When I wrote the Jamie Kompon Appreciation Page many months ago, my tongue was firmly planted in my cheek. I also wrote it out of disgust. Those who have read us regularly know that I was not (and am not) a fan of Jamie Kompon...and that is being kind. I considered he and Terry Murray to be a major part of the L.A. Kings offensive problems, although Murray had the ever redeeming quality of … [Read more...]
The Dutch Perspective: The Kings’ Head Coaches
April 15, 2012 By
... In listening to S&S's most recent podcast, there was a period of discussion involving the current Kings' coach, Darryl Sutter, and the man he replaced, Terry Murray. The discussion, as I heard it, seemed to favor Sutter over Murray. I think it's completely impossible at this stage to make a valid comparison between Murray and Sutter as head coaches, and I've said time and again that … [Read more...]
“Systems” Exist & “Stats Are For Bird Watchers”?
March 10, 2012 By
From Matt Greene via Hammond talking about Darryl Sutter's system changes: “No. He’s not doing anything that we haven’t seen over the course of our entire lives. When you’re at this level, it shouldn’t matter what system you’re playing. You’ve played everything, coming up to this point, so you should be able to adjust and you should be able to adapt to it. All our forwards, first … [Read more...]
How Do The L.A. Kings Measure Up To Scotty Bowman’s “5 Golden Principles”?
February 22, 2012 By
From Dmitry Chesnokov, we get the 5 Golden Principles from Scotty Bowman’s coaching manual titled “The Art of Coaching the Team During the Game:” I won't answer them in any detail here. I will offer my general thoughts as it relates to the L.A. Kings. 1. Surround yourself with the best personnel! Running the team is a team effort. Let's see. John Stevens and Jamie Kompon. Those … [Read more...]
The Jamie Kompon Appreciation Page
January 7, 2012 By
Not since Dean Lombardi got his own quotation page has any person earned his or her own dedicated place on this site. Not even Terry Murray received this honor, although I had one all planned out two days before his anything but on the horizon firing... What possessed me to write this? I didn't. It was the spirit of Jamie Kompon that brings you this prose. Jamie's career accomplishments speak … [Read more...]
L.A. Kings v. Anaheim Sucks Open Forum: The Darryl Sutter Era Begins
December 22, 2011 By
From Brad Richardson via Rich Hammond It was obviously a tough couple weeks there. You don’t ever want to see anyone get fired. Everyone has got families, and it’s their job, so it’s tough. Even if you agree with the coach or you don’t, it’s still a tough situation. It was a tough week, and we’re all happy, I think, just to get going again. Everyone was kind of anxious to get here … [Read more...]
Player X Gives Us: Out With The Old, In With The Old – Is It Bottom Yet?
December 22, 2011 By
Player X is one of Surly & Scribe's readers. His comments caught my attention because I noticed a hockey acumen that went beyond the basics of the game. He recently submitted this article to me for consideration. I read it. I agree with some of his points. I disagree with others. The article is long but it is a quick read and well worth the short investment of time. Read it, absorb it and tell … [Read more...]
Babcock Not Surprised By Doughty’s Struggles, Despite Being Touched By God
December 17, 2011 By
Always a good interview, Detroit Red Wings coach, Mike Babcock had the following gems for Helene Elliott: Regarding L.A. Kings defenseman, Drew Doughty (who he once called as being "touched by God"): Well, if I didn’t know he wasn’t at training camp — wasn’t he not at training camp — that would surprise me. But this league’s too good not to be ready to go when everybody else is … [Read more...]
The Subtlety of Vocabulary And The Message It Sends
December 11, 2011 By
Desperation. The latest buzzword. Earlier this week I wrote on the Kings' lack of a killer instinct. After last night's loss to the Stars, Terry Murray said the team lacked desperation, a thought Brown parroted back to the media in broken record fashion. BROWN: “We have to be more desperate right now. We have to be more desperate the rest of the year. We aren’t playing with enough … [Read more...]
Surly Did It. He Stole Terry Murray’s Resume…
December 11, 2011 By
With the expectation that Terry Murray must be hard at work on his resume, I asked Surly to break into Terry's office and retrieve it. "Why the hell do I have to do these things!?" he protested. "Because every stealth mission you have undertaken has been successful and the readers are counting on you!" I beseeched. "Fuck you and your motivational tactics", he retorted, "I am not doing … [Read more...]
Jack Johnson’s “Something Different” & Offensive Zone Options
December 9, 2011 By
Our friend, The Mayor, gave us the following from Jack Johnson after the 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. I have said that Justin Williams is the one player I want to interview. His history tells me he is a candid player and would stay away from the same tired clichés. Jack Johnson would have been my second choice. His interviews have led me to believe he is not shy about expressing his opinions … [Read more...]
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