LA Kings Flaunt Age Old Wisdom
As a lifelong Kings fan, last year was abysmally disappointing. I will always love Coach Sutter, and the defensive consistency that he tried to bring to the team, not to mention Two Stanley Cups (Ducks fans can suck on that.) However, as I heard about the coaching changes coming into effect, I felt a glimmer of hope that was significantly tempered by doubt. After all, not all changes are for the better.
When the season started, it was exciting to see the increased creativity and production. Better than that, the Kings were winning games. None the less, I kept seeing things that made my gut cringe. I was watching NHL players make plays/mistakes that would get a pee-wee player benched. I swallowed my tongue a bit as the Kings kept scoring, and they kept winning.
I'm fairly certain that other teams were taken a bit off guard by some of the unconventional play, at least for a while. Eventually the league caught on. Team after team seem to be prepared to both create and pounce on the horrendous turnovers offered up by the Kings. The jig is up. It has been since November.
On behalf of all Kings fans, I would like to thank Jonathan Quick for his nightly heroics. Had he been a mere mortal goalie, even during these last dark months, there is little doubt that there would be any hope left. Sadly, he hasn't been on every night. My trip to Vegas in November was a bit of downer as he appeared to let in a few softies. It's tough to blame him. I'm actually shocked that he isn't suffering from PTSD. Night after night, he knows that he is going to get shelled, that he is going to face outnumbered attacks again and again. Most nights he stands on his head, and when breakdowns in fundamentals occur, I venture to propound that it's because he feels that he has to do something extraordinary just to keep them in the game. In addition to the breakdowns in fundamentals that this can cause, it has understandably worn him out at times. Those rare moments aside, Quicky has been literally saving the season.
On one particular night, I happened to be sitting next to two Canadian gentlemen. They were neither fans of the Kings, or the other team. They seemed perplexed and even a little disgruntled. It was as if what they saw had been disrespectful to the game. To my vindication and horror, they mentioned the ridiculous mistakes the Kings had been making. I'm going to paraphrase because it's been a few months, but nearly word for word one man stated, They make plays that NHL teams can't make and win. Little has changed since that night last fall, except that things have gotten worse.
To add frustration to the mix, we get to see glimpses of their potential. During the Penguin game last week, it was as if they were bi-polar schizophrenic. One shift, they appeared to be out classed and lethargic. The next shift they put the defending champs on their ass. I bring this up merely to point out that the potential is there to make a run for the cup. The issue is consistency. Every game, every period, every shift.
There are many bright spots this season for the Kings. It has been tough to play without one of the top players in the league, Carter, being absent due to injury. However, fundamentals are fundamental for a reason. Not clearing the zone, turnovers at the blue lines, and getting caught too deep in the zone too often will continue to spell doom for the Kings. I applaud the improved creativity and offensive production, but the boys aren't winning. Hopefully they will find some equilibrium between their creativity and their fundamentals. If they do, who knows? Maybe they can win in June.
When the season started, it was exciting to see the increased creativity and production. Better than that, the Kings were winning games. None the less, I kept seeing things that made my gut cringe. I was watching NHL players make plays/mistakes that would get a pee-wee player benched. I swallowed my tongue a bit as the Kings kept scoring, and they kept winning.
I'm fairly certain that other teams were taken a bit off guard by some of the unconventional play, at least for a while. Eventually the league caught on. Team after team seem to be prepared to both create and pounce on the horrendous turnovers offered up by the Kings. The jig is up. It has been since November.
On behalf of all Kings fans, I would like to thank Jonathan Quick for his nightly heroics. Had he been a mere mortal goalie, even during these last dark months, there is little doubt that there would be any hope left. Sadly, he hasn't been on every night. My trip to Vegas in November was a bit of downer as he appeared to let in a few softies. It's tough to blame him. I'm actually shocked that he isn't suffering from PTSD. Night after night, he knows that he is going to get shelled, that he is going to face outnumbered attacks again and again. Most nights he stands on his head, and when breakdowns in fundamentals occur, I venture to propound that it's because he feels that he has to do something extraordinary just to keep them in the game. In addition to the breakdowns in fundamentals that this can cause, it has understandably worn him out at times. Those rare moments aside, Quicky has been literally saving the season.
On one particular night, I happened to be sitting next to two Canadian gentlemen. They were neither fans of the Kings, or the other team. They seemed perplexed and even a little disgruntled. It was as if what they saw had been disrespectful to the game. To my vindication and horror, they mentioned the ridiculous mistakes the Kings had been making. I'm going to paraphrase because it's been a few months, but nearly word for word one man stated, They make plays that NHL teams can't make and win. Little has changed since that night last fall, except that things have gotten worse.
To add frustration to the mix, we get to see glimpses of their potential. During the Penguin game last week, it was as if they were bi-polar schizophrenic. One shift, they appeared to be out classed and lethargic. The next shift they put the defending champs on their ass. I bring this up merely to point out that the potential is there to make a run for the cup. The issue is consistency. Every game, every period, every shift.
There are many bright spots this season for the Kings. It has been tough to play without one of the top players in the league, Carter, being absent due to injury. However, fundamentals are fundamental for a reason. Not clearing the zone, turnovers at the blue lines, and getting caught too deep in the zone too often will continue to spell doom for the Kings. I applaud the improved creativity and offensive production, but the boys aren't winning. Hopefully they will find some equilibrium between their creativity and their fundamentals. If they do, who knows? Maybe they can win in June.
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