As a Los Angeles Kings fan... I've seen 8 different coaches come through this organization. But as a Los Angeles Kings blogger for the past 4 seasons... I've only known Terry Murray as my favorite hockey teams' head coach. I pride myself on being one of the most thorough and informed Kings Bloggers out there... so I've spent the last few days researching for today's press conference announcing Darryl Sutter as the new Head Coach of the Los Angeles Kings. And I think I've really been able to break down exactly why Sutter may be the best choice to coach the Kings as it relates directly to my blog. 

YOUNG DARRYL SUTTER

HEAD COACH DARRYL SUTTER

DARRYL SUTTER POINTING AT SOMETHING FROM BEHIND THE BENCH

DARRYL SUTTER'S LITERAL SIDEWAYS SMILE

DARRYL SUTTER AS A MUPPET

DARRYL SUTTER MAKING THE ACTUAL ":(" EMOTICON SAD FACE

GRANDPA SUTTER

DARRYL SUTTER TALKING TO OTHER PEOPLE

"So that's why I took the job in LA, Brian."

"Darryl... I gotta be honest with you... I'm soooo bored."

"Come on Jarome... demand that trade to join me in LA. What's the worst that could happen?"

"You mean besides being stuck on a line with Penner?" 

DARRYL SUTTER, SEX OFFENDER

DARRYL SUTTER, FARMER

DARRYL SUTTER, SERIAL KILLER

DARRYL SUTTER, GASSY

DARRYL SUTTER, AFTER REALIZING THAT HE JUST TOOK THE KINGS JOB

Welcome to the madness of The Royal Half, Darryl Sutter. We hope you make it through the rest of the regular season.

Just so we are clear... Dustin Brown's shootout goal doesn't count in the standings... but at least finally the Los Angeles Kings figured out a way to win a game by only scoring 2 goals. Even though the Kings second goal shouldn't have counted.

MAPLE LEAFS 2, KINGS 2

The Kings sure did have a lot to talk about during Monday nights 3-2 shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"Hey... any of you guys send a Holiday gift to Coach Murray?"

"No, do you have any ideas?"

"Hmm, maybe we could have bought him a goal?"

Click Here to Read the Rest of The Royal Half Recap!!!

Game #33

LA Kings
(14-14-4, 22nd in NHL)
vs
Toronto Maple Leafs
(16-13-3, 17th in NHL)

Monday, 4:00pm, Air Canada Centre
Toronto, ON

BEST PLAYER TO WEAR BOTH COLORS:

#3 Overall Pick in 1995, Aki Berg.

BEST NON-CALL BY A REFEREE IN LA KINGS HISTORY:

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LA KING EVER... LET ALONE IN GAME 7 OF THE CONFERENCE FINALS:

Wow, Wayne Gretzky had more goals in that Game 7 then the LA Kings have in 11 games.

ONLY OPPOSITION BLOG:
Pension Plan Puppets

From the Calgary Sun...

It’s commonly believed only one man alive was going to give Darryl Sutter another chance to coach in the NHL again: His longtime pal, Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi.

That fact — and the fact Sutter never openly campaigned to return to the league — partially explains why it is taking so long for Sutter to get his house in order before joining the Kings on Monday or, more likely, on Tuesday.

Sutter has been running a multi-million dollar calving operation in Viking, Alta., the last year with over 200 cows and needed time to find a ranch-hand to run it for him, amongst other issues.

Wait a second... Darryl Sutter has a multi-million dollar cow farm and the Kings still needed to negotiate his monetary compensation to the Calgary Flames? Are the Flames getting paid in veal? This whole Farmer Sutter hiring fiasco has reminded me of that scene at the start of Major League, where the Cleveland Indians executive calls Lou Brown to offer him the Manager position for the team.

Cows are Darryl Sutter's white walls.

I have a feeling that this article about Darryl's brother and current Calgary Flames head coach, Brent Sutter, gives good insight on how Darryl will approach taking over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

Like most ranchers, conversation starts with rain concerns and is subsequently punctuated with terms most city boys can only pretend to understand.

"This year, we'll be calving out around 375 head of cows," said [Brent] Sutter, after putting on a ball cap and a pair of boots to give a tour of the cow/calf operation he grew from the ground up.

"To be involved in this industry, you've got to know about cattle, how to drive machinery and upkeep it and mend fences. Growing up in Viking, we had cattle, pig, chickens ... and we were grain farmers. The seven boys, we used to butcher the chickens, sell cream from the dairy cows to the creamery, milk them morning and night ... We all had our chores to do on the farm. Now, Darryl has a very similar operation in Viking, and Brian has a similar place just outside of town.

"It's just a way of life."

Darryl Sutter is soon going to learn that the only butchering he is going to see in Los Angeles is Jack Johnson's passes out of the defensive zone. 

It's the week before Christmas and you know what that means... Jeff Halpern doesn't care, Brian Burke isn't trading anyone and the Pun Headline Writers at NHL.com are indeed in the holiday spirit.

The headline for Versteeg's time in Philly was Kris Krumple.

This isn't as much a clever Holidays themed Pun Headline...
as it is the Penguins game plan at the center position for the remainder of the season.

Click here to check out the best and worst NHL.com pun headlines from the past week!!!

Someone at the Fox Sports West HD Production Team has a pretty sick sense of humor... because after reports swirled all day long that Darryl Sutter has been hired as the 23rd coach of the Los Angeles Kings... the director felt the need to cut to Interim Coach John Stevens after every single goal the Detroit Red Wings scored Saturday night. And boy... his camera switching finger must have got tired.

GOAL #1

"Okay, we are still in this."

GOAL #2

\

"Hey Jamie... I think we are still in this, right?"

"Yeah... we are still in this."

"Then why is Scuds giving us the 'Kilroy was Here'?" 

GOAL #3

"Look, I just got word. Montreal might be hiring. Do you know French?"

GOAL #4

"Bonjour, mon nom est John... Bonjour, mon nom est John."

GOAL #5

"Jamie... I'm starting to think that Terry Murray wasn't the problem."

GOAL #6

"What time does Sutter get here?"

For a change of pace... the Fox Sports West HD director instead cut to a shot of Dean Lombardi for the 7th Red Wing goal...

Man, this has been a tough few weeks for Dean Lombardi.
Especially because he's the one on the left.

GOAL #7 

"What time does Sutter get here?"

GOAL #8

This isn't really what the director cut to after the 8th and final Red Wings goal against the Kings.
It's just the last time you'll get to see Anze Kopitar smile once Darryl Sutter takes over.

RED WINGS 8 (!), KINGS 2

Click Here to Read the Rest of The Royal Half Recap!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen... the worst kept secret in all of professional hockey has been revealed. No, I'm not talking about the end of Chris Pronger's career... I'm talking about the new Head Coach of the Los Angeles Kings.

Let's do this, bitches.

Hmm, let's see. A good friend of Dean Lombardi's. A hard-nosed, defensive-minded coach. Once lost a Stanley Cup Final. Where the hell have I seen this guy before?

I'm looking at the man in the mirror.
I'm asking him to change his ways.
Like scoring 3 goals a game for a start.

I for one am approaching the Darryl Sutter Era with an open mind... and an open heart. Mainly because for the very least... over the next 4 months I'll get to make screengrabs like this on a nightly basis...

I really feel like my best work is ahead of me.

And just so I'm the first LA Kings blogger to do it before anyone else...

I still think the Kings are putting the wrong guy behind the bench.

Richards in 2012-2013!!!

Game #32

LA Kings
(14-13-4, 21st in NHL)
vs
Detroit Red Wings
(19-10-1, 6th in NHL)

Detroit Leads Season Series 1-0

Saturday, 4:00pm, Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, MI

BEST KINGS DEFENSEMAN THAT PLAYED COLLEGE HOCKEY IN MICHIGAN:

BEST OPPOSITION BLOGS:
Abel to Yzerman
Winging It In Motown
Nightmare on Helm Street

When the Los Angeles Kings last faced the Detroit Red Wings... the Kings were 8th in the NHL while the Red Wings were struggling mightily. Boy, things have really changed in less than 1 month, huh? But the biggest change has been the arrival of Kings defenseman and Team USA Posterboy, Jack Johnson, to the world of Official NHL Player Twitter.

Jack Johnson has the reputation of being overrated as an NHL defenseman because of his long-term contract. He's been called out by his GM for his lackluster play. And some times it seems like he's just drifting out on the ice, listening to the music in his head. And wouldn't you know it... Jack Johnson tweets exactly like you thought he would.

Any Follow Friday that includes Gary Sinise, a medical company, the Kings mascot and David Perron
is SO Jack Johnson in my book. 

Awww... Jack Johnson can be so caring and sweet in his Tweets...

... and so awesome in others.
Yes, you are right, Jack, that did not look "fun." 

But Jack Johnson isn't just using twitter to reminisce about his past or tell Ryan Miller that he's a wuss. No, he's using it to connect directly with his fans... and offer them prizes for amazingly easy trivia questions.

Hmm, where did Jack Johnson go to college?

As a single man living in Hollywood, Jack Johnson is also using Twitter for what it was designed for... hitting on hot celebrities.

Man, do you think Jack has a shot with Alyssa?
I'm not sure if she goes for hockey players.

And of course, Jack Johnson uses Twitter to talk about the serious issues facing our society today.

At least we know where Jack Johnson wants to retire.
Participating in Battle of the Blades.

With the emotional week that the Los Angeles Kings had... I'm sure minutes after Terry Murray was fired, Jack Johnson was ready to use Twitter to express his deepest gratitude and best wishes to his former coach.

Look it up. This was tweeted 2 hours after Coach Murray was fired.

Finally, since Jack Johnson is a successful pro athlete on Twitter... it's always great to see what other amazing, talented fellow pro athletes he admires.

It makes complete sense that Jack Johnson is a HUGE Tim Tebow fan...
because neither one of them can complete a pass in the offensive zone. 

I wish there was someway to visually represent what it feels like to be an 8-year-old female fan of the Los Angeles Kings right now.

I know how you feel little girl... I know exactly how you feel.

THE WORST TEAM IN PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY 1, LA KINGS 2

Click Here to Read the Rest of The Royal Half Recap!!!

Game #31

LA Kings 
(13-13-4, 24th in NHL)
vs
Columbus Blue Jackets
(9-17-4, 29th in NHL)

4:00pm, Nationwide Arena
Columbus, OH

MOST WAIVED PLAYER TO WEAR BOTH COLORS:

BEST OPPOSITION BLOG:
Dark Blue Jacket
Light the Lamp
The Cannon

Lost in all the hoop-la over the firing of Terry Murray and the current state of Sutter Watch 2011 was the fact that the Los Angeles Kings waived Ethan Moreau last week, thanking him for his 1 goal, 3 assists and veteran leadership... and then promptly kicking him out the door. Even though he wasn't brought in for scoring... Moreau's 1 goal put him directly behind Drew Doughty and Dustin Penner's 2 goals in overall stats. While Dean Lombardi has talked at length about the struggle he had with firing Terry Murray, I'm sure he showed a veteran leader like Ethan Moreau the same amount of respect. 

I could really care less about the loss of Ethan Moreau from the Los Angeles Kings roster... especially when most fans are still wondering why wasn't Trent Hunter thrown out with him. This has been a really rough week to be a LA Kings fan. Remember the start of the 2010-2011 season... when the LA Kings were the toast of the Western Conference and the Columbus Blue Jackets were the worst team in professional hockey? Well guess what... the LA Kings are only 8 points ahead of the Blue Jackets right now. 

Remember, the LA Kings haven't hit rock bottom.
That will be Thursday if they lose to Columbus.

Nope... still on the farm.

From our Los Angeles Kings Bloggers Roundtable, dated October 1st, 2011...

ACTUAL HOCKEY QUESTION #4 - WILL TERRY MURRAY BE COACH OF THIS TEAM COME DECEMBER?

Surly & Scribe

Yes.

Mayors Manor

For sure.  Bet on it.

Eric Cooney @ Pro Sports Blogging

Murray will definitely be coach come December.  He's not on the hot-seat yet and considering Lombardi's resistance to knee-jerk moves, I wouldn't expect the hook for Murray.  If Murray fails to navigate the ship out of round 1 of the playoffs, then I'd expect some coaching turnaround.

LA Kings Outsider

Yes. TM’s system works.  But I wouldn’t be opposed to John Stevens and Terry Murray switching roles at some point during the season.

Keith from Kingscast

Calm down, Kings fans, Terry Murray got us to the playoffs.  We would have gone a hell of a lot further if we weren't missing Kopitar and if Williams' shoulder wasn't mangled.  Let's see what happens now that Penner is less out of shape and Dwight King isn't your top line left-wing.

Alex from Kingscast

I seriously questioned his employment during that time last season, maybe more January-ish. But yes, I think he will be coaching the team. A complete disaster of a first-half is needed for Murray to be shown the door since he was able to sustain last winter’s slump, and I don’t see that happening right now.

Protect This Throne

Yeah. I think so. I have a love-hate relationship with him that is half-based on the team's performance and half-based on how much of a dick he seems at any given time. But putting my own personal feelings aside, I think he does an ok job, and unless we come out of the gates and blow the first 20 games, I'll be happy to see him at the helm for the rest of this coming season.

Rudy Kelly @ Battle of California

Yes. He will not be the coach come next September, however.

Quisp @ Jewels From the Crown

If the Kings stumble out of the gate -- with or without Doughty -- Murray will get fired.

Waving Back at Gretzky

Yep.  If the team totally craps the bed in the first couple months, then everyone can just blame Drew.

Life in Hockeywood

Yes. No reason to fire him. And no, he's not my dad.

The 110 Report

Of course he will. I think the Kings start out hot, then cool like last season, but they won't fall to the depths that they fell to a year ago. This team is way too hungry to make Terry Murray the focal point again.

Crowned Royal

John Stevens is breaking down the door with the same fire ax he just killed Jamie Kompon with.

The Royal Half

I know we all take our shots at Coach Murray... but he has built this team just as much as Dean Lombardi has. And I'd hate to lose a coach who is so honest and upfront with the fans of the team.

So in review, once again, Quisp is the only blogger that knows anything about anything. But special Bonus Blogger Points to LA Kings Outsider for correctly predicting that Terry Murray and John Stevens would be trading places at some point during the season. With the LA Kings struggling to score goals... and John Stevens trying to figure out what to do in the interim... there is only one thing to do when it comes to wondering who the next Head Coach of the LA Kings will be...

Buy the farm.

In case you missed it, there was a gem buried in Rich Hammond's post about the LA Kings reaching out to Darryl Sutter yesterday.

Sutter could be announced as the Kings’ coach this week, although it’s unlikely that he would be behind the bench Thursday in Columbus. Sutter also helps tend to the family farm in Alberta and might need some time to get his personal affairs in order.

Yup, that's right. Darryl Sutter may not be behind the Kings bench on Thursday because he's busy tending to the family farm. I had no idea the Kings were going after Dwight Schrute. I wish there was someway to visually represent what Darryl Sutter looks like right now while negotiating his new contract with Dean Lombardi.

An awesome photoshop from @IronSightDesign.