NHL blog, LA Kings hockey news and interviews from The Mayor
Enjoy a free replay of “The Mayor” John Hoven, as he joined hosts Brett Winterble and George Wrighster on The Beast, AM 980 in Los Angles, to talk all the latest topics surrounding the Kings – including their playoff chances and what GM Dean Lombardi might do before the trade deadline.
You can listen to today’s segment using the player below or download any of our audio files for free on the MayorsManor iTunes page located here.
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Not many prospects have to wait more than seven years between hearing their name called at the NHL Draft and scoring their first goal in the world’s top league. Such is the story of Nikolai Prokhorkin, one of a long and winding road, unlike nearly any other player in recent memory. Following the Kings selecting […]
If you’re interested in a free pair of tickets to an LA Kings home game this season, Mercury Insurance is willing to provide you with an early Christmas present. Between now and December 8th, their “Get a Quote, Get a Pair of Tickets” promotion is truly as simple as it sounds.
Fans who complete an online […]
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Enjoy a free replay of this week’s Mayor’s Minutes on NHL Network Radio, where John Hoven joined host Jim ‘Boomer’ Gordon to discuss a plethora of LA Kings topics, including: Jeff Carter’s legacy in Los Angeles, what’s next with Ilya Kovalchuk, coach Todd McLellan, Tyler Toffoli, Blake Lizotte, Sean Walker, and a few other […]
Per recent tradition, it will be the Kings and Coyotes in a pair of split-squad games to open up preseason on Tuesday night. LA captain Anze Kopitar will not suit up, but he will get a chance to watch his son … [Read More...]
John,
In the interview you referred to Doughty as “the best defenseman in the NHL.” Thinking you’re going a bit overboard there. He is clearly the best Kings d-man and a top-ten defenseman league-wide but do you really believe he’s number 1 in the entire league?
He’s hardly in the class of a dominating defenseman at both ends of the ice like others before him, for example, Larry Robinson, Salming, Potvin, Chelios, Bourque, Lidstrom, Pronger or Chara.
DD is a good, but not great skater, a pretty good passer, has hard shot and has become a good, but not great, defender. Yes, he is a tremendous competitor and wants to win as much or more than anybody but does not dominate anywhere on the ice in any one zone. He is more effective when concentrating on defensive play first and playing offensively only selectively. He still runs around too much offensively, carries the puck too much and makes too many mistakes….Players like Ekman-Larson and Erik Karlson are light years better offensively. Weber is a bigger and better all-around defenseman. Chara, up to this season, has been the best all-around d-man in the league since Pronger’s skills started to decline. A case can be made for Duncan Keith being more effective than DD as well.
DD is the best defenseman on what has been the league’s best team two of the last three years. He’s had the NHL’s best goaltender back there making him look better for the past several seasons. This is not a knock against DD but I think to call him the league’s best, is an overly optimistic view of his performance up to now.