LA Kings (HOME)

[24champ]

Originally Posted by SoCalBronco

Congrats 24...JMFJ with his first career goal and Cammy with his league leading 8th goal in your win tonight vs. VAN.

The Legend begins.

[24champ]

Also in other news...

The Kings 2007 2nd round pick Oscar Moller had another hat trick tonight (and 2 assists). Unfortunately, his team still lost 6-5. T.J. Fast, another Kings prospect, got an assist for Tri-City.

That's Moller's 2nd in as many nights. He has 6 goals and 2 assists in 2 nights.



Mollernextstatsny.

[Bronx33]

Mollernextstatsny


Whos his dad?

[24champ]

Youtube vid of JMFJ first goal-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzJMWUeV5VI

[SoCalBronco]

The doctor is in: Blake taking Johnson under his wing in L.A.
By George Johnson
Special to ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: October 21, 2007, 9:54 AM ET
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When the Los Angeles Kings look at the 6-foot-1, 201-pound package that is Jack Johnson, they see their future … and their past.


They see a big, mobile defenseman capable of contributing points and launching unwary attackers into the 12th row of premium seating behind the glass. They see a rawboned kid to build a franchise around.


They see a young Rob Blake.



Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Jack Johnson is living with Rob Blake and his family this season.

"Maybe, in a sense," corrects Blake politely, "but this guy has way more puck skills than I've ever had. His deception coming up ice. His tight turns. His decision-making. He sees the ice so well. He can bring the puck out all by himself.


"Plus, he has the ability to dish out these huge, open-ice checks like [Dion] Phaneuf. Given the size and speed of players today, when you catch someone now, it's a highlight-reel hit. Jack's going to be on a lot of highlight reels."


The comparison draws an argument from Johnson, too. For entirely different reasons, naturally.


"A young Rob Blake?" he grunts. "I wish. He's won everything -- an Olympic gold medal, a Stanley Cup, a Norris Trophy. I'd take that career in a minute. He's a sure-shot Hall of Famer. I'm just a rookie defenseman trying to learn the league and get better every day."


Blake remembers his first season in the NHL. As a King, he found himself a seat beside a future Hall of Famer named Larry Robinson and studied how the Big Bird handled himself and went about his job. It was comparable to apprenticing under Giotto or articling under Darrow.


"He was the blueprint on how to be a professional," Blake says. "As a young player, I could not have received a better education."


The education of Jack Johnson, the all-American defenseman, is full of daily lessons. Professor Blake is in charge of this tutorial. Class is always in session. When they spot Johnson and Blake together (which is often), the L.A. players tease Blake, calling him "Dad."


The description isn't that far of a stretch.


"We all need mentors," Kings associate coach Mike Johnston reminds us. "They help mold us, establish our parameters for success. Jack could not have a better mentor than Rob."


Johnson sits next to Blake in the dressing room. Johnson is boarding with the Blake family this winter -- Rob and his wife, Brandy, and their children, Jack and Brooke. He plays mini-stick hockey with the kids and appreciates the relaxed atmosphere of staying at a home rather than a hotel. He also appreciates the opportunity to pick his teacher's brain.


"He's a sponge," Blake says. "Rather than flop on the couch at night and play the latest video game, he's picking out hockey games on the satellite dish. He just loves to watch hockey. We'll watch a game and he's always asking questions. 'Is [Jarome] Iginla that powerful?' Or 'How would you handle [Sidney] Crosby in that sort of a situation? What's this guy like? Does that guy have favorite tendencies?'


"He just wants to soak it all up."


All of which makes young Johnson an ideal tenant, no?


"You bet."


And how is Blake as a landlord?


"Great," Johnson replies with a smile. "He hasn't asked for any rent yet."


There are other similarities between the old pro and the young phenom besides build, ability and appetite. Blake came out of the U.S. college system -- Bowling Green, specifically -- and played four games at the end of the 1989-90 season to become acclimated to the league. Johnson, from Michigan, got in five at the end of the 2006-07 campaign.


"Those five games made such a difference," Johnson says. "Without them, I would've spent all summer wondering what it'd be like, whether or not I could cut it. The transition was pretty smooth. I came in this year knowing that if I worked hard and paid attention, I could play in the NHL."


Playing in the NHL is one thing. Playing in the NHL in California is quite another, which is one more example of Blake's value to the kid's development; he understands the peculiar challenges of the place better than anyone.


"It's a different environment," Blake says. "When you step outside the rink, the hockey atmosphere is … gone. That's not the case in Calgary or Montreal or, to a lesser degree, when I was in Denver. In traditional hockey markets, it's all people talk about. You're accountable everywhere you go.


"I learned from Larry and Wayne Gretzky and those guys that, somewhere like L.A., you develop that atmosphere, that environment inside the dressing room and you work hard to maintain it."


Defenseman is a notoriously difficult position to master, particularly at this level. It's generally accepted that defensemen take longer to mature and prosper. Since 1932-33, when the NHL began issuing a Rookie of the Year award (later christened the Calder Trophy), only nine defensemen have won the prestigious bauble. They are, for the most part, a legendary lot: Bobby Orr, Denis Potvin, Ray Bourque, Brian Leetch.


Johnson is one of the leading candidates for 2008. Indianapolis -- known as the hometown of David Letterman, Dan Quayle, Joyce ("Come and knock on my doooooor …") DeWitt, Oscar Robertson, Jim Davis (creator of Garfield) and Brendan Fraser -- might soon be known as the hometown of Jack Johnson, too.


He could wind up being the worst deal the Carolina Hurricanes ever made -- shipping Johnson (their third-overall pick) and Oleg Tverdovsky to L.A. on Sept. 29, 2006, for Tim Gleason and Eric Belanger.


"What we've been very impressed with is his patience, in the five games we saw him last year and so far this season," Johnston says. "He had a reputation in college and in international hockey for going for the big hits. But he hasn't tried to ramrod his way into this league. He's come in respecting the game and the players.


"I believe it's harder now for defensemen coming in because of the new rules. You can't put a stick on a guy. You can't battle people in front of the net. You can't hold them up along the boards. So positioning, more than ever before, is vital. That's difficult for a young player to develop.


"Everybody knew he was good, but he's a willing learner and a quick student, too."


A young Rob Blake?


Johnson is right. He, and the Kings, can only wish.


But there simply could not be any better preparation for writing your master's thesis on NHL defense than learning the ropes from one of the best of an era.


And Professor Blake predicts nothing but great things from his prize pupil.


"He's the best I've seen in a long time. And he's only 20. To be that good at 20 is scary good."


George Johnson, a columnist for the Calgary Herald, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/column...t&lid=tab3pos1

[24champ]

Gretzky talks about Kopitar:

Darren Pang: I was thinking about so many great young players, we obviously know about Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, are there other guys that you like watching so far, that maybe haven't caught your eye in the west but that you're looking forward to see develop?

Gretzky: Well, I think that, uhm, those two guys are really special. And I think it's great for the game that we have those two guys. The guy that I really think that doesn't get as much credit, maybe as time goes on he'll get a lot more recognition, but, Kopitar in Los Angeles. I just happen to think that this guy is a horse, plays the game the right way, plays hard every shift, a wonderful young man, and I think he has an outstanding future. So, unfortunately for us, we see him 8 times, but I think he's up there amongst the best young guys in the game.

Coming from The Great One...

http://gretzky.com/main/

[24champ]

The Canadian Hockey League today announced that Chilliwack Bruins forward Oscar Moller is the CHL Player of the Week for the week ending October 21, 2007. Moller registered seven goals and three assists for ten points in three games this past week, leading the Bruins to a 2-0-1-0 record.

On Wednesday, October 17th, the Bruins hosted the Seattle Thunderbirds at Prospera Centre. Moller scored three goals in the Bruins 6-2 victory over the Thunderbirds. He was named the games first star for his efforts. Two nights later, the Bruins visited the Toyota Centre to face the Tri-City Americans. Moller recorded the hat-trick for the second consecutive game along with two assists, despite losing 6-5 in overtime. On Sunday, October 21st, the Bruins travelled to Portland where they faced the Winter Hawks at the Memorial Coliseum. Moller picked up a goal and added an assist in the Bruins 4-3 victory.

An 18 year-old native of Spagna, Sweden, Moller was a second round selection of the Los Angeles Kings at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Jakub Voracek of the Halifax Mooseheads was the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League nominee after recording one goal and six assists for seven points in three games. Nick Spaling of the Kitchener Rangers was the Ontario Hockey League nominee after scoring six goals and two assists for eight points in three games.

http://www.chilliwackbruins.com/cont...news-story.php

There is highlights of Oscar on the bottom of the page.

[24champ]

Kings up 1-0 against the Preds, Cammy scores off a rebound.

[24champ]

2-0 Kings, Lubo scores and Nagy with the assist.

[24champ]

3-0 Kings, Ivanans scores.

[24champ]

Kings win 2-1 over the Stars. That is the third straight game the Kings have won and have ended the Stars 9 game winning streak against the Kings.

[chadta]

Kings ink Brown to six-year extension

The Canadian Press

10/26/2007 4:38:38 PM

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Kings have signed winger Dustin Brown to a US$19.05-million, six-year contract extension.

The deal averages out to $3.175 million a year, a big raise from the $1.175 million he's making this season.

''Dustin is an integral part of what we are building here with the Kings,'' Kings GM Dean Lombardi said in a statement. ''We like how he competes; we like his toughness; and we are very pleased with how his overall game has developed.''

Brown, 22, was chosen 13th overall by the Kings in the 2003 NHL entry draft. He has eight points (4-4) in 11 games this season. Last year he recorded a career-high 46 points (17-29) in 81 games.

He will earn $2.6 million next season, $2.45 million in 2009-10 and $3.5 million for each of the remaining years on the contract.

[24champ]

JMFJ postgame interview-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVaW9udu_XQ

[24champ]

Kings win their 4th game in a row and 5 of 6.

The last time the Kings won four in a row was in March of 2006.

This was the first two-goal game in Patrick O'Sullivan's young career.

Jason LaBarbera made a season-high 34 saves and has now stopped 123 of his last 127 shots against (.969 save percentage). He stopped all 15 shots in the third period. He was named the No. 1 star for the third consecutive game.

Ladislav Nagy has five points in the past four games, Anze Kopitar eight points in the past eight games and Lubomir Visnovsky six points in the last five.

The Kings were outshot 35-31. Michael Cammalleri led the Kings with five shots.

John Zeiler led the Kings with seven hits in just over seven minutes on the ice.

Jack Johnson spent 23:36 on the ice, most on the team.




O'sully goal vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cF77TmsUkY

[Bronx33]

I feel asleep....

[24champ]

With every game-winning goal and every "SportsCenter" highlight, Michael Cammalleri is making a name for himself around the NHL.

Cammalleri's Quick Facts

• He was selected in the second round (49th overall) of the 2001 NHL draft.

• During the lockout, he was awarded the Willie Marshall Award for leading the AHL in goals (46) while playing for the Manchester Monarchs.

• He led the Kings in scoring last season (34 goals, 80 points).

• He helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2007 World Championships.

In this season-debut edition of Facing Off, the 25-year-old Los Angeles Kings forward tells us what it was like making history in Europe, how he is coping after getting the royal treatment from the Kings' brass and which celebrity had him starstruck in La-La Land.

Question from Amber: Earlier this season, you scored the first NHL regular-season goal in Europe. What was that like?

Answer from Cammalleri: It was a good way to start the season. I didn't realize the meaning of it until after the game when people kept asking me about scoring the first goal. Any time you put your name on something like that, it's cool to have, so it's nice. More importantly, it was big for us to get off to that start and win that game against Anaheim.

Q: What was the atmosphere like in London?

A: It was pretty cool. Just like during the soccer games over there, the fans were into it. They were doing the wave and stuff. It was pretty neat. Of course, when there was a fight between Scott Thornton and George Parros, it got the most attention (laughs). That's what they wanted to see. Overall, it was a good experience.

Q: Why did you choose to play college hockey at Michigan?

A: It was an easy decision for me. I was thinking of playing Junior, then I went and visited some schools I was interested in going to. I went to Michigan and Michigan State. I went and saw a game at Michigan and they were playing at the regionals against North Dakota. Michigan was losing 3-1, but then came back to win the game. It was the most crazy hockey experience I have ever seen. The building was electric. I remember turning to my dad and saying, "I want to play here."

Q: So, as a Michigan guy, maybe you can explain what happened against Appalachian State in football?

A: (Laughs) Man, that ruined my college football season! That was disheartening for me. I got a lot of text messages and took a lot of heat for that one.

Michael Cammalleri

Andrew D. Bernstein/NHLI via Getty Images

Through Monday's games, Michael Cammalleri has a league-leading 10 goals.

Q: Is there a kinship among former Michigan players in the NHL?

A: Yeah, there is. We all know who played there. I played with like five or six guys at Michigan who are now in the NHL. It's a pretty cool bond knowing we have all gone through the same stuff, even though Marty Turco punched me in the head [the] last game (laughs). I'll have to bury a couple on him next time.

Q: You put up some sick numbers during the lockout when you were playing with Manchester in the AHL. How did that help prepare you for your breakout in the NHL?

A: Going into that lockout year, there were probably four to six guys on every American League team that were going to play in the NHL the following year, so it was a really good league. It became our NHL. It was the best league you could play in. It was good for me because I played under Bruce Boudreau and he was a great influence on my career.

Q: And now you're leading the NHL in goals. How do you explain it?

A: I don't know. My teammates are playing well and getting me chances to score. It's the consummate team sport, so any time you get individual success, it has a lot to do with your team.

Q: True, but what about for you personally? Do you notice the league is finally taking notice of Mike Cammalleri?

A: I heard the comments that the coach in Vancouver made the other night. I had a couple of whacks at a chance in front, and after the game in the press conference, he said, "We can't let the league's leading scorer get three chances in front of our net. That just can't happen." So, that comment caught my attention a little.

Q: You're a pretty low-key guy, but this summer, I'm flipping channels, and there you are on "MTV Cribs." How did you get chosen for that?

A: They just called me up. They wanted to do it. So far, it has only been played in Canada. I guess they need to fill up their Canadian content. I'm Canadian, so it worked out for them.

Q: So, did you go out and rent some Bentleys so you could look like a serious roller?

A: (Laughs) No, I did it "au naturale." That's my real house. It would look the same if you came by today. I still have that one same car and that's the way it is. I'm not like Sean Avery, who borrowed Pavol Demitra's Bentley and pretended it was his.

Q: (Laughs) Did he really do that?

A: Oops. Did I say that in the press? Yeah, he borrowed Demitra's Bentley for the show. You can print that. (Laughs) Sean and I are buddies; we get along, we still have a good friendship. He called me two days ago. He didn't call me back for a while the last time I called him, so I'm going to make him wait a little longer.

Q: You live in L.A. where there are Hollywood stars and famous people everywhere. Have you ever had a star sighting where you were like, "Wow! That's cool"?

Michigan and Appalachian State

AP Photo/Duane Burleson

Michigan's season-opening loss to Appalachian State? Cammalleri is paying for that one.

A: You know who I was the most starstruck with? This is kind of a weird one, but I saw the golfer Freddie Couples after a game. Jeremy Roenick introduced us and that was the most starstruck I have ever been. I've been a huge Freddie Couples fan my whole life. He asked me what kind of clubs I use and I couldn't believe he was talking golf with me. I was totally tongue-tied. I know that's not the answer you were looking for, but that was definitely the most starstruck I have been.

Q: You're right. That was not the answer I was looking for (laughs). You play a lot of golf?

A: About four or fives times a week. I'm getting it pretty low.

Q: What's your best round?

A: 67. 68 in a tournament round. I'm always ready for a game.

Q: You went through a nasty arbitration with the Kings this past offseason. [Cammalleri was awarded a two-year deal worth a total of $6.7 million. He was seeking $6 million per season.] What was the toughest part of that?

A: (Pause) It was what it was. I really don't have too much on that to be honest with you. I knew what I was getting into and it was what it was.

Q: You are going to be an unrestricted free agent in 2009. What you went through in arbitration, which was obviously difficult, does it have an impact on whether you will ultimately stay in L.A.?

A: I really haven't thought that far ahead. There's a lot to happen between now and then, and I'm excited about our team. So, it won't affect the way I play the game, that's for sure.

Q: The Cup going to Anaheim, has that changed hockey culture in California at all?

A: I think so. It's tough on us. The Kings have been here awhile and have a longer hockey tradition here. So, for the Ducks to get the Cup before us, it's not the right order. But I think it can also give Kings fans hope that it can happen here. It's not impossible to win a Cup in California.

ESPN reporter David Amber is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/column...vid&id=3086964

[24champ]

Pacific Division leading Kings beat the Sharks 5-2. Someone pinch me...Aubin with 45 saves? Say what? And...first place Kings? Holy shiat.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Jean-Sebastien Aubin made 45 saves and Dustin Brown scored two goals in the Los Angeles Kings' fifth victory in six games, 5-2 over the San Jose Sharks on Friday night.

Matt Moulson scored the go-ahead goal in his NHL debut, and Mike Cammalleri got his 11th goal and two assists as the first-place Kings ruined the Sharks' return from a 13-day road jaunt with just their third win in their last 15 trips to San Jose.

Aubin gave up seven goals and got pulled once in his only two previous appearances for the Kings this season, but Jason LaBarbera's backup was sensational in his first start since Oct. 18. He made 34 saves in the first two periods under constant assault from San Jose's talented forwards, and his teammates rallied with four goals in the final 26 minutes.

Captain Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton scored and Evgeni Nabokov stopped 24 shots for the Sharks, who finally returned home after playing nine of their first 12 games on the road. San Jose fell to 1-3 at the Shark Tank before traveling to Los Angeles for a rematch Saturday night.

Not everything went poorly for the Sharks: Defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh got a rousing ovation when he was introduced in the starting lineup more than 12 years after his last appearance with the Sharks, and the seven-time All-Star played fairly well.

ADVERTISEMENT
Ozolinsh, who appeared washed up with the New York Rangers last season, was signed by the Sharks earlier Friday after a six-week tryout with the organization that drafted him in 1991. The 35-year-old, who's been skating with his new teammates since training camp, immediately got a shot on the Sharks' top power play unit.

After Marleau scored just his second goal in 12 games for San Jose, Cammalleri evened it early in the second period with a deflected shot into a crowd in front of Nabokov's net. The NHL's early goals leader hadn't scored in three games after getting 10 goals in the Kings' first 10 contests.

Moulson, a former Cornell star, was called up by the Kings on Thursday -- his 24th birthday -- when Kyle Calder went on injured reserve. Moulson got his first goal on a feed from Michal Handzus late in the second period.

Brown added his fifth goal four minutes later, setting off a round of boos at the sold-out Shark Tank, where fans expect more from a club picked to challenge for the Stanley Cup. San Jose trailed by two goals despite taking 35 shots and committing no penalties in the first two periods.

Ladislav Nagy scored early in the third period on a 2-on-1 break with Alexander Frolov. Thornton got his fifth goal with 1:13 to play, but Brown added an empty-netter moments later.

Notes

Kings LW Raitis Ivanans got a deep cut under his left eye in the first period on a deflected shot. He went to the locker room. ... Ozolinsh and Los Angeles' Brad Stuart, who spent his first 5 1/2 NHL seasons with San Jose before going to Boston in the Thornton trade, are the top two goal-scorers among defensemen in Sharks history. ... Sharks F Ryane Clowe isn't scheduled for surgery Saturday, contrary to a television report. Clowe, who has three goals in 11 games this season, injured his knee in last week's loss at Columbus. The injury could keep Clowe out for an extended period, according to coach Ron Wilson.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap;_y...110218&prov=ap

[Bronx33]

[QUOTE=24champbailey;1772940]Pacific Division leading Kings beat the Sharks 5-2. Someone pinch me...Aubin with 45 saves? Say what? And...first place Kings? Holy shiat.



Man i was kinda glad i forgot to pick my games in my pickem league everybody picked the sharks i would have too nabby has been great for them i guess your boys found a way around him big time. I feel asleep early i had a root canal yesterday and was jacked up on vicodines i really wanted to watch that game too. And the sharks only had one penalty? wow! and the kings had five (nice PK) aubin was the difference.

Check this out it really tells you alot about the match ups becuse you have to play em again tonight..

Shiftchart

[24champ]

Registered by the official tracking station for LA seismic hockey occurrences, the Dustin Brown Institute of Skate Techtonics.

http://www.instituteofskatetectonics.com/


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBV1aZHYk9c

[24champ]

Amazing racers
Posted by Rich Hammond at 4:26 PM

The Kings had a day off Tuesday, at least from hockey. They were told to assemble at the training facility at 7:30 a.m., at which point they were told to hand over their wallets and cell phones. (No, it wasn't Tim Leiweke collecting them to sell on EBay to pay for L.A. Live.) The players divided up into four teams for an amended version of The Amazing Race, CBS's Emmy-winning reality show. Jerry Bruckheimer, a huge hockey fan, is the show's executive producer.

The teams were sent out in vans to different locations and had to complete the first of five tasks. The first team to complete all five tasks won the competition. The tasks were:

A) To hit a fly ball beyond the infield grass at Dodger Stadium. Tommy Lasorda was there to provide assistance and, I'm told, a profane pep talk, as only Tommy can provide.

B) To have an artist in Venice Beach sketch a portrait of one of the players.

C) To teach a 10-minute lesson in a classroom at Torrance Elementary School.

D) To stand on a surfboard for at least five seconds in the Manhattan Beach water.

E) To find Jim Fox in Hollywood. A clue was posted near Bob Miller's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which the players also had to locate.

The teams took cabs to each location, but for one of the cab rides, they were not given money. They had to ``beg or barter'' for that ride, and they could only go on to the next task when they had completed the previous task.

All of this was taped and will be made into a show on FSN in the near future, so I've been asked not to reveal the winners. But the players' competitiveness did come out, and the winners were quite proud of themselves.

Only one of the teams did not complete all five tasks. A member of that team said, ``We just didn't want to leave Dodger Stadium. I think we hit about 100 balls. That was so much fun.''

The team-building exercise got a general thumbs-up from the players, although one did say, ``It was a lot of work. The last thing I want to do on a day off is exercise. But it was still a fun thing.''

Jason LaBarbera, a big fan of the Toronto Blue Jays and baseball in general, particularly enjoyed the day.

``It was cool,'' LaBarbera said. ``We didn't know what the next task was going to be. To hit baseballs at Dodger Stadium was awesome. I wanted to stay there all day. ... We all had to do our part and act like a team, so that was a good lesson to take away.''

http://www.insidesocal.com/kings/

[24champ]

HOLY MOTHER****ING ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kings come back from a 4-0 defecit and came roaring back to beat the Stars 6-5.



LOS ANGELES (AP) -Anze Kopitar scored during Los Angeles' five-goal rally in the third period against Dallas goalie Marty Turco, then connected again 2:34 into overtime to give the Kings an improbable 6-5 victory over the Stars on Saturday night.

Playing their first game in seven days, the Kings seemed out of it after Jeff Halpern's goal put Dallas up 4-0 with 2:12 left in the second period. Turco stopped the first 27 shots he faced, then surrendered five goals on the next six shots. The Stars had won 34 consecutive games in which they had a lead of more than one goal.

Dustin Brown, Scott Thornton, Alexander Frolov, Kopitar and Ladislav Nagy scored during a span of 5 minutes, 7 seconds. Nagy tied it with 4:01 left in regulation.

Mike Modano pulled Dallas even with a slap shot from the slot during a power play with 1:05 left in the third, after Turco was pulled for an extra attacker. But Kopitar ended it with a backhander between Turco's pads.

Turco was coming off Thursday night's 5-2 loss at Phoenix, his worst of the season until this one.

Brown triggered the comeback with a slap shot that trickled through Turco's pads after a flurry of shots in the Dallas end. The goal came during a power play with 7:14 remaining in the third, while former Kings defenseman Philippe Boucher was off for hooking.

Thornton scored on a wrist shot from the right circle 75 seconds later, forcing Dallas coach Dave Tippitt to call a timeout in an attempt to slow the Kings' momentum.

Frolov, with his back to the net, then redirected a long slap shot by Derek Armstrong with his right skate but had to wait for a video replay to determine that the goal was legal. Kopitar sliced the deficit to 5-4, and Nagy sent the sellout crowd into a frenzy when he converted Brad Stuart's cross-ice pass in front of the net.

The Kings have beaten Dallas twice in a row after losing nine straight to the Stars, including an eight-game sweep last season.

Notes: Jean-Sebastien Aubin played the entire third period and overtime for the Kings, stopping three of four shots after Jason LaBarbera allowed four goals on 21 shots. ... Dallas has outscored Los Angeles 17-2 in the first period during the last 11 meetings. ... Stars D Mattias Norstrom was back in Dallas, where he was examined for a facial fracture after being high-sticked by San Jose's Steve Bernier on Wednesday night. The former Kings captain has missed two of five meetings with Los Angeles since he was traded to Dallas on Feb. 27. A knee injury prevented Norstrom from suiting up the other time.

[24champ]

Kings net five third-period goals off Turco before topping Stars in OT
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Marty Turco didn't seem too rattled after Dustin Brown spoiled his shutout bid with 7:14 left in the third period. After all, the Dallas Stars still had a three-goal lead, so what could possibly spoil it?

How about five goals on six shots?

That's what happened to one of the NHL's top goalies on Saturday night. Turco and the Stars collapsed down the stretch, and the Los Angeles Kings escaped with an improbable 6-5 overtime victory that brought back memories of the "Miracle on Manchester" three decades ago at the Inglewood Forum.

Turco was coming off Thursday night's 5-2 loss at Phoenix, his worst of the season until this one.

"The whole third period was brutal," Turco said. "Other than embarrassing, it's a total lack of respect for each other. You can't just sit back and wait for it to go your way. You've got to make things happen. And we haven't been making enough happen. We were just lucky to get a point out of all that."

Anze Kopitar sliced the Kings' deficit to one goal with 4:01 left in regulation, then connected again 2:34 into overtime. Perhaps the happiest guy in the building was Kings goalie Jason LaBarbera, who allowed four goals on 21 shots over the first two periods before backup Jean-Sebastien Aubin finished up and stopped three of four.

"Before the third period, we said we were going to go all out and show our character and not give up. And it turned out amazing," Kopitar said. "We got the momentum going after the second goal and just took it all the way."

Playing their first game in seven days, the Kings seemed out of it after Jeff Halpern's goal put Dallas up 4-0 with 2:12 left in the second period. Turco stopped the first 27 shots he faced before the Kings stormed back against a team that had won 34 consecutive games in which it had a lead of more than one goal.

"That is the type of finish you look back on and say, 'That was really special,' And you never know. This may be the turning point of our season," Kings coach Marc Crawford said. "Our players showed no quit, and they got a payoff at the end."

Scott Thornton, Alexander Frolov and Ladislav Nagy also scored during the frenetic rally. The five goals came in a span of 5:07, breaking the franchise record.

Nagy tied it with 2:07 left in regulation. Mike Modano pulled Dallas even with a slap shot from the slot during a power play with 1:05 remaining, after Turco was pulled for an extra attacker. But Kopitar ended it with a backhander between Turco's pads.

Brown triggered the comeback on a rebound after Lubomir Visnovsky's long slap shot trickled through Turco's pads and lay in the crease following a flurry of shots in the Dallas end. The goal came during a power play with 7:14 remaining in the third, while former Kings defenseman Philippe Boucher was off for hooking.

Thornton scored on a wrist shot from the right circle 75 seconds later, forcing Dallas coach Dave Tippett to call a timeout in an attempt to slow the Kings' momentum.

"After I got that first goal, Thorny scored on the very next shift and the momentum kind of built. You don't see that happen too often," Brown said. "I don't think we competed in the first period like we needed to. I thought we played pretty good in the second and then we dominated in the third."

Frolov, with his back to the net, then redirected a long slap shot by Derek Armstrong with his right skate but had to wait for a video replay to determine that the goal was legal. Kopitar sliced the deficit to 5-4 with a screened 45-foot slap shot, and Nagy sent the sellout crowd into a frenzy when he converted Brad Stuart's cross-ice pass in front of the net.

"That was unbelievable. We were talking on the bench about just shooting the puck on the net and see what happens," Nagy said. "Everybody was getting excited on the bench when we scored that first goal, and then the second, and then the third."

The Kings have beaten Dallas twice in a row after losing nine straight to the Stars, including an eight-game sweep last season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=271110008

[24champ]

wow...just wow, still can't believe it.

Highlights from NHL Network-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXyywvHOJeg

Bob Miller of FSNW recaps the game-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm--Ig3j5n8







"This is a character-building win for our club,’’ Crawford said. "It’s something we can look to down the road as the turning point of our season. It wasn't fluky. It was the result of a lot of hard work and determination by the players.''

[Bronx33]

Hey 24 did you watch the game last night? i thought i was crazy for a bit but i liked it....

Something very cool is happening at the Honda Center in Aneheim. The FSN West feed on NHL Center Ice is showing the LA Kings / Anaheim Ducks game. That’s normal. What isn’t is that there are no FSN Westannouncers. Just the sounds of the game and the crowd. Oh, and all the camera angles are from ice level with what they call “Rinkside View.”

More

[SoCalBronco]

Here you go, 24

A cold one with Luc Robitaille
Talking Kingly glory, top fighters, and the fame game
Posted: Thursday November 15, 2007 1:57PM; Updated: Friday November 16, 2007 10:53AM



Now suiting up for a shift of a different kind, former Kings great Luc Robitaille spearheads the team's effort to reach out to fans.
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Over a pre-game beer in the Grand Reserve Room at Staples Center, I recently had the chance to talk to Hall of Fame-bound and current L.A. Kings President of Business Operations Luc Robitaille. Reminiscing about the golden age of the old Forum Club, a mid-90s Hollywood hockey hot spot, we talked Kings history, the team's current roster of promising young talent, marketing (a major part of Luc's new gig), and his desire to bring back the buzz to a team that is now playing second fiddle to the defending Stanley Cup champion Ducks down the road in Anaheim.

Perhaps most intriguing to me was Luc's frank discussion of being a family man in the sometimes selfish occupation of a professional athlete. I, of course, inquired about the greatest fighter to ever share Lucky Luc's ice. As we sat down to chat, former Kings owner Bruce McNall, the man who brought Gretzky to LA, wandered over, thus amping my blast from the past.

John: You know, seeing Bruce McNall brings me back to '93 and, some would say, the glory days of the Kings. Do you think about the past at all?

Luc: It's always about the present, and what we can do for the future. In the early nineties, Bruce created something special here. How can we bring that back? I try to learn from the good things that were done.

John: Well, we are sitting here in the GRC. I know you're trying to recapture the old days of the Forum Club, where you had to get through three or four bodyguards, you had to know somebody. The players and coaches would come back and Hollywood's Who's Who were up there along with some pretty ladies. Can you speak about what you're trying to do here with the Kings?

Luc: That's what we're trying to do. It's a little bit different at the Staples Center. At the Forum it was easy. We're trying to recreate it here because it's a great room, the Grant Reserve Room. We've had players come out. We've had [musical] performances after the games and so forth. Right now we're starting to get fans who are calling about it and starting to hear about it. We're going to throw a couple of big charity events in the next few months. We're doing one for the fire victims. The bottom line is our players like it. This is LA. There's no other city like it. We need to go out of our way to cater to the right people.

John: I know you've been reaching out a lot to Hollywood. [Before the season-opener, Robitaille and producer Jerry Bruckheimer hosted a Meet The Kings bash at Wolfgang Puck's in The Beverly Wilshire Hotel that was attended by Constance Zimmer, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Mary Hart, Tom Arnold and other notables, including Kings all-timers like Marcel Dionne.]

Luc: A lot of guys in Hollywood are huge Kings fans. We're hockey people and we give entertainment. Hollywood understands things like mixing music with an event, mixing lighting and so forth. We're just at the infancy stage of working with that, but I really think going forward this could make a difference. It could help the NHL altogether.

John: I actually went to Game One of [last season's] Stanley Cup Final and I sat next to Mr. Bettman. It was all I could do to restrain myself [laughs] about some of the marketing choices the NHL's made in the last few years. What specifically do you think the NHL could really do for outreach?

Luc: The biggest thing is you gotta find a way for people to see the game. It doesn't matter what channel it's on, it's how you market and promote it. You gotta tell people to go to a certain station, but I think we need to work harder at it. Look at the NFL. The NHL's never really done a good job of marketing players. People on the inside say that hockey players are the nicest guys, but then nobody talks about them. I think we need to make sure people see our players. We have Sidney Crosby, we have Alex Ovechkin. We need a couple guys in New York and LA. For us, we have Anze Kopitar and Michael Cammalleri. The Rangers signed a couple stars in Drury and Gomez.

John: Do you think Versus has enough coverage to do what the NHL really needs to do as far as exposure?

Luc: I look at the deal with Versus as the same thing as when we were on ESPN2. When we started on ESPN2 they had, what, 50 million [homes]? The next thing you know, they were at 90, and then they forgot where they came from. We were their main sport. Versus started at about 60. Then they were around 80 and I'm hoping over the next two years we can get about a 100 million and then we'll see. At the end of the day, I think we need to market the players and people will find the channel.

John: I think we both agree that unless you win, not much helps. Your team started 1-6 [laughs]. Were you a little nervous in the first few weeks?

Luc: Oh, we weren't happy. I knew our team was good 'cause I really like our young guys. In our top positions, Kopitar is 20 years old. Our top defenseman going forward, who's not there yet but will be, is Jack Johnson ]20]. We have a goalie [Jonathan Bernier] who went back to junior this year, but he's 19: We feel like we have our three most important positions covered. Compared to football, it's like you have a star at quarterback, receiver and linebacker. The receiver will be Cammalleri. He's 24, so we're very, very young. This is a key for us.

John: [Jason] LaBarbera really solidified the goaltending position and that's when the Kings started to win.

Luc: I've said it for the last two years. I think he's deserved his chance in the NHL and like many big guys, it always takes some time to start the season. He's won those games because he's not playing above his head. He's just being himself. He's going to surprise a lot of people.

John: I know you think fighting has a place in the league. Who do you think is the best fighter in the NHL now?

Luc: Even though fighting has gone down a lot, I have to admit there's a couple of guys, Hal Gill, [George] Parros, [Zdeno] Chara, [Derek] Boogaard. Those guys are 6-7, 6-8. Everbody else is 6-1, 6-2 and you can't beat those guys. I saw Chara hit a guy the other night. I couldn't believe it. It was like he disfigured the guy. I felt so bad, but I think those guys are the best fighters.

John: You did have your Tie Domis back in the day. Who's the toughest fighter you ever played with or against?

Luc: Well, there's two guys. The first was Ken Baumgartner. He could take ten punches and his face wouldn't even move. It was amazing. The other guy that made it tough because he would never admit defeat was Marty McSorley. Marty was the kind of guy who understood his role and fought for the team, for the right reason. First he protected guys. Then he'd change the tempo of many games. The other thing that made Marty special was if he would lose a fight -- he didn't lose that many -- he would fight the same guy until he'd win.

John: One thing that I took from your retirement ceremony that really struck me because I relate a bit to it was when you thanked your wife Stacia for all the years. You mentioned that being a professional athlete is a very selfish occupation . I can relate to that because of what I do. It's about our brand, our career. Whether it's a gig or a game, there's always pressure where the spotlight's shining.

Luc: I think that's the biggest thing when you're living your dream. Every day, everything I did, my whole life was hockey. I came home and everything was about the game that next day. My family had to adjust to my schedule. I never adjusted to them because it was constantly about my life, my workout schedule. I had to be better the next year. To be successful, you have to be that self-centered. It's all about driving and being the best you can be every day.

John: People will say, man, it must be fun to do what you do. I always say it's a lot of things, but it's not fun [laughs]. It's rewarding. It's exciting. There are moments that you will treasure for the rest of your life. Was it ever fun for you?

Luc: I can look back and say it was the greatest time of my life, but while you're doing it, it's never fun. I remember I scored two goals and I came back and told my wife, "Oh man, I missed one."

John: It's never enough.

Luc: Our highs are really big, but people don't understand we have a lot of big lows and they're hard. They're emotional and physically hard, and then when you have a high, though, it's like the ultimate rush. That's why we're one in a million. We're very fortunate. There's 18 or 20 thousand people watching the game. They pay because you do something that a lot of people can't do.

John: Let's talk about one of the ultimate highs: when you finally won the Stanley Cup [in 2002 with Detroit]. You were at that stage in your career where you really needed to work hard as your body was starting to give up on you a little bit. Were you able to sit back and at least recognize the moment?

Luc: Actually, yes. I always said that if I would've won the Stanley Cup my first three years, I would have partied. It would have been the greatest and I would have thought I would have won it again. But because I had played 16 years at the time, I'll never forget enjoying literally every single moment of it. It wasn't about drinking and partying. I took my family and kids and my wife in the parade, and I knew this probably was not going to happen again. I knew how hard it had been for me to get there.

John: When was the last time you put on skates?

Luc: A year and a half ago. Today we had a game for charity and they wanted me to play and I'm like, "Ah, I'm not ready yet."

Musician John Ondrasik is the creative force and voice of the platinum award-winning band Five for Fighting. His SI.com column will appear each month during the NHL season.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...le.chat/1.html