WE HAVE A DEAL!

Drew gets his money.
Dean gets his contract length.
The Kingdom rejoices.
The Queen gets her King back.

Once again, all is right in Hockeywood. All we need now is The Cup....

Is it October yet?

GO KINGS GO!

Kings vs Coyotes: Don't Worry, It's Only The Pre-Season

Pre-season games are like going back to school after summer break. You wander the halls, screaming and hugging every old friend you spot and talking about expectations for the year. You probably don't learn much the first few days, but you enjoy the renewed camaraderie before getting down to the hard work you know is coming.

Hey guys! What'cha been up to this summer?

There were new faces and old on the ice last night, along with new moves and old rust. It's too early to worry about the fact that the power play wasn't really working, and new rookie goalies aren't supposed to be great in shoot outs. So even though the Kings lost in the shoot out 2-1, there were still some good takeaways from the game. And at least Patrick O'Sullivan wasn't the Coyote to net the overtime game winner. Small victories, people.

Here are The Queen's notes from the evening.

• Mike Richards does a relatively short warm-up skate. He was the last one on the ice and the first one off. Based on fan demand for Richie photos, this will require a change in strategy.

• I was happy to see Boedeker got a boarding call and game misconduct for nasty hit on Muzzin. Hopefully this is the start of some improved discipline around the league.

• There was a lot of discussion on the ice before the first power play. Mike Richards led the talk, which probably went something along the lines of "OK guys, I know we haven't gotten to this in practice yet, but someone just feed me the puck and I'll try to hammer it in." IF that was the strategy, it didn't exactly work, but at least I saw different guys shooting from different locations so it wasn't the "old" power play. Rome wasn't built in a day, so it's going to be a work in progress for a while.

• Loktionov is going to kick ass if they give him a chance.

• I thought Stoll's shot had actually improved there for a bit. Maybe he can see better with that visor? Or maybe not based on his shootout performance.

• Voynov looked incredibly solid and confident. Muzzin was a mess at both ends of the ice. Before this game, Muzzin was my pick to stick on defense, but I'm rethinking that idea. 

• Thomas Hickey held his own last night. Not outstanding, but solid in both ends. He looked a little nervous in warm-ups, and you just look at his face and know the pressure he's feeling to make this team. He played well that under pressure, which is a great sign. There is still hope for The Thomas Hickey Experiment.

• Poor Kyle Clifford had a rough night. Too much time in the box with penalties from maybe just trying just a little too hard. He should have had a goal in the first but for an AWFUL goalie interference call.  And his tilt last night was not one of The Big Red Dog's better fights either. But I still love watching him give the death stare to opponents.

• Brad Richardson worked his butt off tonight. There is no assignment that guy won't take if it helps the team and lets him play in the NHL. If everyone on this team had his work ethic 100% of the time, you might as well give the Kings the Stanley Cup now.

• Scott Parse didn't do a whole lot for me -- or for the team. Not especially fast, not a fantastic shot. I don't know where this awesomely skilled guy Dean lauded last season went, but he's not wearing #21 this season.

• Jordan Nolan still needs some seasoning. His passes weren't great and he looked really tentative at times. Nerves might have come into play as well.

• I love watching Quickie flip his hair when he takes his helmet off. It's like hockey porn. 

Is it October yet?

GO KINGS GO!

Camp Observations, Queen Style!

Lots of ink and video has already been devoted to the first two days of training camp by the fantastic pro writers that cover the Kings. I love hockey but I am not the sharpest technical mind in the blogging game, so I thought I'd give you a purely fan-style perspective on camp so far. Here are some mostly non-hockey related observations, with a few nuggets of questionable wisdom thrown in.

• Seeing Anze Kopitar back makes my heart happy. He hasn't lost a step since last season, and the smile at being back hasn't left his face.

• Jonathan Quick is kinda hot with longer hair.
• Watching goalies do conditioning skates in like watching oompah-loompahs. They practically have to be bowlegged to move around their gear.
• Mike Richards is a STUD. He let off a shot yesterday that almost took Jonathan Bernier's head off -- top shelf and straight into the net. He can stay.
• Rich Clune's mouth hangs open in exactly the same position 100% of the time that he's skating. Oddly, it's a look that works for him.
• Watching a whole squad of professional hockey players get confused by a drill is funny. Even the brand new video demonstration tool with the cool TV couldn't help it make sense. Back to the whiteboard!
• Seeing Willie Mitchell's sneer makes my day. Every team needs a badass and he's the baddest of then all.
• It's so funny watching Matt Greene absolutely BURY Jarret Stoll in the net knowing in only a few days they'll bring their bromance back to warm-up skates at games.
• Jonathan Bernier drew the short goalie straw being assigned to Group A. He spent every session getting pummeled by Dustin Brown, Mike Richards AND every rookie dying to make an impression on the coach. Poor guy even broke his twig.
• Davis Drewiske is really too beautiful to be a hockey player. He looks like he belongs in Ralph Lauren ads.
• If Dustin Brown, Mike Richards and Simon Gagne stay together as a line, the Western conference opposition is going to be in a lot of pain, much to the delight of Kings fans.
• Matt Greene will own you of you have the puck.
• I love Andre Loktionov more every day. Slava Voynov is growing on me, although I wish he'd bring the long hair back.
• Speaking of hair, Matt Greene's hair will always be just a little...off somehow. Then again, Greener is a little "off" himself.
• Our prospect Michael Schumacher may not drive a race car, but he skates like he's powered by one.
• Kyle Clifford's smile is like Disneyland. You can't go there and not smile too.
• I can't wait until the day my favorite smile is back on the ice again....

Photo courtesy of Nichole Glaze Photography. Smile courtesy of Doughty Enterprises, LLC.

Finally, if you haven't checked them out already, get all The Queen's photos and video from Saturday and Sunday on the Kings Court Facebook page and YouTube channel. Because a picture of your favorite King is worth more than all the words I just wrote.

GO KINGS GO!

Doughty Damage Done

If you had come to me at the end of last season and said, "Queen, I know you love Drew, but getting him under contract is going to be a problem and you're going to end up disappointed in him" I would probably have laughed and then punched your lights out. Amazing how a summer can change things.

I finally have to admit it. I'm disappointed in Drew.

Drew Doughty could have the best reasons in the world for not having signed a contract up until now, but I'd still be disappointed. Because even if he's "right" to take the stand he has, he's still tarnished his reputation -- not just with the fans, but more importantly with his teammates. And whether he reports for training camp tomorrow (which is looking less and less likely by the hour), the damage is already done and there may be no way to clean it up -- at least not permanently.

Get ready to spend the season watching your back, my friend.

Publicly, his teammates will be stand-up guys and express the desire to have him in the locker room and emphasize that he's part of the team no matter what. They will say his contract is none of their business. But privately, they likely have the same frustrations any co-worker would have with someone who is perceived to not be doing things in the best interest of the team. "Who the hell does this guy think he is? You think we ENJOY giving up a Sunday to go put up with fans? He gets to make huge money and sidestep all the crap we put up with?"

The fan base will be even more critical. People like me who were Doughty fans previously may still adore him, but that adoration will always come with the caveat of "I love him, except for that whole contract mess in 2011." God forbid he makes it back and isn't perfect at everything -- fitness, on-ice performance, statements in interviews and interactions with fans. One wrong step and the moaning and groaning will start -- "I knew this would happen. This kid has ALWAYS been overrated. Now we have proof! He never should have gotten such a fat contract." And the Doughty haters already out there will be nodding their heads, saying "I told you so..."

The truth is at the end of the day, this whole situation is less about reality than perception. The thing Drew Doughty and his agent have done most poorly through this whole process is manage public perception. Because of that, he's painted himself into a corner where nothing he does from here forward will be good enough. The doubt in his ability, his motivation and his heart will always be there.

Maybe the Kings truly are the evil empire and Dean Lombardi is Darth Vader, trying desperately to neutralize this powerful young hockey Jedi. Drew is just trying to keep from getting screwed over. But is that what the perception is right now? Absolutely not. The perception is that he's greedy and selfish, and in the absence of information from the Doughty camp on their position and the rationale behind it, people will assume the worst scenario. Maybe even his own team mates.

At whatever point Drew Doughty resumes his career with the Kings, one thing is certain. He's no longer the same player we knew before this mess. He'll never be that person again.

Hockey Fest 2011: Meet The New Kings

Plenty of folks were excited for the Q&A with the newest members of the Kings -- Simon Gagne, Mike Richards, Colin Fraser and Ethan Moreau. Shortly after the State of the Franchise session, the concourse was packed with a standing room only crowd. No pressure there, new guys.

The discussion was moderated by Kings radio personality Nick Nickson, and after introducing each player he spent time asking a series of questions of the panel before letting the fans jump in. Most of the opening questions and answers were pretty basic, as were the answers -- typical press conference stuff. To a point, that was probably necessary with this group. They don't know the fan base well, and we don't know them so there isn't a shared history or cool inside jokes that would make for more interesting commentary. Even so, there were a few fun moments.

Here are The Queen's overall observations about each player, including some of their answers to the more interesting questions posed by fans.

Mike Richards

• Mike Richards resume is simply jaw-dropping. He's won awards on every team he's played with. The most interesting stat Nick shared is that he holds a NHL record for the most short-handed 5 on 3 goals. This is a guy that can get it done in the clutch. I'm impressed.
• In keeping with what I've read about him, he seems pretty quiet and reserved for the most part. His answers were safe, although his creative pronunciation of "organization" (it ends up sounding like organ-eye-zation) made me smile.
• At times he looked liked a deer caught in the headlights, but it must be strange sitting on a stage with about a thousand people starting straight at you, so I'm inclined to give him a break.
• I especially loved that all the other guys were wearing dress shoes while he rocked the old-school sneakers.

• Favorite player growing up: Joe Sakic
• Pet Peeve: Certain players who will not be named that chip everybody (pretty sure at least one of those is a New York Ranger)
• Best answer of the day: When asked whether he will be changing his Twitter name because his number changed, he responded "I'm really terrible at it (Twitter) and I don't know how."

Simon Gagne

• Gagne seemed to be the most talkative of the bunch and gave the longest answers to the questions asked. He has that totally adorable French Canadian accent so I had no problem with him talking as long as he wanted!

• He got the full court press from Justin Williams and Mike Richards when the Kings expressed interest. He and Williams stayed in touch after their playing years together in Philadelphia. 
• Gagne was the only player on the panel that was never a captain on any team he played for. He was an assistant captain in juniors.
• Favorite player growing up: Joe Sakic
• Nicknames: Gags, Gaggie

Colin Fraser

• Fraser was in an unusual situation for this event, being at the center of Mulletgate and all. He may be the player the Kings got "stuck" with in the Ryan Smyth trade, but you'd never know it. He was funny and charming -- and if he sticks around he might give Matt Greene a run for his money in the snarky quips department.
• His surgically repaired broken foot is now ready to go back in a skate, but as of Hockey Fest that hadn't happened yet. However, he was optimistic about skating soon and would see what happened from there.
• Fraser grew up a Canucks fan but made it clear he "Isn't one any more." Good boy.
• Favorite player growing up: Trevor Linden
• Nickname: Fraze
• Best answer of the day: "Coming from Edmonton, you know, we finished in 30th so...I'm happy to be here!"

Ethan Moreau

• Although he's gone on record saying he's funnier than Matt Greene, you would never know it. Moreau probably spoke the least of any of the players, but after you've had a long career in the NHL, how much is there left to say?
• I loved that he seemed to be on the verge of sliding off the chair the entire time.
• Favorite player growing up: Wayne Gretzky
• Nickname: Chop
• Best answer of the day: A woman got confused about a hitchhiking incident involving an Oilers player last season that she thought was Moreau -- but wasn't. She kept telling him not to pick up hitchhikers here in LA. He was obviously confused and she kept pressing saying "You don't know what I'm talking about?" as the crowd kept yelling "WRONG GUY!" Finally, he shut her up with this AWESOME one liner -- "I did a lot of things in Edmonton but that wasn't one of them."

Of all the comments during the panel, the best one went to Nick Nickson himself. A fan asked Gagne and Richards what they thought about Los Angeles being called "Philly West" because of the large number of connections between the current Kings organization and former Flyers. Nick's response? "Do the Flyers mind being known as Kings East?"

Thanks to all the new guys for being great sports with the Kings passionate fan base. We're glad you're part of the team!

GO KINGS GO!

Hockey Fest 2011: State of the Franchise

Prior to Hockey Fest, Dean Lombardi had agreed not to publicly discuss the Doughty negotiations. So much for that plan.

The State of the Franchise session kicked off with the Kings general manager talking about critical situations -- game situations and business situations. The road to success is full of them, and he emphasized that this organization is ready to handle the critical situations coming at them and more committed than ever to success.

Since Dean and the Kings staff knew there was no getting away from it, Bob Miller had the task of lightening up the mood by asking if he could have the first question of the day since Dean was "pretty sure he knew what it was." The audience got the joke and laughed along.

When he did answer the inevitable Doughty status question, Lombardi referenced the lessons he learned from his tenure in San Jose dealing with multiple RFA holdouts and had this to say:

"I've been through this once before....I couldn't look them in the eye....I can assure you that is not the problem here."

With the ball firmly in Doughty's court with THAT answer and the elephant finally out of the room, Dean, Terry Murray, Jeff Solomon and Ron Hextall fielded a host of other questions from fans. Here are some of the more interesting comments of the morning.

• Regarding what the Kings will do to improve their anemic power play, Terry Murray responded "Dean, you wanna talk on that?"

• One brave (and possibly stupid) fan asked if captains will change because Mike Richards is on the team. After the booing subsided, Terry Murray settled the issue. "Dustin Brown is our Captain."

• "I've never seen a player overprepared to play in the NHL." - Ron Hextall

• On the latest "Mulletgate" update, Jeff Solomon stepped right up to the plate. "Dean will hand me the mic so I'm the one that gets hit with a fine this year."

• "Maybe we got a little ahead of ourselves with the Brad Richards thing." - Dean Lombardi

• When asked about the recent trend of Manchester players leaving for greener pastures in Europe, Lombardi said "You better get the muzzle Solly, because this is gonna get me irritated..."

• And finally, a fan named Frank asked if there is truly any loyalty anymore with regard to players and their feelings about the organization they play for. "This could be a 3 hour conversation," responded Lombardi.

Once the questions were done, the most anticipated moment of the morning arrived as the Kings active roster members were introduced. It was a beautiful sight seeing them all lined up in those new road jerseys!

Dustin Brown also shared a few remarks, emphasizing that this year feels different for the team. They're on the verge of something amazing, and they know it. Hearing him speak sent chills up my spine.

Brown started by thanking team owner Phil Anschutz for his unwavering support and calling him "the best owner in hockey, if not the best owner in all professional sports."  He welcomed his new team mates, which I thought was incredibly classy. Finally, our Captain made the expectations for the season clear as a bell:

"Last season left a bitter taste in our mouths. It's time to get rid of it."

Is it October yet?


GO KINGS GO!

Kings Court Comes to YouTube!

If you've been following Kings Court on Facebook for a while, you know The Queen likes posting video from practices, games and Kings special events. While I love giving those great "exclusives" to all you loyal members of The Court, it seems a shame not to share our riches with all those other Kings fans that haven't discovered us yet, right? Right!

So without further ado, The Queen presents the Kings Court YouTube Channel!

Kings Court YouTube Channel

All the video content you were getting on Facebook will now be posted here. I'll still be linking the videos to the Kings Court Facebook wall, but having them permanently stored in YouTube accomplished a couple of things.

• Easier searching for your favorite videos
• Easier sharing with your buddies that don't love Facebook as much as you do
• A more rested Queen (because frankly, the Facebook video uploader takes FOREVER and the YouTube uploading process is much more efficient!)

Here's a little content preview and possibly my favorite moment from Hockey Fest. Who wouldn't want to be serenaded by Kevin Westgarth on their birthday!

Check out the new channel, and I would LOVE your feedback on what you'd like to see, how it can be better, etc. And as always, thanks for your support of Kings Court!


GO KINGS GO!