LA KINGS Hockey Fest 2009

Thursday, June 4, 2009


FORMER KINGS KELLY HRUDEY AND
RAY FERRARO JOIN KINGS BROADCASTER
JIM FOX TO HEADLINE SPECIAL
“NHL EXPERTS PANEL”
AT LA KINGS HOCKEY FEST ‘09

THE KINGS’ FIRST-EVER SEASON KICK-OFF CELEBRATION
OF HOCKEY TO FEATURE KINGS PLAYERS, ALUMNI
AND MUCH MORE AUGUST 28-30 AT LA LIVE


LOS ANGELES – Former Los Angeles Kings goalie Kelly Hrudey and former Kings forward Ray Ferraro will return to Southern California and join Kings television color commentator and former Kings forward Jim Fox to headline a special “NHL Experts Panel” at LA Kings Hockey Fest ’09, a new three-day interactive festival celebrating the Kings and the game of hockey from August 28-30. The NHL Experts Panel will be one of seven special programming series that will be a part of the event.

LA Kings Hockey Fest ‘09, which was originally announced in March, will feature Kings’ players, coaches, alumni, hockey dignitaries, special Kings’ merchandise, hockey memorabilia, special Q&A sessions with players and autograph sessions. All activities and events during the LA Kings Hockey Fest ’09 will take place at LA Live in the heart of downtown Los Angeles .

Hrudey works as an analyst for CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada and as a co-host of the nationally syndicated Hockey Night in Canada radio show. He played for the Kings from 1988-96 and helped lead the Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals. He also ranks second on the Kings all-time in games (360), second in wins (145), tied for fourth in shutouts (10), 10th in goals-against-average (3.47) and tied for seventh in save percentage (.896).

Overall, Hrudey posted a 271-265-88 record, a 3.43 goals-against-average and 16 shutouts in 677 career regular season NHL games with the Kings, Sharks and Islanders.

Ferraro works as an analyst for TSN and for Team 1040 Radio in Vancouver . He played for the Kings from 1995-99 and he led the Kings in goals (25) during the 1996-97 season. In 1,258 regular season NHL games with the Kings, Blues, Thrashers, Rangers, Islanders and Whalers, Ferraro recorded 898 points (408-490=898) and 1,288 penalty minutes.

Both Ferraro and Hrudey will also take part in an autograph session during the event.

Fox is set to enter his 20th season as the color commentator for all televised Kings games on FS West. This past season he was named the top Pre and Post-Game Television Host by the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association, and he was named the best TV color commentator in Southern California by the Los Angeles Daily News and columnist Tom Hoffarth for the eighth time in the last nine years. He also works as an NHL contributor to Yahoo! Sports, has served as co-host of the Los Angeles-area Emmy-Award winning Kings Live! pre-game show, and in 2006 Sports Illustrated named Fox the best analyst in hockey.

He played for the Kings from 1980-90 and is eighth on the club’s all-time scoring list with 479 points. In 578 career regular season NHL games with the Kings, Fox recorded 479 points (186-293=479) and 143 penalty minutes.

Tickets for LA Kings Hockey Fest ’09 are currently on-sale and cost $60. Each ticket allows admittance into all LA Kings Hockey Fest ’09 events for the weekend. ESPN’s John Buccigross, who used to team with Ferraro on the ESPN show NHL 2Night, will serve as the “official host” of the event, will moderate the NHL Experts Panel series.

For more LA Kings Hockey Fest ‘09 details, visit LAKings.com/hockeyfest. To view the event’s official poster, visit LAKings.com/hockeyfest09poster.

STANLEY CUP FINAL II - The Rematch

The much-anticipated Stanley Cup final rematch is now upon us. Last season, the Pens went down in six games. In fact, they were shut out in the first two games before they finally broke through and won game three. Their playoff run was fueled by the bold move of acquiring Marian Hossa at the trade deadline. Many speculated the Pens had Mortgaged their future (Colby Armstrong) for one, all-or-nothing shot at glory.

That seemed to be the case up until this season's trade deadline when the Pens acquired Bill Guerin and hard-nosed winger Chris Kunitz. Those two now flank Sidney Crosby on the top line. MVP candidate Evgeni Malkin now centers the second line with Ruslan Fedotenko. Playmaking defenseman Sergei Gonchar, who seems to have sipped from the fountain of youth last season continues his amazing play this season.

In Detroit, the song remains the same. No less than seven All-Star caliber forwards, the best defenseman since Bobby Orr in Nik Lidstrom, and possibly the most underappreciated playoff goaltender in history in the person of Chris Osgood.

The rich definitely got richer after winning the Cup last year when All star forward Marian Hossa ditched the Pens after last year's final and brought his show to Detroit where he is now once again on the cusp of his first championship. The Pens have the chance to deny Hossa his ring. Hossa has a chance to prove he made the right decision when he joined the conquering army. There is still some lingering bitterness between Hossa and the Pittsburgh fans, which will definitely add some fuel to the fire when the teams go to Pittsburgh for games three and four.

Both teams have already been tested by high octane offensive teams. Pittsburgh faced a lot of firepower when they faced Washington in the Conference semi final, which they came back to win in seven games after dropping the first two.

The Wings faced the high powered Chicago Blackhawks in their recently completed Conference final and outscored them 19-10 in the series, putting the kids to bed in only five games.

Prediction: This is a much better, deeper and well coached Pens team than the team that lost in the Stanley Cup final last year. Rookie coach Dan Bylsma has had this team playing like champs since taking over late in the season. Sid the kid and Evgeni Malkin are playing truly inspired hockey and Jordan Staal is tough as nails. That said, the Pens are again going to come up agonizingly short. Detroit is a well-oiled machine. The Pens may well be able to match the offensive intensity of the Wings, but Detroit is the league's best at controlling play in the neutral zone, thus allowing them to both create and prevent more scoring opportunities than their opponent. It's going to be the intangibles, all those little things that don't appear on the score sheet which will ultimately make the difference in this series. The health of Pavel Datsyuk and Nik Lidstrom may be an issue, but trust Ozzie to be strong between the pipes.
RED WINGS in 6

Let's All Show Ozzie Some Love.

He has three Stanley Cup rings, two as a starter (1998, 2008), one as a backup (1997). Coming into this postseason, he has a lifetime playoff save percentage of 91.5 %. His lifetime playoff goals against average of 2.10 is better than that of Patrick Roy, Ed Belfour, and Curtis Joseph. Only Patrick Roy has more rings. Of the others, Belfour has one title and Cujo, none.

That said, Detroit Red Wings' goaltender Chris Osgood still gets almost no respect and is generally not involved in any discussions revolving around so-called "money" or "clutch" playoff goaltenders past or present. He is not even viewed in the same light as regular season marvels like Jose Theodore or Cristobal Huet even though they continually fold like lawn chairs in the playoffs.

After a mediocre 2008-2009 regular season in which he split time with backup Ty Conklin, Ozzie again has gotten into playoff form. His lackluster 3.09 regular season GAA is now an impressive 2.17, his unflattering 88.7 % regular season save percentage is now a sparkling 92%. He now tops all remaining goaltenders in both categories as he leads his mighty Detroit Red Wings toward the promised land. Lead? Osgood? Absolutely. Is this merely an aberration? I think not.

Last season, after a terrific regular season of 2.09 GAA and 91.4% save percentage while splitting time with Dominik Hasek, Ozzie took over down the stretch and in the playoffs, lowered his GAA to a miniscule 1.55 GAA and raised his save percentage to 93% as his Wings hoisted the Cup. It's called playoff time folks, and when the regular season ends, and all the chips are down, Ozzie turns into a completely different animal. Yes, he does give up the occasional soft goal, but then again, what great goaltender hasn't?

Playoff goaltending is all about making timely saves. Let's look at the cold hard facts. Ozzie has again this year made a habit of winning pivotal games. He allowed but one goal in game 5 of the tough conference semifinal against Anaheim as he stopped 16 of 17 shots in a solid 4-1 victory. In the conference final against Chicago, his team now leads the series three games to one courtesy of a Motown style beatdown administered on the road in a crucial game 4 in which Ozzie stopped 18 of 19 shots before he succumbed to dehydration and was replaced by Conklin in the third period of a 6-1 win. This was a crucial game which the Wings had to win without the services of MVP candidate Pavel Datsyuk and Norris trophy candidate Niklas Lidstrom. Ozzie was again equal to the task.

Should the Wings win the Cup again this year, what would it take for Ozzie to be declared the hero? Last year, a 1.55 overall playoff GAA and two shutouts in the Cup final against Pittsburgh were not enough for him to be named playoff MVP, that honor went to teammate Henrik Zetterberg. On the other side of the coin however, had they not won it all last year, or if they don't this year, he would almost certainly be declared the goat. No one ever said life was fair.

Of those who picked Anaheim to upset Detroit in the conference semifinal, many pointed to the combination of Anaheim sharpshooters on the ice and Chris Osgood in goal as the deciding factor. In short, he was supposed to be the reason they would lose that series. He wasn't.

Many of those who picked Chicago in the conference final felt that Nik Khabibulin would stand tall, and Ozzie would buckle under the Blackhawks constant offensive pressure. So far, it hasn't even been close, on either front.

I admit, it took me a long time to believe in Ozzie, but I have now seen the light.

Ozzie will turn 37 in November. After 15 years in the league and three rings, it's time we all gave the man his props. There are goalies who thrive in the regular season, and goalies who thrive in the playoffs, Ozzie is the latter. Always give credit where credit is due.

Consider he has now won championships ten years apart. He signed with the Islanders in 2001 and stayed there two seasons before being traded to St Louis in 2003. He then missed the entire 2004-2005 lockout season, and was again signed by Detroit as a free agent in 2005. Last year was his first playoff action since that re-signing, meaning he hadn't seen a playoff game in four years. That should at least qualify as a feel-good story. Where would Detroit have been without him last season? Detroit has seen the light and now has Ozzie under contract through the 2010-2011 season.

Career post season GAA is 2.10, career post season save percentage is 91.5%. Come playoff time, I'll take Chris Osgood over a Jose Theodore/Cristobal Huet- type any day of the week.
You can take that to the bank.

2009 Stanley Cup - MALKIN RULES !

ERIC STAAL Overshadowed Again

MAY 12, 2009 -- The Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006. When you ask random hockey fans to name the key players on that team, you will probably be met with silence and then, “Oh yeah, Doug Weight, umm, Rod Brind'Amour, uhh, Ron Francis, oh no, he retired that season, hmmm, Mark Recchi, and that defenseman with all the hair, uhh Mike Commodore…and, uhh, Erik uhh Cole, and that rookie goalie Cam Ward, who won the Conn Smythe trophy. They came outta nowhere. I think that's all of them.”

The forgotten man is, of course, Eric Staal.

He led his team in playoff scoring that season. Eric Staal? Isn't he related to Jordan Staal of Pittsburgh, and Mark Staal of the New York Rangers? Yes he is, and he is also the best hockey player of the trio. Brother Jordan plays with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on a rather high profile team. Speaking of high profile, brother Mark plays for the Rangers. Eric however, plays in relative obscurity in a southern state which is best known for being home to the most heated rivalry in all of college basketball (North Carolina/Duke) and prior to the hockey team being relocated there from Hartford in 1996, no real hockey tradition. Thus, both of his brothers tend to get more ink.

In all fairness, in the 2005-2006 season, the NHL was coming back after losing a full season due to the players’ inability to think for themselves, and all eyes were on the rookie of the year race between Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin took the honors, though neither of their teams made the postseason. Sidney Crosby had 39 goals that season, Ovechkin had 52.

Amidst all that hype, almost no one noticed that Staal - in only his second season - had increased his regular season goal production from 11 to 45 and his regular season point total from 31 to 100.

Eric won the Stanley Cup in only his second NHL season. He also led his team in goals (45), and points (100) during the regular season. His 19 regular season power play goals tied Rod Brind'Amour for the team lead. There would be no letdown in the playoffs, as Staal had 19 assists to go along with his nine goals (seven on the power play) as he led his team in post-season scoring en route to hoisting the Cup. With venerable NHL veterans Doug Weight and Rod Brind'Amour finally picking up their first championship rings and Mark Recchi his third, with a rookie goalie was named playoff MVP, Staal was effectively overshadowed.

Fast forward to present. Staal is one of only eight remaining players from that 2006 championship team. After this, his second 40-goal regular season, the 24 year-old from Thunder Bay, Ontario, is again leading his team in playoff scoring with nine goals and twelve total points. He is also once again being overshadowed by Crosby and Ovechkin, whose teams are currently locked in mortal combat in the other (higher profile) Eastern Conference semi-final.

The durable Staal has missed only one regular season game during his five-year career. Only in his rookie season did he fail to score at least 30 goals. His young career has already yielded 164 goals and 194 assists. He was the second overall draft pick in 2003, right behind Marc-Andre Fleury. He played his first NHL game at age 19 and went on to play 81 games in his rookie season. Jordan and Mark are both on their way to becoming solid NHL players. The final “InSTAALment” arrives in the form of youngest brother Jared, who should be arriving soon to the Phoenix Coyotes, who drafted him 49th overall last June.

The Staal brothers were raised on a sod farm in Northern Ontario, work ethic ingrained in this hardscrabble bunch. When all is said and done, this quartet from Thunder Bay Ontario may supplant the six Sutter boys from Viking, Alberta as the best brother act in NHL history. If this does come to pass, it will be due to the iron-clad Staal pedigree established by Eric as he shows his brothers the way with his exemplary grit, toughness and terrific work ethic much like Brian Sutter did for his brothers some 33 years ago.

DUCKS vs RED WINGS-Conference Semifinal

Game 4 Interviews with Franzen, Hossa, Lidstrom and both coaches.

DUCKS over SHARKS-Interviews

NHL Conference Semifinals

PITTSBURGH in 6
BOSTON in 7
ANAHEIM in 7
VANCOUVER in 5

PENS vs CAPS
If the NHL knew anything about how to promote their Sport, your television would be flooded with promos of Sid the Kid vs. Alexander the Great. There would be banners, painted bus benches, billboards and sky-writing. This promises to be the type of high octane series which can make non hockey fans into casual hockey fans, and casual fans into die-hard fans. This series could actually lay a foundation for the future of the sport. This is modern day Gretzy/Lemieux or Magic/Bird. Wayne and Mario of course never met in a playoff series, but Larry Bird and Magic Johnson met in three memorable NBA Finals.
This is the stuff of dreams. The hockey Gods have delivered the ultimate marquee matchup. Promoting this is beyond being a no-brainer. Hello, Mr. Bettman ? Paging Gary Bettman; Mr. Bettman, if you are out there, can you please report to the lost and found and retrieve your common sense ? Thank you. Did I mention Evgeni Malkin and Ovechkin are MVP finalists ?
This series will be talked about long after Sid, Evgeni and Alex are all retired. Don't miss it. Penguins march on.

CAROLINA vs BOSTON
This is really the battle of goaltenders Cam Ward and Tim Thomas. Carolina was more than courageous in their series comeback against New Jersey, Carolina defeated one of the best playoff goaltenders in NHL history in Martin Brodeur. The fact of the matter is, though the 'Canes were valiant, Brodeur simply wasn't the Brodeur we're used to seeing in the post season (for the second straight year). Tim Thomas now has a chance to move into elite status amongst NHL goalies and will not fold. All due respect of course to Carolina goalie Cam Ward, but this one belongs to the Bruins. The long suffering Bruins fans will continue cheering.

DUCKS vs RED WINGS
Fresh off their annihilation of the Sharks, the Anaheim Ducks now have their sights set o the defending Stanley Cup-champs. The rich got richer when the Champs added Marian Hossa in the off season, and Pavel Datsyuk is a finalist for league MVP. That said, keep in mind that during the regular season, the Wings did score 50 more goals than the Ducks. The real difference is in goals allowed. The Wings allowed 244 goals to the Ducks' 238. In fact only five teams in the Western Conference gave up more goals than did the Wings, and none of them made the playoffs. Goals are harder to come by in the playoffs and the Ducks have the snipers to take advantage of any defensive miscues. The Wings obviously have plenty of firepower so the Ducks are going to have to stay out of the penalty box or pay a heavy price. It's going to be great, sit back and enjoy. Ducks continue with 2003 upset magic and move on.

VANCOUVER vs CHICAGO

Okay, the young Blackhawks did show more grit than I thought they would in the series against Calgary but the Canucks are an entirely different animal. Much like Tim Thomas , this is Roberto Luongos' chance to truly cement his place amongst the elite. Luongo was lights out against St Louis in the first round. The Blackhawks are going to need their talented youngsters to stay patient and not succumb to frustration against Luongo, and Nikolai Khabibulin will need to be at his best to keep the 'Hawks confident. Look for the strength of Luongo and the patience and experience of the Canucks' veteran roster to be the difference in the series. The 'Hawks have a great future, but for now, Canucks move on.

SHARKS DROWN EARLY (Again)

APRIL 29, 2009 -- ANAHEIM -- It's hard to believe, but yet again the most decadent post-season meal has again been consumed way too early.

I am of course speaking of Shark. That tender, delicious San Jose meal cultivated through many months of regular season games. It seems a dish this perfectly seasoned should not, could not and would not be consumed until at least the Stanley Cup final but alas; it never ends quite that way.

Instead of the proverbial "Save the Best for last", this tasty culinary main course was yet again treated as an appetizer and devoured with extreme prejudice. The paradox is that the regular season should toughen, not tenderize, the team. It all started in 2004 when the Sharks had its first truly impressive regular season, but lost to a lower seeded team in the Conference finals.

Prior to 2004, the team had twice entered the playoffs as the eighth-seeded team and pulled off shocking first round upsets (1994 vs. Detroit and 2000 vs. St. Louis). The team had a reputation of being a tough team to meet in the post-season. They increased their regular season point totals an unprecedented five straight seasons and appeared destined for greatness. One could only imagine what this team could accomplish in the playoffs should they ever develop and or acquire a significant amount of true world class talent.

Keep in mind the fact that the great Colonel Harland Sanders had 10 herbs and spices which made his chicken delectable, but it wasn't until he added that 11th spice that his fried chicken became the culinary masterpiece called "Kentucky Fried Chicken", and thus the legend was born. That 11th spice remains a mystery to this day.

The Head Chef of the Sharks is team President/GM Doug Wilson, who after watching his second seeded Sharks lose in seven games to the sixth seeded Calgary Flames in the 2004 Conference final, went searching for his own 11th spice. Although it seemed so close, little did anyone know just how elusive that mystery spice would be.

When the team acquired Joe Thornton at the 2006 trade deadline, it seemed as though that spice had been added. Not so fast, the eighth-seeded Edmonton Oilers ravenously feasted on the Sharks in the second round en route to the Stanley Cup final. This was viewed as an aberration and therefore, no need to panic.

The 2006-2007 season brought a second round encounter with the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings put on their bibs and dined heartily on shark fin soup as would a death row inmate on his final meal. Patrick Marleau was held scoreless in the series.

Okay, still no need to panic…Wilson then acquired smooth skating All-Star defenseman Brian Campbell (would he be the 11th spice?) for the 2008 playoff run. Again, the seemingly perfect dish would prove bland, uninteresting and eagerly consumed, this time by the Dallas Stars in six games.

Enough already. Wilson again went to work to again tweak and improve his recipe.

The team entered the 2008-2009 season sans Brian Campbell who had also proved not to be the missing spice. Coach Ron Wilson (no relation) was also given his walking papers. The blueline was then fortified with Dan Boyle and Rob Blake to offset the loss of Campbell. This season also marked the rise of 22 year old Devin Setoguchi who chipped in 31 goals while playing on the top line with San Jose studs Thornton and Marleau. Rookie head Coach Todd McLellan seemed to be living the good life. The strong second line of Joe Pavelski, Ryan Clowe, and Milan Michalek proved more than capable during the regular season as the trio combined for 70 goals to nicely complement the 94 goals scored by the top line. The Sharks finished with the best record in the league. Late in the season, the Sharks even dusted off a relic, when 43 year old 4 time Stanley Cup champ, former playoff MVP and reputed miscreant Claude Lemieux, who came out of retirement and was added to the roster to provide the added grit and experience needed for the stretch run. At long last, the perfect blend.

The Sharks had been knocked out in the second round each of past three seasons, but this time around, they had raced off to the best record in the regular season for the first time in franchise history and won home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

We all know what happens next, this time at the hand of the Anaheim Ducks. The eighth-seeded Ducks did not even clinch a playoff spot until game 80 of the 82 game regular season and were the lowest overall seed in the playoffs, but took the first two games of the series on the road in this opening round series, which they would win in six games.

All the Sharks got for their great season was a first, instead of second round exit. That the Sharks lost in six games was not even the story, the real story is just how thoroughly they were whipped. This failure was the apex of their underachievement.

Shutout 2-0 and 4-0 in games one and four respectively, the Sharks were also outscored 18 - 10 in the series while losing two of three on home ice. Although Marleau did provide overtime heroics in game 5 to stave off elimination, the Joe Thornton line managed only 4 goals (three of which came in game 5) in the six games and were thoroughly outplayed by the Ducks' top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, and Corey Perry. Ryan alone equaled the 4 goal total of the Thornton line.

In an act born of sheer desperation, Joe Thornton tried to prove his toughness by making a pugilistic challenge to Getzlaf at center ice just two seconds into the decisive sixth game. Though the fight was for the most part, a draw, Getzlaf responded with a goal and an assist while Thornton and his linemates were again held scoreless and pointless (figuratively and literally) while ending up on the short end of a 4-1 final score.

There are many theories as to why the Sharks have constantly been appetizers rather than the main course. Some say Joe Thornton although a tremendous talent, is simply too soft to impose his will during the grind of the playoffs. Some say Team Captain Patrick Marleau needs to be shipped out. Whatever the reason, it is likely going to be the most tumultuous off season Doug Wilson has faced to this point. There is seemingly no clear answer. Acquiring a Superstar (Thornton) wasn't the answer, signing an All Star puck moving defenseman (Brian Campbell) was not the answer, finding an even better one (Dan Boyle) was not the answer, firing head coach Ron Wilson was not the answer. Perhaps the only answer for President/GM Doug Wilson is to take his impressive resume elsewhere and just realize that although agonizingly close, it just will not happen, not in San Jose. When Star players were added to this overachieving team, they immediately became an underachieving team.

No New York Rangers comparisons please, this is an entirely different situation. The Sharks have a great system of player development and the roster is full of young talent but somehow, the better the regular season performance, the worse the post-season. Go figure.

So, that 11th spice continues to remain a mystery for a frustrated Doug Wilson. There shall be no glory for these Sharks and no rewards for their tremendously supportive fan base, but I hear that Marian Gaborik and Ryan Smyth are available this off season.