Kukla's Korner Hockey
Entries with the tag: Dean+Lombardi
Afternoon Line
by Paul on 02/02/12 at 02:03 PM ET
Comments (39)
“Those clocks are sophisticated instruments that calculate time by measuring electrical charges called coulombs—given the rapidity and volume of electrons that move through the measuring device the calibrator must adjust at certain points which was the delay you see—the delay is just recalibrating for the clock moving too quickly during the 10 - 10ths of a second before the delay—this insures that the actual playing time during a period is exactly 20 minutes That is not an opinion—that is science—amazing devise quite frankly.”
-Dean Lombardi, GM for the LA Kings on the clock issue last night. More from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.
added 2:17pm,
So it’s a can of worms for the NHL and even if an anonymous off-ice official loses his job over it, it won’t change the final result, which is that the Kings are credited with a point in a game which they may or may not have earned.
And if the Western Conference playoff race goes down to the wire the way it did last season, and somebody misses out by a point, the events of Feb. 1 in L.A. will not be easy for some close-but-no-cigar also-ran to swallow.
Or to forget.
-Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail where you can read more on this topic.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi,
All Dean Lombardi On Drew Doughty Holdout
by Paul on 09/16/11 at 02:05 PM ET
Comments (2)
from Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider,
Question: You’re now in a holdout situation with Doughty. What kind of update can you give about his status and the negotiations?
LOMBARDI: “Obviously we’re very disappointed that he’s not here. I don’t think it’s any secret, what we think of this player and his abilities and what his potential is. So that’s certainly not an issue, as far as the quality of the player or the quality of the person. We hold both to high regard. That said, a couple things. I don’t want to get into the intricacies what we offered, in terms of the minute details. It’s safe to say that, as far as the big picture within the league, we certainly made him an offer that puts him amongst the top defensemen in the league. Then you look at your team. It’s no secret that he would be at the top of our team. Then, thirdly, even thought I think you know how I feel philosophically about paying for potential, it’s part of the system unfortunately. But the third thing that’s critical to us is the allocation. Where we’re at now, we certainly stretched the limit in terms of paying him amongst the top players in the league, paying him appropriately within the team’s salary structure and, most importantly, being able to keep this group together.
Update 3:48pm ET: ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun on Twitter offers this reminder—
Worth noting that technically speaking, Doughty is not a holdout , he’s an unsigned RFA. Not that Kings fan will feel any better.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi, Drew+Doughty,
Fraser Feud
by Lisa McRitchie on 08/03/11 at 02:04 PM ET
Comments (23)
It has been common to just use the word gate behind any misunderstanding or wrongdoing. In this case, I don’t believe that the Oilers set out to pull the wool over the heads of the Kings. So, I hereby propose this subject be called the Fraser Feud.
I was in St. Paul at the NHL entry draft amidst all of the Ryan Smyth trade talk, and everyone was excited about it, no matter what team they were there representing or covering. TSN cameramen were telling me how wonderful they felt the move would be for Edmonton. The heart of the matter seemed to be at what cost.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Edmonton Oilers, Lisa McRitchie | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Colin+Fraser, Dean+Lombardi, Ryan+Smyth, Steve+Tambellini,
Evening Line
by Paul on 07/08/11 at 08:03 PM ET
Comments (11)
“The bottom line for me, I would have rather invested my money with Bernie Madoff than invest in Edmonton’s word.”
-LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi on the Smyth/Fraser trade with Edmonton. Fraser is injured and Lombardi is not happy with that. More at Helene Elliott’s twitter account.
added 9:13pm, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal with his opinion,
My take is there’s plenty of room for medical specialists to disagree about an injury, and to do so in good conscience. If Lombardi has a real complaint, he can take it to the NHL. Until he does, this comes off as something of a snit fit from a GM not used to having a star player holding a gun to his head and demanding a trade to a single specified location.
added 9:15pm, Helene’s story just made it at The Fabulous Forum, where the story gets a little more in-depth.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi,
Dean Lombardi Fined $50K
by Paul on 01/21/11 at 04:32 PM ET
Comments (8)
NEW YORK (January 21, 2011) – Los Angeles Kings President and General Manager Dean Lombardi has been fined $50,000 for comments made following Thursday night’s game against the Phoenix Coyotes.
“There is no acceptable explanation or excuse for commentary challenging the integrity of the League’s Hockey Operations Department in general or Mike Murphy, in particular,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said.
“People can disagree with a call by an official on the ice or an official in the Situation Room in Toronto, but even in instances of the utmost frustration there is no justification for speaking as inappropriately and irresponsibly as Mr. Lombardi did,” Commissioner Bettman added. “Mike Murphy is a devoted caretaker of the game. His commitment to the National Hockey League, all 30 of its Clubs – and to the game – is beyond challenge, question or debate.
“I have spoken to Dean, who has apologized to Mike Murphy and to me and has acknowledged that his comments were wrong, inappropriate and without merit,” Commissioner Bettman said.
The money goes to the NHL Foundation.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi,
Lombardi Sorry For Outburst
by Paul on 01/21/11 at 01:22 PM ET
Comments (2)
from Mike Brophy of Sportsnet at CityNews,
Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi has apologized to NHL vice-president Mike Murphy for an outburst following his team’s loss to the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday night, but still expects a phone call from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
Lombardi was furious after a Coyotes goal scored by Martin Hanzal on a high stick was allowed following a lengthy review by the league’s war room in Toronto. He said Murphy’s decision was swayed by the fact that he didn’t get the GM job with the Kings.
“I called Mike Murphy and apologized first thing this morning,” Lombardi said. “He was very professional and a bigger man than me.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings, NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi,
Kings Not Happy With Goal Call
by Paul on 01/21/11 at 09:15 AM ET
Comments (13)
from Rich Hammond at Kings.com,
Irate after a video review failed to overturn a second-period goal by the Phoenix Coyotes, Kings general manager Dean Lombardi and coach Terry Murray publicly called out the NHL review crew in Toronto after the Kings’ 2-0 loss to the Coyotes.
The disputed play took place 8:48 into the second period of a then-scoreless game. Phoenix’s Martin Hanzal, stationed in front the net, lifted his stick and knocked the puck out of the air and past Kings goalie Jonathan Quick.
On-ice officials immediately called it a good goal, and after a video review of more than five minutes, the crew in Toronto, led by Mike Murphy, the NHL’s senior vice president of hockey operations, ruled that the goal would stand.
“When the guy in Toronto making the decisions on the goals, in Ottawa and the one tonight, wanted the G.M.‘s job in L.A. and was not happy about not getting it, you have to assume you are going to get those type of calls,’’ Lombardi said. “However, we have put ourselves in a position where these calls have a monumental effect on our season, and we’re going to have to find a way out of it ourselves.’‘
I saw the goal live and honestly, I felt whatever was ruled on the ice is the way Toronto would see it, it was that close. You can watch the goal in real-time and slow motion below…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi, Martin+Hanzal,
Afternoon Line
by Paul on 10/01/10 at 03:16 PM ET
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“The biggest thing is the uncertainty of planning. Whenever you’re trying to put a team together under any system, it’s about planning ahead. Obviously going forward here, there’s a lot of uncertainty. The ability to plan … it just seems we shouldn’t be in this position of such uncertainty.”
-Dean Lombardi, GM of the Los Angeles Kings on the CBA. More from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings, NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi,
Evening Line
by Paul on 07/19/10 at 05:46 PM ET
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“...I don’t think there’s another top guy out there right now, so you’ve got to be careful about just running out there and getting a fill that we didn’t really want. So that’s what you’ve got to guard against at this point now. We’ll continue to work through it, but I don’t see anything on the horizon. But I’ve been around long enough to know that something always comes up.”
-LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi via Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider where you can read more.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi,
The Lombardi/Johnson/Berenson Saga
by Paul on 01/23/10 at 08:54 AM ET
Comments (6)
from Helene Elliott of the LA Times,
Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi said Friday his harsh evaluation of Jack Johnson’s old flaws in an interview on the blog frozenroyalty.net was intended to lend perspective to the defenseman’s progress, not to disparage Johnson or the University of Michigan.
In the interview, conducted by Gann Matsuda and published as part of a series, Lombardi said Johnson “never had any coaching” at Michigan and was “awful as a hockey player” before he joined the Kings and refined his game enough to be chosen for the U.S. Olympic team at the Vancouver Games….
Lombardi said he meant to give Matsuda background information on Johnson’s evolution and didn’t expect those comments to be published. “The whole article was completely out of context,” Lombardi said.
Matsuda said Lombardi never designated that part of the conversation as off the record. Lombardi did not dispute that.
note 01/25/10, I received a note from the folks at Hockeytalk.biz and they wanted to point out Gann Matsuda works for them and not Frozen Royalty.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi, Jack+Johnson,
Jack Johnson Is A Michigan Man
by Paul on 01/22/10 at 07:32 AM ET
Comments (8)
from Helene Elliott at the Fabulous Forum,
Kings defenseman Jack Johnson reacted angrily Thursday to comments made by General Manager Dean Lombardi in an interview posted on the blog frozenroyalty.net in which Lombardi said Michigan—where Johnson played college hockey—is “the worst” in terms of coaching players and called Johnson “awful as a hockey player” when he played for the Wolverines.
He also criticized Michigan Coach Red Berenson and said Johnson was unable to accept criticism after playing at Michigan and for the U.S. national team development program.
The interview, part of a series, can be found here.
“I’m a Michigan man. I’m very proud of it. I wouldn’t want to have it any other way,” Johnson said after the Kings’ 4-3 shootout victory over the Buffalo Sabres at Staples Center.
continued and Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider has more too....
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi, Jack+Johnson,
Evening Line
by Paul on 10/16/09 at 05:01 PM ET
Comments (2)
“Near the end of the first period, we started losing territory. We stopped making plays, stopped moving our feet. Then at the beginning of the second period, I think we went 10 minutes without a shot. Then they score two goals, and all of a sudden we get (mad) and get four quality chances. But that’s the point. When you talk about the mental side of building a team, it’s the same old story. You have to respect your opponent, but you can’t fear them. Yeah, they’re still the Red Wings, and they’re a hell of a team, but we’ve got to get over that mental block and start believing in ourselves. I thought we looked up and it’s 1-0 and, `Holy smoke, we’re playing with them,’ and then – like last year – there was a little bit of waiting for something bad to happen. And it did.’
-Kings GM Dean Lombardi on the loss to Detroit yesterday. More from Lombardi by Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi,
Lombardi Doesn’t See Kings Moving Their 1st Pick
by Paul on 06/26/09 at 01:59 PM ET
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Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi,
State Of The Kings
by Paul on 05/26/09 at 12:41 PM ET
Comments (3)
from Dean Lombardi at LosAngelesKings.com,
On behalf of the Los Angeles Kings, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the passionate and undying support that you have shown the team for so many years. Your support of this franchise is unparalleled in the world of sports. Few sports teams can boast a commitment from their fans that encompasses 40 years of dedicated support that continues to thrive despite never having been rewarded with a championship. Your relentless fervor is one of the prime sources of motivation for my staff to continually raise the bar of our work ethic in order to deliver the type of product you so richly deserve.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi,
All Dean Lombardi
by Paul on 04/12/09 at 08:01 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Rich Hammond of Inside the Kings,
Question: I talked to Brown and Kopitar and asked them, `If Dean asked you how to improve the team next season, what would you say?’ They both said, `Scoring left winger’ without much hesitation. Obvious?
LOMBARDI: ``I’d say another thing is obvious too.’‘
Question: What’s that?
LOMBARDI: ``All of these young players have to get better. No doubt about it. Actually, that part is even more important, because if they don’t make the commitment this summer, it doesn’t matter. When you put a bunch of young players together, learning to be pros and learning to make the commitment to be the best they can be, learning to be teammates, is as critical as their physical condition, their play on the ice. That starts immediately after (today’s) game.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi,
Kings GM On Gauthier Suspension
by Paul on 02/03/09 at 06:50 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Rich Hammond of Inside the Kings,
Here’s general manager Dean Lombardi on the suspension: “We didn’t believe he deserved a penalty, let alone a suspension. When you stop the tape, his elbow is clearly down and at the point of contact, his feet are on the ice. They both ended up halfway up the boards, so it’s not a charge….”
continued & if you want to review the video again, watch it here...
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi, Denis+Gauthier,
Tough Talk
by Alanah McGinley on 08/06/08 at 04:44 PM ET
Comments (1)
“We’re not only going to match any offer sheet, we’ll have enough space to go after your guys. Go ahead and make our day. If you sign our guy, we’re coming back with both barrels firing. You’d better be damn straight that you have the cap space and all your guys are signed.”
—Dean Lombardi, LA Kings GM
Sourced at Craig Custance’s Sporting News blog. And thanks to Puck Daddy for providing the perfect (and inevitable) response:
“Dang, snap, OH NO HE DIDN’T!”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: dean+lombardi, offer+sheets,
Kings Heading the Right Direction
by Alanah McGinley on 07/23/08 at 12:02 PM ET
Comments (1)
From Mike Brophy at The Hockey News,
It’s not that I have high expectations for the Kings next season; I just like the direction the team is going. By building mainly through the draft, GM Dean Lombardi has ensured that when the Kings get good, they’ll be good for a long time.
I have no doubt there are Kings fans upset about the slow pace in which the team is rebuilding and wish Lombardi would sign a couple of veterans to get his club into the playoff hunt. But if he did, he might as well rename the Kings the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It takes patience to build a winner.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: dean+lombardi,
Kings Need Defense
by Alanah McGinley on 07/01/08 at 10:52 PM ET
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Rich Hammond at Inside the Kings spoke with Kings GM Dean Lombardi tonight. Some highlights from that conversation:
—The Kings were right there on Brad Stuart, and apparently didn’t have a problem with either the term or the money, but Stuart decided that he wanted to play for the Red Wings. To this, Lombardi basically tipped his hat and said, ``I can’t blame him for that.’‘
—Lombardi still has his eye on a defenseman who, in his words, fits with both the present and the future. He’s not at liberty to name names, obviously, but I don’t think it’s hard to do some reading between the lines, right?
—Rob Blake is still there as a strong possibility, and discussions are ongoing.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: brad+stuart, dean+lombardi, free+agents, rob+blake,
Future of the Kings
by Alanah McGinley on 06/11/08 at 07:28 AM ET
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From Rich Hammond at Inside the Kings, the transcript from Dean Lombardi’s press conference yesterday, plus a series of posts where Hammond asks Lombardi his own questions.
Here’s more from Lombardi, talking about the natural assumption that the Kings might already have a new coach in mind…
“People can think whatever they’re thinking, but we haven’t done any research or anything like that. I think we were solely focused on the right fit here, but I think it’s safe to say we realize the importance of this hire and I’m not going to hurry it. I guess one indication that we don’t really have anybody in mind is that I don’t see myself rushing to get someone here this week. I guess if I had somebody in mind, I’d be on the phone signing him right now, but I’m not anywhere near something like that. I mean, whenever you fire someone, a coach or whatever, the thought is always in the back of your mind. `OK, who are we going to get to replace him?’ But in terms of us already finding someone and saying, `This is the guy who would fit,’ no. We’re not even near that.”
More from Lombardi’s conversation with Hammond here, here, here, here and here.
Also, Helene Elliott at the LA Times takes a look back at Crawford and the Kings organization.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: dean+lombardi, marc+crawford,
Oh Those Rumors!
by Paul on 11/28/07 at 10:44 PM ET
Comments (1)
from Rich Hammond at Inside the Kings,
I typically dislike commenting on rumors, because anyone can start them without naming sources and 99 percent of published rumors turn out to be exaggerated or just simply B.S. I don’t know the gentleman who wrote the FoxSports.com piece about Lombardi being on the hot seat, and I’m certainly not going to question his motives or sources. And given where the Kings stand—that would be last place in the conference—I suppose it’s fair to question whether Dean Lombardi SHOULD be on the hot seat. Any GM whose team is at the bottom of the conference is going to come under some scrutiny.
I would be completely stunned if Lombardi got fired this year, even if the Kings finished in last place.
continued... and the gentleman at FoxSports is Al Strachan...
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dean+Lombardi, hockey+rumors, los+angeles+kings,
