LA Hockey Underground

Lucky?  I think not.       Things are looking up for the Los Angeles Kings and their fans.  The last two weeks have brought some needed changes to the team, and it doesn't appear to be happenstance.  It seems that both Lucky and Big Rob know this team, its strengths, its weaknesses and are not only willing to make moves to get better, but doing so in a manner that demonstrates knowledge and skill.       Acquiring Phaneuf, and to a lesser extent Thompson, was much bigger move than anyone in the media seems to understand.  I would guess that because Phaneuf hasn't had a great year, much like the Ottawa organization themselves, not much was made of the trade.  My initial response was tepid with a side of let's wait and see.  A little over a week in, I have become a convert.  Phaneuf has brought experience, scoring, and a physical presence that the team desperately needed on the blue line.  He will be a ma...

Aloha Drew Doughty.  No, I don't know if I am saying hello or good bye.  The reality of this situation is that Drew Doughty may bid adieu to Los Angeles for greener, much greener pastures.  The alternative, is that the salary cap strapped Kings could commit huge amounts of money to keep him.  Doughty has grown into an iconic player during this era, and frankly deserves to get paid his worth.  If the Kings are going to end up signing Doughty, Mr. Lucky and Big Rob have some tough decisions and shrewd finagling ahead of them. So, what will the Kings do with him?  There are several options: 1.  Re-sign him to an extension (unlikely based on what Doughty has already stated) and pay him his due.  2.  Trade him now for some big time picks.  3.  Wait until next year's deadline and trade him for quite a bit less.  4.  Don't trade him, let him play out his contract, and roll the dice in free agency.  5.  A combin...

Suck on this Schralp As I think back, I like to contrast my first impression of Drew Doughty to my first impression of Anze Kopitar. The impressions were nothing alike. In fact, they were complete polar opposites. I can vividly remember my first live look at Kopi, a preseason game, and just being awed by his power, speed, flow, and the way he controlled the game while on the ice. I was excited to see our future looming so brightly and immediately proclaimed him a future super star. On the other hand, I can also remember the first time I watched Drew Doughty play. I was so befuddled by his constant pee wee level mistakes, bungling, and poor turnovers that I turned to my friend and finally said, "This guy sucks." I never let up either. I couldn't believe that they kept putting him on the ice. The lady next to me finally had heard more than she could stand, and finally, with an angry and frustrated look, said to me, "He doesn't suck, and he's...

Kuemper Saves Halleluja!!!  Praise Jevus, Praise Ollah, or whatever rock or celestial being that you choose. Darcy Kuemper is helping to save the Kings season.  There have been many goaltender pairs that played a key role in getting teams to the Stanley cup.  Moog and Fuhr, Resch and Smith, Vanbiesbrook and Richter, Murray and Fleury are all great examples.  Luckily for Kings fans, Kuemper is playing Moog to Quick’s Fuhr. In fifteen games, Kuemper is 8-1, with a goals against average of 1.75 and a .943 save percentage.  He has given us an impressive stat line to be sure.  However, as with most stats, they can be a bit misleading.  He hasn’t had to face the number of tough consecutive games that Quick has, which means that he hasn’t been worn out, and worn down by having to make unbelievable save after unbelievable save to make up for the less than stellar defense in front of him.   Quick on the other hand has been routinely shel...

They are the pick up truck.  Not the tiny four cylinder model, and not the giant, lifted, chromed out show toy that some duchebag ducks fan from Newport Beach drives, but they are the full sized, V8 down and dirty, throw anything in the back work truck that just keeps getting the job done. The last two months have been plagued by several disheartening losing streaks.  In the midst of this, some of the best shifts on the ice came from the unsung third line, who, for guys that are typically overlooked, sure seem to be in the right places an awful lot. During these recent slumps, there were a few bright spots.  Some, need little or no mention because they were so obvious, Quicky.  Others are less shiny.  Others, sit beneath the glitz and the glamour of the All Stars, and the top scorers.  On many nights I watched the first two lines chase other teams around the defensive zone, a step slow physically and mentally.  Then the third line would...

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 t...