Conf . Call with Lombardi, Richards , Kopitar (Kopi -no injury/no surgery)

[deeshamrock]

There's a conference call with Lombardi and some of the players on now. John Hoven (mayors manor) is tweeting the comments as the come in.
From DL

LAKings Dean Lombardi - 'You can't condone losing, but I have to commend their honor.'
#LAKings Lombardi says he received other GMs emailed him last night to say his team doesn't quit.
LAKings Lombardi not in favor of making list of injuries public. Only matters that their teammates know. They're not looking for excuses.
Lombardi seemed to indicate same thing we've been saying for weeks though... Kopitar not injured (beyond original knee injury from Jan)
LAKings Lombardi on if it's more important to get Voynov or Scuderi done first - 'Chicken or egg isn't it?'

Richards on now:

LAKings Mike Richards - 'Even down 3-1, we still believed we could come back and win this series.'

LAKings Mike Richards - 'The heartbreaking thing is when you believe and maybe deserve to win.'

Kopi

Anze Kopitar - No surgery necessary'

LAKings Kopitar - 'I had no significant injuries during the playoffs'


#LAKings Kopitar - 'No secret that we needed more from me this post-season...wish I could put my finger on it, cold streak at wrong time'

LAKings Anze Kopitar on his summer - not going to be very different than most, going back home to train, will take a week to recharge

Click to read more...

 

[DAkings20]

It's not often an entire fan base hopes that their star is injured, but that was the case with Kopi. Not sure what to make of it, but 3 goals in 30 games doesn't cut it. Hopefully that knee can get to 100% before next season.

 

[KINGS17]

There's a conference call with Lombardi and some of the players on now. John Hoven (mayors manor) is tweeting the comments as the come in.
From DL

LAKings Dean Lombardi - 'You can't condone losing, but I have to commend their honor.'
#LAKings Lombardi says he received other GMs emailed him last night to say his team doesn't quit.
LAKings Lombardi not in favor of making list of injuries public. Only matters that their teammates know. They're not looking for excuses.
Lombardi seemed to indicate same thing we've been saying for weeks though... Kopitar not injured (beyond original knee injury from Jan)
LAKings Lombardi on if it's more important to get Voynov or Scuderi done first - 'Chicken or egg isn't it?'

Richards on now:

LAKings Mike Richards - 'Even down 3-1, we still believed we could come back and win this series.'

LAKings Mike Richards - 'The heartbreaking thing is when you believe and maybe deserve to win.'

Kopi

Anze Kopitar - No surgery necessary'

LAKings Kopitar - 'I had no significant injuries during the playoffs'

I understand that the knee wasn't 100%. Seriously Anze needs to decide if he simply wants to be good, or if he wants to be great. IMO, to be great he will have to change his off season program to be more like the ones that guys like Stoll and Lewis do over the summer.

Carter put in the work last summer and it definitely paid off. I wonder if we will ever see an Anze Kopitar season where he reaches his full potential.

 

[Reclamation Project]

Anze needs to fly up to Canada and train with Carter. No excuses.

 

[BigBrown]

Kopitar needs to get his **** together. Love ya buddy but that's just embarrassing.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

Maybe it just came down to being hungry. Winning the cup takes so much, I can't see these guys having that same desire especially the year after you've just won.

 

[Omni Owl]

Really disappointing to hear Kopitar wasn't injured. He was outplayed by Michael ****ing Handzus for ****s sake. That is inexcusable and would almost warrant a trade in my eyes. If he doesn't bring it next year it might be time to re-evaluate his place on this team...

 

[Muzzinga]

that blows my mind that he wasn't injured, since he didnt have a single good game from about game 30ish of the reg season all the way through the playoffs. Serious lack of heart if thats the case and can't even blame his teammates. Kinda worrying, he better bring it next year

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

He was skating with a knee brace on and was cleared today to remove it and confirmed he won't play with one next season. That is a pretty good indication that he had a banged up knee that prevented him from being as strong as he usually is on his skates.

 

[Stupid Sexy Flanders]

For all his verbosity, Dean knows how to say the right thing when it's important.

 

[Live in the Now]

I don't believe Kopitar. Perhaps he has too much pride to admit he was injured, but I saw the guy play 65 games this year; he was injured.

 

[deeshamrock]

Carter put in the work last summer and it definitely paid off. I wonder if we will ever see an Anze Kopitar season where he reaches his full potential.

I was really shocked. He's young ,only going on 26 but this wil be his 8th season. And you would have thought this year , esp in the playoffs, he would have elevated his game. I've heard some Kings fans say that he has something like 'an annual 20 game slump' every year. I don't think an elite player can do that, can they? Maybe he's just not driven??? God he has such great size speed and skill, you would think he would want to be a monster most of the time.

Agree 100% on Carter but from what Kopi said , he's not changing anything.
LAKings Anze Kopitar on his summer - not going to be very different than most, going back home to train, will take a week to recharge

And don't forget in addition to 82 NHL games and the playoffs, he'll have Olympic games.I didn't like the idea of him playing in Europe adding all those extra games to what was a condensed schedule , esp when players who didn't go would have less games played at playoff time. If this year was too much, how will he handle 82 + Olympics + playoffs?

 

[Bandit]

Sonofa... !

 

[Reclamation Project]

Can someone in management seriously dissuade him from going back home to train?

 

[Wooty]

I think some young athletes (all people really) don't fully understand the effort it takes to maintain physical fitness, let alone be a top level athlete. They get by on genetics and forget that they area aging.

 

[Fishhead]

The only worry that I've ever had about Anze is he is a laid back guy, no where near as intense as guys like Richards, Stoll, or Carter. I'd love to see him ratchet it up a bit and commit to getting in the best shape he can. Anze as he is now is great, Anze at the next level would be a handful for every team in the league.

No surgery doesn't mean 100%, and he probably was gimped for most of the year. We've all watched him for years now and he was very weak in areas that he usually is explosive. The compressed schedule just made it worse. Still, I'm sure he feels that even with a gimped knee he should be producing more, and he's completely right.

Truly great players do not slump for extended periods like Anze does, and he does it about four months into the season every year. The only way to fix that is to take his preparation to the next level. If he did that, It's going to take something special to beat the Kings in any playoff series.

 

[Crowne Royale]

Kopi simply doesn't have the personality to be "the guy" and he lacks the kind of explosion that elite goal scorers have. Playing center is a much larger energy expenditure than wing (especially if you're defensively responsible) and with Kopi's big body, it's hard to get the feet moving in a shortened season. I think we all need to reset expectations moving forward. He's not going to carry the team on his back, healthy or not.

 

[KingsFan7824]

So then Kopitar just had his annual mid-season no show at the end of this season, which in a normal year, would've been about mid-season or so?

At least we'll always have 2012 playoff Kopitar to look back on.

Come back and give it another shot next year.

 

[Crowne Royale]

Anze needs to fly up to Canada and train with Carter. No excuses.

Foxy raved two offseasons ago about the bulk Kopi added in the offseason, even had to change his stick stiffness because he had so much more upper body strength. If there's something he can do to work on in the offseason, it's on his mind, not his body.

 

[CowMix]

Very disappointed with Kopitar right now. Why does he have to spend the whole off season in Slovenia every year? Take your vacation in Slovenia but come back to train with the rest of the team long before training camp.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Very disappointed with Kopitar right now. Why does he have to spend the whole off season in Slovenia every year? Take your vacation in Slovenia but come back to train with the rest of the team long before training camp.

Doesn't have to, but he's a grown man. He can do what he wants in the summer, since he's not being paid by the Kings during that time.

 

[northernKing]

LOL!! Yes Carter played very well in the playoffs but I often think some fans simply look at goals and points when basing opinions on players. Yes Kopitar needs to score for the team to have success but he does ALOT more just score. Sure some players train harder than others but for some its necessary. Someone mentioned Stoll and Lewis training harder. Well IMO they need to because they provide little offense and aside from Stolls face off ability and both being good pkers they bring little else.

LA will not win another Cup with this current roster unless Kopitar contributes like he did last year. I'm quite confident both will happen.

 

[deeshamrock]

Mke Richards -Believed until the buzzer-now Heartbroken

From today's conf. call, the full questions and answer to MR .
I could understand (given his intensity and passion esp in the playoffs) how he said how frustrating it was for him , esp in game 4, to sit in the pressbox and not be able to help the team.

On losing in the Western Conference Final this year:

“There’s always that sour taste in your mouth. I thought we played well last night. And I still thought going into yesterday’s game, down 3-1, we still believed we could come back and win. So, really, until the final buzzer, the final goal last night, everyone still believed we could win the series and move on and contend for the Stanley Cup again. So, I think that’s the most frustrating, devastating part of it, is you still have that belief. Sometimes you go into a series not knowing or more or less hoping, but I really thought that everybody believed that we could win. Obviously we came up short. But, I think that’s the most heartbreaking thing is when you believe you can, and maybe even deserve to win last night, and then not getting the opportunity to. You miss some chances and getting the loss was the most heartbreaking part of it.â€

On what Chicago did that St.Louis and San Jose didn’t:

“I’m not really sure. It’s pretty quick to analyze a playoff series or a playoff run the day after. I thought they were opportunistic on their chances. I think in Game 4, and especially last night, they came out to a pretty good start. In between first and second period we discussed trying to chip away at it. But, they’re an opportunistic team. They have guys with a lot of skill and obviously know where the net is too. When you play that with the gritty strategy that they play, and being up-tempo, it’s tough to play against. But, I thought they were very opportunistic on their chances. I don’t think we gave them a whole lot, but we did they were definitely grade-A chances.â€

On watching part of the Western Conference Final from the press box:

“It was frustrating to watch. It’s something I don’t want to have to do again. But, you sit there and wish you could do something. It’s obviously a lot better playing, you can control a lot more than when you’re sitting there watching, especially in Game 4 when I thought (Chicago) was playing well. Like I said, they scored on their chances that they got. It is frustrating just sitting there, especially with a concussion because you never know – with the way you feel. You think you feel good. Then, I went out and tried to skate and you don’t feel well. I think that’s the most frustrating part of it. Because you think you can play and then you start doing activities and realize you’re not only putting the team at risk, but you’re putting yourself at risk too. So, what’s frustrating the most is that you can’t do anything about it to help the team.â€

On any differences in how Darryl Sutter coached the team this post-season compared to last year:

“I think last post-season he did a good job, but I don’t know how much he needed to do with the lines because it seemed like everything was going in the right direction. We didn’t have those struggles to find goals on the road. It always seemed like it was there. I think with this year, especially on the road, when you’re not scoring goals you’re always looking for different sparks and different chemistry and line combinations to try to get those goals, especially when you’re down you’re looking for answers. So, this post-season was probably a lot different and stressful for him, to try and find something that worked for everybody. Last year I think for the most part, and he might even tell you, it was probably easy from a line combination standpoint because we were having success. So, he didn’t really have to do too much. This year he was looking for answers, I feel.â€

On any differences in his two years in Los Angeles:

“I think you feel more comfortable your second year, especially after you win a Championship. And more-so after the first couple months you start feeling more comfortable and confident to say things in the dressing room. Maybe your first season you’re a little bit tentative to step up in different ways. I think this year, with pretty much the same group as we had last year, I think everybody stepped up in different ways when things needed to be said. I just think everybody is more comfortable with each other. So, you can say something to somebody and you don’t have to worry about different things being thought about from that player. That respect that everybody has fo each other and the confidence, and being comfortable with each other, I think that goes a long way on the ice and improving as a hockey team.â€

 

[MsMeow]

Very disappointed with Kopitar right now. Why does he have to spend the whole off season in Slovenia every year? Take your vacation in Slovenia but come back to train with the rest of the team long before training camp.

I have no problem with him staying at home till he has to come back, in fact, I would do the same thing. Home means the world to some people while it's not such a big deal to others. He just has to get his intensity up more than anything else. He needs a mean streak!

 

[deeshamrock]

Kopitar Inteview- No Surgery, recharging mentally and physically over the summer

The full conf call interview (from the Mayors Manor) with Kopi, talks about his knee, no surgery, and the mental fatigue he felt (and pressure to succeed) that hindered him this year.
Hopes to refocus over the summer

Reading betweetn the lines, maybe the pressure of being the 'best player' on the cup Champions and all the pressure to be the first in 15 years to repeat was just too much for him.

On any injury slowing him down during the playoffs:

“There is not going to be any surgery necessary. In fact, I just talked to Chris (Kingsley, Kings head trainer) and our doctor today. I can actually get rid of the knee brace too. So, I’m getting back to no discomfort and good strength in my knee. I should be fine. And in regards to being injured during the playoffs, there was really no significant injuries that I suffered. It was normal, just banged up with a few bumps and bruises. That’s about it.â€

On why he wasn’t able to do what he normally does on the ice:

“There’s no secret that we needed more from me, in terns of the production during the post-season. But, I honestly wish I could point the finger at something and do it differently. But, I guess one of the cold streaks came at the wrong time. I’m definitely frustrated because of it. But, that’s the way it goes sometimes. Now, for me, it’s a matter of working mentally and getting prepared for these kinds of moments, but to not search them out for too long and getting out of the slump quicker and not feeling too down.â€

On the weight of the situation:

“Any guy will tell you that you feel a little down. Obviously you’re working hard and the results aren’t coming, so it gets a little frustrating. I think the competitive guy that I am, I want to perform every night. And it just wasn’t going. So, yeah, feeling down was part of that, but a little bit frustration (too). And again, I’m pretty sure it’s not lack of caring or not trying. In fact, sometimes you try even harder and it backfires on you. Maybe that was the case. For me, it’s a matter of evaluation things like that and learning from this for the future and trying to get rid of those slumps and definitely not drag them on too long.â€

On being moved to the third line and if he discussed it with Sutter at the time:

“We talked about it. He said he was going to switch me and Stollie. I was fine with it. During the playoffs it really doesn’t matter who you’re playing with. Darryl was trying to find something to get something going. So, there were definitely no hard feelings. I came out and played hard. That’s all I really can do.â€

On that ‘re-evaluating’ he mentioned and his summer plans:

“It’s going to be pretty much the same routine. There might be a tweak or two here and there. But, it’s not going to be a whole lot different. The last couple of years we’ve played lots of hockey and had fairly long seasons too. So, now it’s maybe a week of recharging and really trying to unwind from all the physical and mental stress that you put on your body over the course of the season. Then, I’ll start working out again and getting ready for next year