Thread: Heartless, Hopeless or Today's Scapegoat

I agree with most of what has been said here in this thread. The Kings have some really good individual talent and heart, that cannot be denied. However, this team has minimal collective heart and only limited team talent.

Who's to blame for this? IMO, the fault for this rests squarely on the players and coaching staff. What we see on the ice most nights is pathetic, uninspired play and somewhat schizophrenic coaching. Occasionally, we get glimpses of what could be. Until the players get it through their heads to play together and for a full 60 minutes, we'll never get any consistency.

It's not only the players that have to shoulder the burden of lackluster results, the coaching staff is supposed to coach this team...teach, motivate, and if need be show them the way and then guide them.

In Kings history, there is no better example of a total team effort than the 1974-75 season. Arguably the Kings had some star players, but they had no real superstar players on the team. This was true then and is true now. So what separates the current Kings team from this 74-75 team?

1. Teamwork. The 74-75 team worked hard individually and most importantly as a team!
2. Coaching. Pulford had the right system at the right time and more significantly, THE TEAM bought into the system. They actually believed it would work and worked hard to make it so.
3. Determination. The longest losing streak was three games. It occurred only once during the entire season. They found a way to end the losses and come back the next game. The Kings had 21 ties, the most for a season in Kings history. This doesn't reflect a lack of effort, in fact just the opposite. Of the 17 loses the Kings suffered, there were 4 that had a one goal differential. This further demonstrates the team tenacity that seems lacking from this years Kings. The Kings fought every game for everything they could get.

For me the most frustrating thing is the glimpses of what could be. Those should be the building blocks for future success. The failure to translate those into building blocks for future games is inexcusable. Successful coaches are able to use these as tools to reinforce, motivate, teach and guide their teams. Successful players and more importantly TEAMS are able to use these to create further success.

This season is painful and should be traded for videos of the 74-75 season; at least we could watch some decent regular season hockey.

/End of rant/

"Now back to our regularly scheduled mediocrity...Our Los Angeles Kings"

I still think the biggest problem with the Kings is there is no "tradition of winning." I watched some of the Detroit game on VS last night, and every single player is confident in what they do as a team no matter what their role is. There were a couple guys on their roster that I did not recognize the names or they are rookies or whatever. The point is these new guys play just as well as the veterans on the team. They look like the same great Red Wings team that they do every year. That's because in Detroit, you have a winning tradition. I think DL is on the right track with bringing in guys from winning programs that hate to lose so we can start to build a tradition of winning through out the organization from the ground up. Let's hope the owners can stay the course with his plan. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

They have heart..... Plus they need to feel shame as well, this would make them a better team over all.

well, I do wish we played a little dirtier. zieler needs to fight and assume the role of an agitator if he wants to stay a king....and replace avery. All I can hope is that our injured players heal and that we can get our mental **** together.

I see a big lack of confidence on the ice sometimes...I also see players out there trying so hard and forcing it that they can't effectively function as a unit.

They need to sit down with John Wooden (or at least his books) and take a deep breath and become a team. BTW...a good coaching staff builds this in inherently....

My two cents...

Originally Posted by hornman

I see a big lack of confidence on the ice sometimes...I also see players out there trying so hard and forcing it that they can't effectively function as a unit.

They need to sit down with John Wooden (or at least his books) and take a deep breath and become a team. BTW...a good coaching staff builds this in inherently....

This is good stuff that seems dead on.

There is considerable debate on whether the coaching staff is building anything or not right now, so everyone's guesses are as good as any until or unless a player says something on the record. There is little doubt that whatever is or is not going on right now isn't producing positive results on the ice.

I see a lack of confidence. The team is afraid to make mistakes and ironically, that causes mistakes. When they are down, they play better - not as much to lose because they are already down. When they are trying to hold a lead, again they play horribly.
The players are overthinking. They dont create, they react.

I play a little myself (just recreational) I know that when I get intimidated, I screw up and play poorly. I don't play my game, I try to react to the opposing team. I see alot of that going on with the Kings. If you are "reacting", it is already too late.