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About This Page: This is a discussion on News within the LetsGoKings.com forums, at Los Angeles Kings Hockey Fan Forum. This season already had question marks before the players hit the ice personnel-wise. While many questioned if Lombardi's first hire, Marc Crawford, was the guy, most figured Crawford would start
This season already had question marks before the players hit the ice personnel-wise. While many questioned if Lombardi's first hire, Marc Crawford, was the guy, most figured Crawford would start this season on a very short leash. Well, the leash was even shorter than that. Season ticket holders met Murray for the first time Saturday. After the breakfast, he graciously gave an interview to this blogger.
Murray discussed what he will bring to the Kings that he learned from his time with the Flyers:
I joined the Flyers in '75 as a player, coming in to – to be a part of that structure, that environment, that culture that they have already established made the game easier. There's so many things that are in place as far as the foundation of the team (there). The ownership is the same, the culture, the environment – that atmosphere that is very hard to describe sometimes. It's just those intangible things that as a hockey person you walk into the locker room, enter the building and you just sense it's there and that's what we would like to bring. That's what I would like to bring to the LA Kings.
There is a way to play this game – that attitude, create that environment so that players who we have now in the organization, young guys in particular, they can see that this game is – that there is a way to play it. There is an LA Kings way of playing this hockey game and if we can establish that real early in the season then certainly the better we are for it. When these young guys (drafted by the Kings) are ready to make the step into the NHL, (then) they're going to do whatever they can and absorb as much as they can as quickly as possible to become a really good player for this hockey team.
I asked Murray to address those who watched the turnaround the Flyers took from last place to the Eastern Conference Final last season and how much that is or is not a fair comparison for the Kings:
There was a breakdown with the veterans and with the young guys the year before and there seemed to be a veteran group that were suppressing the younger guys, didn't want to relinquish any of their ownership of the hockey club. When you fast forwarded into last year with the younger guys now a year older, more mature, more experienced, and moving some of the veteran players along and keeping some – keeping the good quality guys as far as veterans are concerned that were going to give the support to the younger players, they grew quickly, the young guys. It doesn't happen that quickly though.
You've gotta go back through the process of these younger players, naming a couple of them Carter, Richards where they came out of junior, played a year with the Phantoms during the lock-out year of '04, helped them win the Calder Cup and now they start to get a taste of it in '05, '06 and move forward in their experience. So it was a process. It doesn't just go from here to the Conference Finals and that's really important – for the LA Kings’ fans to understand that.
Terry next discussed his leadership by committee – an approach Ken Hitchcock uses as well.
The leadership group is something that I've always had in my teams. So that goes right back to the Washington Capitals. I've continued to do the same thing throughout so I don't know where Hitch got his. He's had great success in the league and – and he has the same kind of an attitude, that the important part of coaching is to have that leadership group that can help you carry the message from the coach's office to the locker room onto the ice, to be the lead guys in the room to set the tempo, to do the drill the right way the first time and then also for preparation in the locker room before the games.
I've talked to three or four of the players into my office in one-on-one meetings in the past couple of weeks, trying to set some groundwork up for myself to get a read on who they are and how they can possibly contribute. In the next ten days, I feel I'll have a real good handle on who those five-six guys will be and bring them in together, talk about what their role will be. It's an essential part of coaching in the NHL today to have good leadership groups so that they're going to give you the support and can get your message to the players on a consistent and expedient way.
Terry Murray coached Pavel Bure in Florida. In a 1999 Sports Illustrated preview, he discussed how he planned to make Bure the superstar into the Panthers’ superstar. I asked him what he did with Bure that he will use to make Kopitar, the Kings’ superstar:
What I found in my years of coaching great players is that they want to be great players. Their work ethic is the best on the team. They are relentless in their desire to be the best that they can be - Pavel Bure, Scott Stevens, and Rod Langway. I can go through probably a dozen players who I consider great players in the game that I have coached and that is the one common denominator – they want to be the best. They have that great inner drive and you just nurture that spirit. You're giving them the right players to play with, the right style, the right philosophy, you talk about the importance of their role on the team, and you make them take over ownership.
It's the best feeling that a coach can have because you know this player is going to be there for you every day and – and that's what I loved about – in particular about Pavel Bure. He was a great player who had a strong will and determination to win the Rocket Richard Trophy every year. I made him one of the captains on the hockey club. He really embraced that and helped that organization get back into the playoffs and to bring the whole – all the pieces together and do things the right way.
While Murray coached the Panthers, his brother and GM Bryan Murray jettisoned the veterans and challenged the younger players to be responsible for winning before the 1999-2000 season which also was the last time that organization made the play-offs. I asked Terry Murray to discuss how he made that happen since the Kings’ youth received an identical challenge from Lombardi:
When you come in as a new coach, it's their opportunity – to show who they are, what they are, and how they can help that hockey club get back on track again. That was in particular with Florida – was the message that I talked to the team about before we got on the ice. This is a wonderful opportunity now, guys, with fresh eyes, new coaching staff, for you to show us who you are again and to grab hold of those minutes that you want as a player and that will be the same here. There's been a lot of change. I've seen the off-ice team working incredibly hard all summer long.
It's our turn to take the ball and to bring that same work ethic and to take it into the locker room and demand that kind of work ethic from the players that are going out there and trying to earn spots on this hockey club. It's their opportunity to show us now what they can do and I think that the people who I'm seeing in this organization, the character that they have and the attitude that is already here. The players that I've spoken with want to get things turned around again get going in the right direction. They want to show there is a tremendous amount of hope and there's a tremendous amount of pride in their game.
They want to show it to us; they want to show it to you, the fans, that this can be done now. We're going to make big strides to get the job done; and so with me coming, putting in structure, putting in style, a system that will help them get the job done, (then) we can move. How far can we move? I don't know. We'll have to see, but I think there's an opportunity here for all of the players – to have an impact and do some really good things as we move forward from now on.
The Tease:
I asked Terry Murray additional questions regarding his past coaching stops where arguably the Capitals, Flyers and Panthers were teams that rose and fell on the backs of Dale Hunter, Eric Lindros and Pavel Bure. We also covered the choking statement from the Flyers Cup Final with Detroit and how he responds to press who see him as a bridge or filler coach.
You are a blogging machine Carla. Nice going. I'm anxious to find out how Murray's style and system will show itself on the ice. The notion of team defense would certainly be a big step up from last season. Looking forward to part 2.
Great job, Carla. I'm excited about all of the exclusive information that will be available through your interviews this season. It's something LGK has craved for years.
Great job, Carla. I'm excited about all of the exclusive information that will be available through your interviews this season. It's something LGK has craved for years.
It'll be a great addition to a site thats already sweet.
[indent] what i found in my years of coaching great players is that they want to be great players. their work ethic is the best on the team. They are relentless in their desire to be the best that they can be - pavel bure, scott stevens, and rod langway. I can go through probably a dozen players who i consider great players in the game that i have coached and that is the one common denominator – they want to be the best. they have that great inner drive and you just nurture that spirit. You're giving them the right players to play with, the right style, the right philosophy, you talk about the importance of their role on the team, and you make them take over ownership.
The depth and clarity of your writing style, reminds me of 1080 Hi-Def TV, you can see and hear everthing clearly. Unlike some of the rants that go on here.
Carla Muller
Meet Terry Murray Part One 
This season already had question marks before the players hit the ice personnel-wise. While many questioned if Lombardi's first hire, Marc Crawford, was the guy, most figured Crawford would start this season on a very short leash. Well, the leash was even shorter than that. Season ticket holders met Murray for the first time Saturday. After the breakfast, he graciously gave an interview to this blogger. 
