The Los Angeles Kings have hired yet another Murray to head up the bench in L.A. Though he is not related to former Kings coach Andy Murray, he is the brother of former Ducks coach and General Manager Bryan Murray.
Murray has had some success in the NHL, taking the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals and the Capitals to the Eastern Conference Finals.
He has spent his recent years as the assistant coach in Philadelphia.
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As a Kings fan, I don't hate this move but I also don't love it. I had my heart set on John Tortorella, the recently-departed Tampa Bay Lighting coach, who lead them to a Stanley Cup championship in 2003-04. Tortorella has always been a shoot-from-the-hip talker, especially to the media, and does not screw around when selecting which goalies are playing.
Terry Murray joins the club in a time of some uncertainty, so perhaps he fits right in.
Oddly, in the press conference announcing his position, Dean Lombardi also said that everyone recognizes that this is going to be a long process, and we will be patient.
Not that this isn't accurate, but it was a little strange hearing it from the horse's mouth. How about a little exaggerated optimism, huh?
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about 1 month ago
Not only did Dean Lombardi show no optimism, he instructed Coach Murray to do the same.
“This will be my biggest challenge as a coach. There is a lot of work ahead and it will take a collective effort to execute the plan we have in place........"
I have no doubt that AEG has instructed everyone on the Kings payroll to paint as dim a picture as possible.
With the Kings payroll at the lowest in years, ticket prices on the up, a minority portion of the team up for sale, and an empty arena in Kansas City what do you expect the GM, office staff, coaches, and players to say?
I do find the hiring of coach Murray to be quite funny seeing as the last time we made the playoffs we were led by yet another coach Murray.
I do not believe however that this is like the time AEG signed Randy Robitaille just so apathetic fans wouldn't realize that the Robitaille on the ice wasn't Luc. Nor is it like when they signed Jason Blake just so........... you get my point.
By the way, remember when Mr. Lombardi said that he was committed to resigning Rob Blake so he could end his career on the ice with the Kings? Not that Rob Blake is worth much on the ice anymore, but we have a VERY young team and a vet like Blake would be a huge asset to a team that was truly committed to growth. That said, it was quite disheartening to learn that the Kings actually never had contract talks with Rob.
IMHO, Dean Lombardi and his words are worth "diddley poo"
I for one will be sad to see the Kings move but I will not miss Dean Lombardi, AEG, or the constant lies from them. Good luck in Kansas City Kings.
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