LAK Training Camp: All quiet on the Western front
LOS ANGELES, CA — When it comes to news during the Los Angeles Kings training camp, thank goodness for that Australian trip. Without the long journey to Melbourne creating lifetime memories for players, staff, and management (and yes, even me), there would be very little to discuss.
With the Kings elevating to Stanley Cup contender status with the offseason trade to acquire Pierre-Luc Dubois, the roster is virtually set for their October 11 opener against the Colorado Avalanche.
The Plan? No more planning, it’s time to win.
Play the kids? That’s so 2020.
Who’s the 2C? How about, who’s the 5C?
Coach Todd McLellan put it succinctly during his Thursday post-practice media availability.
“Let’s face it, there’s not a lot of competition,” he said.
If you think the decision on who the 13th forward is high intrigue, then you’re spending far too much time on the Cap Friendly depth charts.
There’s some conversation about the third pair defense, more so due to the team’s cap situation, which may make it necessary to carry six defensemen often. If that is the case, either Jordan Spence or Brandt Clarke will start the season with the AHL Ontario Reign. But with neither requiring waivers, and anticipating both players seeing significant NHL action this season, there’s no drama along the blueline.
But shouldn’t that be the case for a team that has designs on winning it all?
DO PRESEASON GAMES MATTER?
In every professional sports team’s preseason, questions arise as to the usefulness of preseason games. The NFL reduced its schedule to three games (teams that play in the Hall of Fame kickoff game play an additional game) and I can remember a time when they played six (!) games.
From a business perspective, it’s a money maker – NHL teams get live game gate revenue without the expense of paying players, their paychecks start when the season commences. From a team standpoint, practice is the key – integrating new players and systems and because of that, the results from preseason tilts are meaningless.
I asked the two LAK players who need the least number of preseason games – Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty – if it they would prefer what many NFL teams do, rest their players the entire preseason (the Los Angeles Rams and coach Sean McVay’s star players never touch the field before Opening Day) with their first game action coming on Opening Day.
It’s no longer the case where players come to training camp to get in shape and for these two, there is nothing to learn, no new line mates or partners to familiarize themselves with. Would they prefer resting their mid-30s bodies ahead of what should be an almost 100 games (and perhaps beyond) marathon?
If you know hockey players, there’s no surprise at their similar responses.
“I don't think I need five or six games anymore, but three or four are always welcome. It's just about timing and building chemistry within your line even though we played for the better part of last year together. It's just small details that paint the big picture that you have to get in order. No, I need some games,” Kopitar said.
“I don't think so. I think Todd’s first year and maybe we played two preseason games. (To play) preseason games it’s not only to feel ready for the season, but there’s also nothing you can do in the summer to emulate the physicality and the pace of the game. I need a minimum of three games,” Doughty remarked.
Their coach, who decides their deployment, agrees.
McLellan says the NFL and NHL are so dissimilar that that scheme of rest doesn’t apply. The change he would like to effect would be the reduction of training camp attendees – to approximately four-to-five players above the 23-man roster maximum – and four preseason games.
AN AUSTRALIAN LOVE LETTER
When the NHL announced the landing of the Global Series in the Southern Hemisphere, eyebrows were raised. Unlike the natural connection the NHL has when the series is staged in Scandinavia (I’ve been to Stockholm twice and Helsinki once), hockey and Australia rarely appear in the same sentence. Staging the games at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne – the site of the Australian Tennis Open – was unique, as well.
Any time an NHL game is staged at a venue that normally doesn’t carry an ice surface, there’s always a quality-of-ice concern, but those were unfounded. The tickets were not cheap for the 13,000-seater and with the Australian Rules Football (referred to as footy in its native country) semifinals staged the same weekend, the critics questioned how well attended the pre-season games between the Kings and the Arizona Coyotes would be and if the overall reception in a country with a small hockey legacy.
Like those critics, I underestimated Australia.
I was fortunate to witness how well the NHL game was embraced in this sports-crazed (and betting-crazed) country. The Rod Laver Arena was legitimately packed both days and you couldn’t buy merchandise after Saturday’s first game. My expectations for the game night crowds were not high, thinking their reaction would be more curious than knowledgeable.
The fans were fantastic, repping all 32 teams jersey-wise and reacting to game play as North American crowds do. While the game may not have wide acceptance in a country of 25 million, you couldn’t tell by the reaction of the 25,000+ who witnessed a little hockey history. It was my first sojourn to Australia and the six days spent in Melbourne was as special as any international trip I’ve made.
Melbourne is a large city with over five million residents and draws comparisons to Vancouver or Chicago. A city of this size is remarkably clean and safe, Americans are warmly welcomed and is easy to get around either walking the streets or via rideshare (Uber only, no Lyft).
As for a return of the Global Series, you don’t plan an event of this scope as a one-off and the reception the NHL received puts future Australian series in the “no-brainer” category.
It’s not because of my experience but from observing the players throughout the week. Several Kings had Australia on their bucket lists, so to have the NHL pick up the tab was a bonus. Every media opportunity was met with smiles and on some levels, fascination by the players. Word travels fast between players around the NHL and expecting what they will hear about the Australian experience, I’m certain they will be eager to play in future series staged in Australia.
The ASL semifinals that some saw as an impediment proved to be a major plus. Both teams attended the match between Collingwood and GSW Giants at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and came away with both a sense of wonder and respect for the athletes that play footy. Mason Cox, the 6’11” Texan from the champion Collingswood, dropped a ceremonial puck before the second Kings-Coyotes game and you can’t help but wonder if Rob Blake and Coyotes General Manager Bill Armstrong envisioned him as a goalie prospect.
As for a return Down Under, I envision in stages – another go-round like the first, two preseason games with teams from the Western Conference to mitigate travel (David Proper, Senior EVP of Media NHL International Strategy did convey the Boston Bruins had a level of interest) and then expanding to what is being executed in Stockholm in November, four teams playing multiple regular-season games.
In a country where sports and gambling are a fabric of society (approximately 25% of the population are regular gamblers), it’s as close to a sure thing as there is.
BEHIND THE GLASS BEHIND THE SCENES
The NHL leveraged the Global Series to produce the fourth season of Behind The Glass, its version of HBO’s Hard Knocks. The prior three seasons followed the travels of New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Nashville as they ventured outside North America. NHL Network’s cameras documented every step the Kings took on their 16,000-mile journey.
As the filming was wrapping upon the return to Los Angeles, I asked McLellan what the experience was as he prepares his team for the opener against Colorado.
“We’ve had in the past where this type was going on, whether it was the outdoor game (in Colorado Springs), but not for a month and I know why we’re doing it. I think it’s important that we do it,” he said. “These are my new friends (jokingly referring to the NHL Net film crew) and I liked them a lot.
“But there are times where I don’t want to see them and to have a mic on you for three and a half hours is uncomfortable, but they do an outstanding job. They make you feel comfortable and put you in a good spot. They’re not intrusive. They have done a really good job of organizing and managing and the players have been participating but it’s just a long time. They probably shoot an episode of Friends a lot quicker than they do these episodes.”
The debut of the three-part series is Monday at 9pm East/6pm on NHL Network with Episodes 2 and 3 will air on subsequent Monday at the same time. If you missed the first airing and don’t have the capacity to record it, all episode re-air at 9PM Pacific.
Tune in, you never know who you might see.
