Following the Kings’ final game before the Olympic break, a 2-1 overtime win, captain Dustin Brown had the following to share…
On his hit against Ryan Murray and how the penalty was called:
“I think ultimately they’re going to go the way of the IIHF, where if it looks bad, its a penalty. Whether it’s a good hit or a clean hit or a hard hit, if it’s too hard it’s going to be a penalty. I think that’s kid of where they’re going to be going. I’m just not a fan. There’s some responsibility to protect yourself on the ice and responsibility on the other side of it. There’s certain hits that I think we all can look at and say, ‘that’s not a good hit.’ It wasn’t like a targeted his head or anything like that. It was a body check, he happened to be a little bit lower than I am, so I don’t know what I’m supposed to do in that situation.”
On how the Kings were able to turn the game around:
“I think it was just sticking with it, really. We’ve been struggling to score goals and we’re down 1-0 going into the third. As bad as we’re struggling as a group and individually, we still understand it was just a one shot game. That’s the mentality we always have, really. Regardless of the score, we always just chip away, chip away. We were able to find one, I think that kind of just maybe relaxed us a little bit to play the rest of our game. You get Reg, the ‘Jacket killer’ comes up big for us.”
[ed note: The game winning goal was Robyn Regehr’s second OT goal vs Columbus this year.]
On Drew Doughty saying he wants to hit Anze Kopitar in the Olympics:
“I don’t know what Dewey… I think he has enough to worry about.”
On if he is excited to play against teammates in the Olympics:
“Yeah, I’ve had the opportunity to play against pretty much all my teammates in international competition. It’s definitely a different feel, but at the same time you play your game and go about your business the same way.”
On NHL ice versus the larger Olympic ice:
“I think the dimensions ultimately create a slower game because you can’t get in on the forecheck and you can’t play a North American game. A lot of teams just sit back and play one-fours. It tends to slow the game down. It’s one of those games, all the teams have to adapart to it. I think Euros are more used to it, but North Americans have played over there and I think we’re capable of doing well.”
On if playing overseas during the lockout has helped him prepare for playing on the larger ice:
“Yeah, I think to just draw in a little bit of the experience. For a winger, I think the hardest thing is your D coverage, because a lot of your D covereage here, you can use the baords as a reference and there if your close to the boards, you’re probably in a lot of trouble. That’s where the D zone coverage is probably the hardest part for a winger. A lot of the other stuff is again, just playing. It’s just different dimensions and your angles and that sort of thing, and the end zone, I think that will help.”
On if he likes Darryl Sutter’s tough love:
“Yeah. I think it’s one of those things, you don’t want a cheerleader. So when you need it, it’s nice to have it.”
On the flip side, the Blue Jackets weren’t too happy with Brown after the game. See comments from their locker room, plus thoughts from Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty at the links below.
RELATED CONTENT:
Blue Jackets not happy with Dustin Brown hit
Kopitar on Sutter – ‘My old man is pretty close to Darryl’
Drew Doughty still loves Darryl Sutter
Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please include a link to www.MayorsManor.com
About John Hoven
Is anyone else tired of hearing NHL players whine about getting hit? KEEP YOUR HEAD UP! Everyone understands the significance of concussions. Everyone realizes hitting from behind is weak and cheap. BUT when you get “trucked” in the center of the ice, you deserve it. And what’s the deal with making up BS calls when someone does make a clean hit? Better yet, what’s the deal with someone dropping the gloves on a good, clean hit? Remember when fighting had a purpose? Now there are fewer fights (ok) but when they do throw down, it’s because a teammate placed (or happened to ge)t himself into a bad position. Toughen up Buttercups! No one wants a league without the skilled players but then again if they’re so skilled then they shouldn’t place themselves in a position to get pummeled. Pretty soon we’re going to be watching a NHL game and football will break out.