LA Hockey Underground

        Is This Hockey's Future?      Diving is a sickness.  It has infected Soccer like a plague, and the panzie Euro led FIFA has no desire to fix it.  They love having Arjen Robben defraud the world on the grandest stage.  The NHL can't end up like this, but it will, if the NHL doesn't do anything.         One of the best things about hockey, is that it is a sport of determination and grit.  Unlike soccer players, hockey players play through clutching and grabbing, play through slashing and tripping, or do they?  While the league has made some effort to not become the disgrace to sport that soccer has become, it isn't enough.      Rick Nash's faked injury this weekend made me want to puke.  I was disgusted at what I was seeing and sickened to my core.  There is no place in hockey for theatrics.  I keep wanting to say, "Play like a man.", but I know that the wo...

The Potential Is There       On Thursday night the Kings faced a Columbus team that is fighting for a playoff spot in the hotly contested Metropolitan division with a scant 17 points separating the top from the bottom.  The Blue Jackets came out firing, and the Kings came out ready for a nap.  For twenty minutes, we watched the good guys in the black jerseys chase the visitors around the defensive zone.  Breakout after breakout was a complete disaster.  I was a bit disheartened as this has been a major problem since the holidays.       Luckily, the fans got to see a different team come out for the second period.  The Kings were flying, denying space and creating turnovers.  Then, a role player, a new to our team role player stepped up.  Thompson unleashed a wicked shot over the pad and rang it off the post.  The Kings were back in the game.  Later, Iafallo and Pearson responded with tip ins.  A grim night...

All In, Again?      Poker and Hockey are alike in some ways.  Anyone can get lucky on the river and come out a winner, just like the Kings did on Monday night against the Las Vegas Golden Knights, and almost did on Saturday against the Oilers.  The problem is, the more times one has to go all in just to stay alive, the quicker one will be escorted from the table.  Stephens has his team in a precarious positions way more than is healthy.  If that isn't corrected, well, the end of the season might be close at hand.       The Kings aren't marking in their own zone, in the neutral zone, or in the opponents zone.  They simply aren't marking.   The Kings should have lost by at least four goals on Monday night.  Time after time, the Knights were in a prime scoring position with no defender to even contest the shot.  Only a super human effort by Quicky, again, kept the game close.      To their credit...

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...