game’s #1 Star of the Night. Willsie, O’Sullivan and Armstrong had one of the strongest shifts of the 2nd in the first five minutes. The Canucks spent the first 5 minutes of the first giving a clinic on what a successful puck possession team looks like.
When a team possesses skill players, why dump and chase? If your team can carry the puck wherever they want, why wouldn’t that be a better plan?
Willsie, Armstrong and O’Sullivan followed the Canucks lead in the first quarter of the 2nd. They regained possession, skated circles cycling the puck in the Canucks’ end and did everything possible including eventually scoring the game winning goal.
Calder followed Armstrong’s offensive lead with his own tenacious play. He skates into Vancouver’s zone with 3 Canucks all over him and he becomes his own Pied Piper as they follow him until he eventually but only momentarily loses possession at the boards. He manages to regain possession and takes another couple opposing players, including Henrik Sedin, with him as he manages to get both a shot on a goal and draw a penalty from Sedin.
On the defensive side of things, similar tenacious play followed. Handzus spent the night matched up against the brothers’ Sedin and Naslund line. While his face-off winning percentage continues to need improvement at a weak 29.4% for the night, he helped keep the Canucks’ best line off the scoreboard, no small feat with their offensive skills. During the second, when the Canucks earned a 2 man advantage with both Johnson and Cammalleri in the box for 8 seconds, Handzus gave a clinic on what to do to when down by 2 players.
Somehow, he managed to clear the puck by throwing his entire body forward in a sprawling, gutsy play where it looked from my seat, he did the on ice equivalent of a belly flop to successfully clear the zone which he did. On the next shift of the kill, Giuliano continued that very same clinic.
He showed far more in one game than Gauthier or Klemm did in earlier call ups this season on the penalty kill and ice. Giuliano not only earned nearly 15 minutes of ice time, he played the kill skating in almost a perfect Jane Fonda squat and his stick held parallel to the ice to preclude the most elusive pass. His tenacious effort met a Canucks’ pass and cleared the zone helping the Kings successfully kill the penalty.
I get that one game does not a season make. Part of me is getting used to the fact my team might be more aptly called the ‘Cardiac Kings’ for the fits, stops, starts and highs and lows they put their fans through. I submit that if Blake continues to show the way, win or lose, this year and this team will be the better for it.
Carla Muller Carla.hockeygal@att.net