LA Hockey Underground

A couple of years ago, I about came out of my skin in frustration and anger at both the NHL, and the fans across North America.  Anze Kopitar had been left out of the All Star game.   Daryl Sutter was an amazing coach that helped make the dreams of LA hockey players and fans come true, but his system of play not only reduced scoring by the other team, but by the Kings players as well.  Kopi's stat line wasn't flashy, and to someone that didn't watch him night in and night out, he didn't stand out.  If you did watch him night in and night out, if you did play against him, there could be no doubt that he is the best player on the ice.  I knew it, the coaches in the NHL knew it, the players in the NHL knew it, but few others did. Kopitar was recently awarded the Selke trophy, and despite some legitimate contenders, he clearly deserved it, in addition to deserving it for the last six years.  In addition to winning the Selke, he finished in third place...

Correction - previously unbeknownst to me, Junior hockey has a rule that players in their 18 year old year can't move up to professional hockey unless it is the NHL.  In my previous blog, I mentioned the possibility of Jaret Anderson-Dolan moving up to play with the Reign.  Due to this rule, the Ontario Reign would not see Anderson-Dolan until the season ends, and Spokane has been eliminated from the playoffs.  Unless the Kings decide to move him to the big club, a very unlikely scenario, AD will likely play in Spokane next year.  He is only 18, and another year in the WHL won't likely hurt him.  I guess I was getting ahead of myself.  Either way, he is a player and will hopefully bring some offensive punch down the road.

As I look into the future of the Los Angeles Kings, I have to admit that I am getting a little excited.  Last year's draft pics are proving to be legitimate pieces that may bring just what the team needs, scoring. Before I go any further, I must admit that my resources are extremely limited.  I don't have the money or time (I have a job) to fly around the country scouting the young up and comers, especially since there simply aren't serious junior tier I, II, or NCAA Div 1 programs anywhere near Southern California.  However, there are highlight reels available, and stats.  One of the real drawbacks of stats and video highlights, however, is that they don't show some of the not so little things that NHL coaches demand from their players, like fore-checking angles and effectiveness, back checking, turnovers in the critical areas...etc.  While neither highlight reels, or stats, are enough to make prophetic predictions about how a young man will play in the NHL,...

The bad news is that the Kings need some help.  I know, not exactly an astute observation, especially since we are watching other teams play in round two from our couches.  They need scoring.  The good news is that Gabriel Vilardi appears ready to step in and get it done. Vilardi, the first round draft pick from last year, had been projected as a top four pick.  For one reason or another, he dropped.  He dropped all the way to 11, where the Kings happily snapped him up.  His summer and subsequent fall were plagued by injuries.  Maybe that is what kept teams from picking him up, or maybe it was his supposed lack of skating ability, a denigration that I find hard to give too much credence too.  Either way, neither his injuries, nor his supposed lack of skating could keep him down forever.  In the second half of the season, he was a juggernaught for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. In 32 games, he tallied 22 goals and 36 assists, nea...

It's Officially Baseball Season Now Well that sucked.  The Kings were unceremoniously swept under the rug by the Golden Knights.  When the final few seconds ticked off, it hurt.  It felt as if we had been cheated, and the NHL's random assessment of suspensions aside, we really hadn't. In retrospect, it was a really good series hockey wise, especially for a sweep.  One game went to double overtime, and all four games were decided by one goal.  The level of hockey was both entertaining, and admirable.  It was fast, physical, and tightly contested right up until the final horn.  This has definitely been a far better series than that of the water fowl from across town and the guppies from up north.  I'm not happy though. The first mention must go to the stars of the series.  Both goaltenders put on a show.  Fleury was nothing short of spectacular, and nearly perfect.  The Kings will share some of the blame for their own inabili...

The NHL is endangering its players.  The NHL is supposed to be rough.  It is supposed to be physical.  Fans love its speed and physicality.  The blend of the beautiful and the burly.  Lets face it, hockey is a game that came from the great white north where it is dark and cold much of the time, a land that is is still largely wild and unsettled. Fighting is considered just part of the game.  As a result, the game brings with it a culture of toughness.  One thing that hockey has never had, at least up until now, is an acceptance of using the stick as a weapon.  Drop the sticks, drop the gloves, and duke it out.  Under Gary Bettman, however, things are changing, and there are no consequences for blatant use of the stick with intent to injure. Lets go back a few years and review an incident that ended a man's career.  Granted he was on the very back end of his hockey career, but his vicious and violent act was considered so heinous that...

Where Do We Go From Here? For those of us not playing tonight, the future looms a bit tenuously.  The ride home Sunday night was a rough one.  Fans, myself included, were bitter and disillusioned.  I heard people railing on our fourth line, and granted, they didn't have their best game, but they did not play terribly, and even created some scoring opportunities.  I heard people railing on Carter's lack of offense and seemingly inability to have an effect on the game.  It is obvious that Carter was lacking, but I think it's pretty clear that he is hurt and playing through some pain.  Toffoli's name crept up throughout the game as he too seemed unable to be effective.  Toffoli isn't much of a creator though.  He needs line mates that  will create opportunities for him to finish.  He had  a few chances but never looked sharp, which is partly due to the Knights defense that didn't give him much space or time.  There was and ...