Suffocating System Stuns Kings

[Carla Muller]

Three quick goals at the start of each period, 2 for the Red Wings and one for O’Sullivan invites the second five game losing streak of the year for the Kings. The result was near predetermined when you match the league’s best against the league’s worst. That doesn’t make it any easier to endure.

Something I believe that is getting missed in this ugly year is that this is absolutely harder for the players and coaches to live than the fans. I regularly read comments from Kings’ fans and followers explaining how they would respond differently than the players are right now. That is a bold and easy position to take behind a monitor in the sanctity of one’s own home. Imagine how much harder it is to live this. Seriously.

Giving credit where credit is due, the Red Wings have a system they execute to near perfection. That distinction is why Detroit goaltenders get little credit for success there and considerable blame for losses. Anyone planning to vote for Osgood for the Hockey Hall of Fame? Any Kings’ fan want Lombardi to trade for Osgood? He is a Cup winning netminder. I doubt he is on any Kings’ fans’ wish list if they could be Lombardi for a day.

Breaking it down, the Red Wings deserve credit for their success. Detroit is a puck possession team that defines tenacious and relentless play. In direct contrast, the Kings now define the concept of stunned and scared play. Through two periods, the visitors had a scant 11 shots on goal, and 7 of those were taken by O’Sullivan and Brown. By my count, that means that 16 skaters had 4 shots and 2 had 7 shots... ouch! Sometimes statistics speak for themselves. It is only right that the two best forwards on the ice Wednesday scored the goals for the Kings.

The visitors’ defense also had a hand in this loss. Both Preissing and Visnovsky earned assists for two of Detroit’s goals. LaBarbera shows on the ice how much he hates to lose. That first goal against, scored in the first 59 seconds, he took his angst out on the puck that just beat him. His passion and intensity is mobilizing him to fight to a win. In direct contrast, the majority of the skaters seem immobilized by their fear to lose. This is a distinction with a material difference.

Crawford was interviewed between the 2nd and 3rd periods and suggested the game’s result was due to Kings’ penalties. With all due respect to the coach, the team’s discipline in this game is hardly the reason the Wings successfully tied a franchise record for the fastest start of the season with 25 wins in 34 games. When the dust settled, Detroit took 1 more penalty than Los Angeles.

At this point, I suspect the season won’t change until the Kings anger at their season overtakes their despair. Once upon a time, a really good friend explained to me that the difference between really successful people and individuals who accomplish less had zero to do with lack of adversity. Rather, the winning group functioned despite their fears while the lesser group froze when challenges arose.

This is where the Kings seem stuck to me. The white jerseys of the visitors were near always a step behind the home team. Los Angeles picked up their play towards the end of the first and tied the game in the second where they scored on their first shot of the period.

It was the next part of the game that defined the difference between the Kings and the Red Wings. When the score became equal, the Red Wings went back to work while the Kings disappeared. They just did. It probably felt insurmountable to the Kings to raise the bar again when right after the score got tied, the Wings got a truly fluky goal when a puck got deflected off of Preissing’s glove 3 minutes and 20 seconds later.

There is just so much adversity the Kings can overcome right now. This is a fragile bunch with no break in the schedule to lick their wounds. With Columbus and Nashville up next, like other teams before them, they are looking at the Kings like fresh meat. Los Angeles biggest battle right now is between their shoulders.

This would be the right time to have someone break the ice in what must be a very tense room. Here is an example of the exact opposite: Dan Cleary got an unexpected birthday gift from Draper this week. Apparently ‘Drapes’ brings more to the room then the $1.00 cost the Wings spent to acquire his rights in one of the most cost effective acquisitions ever. He brings much needed levity with his tenacious play.

While Cleary spoke to reporters, Draper treated him to a shaving cream pie!! I am thinking Cleary might have preferred lemon meringue, but what do I know... yikes! Here is the link to read more, where Draper explained he would do this to near anyone but Lidstrom. Respect is a funny thing and right now the Kings are in dire need of a dose of just that. Check out this article here:

http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...712190406/1053

In direct contrast, the Kings’ room may be more than just fragile. The vultures are starting to swirl about the duration of the Crawford experiment with the Kings. Earlier this season when Los Angeles tasted some success, rumors came out that the players had tuned out their coach. Cammalleri dispelled that notion then.

Of late, yesterday on XM, Boomer Gordon spoke about Crawford. Gordon explained how Crawford couldn’t possibly be having any fun right now, how the silence/screams of fans after the first period against the Avalanche seemed from his television screen, and how perhaps this was the beginning of the end of Crawford’s reign.

I have since heard a rumor that Blake and Johnson won’t have Crawford on their respective Christmas’ lists as they can be counted in the large room of Kings’ fans that are not fans of this coach.

What does any of this mean?

That depends on Lombardi as only he knows for sure how long and if Crawford has his support. So far, Lombardi has been remarkably silent on his coach’s job security.

My take remains the same as it has since the season’s start. This team needs stability more than further upheaval. Is Crawford the right guy? Anyone who has read my blogs for any length of time knows I have misgivings if he was ever the right choice. Now that he is here, my vote is for everyone to stay employed. In this way, all concerned can spend more time on solutions than blame.

Carla Muller

Carla.hockeygal@att.net

[Blueline]

Great read, but as I've said before, Crawford is doing more damage than good here. His constant line juggling, failure to prepare this team correctly and little things like not shortening shifts to get more jump out of players all prove to me that he needs to go.

Bring in someone like Kevin Constantine who is used to dealing with younger players and mold them into the champions we all hope they can become.

While we are at it, time to swap some kids from Manchester with some vets that simply arent earning their paycheck. We are destined for last place and a high first round pick...let's get the team molded to receive the youths.

[Mindpoet]

i'd take osgood, whats his win loss record?
15w to 1 loss... huh. he should be in the all star game.

yeah, and the reason a team gets some veterens is too show leadership, pump up your chances for a solid team and to help teach the youth that are new to the NHL...

it seems to me that the vets on LA are doing nothing but teaching the young guys sloppy habits.

i'd agree with giving the guys from the minors a bit more time in the NHL so when Kings finally have a number one goalie and have maybe trimmed down their coaching staff (6 coaches on ice at the practice skate, thats just dumb), these kids will be ready.

[ozzzzzzzzy]

Originally Posted by Blueline

Great read, but as I've said before, Crawford is doing more damage than good here. His constant line juggling, failure to prepare this team correctly and little things like not shortening shifts to get more jump out of players all prove to me that he needs to go.

Bring in someone like Kevin Constantine who is used to dealing with younger players and mold them into the champions we all hope they can become.

While we are at it, time to swap some kids from Manchester with some vets that simply arent earning their paycheck. We are destined for last place and a high first round pick...let's get the team molded to receive the youths.

I agree with you about the juggling lines. Put some lines together and stick with them for 10 games or more. What the hell, it CAN"T make things worse. Pair JMFJ with Modry again and put them out at #1 D-line. They have the best +/- of all the defenseman. This team has obviously given up on MC. It's time for a change. Losing can become a habit even for experienced players.

[lakings20]

Hi everyone and thanks for reading a LA Kings Fan from Québec !!!

Im looking right now at the match between LA and Detroit and ... oh dear god !

I try every year and every game to be the best fans to be a no#1 LA fan but when i see match like this like 3/4 of this year and a lot of the past 40 years im relly disapointed...

I dont understand why a team like the sharks, the senators was last 10 years ago and now are elite teams in NHL and LA continue to be last year after years... bring back Bernier, made a trade, fire the head coach but **** do something, im angry to see a game like the game tonight because i guy like chris Chelios that as pass fifty years old is better than the 3/4 of all the LA team.

Please oh Please do something and fast because the kings are loosing there fan and there respect, everyone here look at me and laught when they see me with my LA Kings cap...

Thanks for reading and sorry about my english, i try my best but 6-2 and the game not finish ouf !!!

I put my head in the sand !!!

Alain Nadeau a fan since 1975(the year i was born)
Quebec say hello to every LA Kings fan

[Disinob]

Bring me... ROBBIE FTOREK!

[Hipcheck]

I wouldnt say they were stunned....they were pretty much DOA from the drop of the puck.

I still love you though Carla.

[Carla Muller]

Originally Posted by Hipcheck

I wouldnt say they were stunned....they were pretty much DOA from the drop of the puck.

I still love you though Carla.

Awwwwwwwwww .... Thanks!!

[Mr. Irreverent]

Great GREAT article!!!

[Since 1967]

Originally Posted by CarlaMuller

Something I believe that is getting missed in this ugly year is that this is absolutely harder for the players and coaches to live than the fans. I regularly read comments from Kings’ fans and followers explaining how they would respond differently than the players are right now. That is a bold and easy position to take behind a monitor in the sanctity of one’s own home. Imagine how much harder it is to live this. Seriously.

I love your editorials, but I totally disagree here.

At the end of the season most Kings players have, win or lose, earned themselves a multi-million $$$ salary with which they can now go touring around the world, buy a new Hummer, a new Rolex or whatever they like to do.

A Kings fan with season tickets has, at the end of the losing season, poured thousands of dollars into the coffer of AEG in tickets, food and beer, payed the salary of a losing team, spent countless hours sitting in traffic to get to and from the games, and spent even more hours on LGK griping about the losing season.

I would rather be on the team collecting the paycheck.

[JayWells24]

Great read Carla. I certainly feel everyone's pain here. I don't know if Crawford is the right man for the job, but I believe that he is not the sole one to blame. It is like watching a bad movie over and over and the ending is the same. Not even Christmas yet and we are already looking at a lottery pick. Frustrating to say the least. It doesn't seem like there is any accountability in the organization. I agree with what Carla said about overcoming adversity. Last night when the game was 2-2, one team stepped up their game and put their work hats on and the other played scared. We as fans keep hoping "this year will be different" but nothing ever changes, except a few players, coaches and GM in 2006, but last place in the standings, go ahead and pencil in the Kings.

I try and be the ultimate optimist but I don't see any hope in sight. No accountability from the top on down. Sad.

[Carla Muller]

Originally Posted by Since 1967

I love your editorials, but I totally disagree here.

At the end of the season most Kings players have, win or lose, earned themselves a multi-million $$$ salary...

A Kings fan with season tickets has, at the end of the losing season, poured thousands of dollars into the coffer of AEG in tickets, food and beer, payed the salary of a losing team,

...I would rather be on the team collecting the paycheck.

I wish I could agree with you. Imagine having a bad year at work, and I mean a really SERIOUSLY BAD YEAR. Lets say you are getting paid big bucks to suck that year. Now imagine, people pay major $$$ and buy food/beer to watch you suck.

None of me believes the mass watching of you suck, and booing you and asking that you be fired or traded or laid off would be easier on you while you got paid. Athletes are people with very big egos or they couldn't do what they do. The $$$ sounds and feel good when you sign the contract, but when you are hated, it is not easier on the hatee than the hater. I just don't buy that.

No one is making anyone buy tickets, beer or food. We choose to do that just as athletes choose to be public figures. Losing when YOU are the person in CONTROL of the losing is worse.

It may feel worse to a fan b/c they do not have control but it is far harder on the person who could have made a difference and for whatever reason couldn't or didn't. And for all the $$ fans spend, the highs of the wins like the Royal Rebound or the Sabres' game is why fans pay that $$. The ride when your team does well is priceless. It just is.

[ozzzzzzzzy]

"Suffocating System Stuns Kings"-CarlaMuller. I think you have hit on the obvious without even knowing it. Maybe that is the Kings problem. Wrong system for the players they have. That is a coaching problem. MC needs to change his philosophy. Maybe the Kings go super conservative and see what happens. Obviously defense is a problem and needs some changing. Go the conservative style and see what happens. It works for Minnesota, why can't it work for the Kings. By the way, you write some great stuff. Keep up the good work.

[Michael G]

While you bring up a varity of good points, the underlying issue with this team is a lack of commitment by the ownership. I say this with a bit of experiance, having watched this team since 1973. In all of those years, when the team seemed to be getting better, a slew of what would be best deemed as quetionable deals were made. I mean that in both players, and coaching staff. While some of the best years did happen when Gretzky showed up, that was about as stable as it got. Watching over the years as various players came and went through Southern Cal, almost like it was a summer vacation, it is a wonder that we could collect some semblence of a winning record at all. As a fan, when going to the Forum, you rarely looked at the lineup card given at the door, because chances were you could'nt count on who was left there. For the past few seasons, while not as bad, I have seen nothing that leads me to believe that ownership really cares what they put on the ice. I have heard the apathy from fans year after year, that at least we will get a good draft pick, only to fall flat. With all of the picks in our pockets this season, we could have traded for a respectable goaltender, or, god forbid, a second line scorer. Yet, as is usual, we missed the boat, and were forced to look on as other clubs filled their rosters and their minor affiliates with talent. No, I have not given up on this team, but must say that until this club has an owner that really gives everything to this team, like his attention, then do you really wonder why the rest of the club acts like it does? Apathy has settled in and made its home in that locker room, all you had to do was watch the game against CBJ. After they scored the tying goal, which happend as our D watched on, the wheels came off. I agree that getting rid of the Coach may not be the best thing to do, but perhaps sending down players who are not performing may be.

[MightyMike]

I firmly believe that Crawford is not the right coach for the Kings in this state of development. Crow is an effective coach when he needs to get the best out of an established, veteran-stabilized locker room. This team has no identity, no bonded veteran leadership core and too much young players which have never been in any situation like this before. This team is falling apart in front of our eyes because Crawford is not the right coach to create this bonded veteran leadership core this team needs to start developing the foundation for a successfull team in the future.
It may be true that firing Crawford and thus destabilizing the whole situation a bit more would further harm the team. I'm not convinced that keeping Crawford would'nt do more harm in the long run than firing him.