Seriously I love that guy. He's gonna be real, real good.
Edit: Orite post relevance...I wouldn't sweat the coaching. Coaches change things up when things aren't working and sometimes it works out, sometimes no.
This is the first time I personally can remember Canucks having this line stability since...the WCE, and you guys are a young team. Meshing will come with age.
Murray is not the problem. He's turned this team around.
Kompon on the other hand is in charge of the powerplay. IMO Simmonds, Richardson and Parse should have received some PP time in that game in Minn. Kompon needs to learn how to changes things up. If powerplay after powerplay isn't working you need to change the setup and mindset.
... See, the convenient thing about having such a miserable franchise history is that any season where the team is above average can be placed in an argument as to whether it is one of the "best" seasons of that team.
The Kings have had 17 seasons where they have played .500 or better. Of those 17, they have had only SIX seasons where they've hit 90+ points without the benefit of loser points or shootout points. These are the Kings' six best seasons WITHOUT those extra points:
This season: 34 wins, 82 points, +14 goal differential
When you look at this season objectively and honestly, and look at the team's results in real hockey (non-shootout) situations thus far -- they compare more to the 1997-98 Kings (87 points) or the 1975-76 Kings (85 points) or the 2005-06 Kings (84 points), which are pretty good teams but clearly second-tier playoff teams at their best; nothing to get crazy over.
You're right in that this team has a lot of talent, and it is young with a lot of potential. And I also agree with you that nothing Matt Barry says about hockey should be taken seriously; it's ALL done for effect and not backed up by anything whatsoever. But, it should be important perspective-wise for Kings' fans to understand where their team is, realistically, in this building cycle. The question needs to be ... did Terry Murray lead this team to a better record than their talent level would indicate? If I had to answer that right now, I would answer "no". It doesn't mean Murray should be fired, but it DOES mean that he is not above reproach or scrutiny in the next season or two.
I certainly hope this team has progressed both in development and coaching style so that we are not stuck with TM for another TWO YEARS
i wanted to post this after a friend at the rink told me about this "barry blog." i'm not too familiar with barry's blog so it's good to hear your input.
i still think murray's repeated line changes this late in the season doesn't really instill confidence in the team (in my view). well, i wanted to bring this blog rant to your attention. my intention was not to bring down the moral. it feels a little better after the win over nashville tonight.
In case you didn't know, Barry is the (in)famous "Dancing Boy"...
The Kings have had 17 seasons where they have played .500 or better. Of those 17, they have had only SIX seasons where they've hit 90+ points without the benefit of loser points or shootout points. These are the Kings' six best seasons WITHOUT those extra points:
The Coyotes have won 12 shootouts (the most in the league) and lost 6 games in OT/Shootout. Anyone who wants to downplay the Kings success because of shootout wins, can do the same for the Coyotes who have been one of, if not the biggest beneficiaries in the league for shootout and"loser points". The Kings have 16 shootout/loser points, Chicago has 15, Detroit has 18, Colorado has 13, San Jose has 16. These are all teams that are right in the playoff mix with the Kings. So you can look at how the Kings compare to seasons past but it is all relative. When you compare them to the rest of the league, they are getting about the same amount of extra points as other teams. The one team that looks scarier after doing looking into those numbers is Vancouver with only 4 OTL and 3 shootout wins (7 points total for OTL and shootout wins). That means a bulk of their points have been outright wins.
I thought this was an excellent quote from Terry Murray after the Nashville game:
Quote:
MURRAY: “We talked about this in the pregame. We’re battling from behind in the last three, four games. We’re down by a goal, two goals, and we play, and we play like we’ve been playing all year long. That’s the kind of attitude that we need to come at the start of the game. Don’t be afraid of winning. Just go after it and have some fun. This is the best time of the year for a hockey player, and I think we showed that in the beginning today.
I thought this was an excellent quote from Terry Murray after the Nashville game:
All he had to say was, "Just start Bernier and everything's fine".
The Kings have scored 3 goals in his starts and he is 2-0. The offense still sucks, the Kings just had the better goalie in the game last night. Quick does not get the shutout last night. That save on Weber was spectacular and was at a key point in the game. If Bernier lets that one in, the Kings probably lose last night.
