Thread: 15 Things About Crawford to LA...

Does Crawford have a say in assistant coaches, or is that on Lombardi?

I know this sounds lame now, but who are some assistants who could be brought in?

Originally Posted by King'sPawn

Does Crawford have a say in assistant coaches, or is that on Lombardi?

I know this sounds lame now, but who are some assistants who could be brought in?

I think head coaches should bring in the assistants they want. It would be dumb for a GM to hire a head coach then hire assistants and putting them in a room and saying "work together".

Originally Posted by LAHobo

The concern I have about Garon is that he seems to be lacking in stamina (either mental or physical) and that is something that can be worked around in the regular season but not the playoffs.

I just don't understand what happens to goalies. They'll be great for a year or two and then stink it up. Almost all of the big-money goalies in the past few years have turned into busts (Giguere, Nabokov, Khabibulin, Theodore etc.) while the obscure guys can become superstars overnight. Brodeur is about the only guy playing who has been consistently outstanding.

I don't understand it, but it would make me very hesitant to blow a big chunk of payroll on a "big name" goalie.

I don’t pretend to truly understand NHL goalies either but having played goalie and because of that followed goalies more than any other player, here’s what I think…and some of this comes from people who truly DO understand goalies like Beezer, Fuhr and (believe it or not) Craig Billington.

Lots of younger goalies have stamina issues. Some get over them (Giguere) and some don’t (Billington). For the most part, every single goalie who has played more than, say, 20 NHL games has the SKILL to be an NHL goalie. It’s all about mentality. That’s what they all said in an article I read about 6 or 7 years ago about why some goalies take that next jump to being #1’s and some don’t. It was a really fascinating article, although the only three goalies I still remember being in it were those two and Fuhr. But all of them talked about how when they got to the NHL they saw what a HUGE difference there was between being able to be an all-star #1 goalie and a career backup. Actually, what they said was that there was almost no difference in talent, it was all in dedication and the mental approach. Billington is the one I specifically remember. He was a very highly touted prospect (selected #23 overall in the 1984 draft) and had all the skill to make it. He played on their minor league team (Utica) for a couple years and got called up every now and then. He got to play with Kirk McLean for a while and saw the work ethic he had. But he said the seminal moment came when Sean Burke got there. That’s when he saw the difference between being a legit #1 goalie and a career backup and it was in Burke’s rookie season (88-89) that Billington realized he had the talent but not the dedication or mentality to be a #1. And that was echoed by Beezer (who said the same thing but that he realized he DID have what it took to be a #1 and saw Glen Hanlon). That article really gave me some insight into why some guys make it and some don’t.

OTOH, there are also some skill issues. I see Toskala and think it’s just a matter of time before they all figure him out. He has some serious weaknesses in his game and they’ll be exploited to death next season. Ward has some too but he’s much younger (22 vs 29) and has lots to learn. Miller and Bryzgalov scare me with how good they look.

So to answer your question, I think it’s dedication and mental fortitude that makes goalies rise and fall like that.

Just looking back at the article from the LA Times when the Kings hired Lombardi, this is what he said about finding a head coach:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/hockey...orts-nhl-kings

Lombardi said his first task would be to prepare for the June 24 entry draft. He also will begin preliminary work on finding a new coach.

"That can wait, the draft is what we have to prepare for," Lombardi said. "If you can get two players out of each draft, you're doing good. The draft is still your lifeblood."

This was obviously the guy that Deano really wanted. It will be interesting to see if he says how many people he interviewed for the job.

Originally Posted by jt

OTOH, there are also some skill issues. I see Toskala and think it’s just a matter of time before they all figure him out. He has some serious weaknesses in his game and they’ll be exploited to death next season. Ward has some too but he’s much younger (22 vs 29) and has lots to learn. Miller and Bryzgalov scare me with how good they look.

Off topic, but I was saying that about Toskala during games 4, 5, and 6 against the Oilers. What do you see, since I can't seem to explain it well enough to convince others

Vancouver had the 11th best pOwer pLay

Originally Posted by King'sPawn

Off topic, but I was saying that about Toskala during games 4, 5, and 6 against the Oilers. What do you see, since I can't seem to explain it well enough to convince others

His lateral movement sucks, his reflexes are average and he goes down too quickly. He doesn't have the patience (confidence?) to force the shooter to make the first move. He also doesn't have the stamina.

He is what pessimists fear what Garon will be.

Originally Posted by Hatter

Vancouver had the 11th best pOwer pLay

With their health and (arguably) the best player in the NHL for the last 5 seasons (Naslund).

Originally Posted by jt

His lateral movement sucks, his reflexes are average and he goes down too quickly. He doesn't have the patience (confidence?) to force the shooter to make the first move. He also doesn't have the stamina.

He is what pessimists fear what Garon will be.

That sounds better. The thing I noticed most often is he overplays certain shots, but saying he goes down too quickly is a better way to word it. Do you notice he flops more often than suitable for his style, as well, or is that just me?

I want to see him take frolov to the next level