No Notes this glorious morn, all off the top of me head. Lets do it.
Its been said 100s of times since the final buzzer last night but this is a game in the past we lose. Every angle of the game was stacked against us to lose. From back to back to injuries to playing a red hot team etc etc etc. People can say we're lucky and a pretender etc etc etc but lucky teams don't win games consistently, much less win games like these. Hell we lost Johnson the final period on an already decimated squad and still found a way to win.
Lets give some credit- Terry Murray has the players obviously buying into a system they believe in. Are there some "oh crap" scrambling moments and the occasional odd man rush brain fart? Sure, but Ws and Ls dont lie and apparently the system is doing far more good then negatives.
I still cant believe the Kings are not only 1st in the West-but last nights won actually expanded that lead.
Lets also give some credit to Lombardi. Even some of the moves we conceded to be mistakes are now looking to be brilliant. Case in point-Brad Richardson. Last year and even the earlier part of the season this looked to be a baffling move. Since the injuries- Richardsons value and game have been more pronounced and the skills he brings to the table have been invaluable. I think its a fair assesment to say there is no way over the last 5 or 6 games that we win without BR.
I still cant believe the Kings are 1st in the West.
Loved the comments from the Oils fans about Greene. He may be the poor mans version of Robyn Regehr, but once again when teams go to battle-is there any team in the NHL that wouldnt want Greene?
Kopitar is on a cold streak without question.....but the team is winning and getting points so who cares. If he didnt score one point the rest of the season but the team kept winning I wouldn't bat an eye.
Quick-I have to say to me he doesn't look like a dominant goalie but hes winning. That said at this rate Quick will be amungst the Kings all time goalie leaders for wins by the time he is 25.
Would be sweet to get a win in Calgary.....if Jack Johnson is out for that game and the team stills gets a W I will never doubt the teams ability to lose the rest of the season. I am almost numb to how well the team has played as so far. Its the same feeling I got when the Nebraska Cornhuskers won the National Championship in 1994. I was so used to them losing the big game and/or choking the big game so consistently that when they finally won it all I was literally numb and couldnt believe what I was seeing and this is no different. When the Oils scored the 2nd goal I thought "here it comes, too much time left in the 3rd and the Oils with all the momentum." At the point I was hoping just to weather the storm and get it into OT.
The season is still young and we're all waiting for the other shoe to drop but-has this not been one of the best starts to a Kings season ever?
Look forward to hearing your thoughts.
__________________ "The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools."
Last edited by Hipcheck; December 16th, 2009 at 10:06 AM.
Y'know...this business of the Kings being on top, winning games we normally would lose, having a goalie that actually stop goals when it's important, winning the second of a b2b, winning despite major players on IR, winning in the midst of a back breaker season schedule.....this is a dream.......yet, it's real.
For me, it's been the most exciting season since the Gretzky era.
At the risk of premature celebration-Im almost tempted to say its better because when we had Gretzky he could win games on his own and when the chips were down they simply double shifted him. You would hear "yeah they won but its was pretty much all Gretzky" and most of the time that rang true. Even with Gretzky, most of the time the 3rd and 4th lines were filled with scrubs and the 4-6 Dmen spots equally as scrub filled.
I think it is completely safe to say this is the best start ever for a Kings team due to overall balance and depth.
__________________ "The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools."
This season to me feels like a great dramatic TV show like 24 or Sons of Anarchy... the second one game ends, I am dying for the next one to start to see what happens next in the series.
I have been a Kings fan since 1979. Thirty years...man, when I say it like that it is hard to believe...my first game was to see Gordie Howe when he was playing for the Whalers. The ups and mostly downs of my Kings history is filled with more painful and disappointing memories than I care to remember.
That said, this team is certainly something special. I can't remember a team that has shown more resiliency and mental toughness and camaraderie than this one. I agree this seemed to be a game that pointed to a loss with the Canadian all hollering afterwards that the Kings are a flash in the pan and playing above themselves and that their goals for and against differential is not the makings of a good team. But like they have on so many occasions they found a way to get it done with unlikely heroes each night. Richardson was terrific last night. Quick was a stud. Sean O'Donnell of all people with the game winner. So many years I watched apathetic Kings teams play with no heart or sense of team or themselves but game after game this team displays character and heart. I am not saying they haven't slipped or there haven't been games where they have taken some shifts off but I really believe that Murray has these guys play with some respect for the jersey they are wearing and with the integrity of what playing hockey is all about.
All signs point to a loss Thursday night against Calgary...especially if Johnson can't play...but it wouldn't surprise me if this team found away to battle to the very end. I am proud of this team and proud to be a Kings fan.
getting a point in Calgary would be an achievement.
Richardson seems to be the only skater who can keep up with Brown. Nice for Dustin to go 2 on 2 instead of 1 on 2 all the time.
I'm unhappy that Drewiske isn't getting his ice time. I hope to see him against the bigger, physical teams instead of Jones.
Is Purcell a playmaker, not a scorer? I'm starting to think so. Was he used to carrying the puck in the minors? Did he used to play center?
This is almost as fun as sitting in the forum club drinking beer and visiting with Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor and the rest of the guys who really appreciated all of the 2000 fans that showed up to the game.
getting a point in Calgary would be an achievement.
Richardson seems to be the only skater who can keep up with Brown. Nice for Dustin to go 2 on 2 instead of 1 on 2 all the time.
I'm unhappy that Drewiske isn't getting his ice time. I hope to see him against the bigger, physical teams instead of Jones.
Is Purcell a playmaker, not a scorer? I'm starting to think so. Was he used to carrying the puck in the minors? Did he used to play center?
Purcell has always been more of a playmaker. That's why they mostly have him positioned on the half-wall when the 2nd PP unit is out there.
I agree completely with your thoughts on the Brown-Richardson duo.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jt
Why will it be different next year? A couple reasons...some teams will be in cap hell because of the money the spent this summer and last summer...and if the kids continue to progress...UFAs will want to come to LA just like they want to go to Chicago.
Hips Thoughts- Sliding by the Oilers 
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