After leaving the breakfast yesterday, it finally struck me that it is not just the players who needed to work towards that ownership pride of,
"I am a King" sentiment but so do the fans. From reading LGK, and my earlier blog regarding the slogan of Pride = Passion = Power, that was solely inspired by what I read from fans that had none of the three much less all of the three. The past renditions of the Kings beat down the passion of many. Right now, there is something something going on that should not be dismissed.
Lombardi's tenor Saturday felt different as well. He attempted to empower those present to take whatever hope they still possess for the Kings and to
hang on. They will go forward whether we join them
or not . The emotion I felt from Dean, Hextall and Murray was simply infectious. In a word, they are excited. On a separate note, while we watch the players get the proverbial Kings stamped on their backside, a season ticket holder present already has a Kings’ tattoo on her ankle. Who seriously does not want to join
her?
Bumpy Road Ahead:
The path to success is rarely smooth and this will be no different. Murray discussed the Flyers last season after their room changed. Their wins prior to the All Star break speak for themselves. When the Flyers returned after that break, they had a ten game losing streak. Murray continued that the kids initially lost it and then took it back. For our purposes, Murray said
"I know how to do it." It became easy to appreciate how Murray got the job. Absent his involvement with the turnaround of the Flyers, he needed that experience to be the right coach for this team
now .
That bumpiness will be apparent to us by watching the process of this growth period. He asked us for patience because there will be a structure in place. Murray's formula to turn this around stems from his structure, discipline, decreasing the goals against, and a new rarely seen before support of the team’s goaltender. The Kings allowed too many goals against and too little support to the goalie that made it likely for the bad things that followed. An often used cliché is the best offense is a great defense. Well, while Murray foresees the team attacking, attacking and attacking, none of that comes before or until there is a defensive mindset and execution in place first. Finally.
The Tattooing Process:
Hextall took the lead on this message. Hextall more than once said he is no salesman. This is something that those who came to the last Town Hall Meeting can validate. In all fairness, he showed a level of passion, excitement and commitment to what the Kings are doing that was more on display Saturday than in the past. He did that by sharing the journey he took to have a Flyers' tattoo on his own backside.
When Philadelphia drafted Hextall, he
hated them. Really. The minute that same hated team drafted him, it became a
love affair. He admired an organization that defined itself through the culture of winning and sacrifice. The tattooing process will become complete when the current core of Kopitar, Brown, O'Sullivan and Johnson (Frolov was
not mentioned by Hextall), come together with Purcell, Harrold and Boyle and the most recent draft picks when it all comes together. When this moment arrives, that will be when, in Hextall's words,
"You really got it going".
The Glass Ceiling:
For those who thought this concept remained exclusively to females breaking barriers, think again. Last season, the younger players deferred to the veterans. Those same unnamed veterans who were not named Handzus took over the room and not in a good way. Murray added that Handzus and Gauthier are quality people who will be part of the solution next season. Preissing’s name was not mentioned. I will say that any player on a contract longer than two years were characterized Saturday by being core people in the team's long term future projections.
Handzus and Gauthier are on board to help the team's younger players grow. Add this to camaraderie growing from all of the players, then and finally then, when the kids
take the ball and step through it or breakthrough that glass ceiling, amazing things follow. Think Richards and Carter when they took flight last season. The next step is to project this onto Brown, Kopitar and O'Sullivan, the room coming together as one and then you get the flavor of where the team starts to really get this right.
Contract Talk:
Jeff Solomon took the stage on this subject. Call it being politically vague or just plain frustrating to the process but Solomon intentionally takes into account every player's contract when negotiating with any given player. To visualize this, consider a bunch of plates being twirled at the top of poles where the objective is to keep every plate swirling and to not let any
vital plate break. That is the mindset Solomon uses when negotiating. That is no small feat to simultaneously keep every core plate spinning.
The give and take on O'Sullivan is that the Kings want him here and he wants to be here. The challenge is to strike a deal that is sweet for both parties. Solomon continued that it may very well be that his agent, or frankly any agent, may use the strategy to wait until the last moment before camp. Contract extensions for both Kopitar and Johnson are now in the works. Estimated time of arrival for these deals is anyone's guess. It will take as long as it takes.
Restricted Free Agency and the Dreaded Offer Sheet:
Lombardi here went into his Clint Eastwood moment of "Make his day". Others have discussed this before me including the Daily News and the Sporting News. The bottom line is that if someone comes after a Kings' player, be prepared for Dean to strike when the time and the player is ripe for the taking. Only this playing out before our eyes will allow anyone to see just what Lombardi would really do. There was no mistaking the gauntlet he challenged other teams to cross.
Kopitar Trade Rumors:
Dean exclaimed that it is not that this is so ridiculous but how could a credible newspaper be so
stupid to write about something that there is
no chance in life would happen. In other words, to the dismay of many Slovenian teeny boppers, the Red Wings won't be getting their hands on Kopitar if Lombardi has anything to do with it. Whew.
The Quest for Elusive Chemistry:
Lombardi reminded everyone that when he got here, he was literally all alone with no structure or personnel in place. It is easy to forget starting year three that the Kings completed one of the most thorough house cleanings ever back then. Now, there is Hextall, Solomon and a full scouting staff. Then, he had Lombardi, Lombardi and Lombardi to help him get started. Seriously take a step back and think about that when critiquing where the team is today against where it was when he got here. The chemistry Lombardi works to build with the team is something he has been simultaneously cultivating with his scouting department. Dean says the Kings' now have the same chemistry he developed with the Sharks' scouts in 36 months in half the time in Los Angeles. No small accomplishment.
No Short-Cuts:
We live in a world of instant gratification where we want everything now. Wanting and accomplishing this is a whole different animal. Just as the players will develop over time
or not, Lombardi expects the same exhausting attention to detail for every Kings' employee.
He gave an example of the draft combine this year. No Kings' scout left that combine one second early. Period. Apply this concept to the Royal Rebound. Many at Staples left by the 12:00 mark of the third period before great things followed. Games can be won or lost in the last seconds. Now, appreciate the scouts maintain the same work ethic. The only team who stayed for every second of the combine other than the Kings was the Sharks. To this, Lombardi said
“Dam”. It was a cool moment to see the level of discipline and structure this organization now requires as the price of admission or the right to have your job tomorrow. Really.
Hope:
Lombardi ended the breakfast imploring everyone to keep the hope, hang on to it and against all instincts or the past to hope
anyway. Earlier in the Kings' history, the Kings amassed defensemen of Jay Wells, Mark Hardy, Larry Murphy and one of the first round picks traded who became Ray Bourque. Imagine where the Kings would be had they ever really stayed the course before. With the fans
or not, this is where the Kings are going. We can join them, boo them or give up on them or grab a front row seat to watch this up close and personal.
Bottom Line:
Right now, everyone employed by the Kings from Lombardi to the scouts, coaches, players and every employee, there will be no short cuts. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain. No one promised perfection – everyone promised to leave their best game and the last drop of their soul for the Kings. If everyone of us followed this same structure and discipline, being outright relentness in every facet of our lives, we then might have a clue of the sacrifice and commitment winning really requires.
Carla Muller Carla.hockeygal@att.net 
Carla Muller
Everyone Has to Really Take Ownership 
