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| Dustin Brown (photo by M. Zampelli) |
There’s still plenty more content to come from yesterday’s chat with Kings GM Dean Lombardi (and that will be posted either later this afternoon or tomorrow on MayorsManor).
However, let’s briefly turn our attention to what some of the players are thinking right now. First up, team captain Dustin Brown.
When asked what one word could be used to best describe the mood of the team right now, #23 said ‘excitement’ – and then he offered the following explanation as to where that excitement comes from…
“A lot of things factor into it. The last week has been pretty emotional and tough. We had a big, huge win in Toronto and now we’re back, with Darryl coming in – I think guys are excited about the prospect of getting back on track. Sometimes you just need a change. Finally, this has been solidified – officially. It was kind of a distraction that whole road trip, with ‘Is Darryl going to be our coach or not?’ That’s not what the players were thinking. That’s what the media was thinking and that’s what they were asking about. Meanwhile, we had to play against Boston, Columbus, Detroit and Toronto. As a player, that what my focus was on. But, now that this is settled, we can just go about business.”
On the new line combinations, which features Brad Richardson playing up front with Brown and Anze Kopitar…
“Looking at things, he sees that he wants a more balanced line-up. I told Richie ‘I can’t get away from you.’ Over the last year-and-a-half, he’s played with me and Kopi on and off, for three, four, five games at a time. Like I’ve said before, the top players need to be your best players. I think you can sprinkle in a guy like Richie and he’s excited about the opportunity ahead of him. I don’t think anybody here is happy with how we’ve played, both individually and as a group. If you look at guys, they want to be better and maybe this gives us an opportunity for a spark plug.”
Will it work? Is this team ready to turn the page and make a serious run over the final 49 regular season games? Everybody in LA is so excited to see, they moved the game up 30 minutes tonight. Kings vs. Ducks will kick off at 7pm.
If you missed the comments from Lombardi yesterday, several articles are linked below for your reference.
The Mayor
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Lombardi on identity, expectations and the Red Wings nearly trading Steve Yzerman
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Lombardi on cheating vs. earning it in today’s NHL
What I’ve learned so far… by LA Kings captain Dustin Brown
What I’ve learned so far… by LA Kings forward Brad Richardson
