alt="LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond" />Alexander Frolov scored two goals, including one into an empty net with 1:38 remaining, as the Kings broke their four-game losing streak and ended the first half of their season (and the calendar year) with a victory. Brad Richardson, Ryan Smyth and Michal Handzus also scored goals and Jonathan Quick made 27 saves. More from the locker room ASAP…
Bio
Rich Hammond has covered the Kings, on a full-time or part-time basis, since the 2000-01 season. He previously worked at the Los Angeles Daily News, was the beat writer for the entire John Torchetti era and has witnessed Bob Miller singing country music in a Nashville honky-tonk bar.
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Fro two goals. Nice.
Needed that win badly. Great effort tonight, although that’s easy to say when you score three times in the first period. =D
And the begining to a winning streak
Fro 2 Wild 2
Play was strong he needed the 8 days off.
Haters suck it up!
41 Games 23-15-3 49 Pts. A couple of games we should have one I’d say about 5 or 6. What was our record at the halfway point last season? Any predictions for the next 41 games???
Woot Go Kings!!!!!
HUGE WIN!!!, i held off plans to watch, glad they showed up. let’s hope this carries over to Sat. i hope everyone has a safe and fun new years, look at me sounding like a PSA :) oh well. Go Kings!!!!!!!!!!!!
4-4 Shootout now Schenn set Eberle almost won it in OT. These two are like Daniel and Henrik out there.
we.re on pace for 98 points
I’d say 98 pts is good for about the 6th spot.
That looked more like the Kings team pre the Smith injury. Even Harrold looked sharp. Go Kings!!!
Where’s the New years chat?
Nice effort. Kopi needs to get going!
Alright, 2 goals by frolov tonight, with this pace he’s a shoes in for the all-star game this year!
Oh wait, no all-star game this year, sorry fro maybe someday.
Happy New Year everyone!
Lets carry this into a Kings decade of Domination!
Kings of the West!
Kozun 5 hole GW SO goal CAN wins 5-4 yeah baby!!! What a game!!!
Loved the way Segal fit on his line. Love the Parse/Richie combo. We won the last game of ‘09! Yea Kings!
Kozon wins it. DL is looking pretty smart after this game.
Wait a minute: wasn’t the sky falling just a few hours ago?
Happy new year to all!
jet what a game
Kings need to figure out a way to pry Eberle from Edmonton
NOW THATS 60 MINUTES OF HOCKEY!!! Way to go gentleman!
So maybe the sky is not falling!
Big big win…
…happy new year everybody
What’s up with Calgary getting B2B home games on B2B nights? How come the Kings never get that luxurious scenario?
I can’t believe it!!
I saw Kings hockey in the middle of the ice!
I saw successful Kings passing across the middle of the offensive zone!
I saw open Kings in the slot!!
This was like watching a whole different team tonight. Will the real LA Kings please stand up for the New Year!?!?
…I don’t care how many prospects the Kings have on team Canada…I live in the U.S.! If you want to root for Canada, go ahead and move back there if its so great! ! !
PS. Team Mexico could use some fans at the Home Depot Center…since you seem to be wavering…
I didn’t even know any game between Canada and U.S today. Was that a curling tournament?
I really liked the line of Fro, Zeus, and Segal. They looked good. Matter of fact, I like all the line combos tonight. Purcell got scratched…will he be back on the 1st line Saturday?
Darko25o
Well I already live in Canada and if you don’t like it don’t complain to me or jet, complain to the manufacturer.
Tell DL to start drafting a bunch of sissyboys like Cam Fowler or Jason Zucker or Jack Campbell and then the Kings can really tank it.
Darko25o -
leave the jingoistic/bigoted/racist b.s. at home, next time.
Hey goldielocks
It is a Under 20 Hockey tournament that starts on Boxing Day every year and every New Years Eve Canada and US play each other. 4 Kings prospects are in it for Canada.
I’m glad, that 2009 ended this way. It’s been a turbulent year fot the Kings, but they eventually grew up and are capable of reaching one of the PO-spots.
It’s 5:30am in Slovenia now and this win really made the new year party even better! It’s your time to party now LA! Have a great time celebrating and a happy new year from Slovenia! GO KINGS GO!
S.
Oh, really. Sorry it wasn’t even televised. I guess nobody gives s**t about some junior hockey huh. And what was a result? Canada barely won in SO? Well. congratulations for winning over the only sport you got in tundra.
now now goldielocks we dont need any trouble (south park
)
So, how many of you in the States are gonna get your Kings games cut with this News Corp vs Time Warner / Bright House BS?
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x113238363/No-channels-for-you-Cable-fight-heats-up
I know there is one guy from Bakersfield, King / Condor fan (scratching head). Hope he has Satellite.
…I was born in Toronto-Welland, Ontario to be exact, so keep the idiotic comments between yourselves! I’m happy with who we drafted, but it doesn’t mean a thing to me when it comes to the pride I have in my country.
…and Quisp…you should look up the definition of words prior to using them as a description of someone’s opinion, or ideology. You are a complete hypocrite based on your last comment.
R.E.M.-”Well I already live in Canada and if you don’t like it don’t complain to me or jet, complain to the manufacturer.”
It makes sense for you to root for Canada,if you live there, but its ridiculous to root for another country based on a handful of players you have no relation to. I denounced my dual citizenship because of what my family gave up to defend this country. So relative to that, Quisp, and anyone else on the similar “wagon”, can critque my opinion all you want. Its easy to turn a deaf ear to people like you…
Oh, and Quisp, the word you’re looking for is xenophopic, which I’m not, because I was born in Canada, and love it…you just don’t seem to have the mental capability of comprehending an entire comment apparently. Look at what I wrote, and explain to me how any of that is racist!
Come on now boys!!
Let’s have a happy New Year.
Let’s enjoy the Kings and international hockey as well. Sip it in and enjoy; don’t pound it ’til it makes you sick.
Thanks Mark, but its hard to swallow when a moron calls you’re words -”jingoistic/bigoted/racist”
I can handle my liquor, and pound it till content, but idiocy makes me sick…
Happy New Year Mark!
Happy New Year Darko!
I remember that Grapes “took some” several years ago for saying that the U.S.A and Cananda should stand by each other but he was right.
Speaking of Grapes, I wonder what he will say about the hit on Kopitar this weekend!!
Since the inception of The Classic, I actually save all of the hard stuff for the morning of the first- Rose Pararde-Classic-Rose Bowl-deep sleep!!!;
Only beer and Boones Farm tonight.
Does it seem to anyone that Brown lacks drive/intensity?…just coasting between lining up hits? Could be good trade bait for some gritty forwards.
he is a gritty forward
…and a sigh of relief was had by all…
B+ performance all around. Would have been A- if they hadn’t given up the late goal and given away a penalty and some momentum after that. In the end, though, they got the jump they really needed on the back end of the back-to-back, and followed it up with a fairly disciplined finish.
Oh…I love this line combination! What’s the best part–might be that Percell’s on the bench. :-(
“Thanks Mark, but its hard to swallow when a moron calls you’re words -’jingoistic/bigoted/racist’
I can handle my liquor, and pound it till content, but idiocy makes me sick…”
Nothing personal, just a point of view from someone else who finds that attitude offensive…I’d say they were right. If it weren’t for such nationalistic nonsense, I think we’d have more goods and services crossing borders, and fewer armies. Seemed to me HBfan was disclosing his POV.
What a great game… After the last 4 this one was a nice turn around. Looks like were getting back into the swing of things… That layoff sucked!
Darko — I was not really rooting for either team as much as I was for the Kings prospects. Schenn and Teu were both on the ice for the final minute of the 4v4 overtime period. It just shows great leadership. Schenn made some Gretzky like passes, one where he made a soft pass from his own blue line to die on the attacking zone, oppisite side face off dot where Eberle skated onto it at full speed. Kozon also got the game winner with a shot where he surely had more pressure on him than he has ever faced in his young life.
The only other player on the ice close to these guys was Eberle, which rem mentioned that we should trade for him. I think that could be possible since the Oilers have a half dozen of these type of players and Quinn favoring the big boys.
Overall, it was an exciting game and a window to the Kings future. These were the top jrs in the world and 3 of the best ones are future Kings.
BTW — I think Jones is better than the guy Canada had in goal, but that is just one game and it was against the US.
Haha Blake! “Now, Skeeter, he ain’t hurtin’ nobody.”
goldielocks -
You didn’t know there is a World Junior tournament going on??? Did you just start watching hockey yesterday? Please stop posting on a Kings blog, you make the rest of us look like fools…
goldielocks -
…and you think it wasn’t televised??? HAHAHAHAHA…try turning your TV to TSN…and if you don’t get TSN where you live…sucks to be you!
light’n up francis.
tantrum4
Don’t you know the word ’sarcastic’? Of course I knew about the tournament and I watched it (after Kings game tho). I said that cause some Canadian monkeis brought it up here. Please, read all the comments and react like you are a smart Kings fan.
I watched that World Jr from start to finish… even the commercials. What a great game, nothing like last year, personally I thought both goaltenders sucked. To damn mechanical, except for the one Hasek impression. It was an outstanding game, is the NHL gonna look even better with some of these kids. Someone please explaion how a player can play in the NHL the past two seasons and still be elgible to play in the World Juniors?? Pietrangelo for instance. Last year he played 8 games and then went bak to Jrs, this year he makes the Blues out of camp and has played in 9 games or is it because he’s still 20? I guess Doughty could have played also if the Kings would have released him….. Hell I thought this was Junior hockey.
darko25o -
jingoistic i.e. chauvinistic patriotism, e.g. “If you want to root for Canada, go ahead and move back there if its so great! ! !”
bigoted, i.e. obstinately attached to some creed or opinion and intolerant toward others; now read your comment and see if it fits the criterion of intolerance:
“…I don’t care how many prospects the Kings have on team Canada…I live in the U.S.! If you want to root for Canada, go ahead and move back there if its so great! ! !
PS. Team Mexico could use some fans at the Home Depot Center…since you seem to be wavering…”
racist, i.e. as evidenced by the following ethnic slur: “PS. Team Mexico could use some fans at the Home Depot Center.”
“Oh, and Quisp, the word you’re looking for is xenophopic, which I’m not, because I was born in Canada, and love it”
Not the word I was looking for. I used the word I was looking for. And I didn’t have to look very far either.
Nice try, though.
Cynic,I tried to build a snowman.A lady walking by said”nice snowwoman”.Agitated I asked”snow woman?”.She looked down then up then turned to me and replied”a Mikus snowman has snowballs.”
Message to DL: I fell asllep in front of the Big Screen and dreamt I was watching the Kings play a perfect period -hitting on all cylinders and exploiting all talents. Then I woke up and saw were were up 3 to zip going into the second period. How the heck did that happen?
DO NOT CHANGE THE LINES! PLAY LIKE THIS OVER THE CAPS ON SATURDAY WOULD BE A TREMENDOUS BOOST FOR THE BOYS A LIGHT THIS ROCKET BACK UP TO THE CONFERENCE FRONT FOUR!
Message to DL: I fell asllep in front of the Big Screen and dreamt I was watching the Kings play a perfect period -hitting on all cylinders and exploiting all talents. Then I woke up and saw we were up 3 to zip going into the second period. How the heck did that happen?
DO NOT CHANGE THE LINES! PLAY LIKE THIS OVER THE CAPS ON SATURDAY WOULD BE A TREMENDOUS BOOST FOR THE BOYS A LIGHT THIS ROCKET BACK UP TO THE CONFERENCE FRONT FOUR!
Now, back to the salt mines………..
Quisp,
There’s a ton more anti-Americanism from Canada than there is anti-canadianism from here, and I think darko was being responsive. And, his Mexico reference is facetious, not racist, as mexico/us futbal games in the us draws an overwhelmingly Mexico crowd.
I see the occasional US-bashing attitude here from time to time, but rarely is there a decrying of it. You, yourself called the Americans a spoiled bunch, or some such term, last WJC’s. That’s what some media reported, and hockey media is overwhelmingly Canadian. I felt it was a bit offensive and biased.
But, your free to post an opinion, as is darko. I guess Rich is the one who can decide if posts should stand.
Maybe I misunderstood the comment. If I did, I apologize. It did appear to be a comment about Mexicans and Home Depot. But what do I know.
As far as US-bashing, I haven’t noticed it. I don’t recall the comment you are referring to re the Americans being “spoiled.” I do remember some kind of dust-up over the US/Canada game. But, this year as last year and every year, I mostly view the WJC in terms of the individual prospects involved. I have no special allegiance to any one team, and I would always come down in favor of a great, close game, regardless of the outcome. Also, I am easily persuaded to root for the underdog. And in past years I have had friends on the US team (actually Olympic team, not juniors) and of course rooted for them to win. But in general, I don’t especially have a dog in that fight.
It’s true that the media coverage of juniors is overwhelmingly biased toward CAN. Not surprising given the circumstances, but certainly annoying. Possibly even more annoying than the media bias of East over West at the NHL level.
Quisp,
You are probably more capable than I of being objective with the WJC’s, as I’m an American homer in it, but it is an incredible tournament I’d love to one day attend. With a stated bias, I feel the Americans have performed well and that without the general Canadian domination of the event (in media and public interest and control of the rules) we may have a few more Golds.
A great year for sports, however, with this, the olympics, and World Cup (soccer).
Cheers
Now back to the Kings…and them finding balance.
It’s just that nationalism is such destructive nonsense. I find no place for it at all.
Cristobal -
The only reason I appear to be more “objective” is I put my loyalty and interest with the prospects. If the US is down a few goals, I will root for them to catch up; if Canada is down, I root for them to catch up. I think this comes from years of watching NHL playoffs without the Kings in them; I just want every series to go seven games OT.
My wish list is:
(1) Kings prospects not hurt.
(2) Kings prospects great games.
(3) exciting close game. Like someone said, 25 round shoot-out. I would throw in a third period come-back and pulled goalie in the last minute, and a killed-off power-play in OT. Also how about a waved-off goal in OT, too.