Introduction to "The Kings Corner"

Alright everybody. Here is the official first post for a new segment I'll be starting. Anytime you see the title "The Kings Corner" it's time for Los Angeles Kings hockey news. The authors of this blog are HUGE Kings fans so I apologize if you're not. Maybe you're a fan of hockey but not the Kings. If that's the case, I'll attempt to fit in important NHL news in general as I see fit. I don't apologize, however, for any smack talk I start aimed at other teams (specifically the Canucks and those damn ginger twins).

Cool, so lets get started. Todays news story is HUGE. Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced today that head coach Terry Murray has officially been relieved of his duties. In the mean time, assistant coach John Stevens will assume interim head coach duties. For some fans this may be shocking but for most fans it brings back hope and excitement for the future.

Coach Murray began his tenure with the Kings during the 2008-09 season. During that time he compiled a 139-106-30 regular season record. In regards to the Kings franchise all-time head coaches, Murray ranks third in wins, fourth in games coached (275) and first in winning percentage (.560). Murray also reached the 100 win mark faster than any other coach in Kings history and is one game away from his 500th win (Kings are currently on a 4 game losing streak).

Besides coaching are beloved Kings, Terry Murray was head coach for the Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers. His overall record as an NHL coach stands at 499-383-130. Murray, who coached his 1,000th NHL game against the Minnesota Wild on 11-12-11 (LA 5, MIN 2), ranks 17th all-time in NHL history wins and 19th in games coached.

His stats don't sound bad. So for those of you new to the sport you may be wondering, why the heck did they fire him? DUI? Nope. Domestic dispute? Nope. You see, Terry Murray did a lot of good things with the Kings. He helped develop a strong defense, and brought the Kings to the playoffs the past two seasons. Currently, however, our Kings are ranked dead last in the NHL when it comes to offense. You may have a bitchin' defense, but it takes goals to win games.

You can't blame this on the players either (well, you can but I wouldn't). The talents there! We have stars like Anze Kopitar and Mike Richards on offense. As well as a good captain in Dustin Brown. And we have defensive players who can score goals like Jack Johnson and Drew Daughty. I didn't name them all but they all deserve to be mentioned, the players are there! You see, Terry Murray is the kind of coach who doesn't show much emotion (reference the picture above...that's him...the whole game) and sometimes, especially lately, it seems that the Kings need a fire lit under them to get them playing with the energy and intensity that they have. Yea, the players can deliver this fire to each other sometimes but the coach...their leader...should be delivering the emotion and intensity just as much, if not more. Terry Murray hasn't been delivering this as far as I'm concerned.

The following is some information I found from an article entitled "View from the Press Box: Patrick O'Neal" By Mike Kalinowski. It features some interesting news about the releasing of coaches in the NHL and how the team/players reacted...

It's been found that often a coach will get fired mid-season and then suddenly there is a huge turnaround in the way the team plays. Possibly because they're relieved they don't have to listen to the guy anymore?

Here are some examples from the article...

The Penguins fire Michel Therrien after losing in the Finals, and then win the Stanley Cup with Dan Bylsma.

The Devils fired John MacLean after one of their worst starts in franchise history, and then nearly make the playoffs under Jacques Lemaire. The team had pretty much the EXACT same roster as they did under coach MacLean.

The article put it best by saying it's like a relationship. Sometimes they work and sometimes after a few years it comes to an end. Maybe the coaches message gets stale? The Ducks just fired Randy Carlyle. He brought his team to win the cup a few years back, and right now they're playing terribly. Yes, a coach is only as good as his players. But the chemistry has to be there! We know that the Kings are well rounded with a roster of talented bodies. But maybe Murray's message was getting stale too? The coach is just as much a member of the team as the players on the ice. Our Kings are not playing with the talent they have and they need a coach to light that fire and show them what they're missing. It's time for a new message and a fresh start.

Go Kings!

*Sources*

-Lombardi Conference Call

-View From the Press Box: Patrick O'Neal

-Terry Murray Relieved of his Duties