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LA Kings Defenseman Willie Mitchell Warns Against Overconfidence

April 13, 2012 by 3 Comments

Los Angeles Kings veteran defenseman Willie Mitchell knows his
former team, the Vancouver Canucks, all too well.
Photo: David Sheehan

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Despite their underdog status going into their first round playoff series against the Vancouver Canucks, the Los Angeles Kings, lead the series, 1-0, after winning Game 1 on April 11, 4-2, in Vancouver.

The Kings went into the series saying all the right things about not being concerned about being the underdog, and expressing confidence that they could get the job done against the heavily favored Canucks.

Of course, the Kings were heavy underdogs two seasons ago, when they faced the Canucks in the first round, and it was the same thing against the San Jose Sharks in the first round last season. Read more of this post

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Filed under Audio/Video, News, NHL News, Stanley Cup Playoffs Tagged with , , , , , ,

Los Angeles Kings Have A Real Chance To Win Playoff Series Against Vancouver Canucks

April 11, 2012 by 5 Comments

Center Anze Kopitar (left) and forward Jeff Carter (right) must be at
their very best if the Los Angeles Kings expect to advance past the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Photo: David Sheehan

EL SEGUNDO, CA — As they have been in each of the two previous seasons, the Los Angeles Kings are heavy underdogs in their first round playoff series, this time, against the Vancouver Canucks, starting tonight at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Canucks earned the best record in the National Hockey League, winning the President’s Trophy for the second consecutive season, while the Kings brought up the rear among Western Conference playoff teams as the eighth seed.

“We know what we’re up against,” said Kings head coach Darryl Sutter. “Say what you want, the Vancouver Canucks have won more games in the last year and a half, counting playoffs, than any team in the National Hockey League. That’s a task in itself.” Read more of this post

Filed under Audio/Video, News, NHL News, Stanley Cup Playoffs Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Los Angeles Kings’ 2011 Late-Round Draft Picks Working To Beat Long Odds

August 18, 2011 by 15 Comments

EL SEGUNDO, CA — The National Hockey League Entry Draft is one huge crapshoot in terms of teams landing prospects who will make it to the NHL level to stay, let alone big stars, even for those who are lucky enough to be first round picks.

Left wing prospect Joel Lowry spoke to the media
during the Los Angeles Kings 2011 Development Camp
at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California,
July 11-12, 2011.
Photo: Gann Matsuda

For those who end up being selected in later rounds, the odds of making it to the NHL are much, much longer. Nevertheless, every so often, they not only make it to the NHL, but they thrive there.

The most notable cases in point among Kings draft picks (not including active NHL players) would be:

  • Butch Goring, Center (fifth round, 51st overall, 1969)
  • Billy Smith, Goaltender (fifth round, 59th overall, 1970)
  • Dave Taylor, Right Wing (15th round, 210th overall, 1975)
  • Mark Hardy, Defenseman (second round, 30th overall, 1979)
  • Bernie Nicholls, Center (fourth round, 73rd overall, 1980)
  • Kevin Stevens, Left Wing (sixth round, 108th overall, 1983)
  • Luc Robitaille, Left Wing (ninth round, 171st overall, 1984)
  • Rob Blake, Defenseman (fourth round, 70th overall, 1987)
  • Alexei Zhitnik, Defenseman (fourth round, 81st overall, 1991) Read more of this post

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Frozen Royalty Audio and NHL Video: LA Kings Can’t Blame Officials For 3-1 Loss To Vancouver

March 5, 2011 by 1 Comment

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Kings head coach Terry Murray is usually, the calm, collected type. He is not a screamer, and rarely yells when he is behind the bench or during practice.

Murray stayed true to form following his team’s 3-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, a matinee affair on March 5 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Despite that, Murray was hotter than Hades following the game. Read more of this post

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Frozen Royalty Audio: LA Kings Use Balanced Scoring To Beat Vancouver, 4-1

October 16, 2010 by 1 Comment

LOS ANGELES — Dustin Brown scored two goals, Jarret Stoll and Justin Williams scored a goal each, and Ryan Smyth contributed two assists to lead the Los Angeles Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in front of a sell-out crowd of 18,118 fans at Staples Center on October 15.

The Kings opened the scoring when Stoll scored off a deflection at 2:48 of the first period. But the Kings sat back and let the Canucks come at them, one wave after another, for the rest of the period and to start the second period. Read more of this post

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