Royally Quacked: An LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks Hockey Podcast
A Father and Son duo who love each other at home but are rivals at the rink. We have a house divided where Gary (Dad) is Kings fan and Cody (Son) is a Ducks fan. Tune in and listen to us talk and banter about our favorite teams with game recaps, team news, rumors and news around the league.
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Royally Quacked: An LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks Hockey Podcast
Episode 74- All Time Los Angeles Kings Team with Special guests!!
What happens when three passionate hockey minds with over 100 years of combined Kings fandom come together to build the ultimate Los Angeles Kings team? Pure magic, heated debates, and a roster that would make any hockey fan's jaw drop.
This special Royal Edition of Royally Quacked brings together host Gary Spink with Player Grades' Kevin Snyder and NHL Game Night host Eddie Garcia to construct an all-time Kings team capable of defeating the all-time Ducks squad assembled in last week's episode. But before selecting a single player, the fundamental question emerges: should selections be based solely on what players accomplished wearing the crown, or can brief Kings tenures from legendary players count?
The journey through Kings history reveals fascinating perspectives on franchise icons. While the Triple Crown Line of Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor, and Charlie Simmer earns universal respect, the panelists present compelling cases for different line combinations. Eddie boldly positions Anze Kopitar as the greatest King ever, placing Wayne Gretzky—whom he considers "the most influential King but not the greatest King"—on his second line. These thoughtful distinctions between cultural impact and sustained excellence spark fascinating discussions about what truly defines Kings royalty.
As defensive pairings and goaltending selections unfold, the group navigates through Hall of Famers like Drew Doughty, Rob Blake, and Larry Robinson (whose astonishing +722 career plus-minus becomes a passionate talking point). The unanimous selection of Jonathan Quick and Rogie Vachon as netminders provides rare moments of complete agreement amidst friendly disagreement elsewhere.
By the episode's end, power play units are configured, Darryl Sutter and Dean Lombardi are installed as coach and GM, and even jersey designs are debated—Forum blue and gold versus Gretzky-era silver and black. What emerges is not just an all-time Kings team, but a love letter to Kings hockey history through the eyes of three fans who've lived and breathed it for decades.
Will this dream team defeat the all-time Ducks roster? Subscribe now and tune in next week to find out which California hockey dynasty reigns supreme!
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Welcome back Royally Quacked fans to another Royal Edition of Royally Quacked. Last week you had the Quacky edition and today's episode is about making an all-time team's Kings team to take on the all-time Ducks team they made last week and with me today our special guest, kevin Snyder You'll remember him from the Player Gr and Locked On Kings podcast and NHL game night host, eddie Garcia. Welcome, guys.
Speaker 2:Hello.
Speaker 1:So we are going to start off with each one of us giving our team. If anybody else doesn't want to go first, I will.
Speaker 4:Can I complain first?
Speaker 1:Sure.
Speaker 4:It's not really a complaint, but just to be clear, because I think our teams might be a little different based on the idea of how we decided to pick them. So I have the text you sent me uh about, uh-oh, making an all-time kings team. I won't read it, you know completely, but it's just says four lines, three defensive lines, two goalies, any questions? Blah, blah, blah. There's nothing on here that says anything else other than how we should pick our team, which I think is fine because it's our team, so we should pick it however we want. To me, there wasn't anything specified as far as are these guys just their kings careers, or is it anybody that ever played for the kings?
Speaker 4:yeah, so I think, yeah, I think, if you're picking an all-time kings team, that it should be what they did while they were with the Kings. As an example, the problem with that is I love Jerome McGinley. If I was picking a team all-time team of anyone who ever played for the Kings, he would be on it, but he played 19 games for the Kings, so I think it's kind of silly to have Jerome McGinley on an all-time LA Kings team. So that's my issue with it. But you guys pick your team however you want to, but my team is only based on what these guys did while they wore an LA Kings sweater.
Speaker 1:Okay, I can go with that, eddie, no problem whatsoever. I mean, most of what I picked, except for a few, had pretty great Kings careers.
Speaker 4:There will be between the three of us some obvious selections that no one can argue with.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And the nice thing is that we can make a team together, that we all I mean it's going to take all three of us to do it, so we're going to have to come into an agreement on that.
Speaker 2:So I don't have a Gingler. Do you have them, gary?
Speaker 4:I did not, okay, so we don't have a Gingler, but I got to tell you just an example of those.
Speaker 1:No, that's a great example, Eddie, and I love that idea. I even forgot he had played for the Kings, but it was a very short. That's like why I, just to be honest, Grant Fuhrer played for the Kings. It was a pretty great goal.
Speaker 4:Yeah, he was great, but he wasn't good for the Kings.
Speaker 1:He's not on my team.
Speaker 4:Thank God, because I'm not going to argue too much about things, but if Grant Fuhrer was on your team, I would have to argue about that.
Speaker 1:I mean he was a great goalie.
Speaker 1:I mean he's in my notes saying how some great players that played for the Kings that I did not select. I have a whole list of those too, but I'll go first. So on my number one line, I have the great one, wayne Gretzky, the president of the LA Kings currently, luke Robitaille, and I did pick Yari Curry, and I picked him because they all did play together, so that would be my number one line. My number two line, of course, is the triple crown line. Thank you, marcel Dion, dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer Nice.
Speaker 2:So we're doing two lines or one line.
Speaker 1:There's four lines You're going to do all four or you're going to do one and one.
Speaker 2:What he's asking, if you want to do like all of us do our four, or are you going to do one and one? What?
Speaker 4:He's asking if you want to do like all of us do our first line, all of us do our second line all of us do our third line.
Speaker 1:We could do that way. Go ahead, Kevin who's your first line.
Speaker 2:Well, it kind of transcends into what you were saying, because, as a Kings fan and I actually lean toward what Eddie's saying and I actually asked you that very question it's like are we going to have a Ginla, are we going to have other people that really didn't play much or sucked when they came over or were average, or are we going to do King? So I had that same thought and clarification as a true, you know, kings fan. So, as somebody that's been around and seen a million games and and seen these guys in their prime 1979 I was there, the guys right behind me, these guys, marcel, where are you? Marcel, dave taylor, charlie simmer that's my number one line. That's the first line ever in the nhl to have the all everybody on the line scored 100 points in the same season. Okay, so, so everybody else, you know, as far as from a purity Kings standpoint and I, you know, gretzky was great.
Speaker 2:He paid 539 games with the Kings. Dave Taylor paid 1111 games with the Kings. You know Dion played 921 games and he's the all time leading scorer. I know Kopitar is coming up on him, but he's got about 500 more games. So my number one line, without, without any question, having seen them personally, watched how they matriculated the puck down the down the, down the ice, and how they scored. No question. For me again, as a Kings fan, as a true Kings line, there can be none that can compare to the natural. It's like a natural triple crown line. That's to me.
Speaker 1:How about you, Eddie?
Speaker 4:Well, I did not see Charlie Simmer or Marcel Dion play. I did see Dave Taylor at the end of his career. I think the argument of that's the greatest line in Kings history I think is a strong one if you wanted to look at it in that way. But I put what I thought was like if I had a pool of players and I'm picking who, I'm the coach and I'm saying who's my number one line. I didn't look at it that way, but I think that argument, if you're saying pick the, pick the greatest Kings line, that actually was a line together Then I think the triple crown line is the obvious answer. So I I I get that explanation, but I went with what I thought would be if I could pick the players who would be my number one line. I have Andre Kopitar at center, luke Robitaille on the left wing and Marcel Dion on the right wing.
Speaker 4:Wow, no, gretz huh, nope, gretzky is not the I I've said all along. I believe andre kopitar is the greatest king of all time. Um wayne gretzky is, uh, the most influential king of all time, but he wasn't the greatest king. And when you're also you're, you're the best years of your career with another team, then that affects my judgment on you being a, you know, uh, the top, top player on another team, so to speak. To me, wayne Gretzky is an Oiler first and a King second. So if I'm talking about my greatest Kings of all time, I can't put him at number one, because I just don't think of him as a King first. I think of him as an Oiler first. That's my thing, that's my criteria.
Speaker 2:That's why we have this, and I and I knew it was going to be different.
Speaker 1:I knew we were all going to be a little bit different and I I was expecting this.
Speaker 2:Well, he, that's what makes it fun here, gary, and I want to respond to a Copa tar. Marcel Dion's the greatest King player ever. There's no question about it in my mind. Hey, kevin, he played 921 games and he leads in points. And what did Kopitar play? 1,454 games, 500 more games and he has less points than Dion. So in my opinion, and we're on the same page.
Speaker 4:You saw Marcel Dion play. I did not. Could he even touch Andrzej Kopitar as a two-way player? He?
Speaker 2:wasn't a two-way player.
Speaker 4:Yes, there you go, I'm talking, you know all around. You're just talking about scoring, that's fine. I'm talking about all-around game. I'll take Kopitar.
Speaker 2:Okay, so, kevin, let's not get off topic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Kevin, we're not arguing who the greatest is. We're making a team Everybody has their I did.
Speaker 4:I'm saying that's why I picked Kobotaro Vigretsky for my top line center.
Speaker 1:That makes sense. I looked at all the stats and do you have any idea who the top five scoring forwards are in Kings history?
Speaker 2:I think Taylor's up there.
Speaker 1:Well, dion, I'll give it to you, dion is number one there you go.
Speaker 1:Kopitar is number two, robitaille is number three, dave Taylor is number four. There you go. Kopitar is number two, robitaille is number three, dave Taylor is number four. There you go. And Wayne Gretzky only playing 539 games is number five. Bernie Nichols is number six, dustin Brown, and then it goes all the way to Drew Dowdy at number eight. So Well, let's not get sidetracked. Well, we already did so, but let's not get sidetracked. Well, we already did so. Kevin, why don't you give?
Speaker 2:me your number two line, absolutely. You know, my number one line is my king's pedigree. That you know. I've been following them forever. I saw these guys play, as I said, so the triple crown was number one. So then number two I did more of the mix and match with the greatest ever kind of like in the pool thing Eddie was talking about. So Gretzky's got to be there. You know, he's my number two line, right?
Speaker 2:So imagine this line if you're trying to, if you're a defenseman opposing these three guys. You got Gretzky, these three guys. You got Gretzky, luke Robitaille and Bernie Nichols. Good luck stopping that. You got offensive firepower, unstoppable. So my second line is you know, and Robitaille, I like Robitaille more, I'm more loyal to Robitaille, you know, came up and just wasn't supposed to do anything and he's Hall of Fame and one of the greatest Kings ever, arguably, and so he's in there. Bernie Nichols we traded him, unfortunately. I'd like to have seen him have his whole career with the Kings. Great score, just this is an offensive punch that I don't think you're going to be able to put together three guys that have more offensive punch than these guys could. But they're not two-way players, but that's okay.
Speaker 1:What about you, Eddie? What's your second line?
Speaker 4:I've got Gretzky centering the second line with Dave Taylor and Dustin Brown. I have on my second line and he does not have some of the stats of some of the other guys you could put on there, but obviously brings a physical presence, leadership. He is top 10, by the way oh, by the way, you know, and goals and assists and points. So it's not like, oh, I have no he didn't.
Speaker 4:He didn't have the, uh, the, the stats, but as far as you know, being a dynamic sniper, that kind of thing, no, he wasn't that guy, but a great power forward.
Speaker 1:So, uh, yeah, I got gretzky, taylor and brown on my second line I think that's a great line, eddie um, and you heard mine, I I picked the Triple Crown line to be my second line. I already gave it to you earlier Dion Taylor Simmer, but I will go first on the third line. And my third line is Anze Kopitar, dustin Brown and Adrian Kempe. And the one thing you got to love about that line, that line does everything. It's probably maybe the best two-way line in the whole thing.
Speaker 1:And my thought is why I put Kopitar which, eddie, I agree with you, he's won two cups, he's probably the greatest king ever as far as he won two cups, best two-way player I think the Kings have ever had. And I got to say I don't think Kempe's too far behind him as far as two-way players. But you have that third line. They're not only going to score for you but they're going to check for you too. And that's kind of why I made it my line that way. I was thinking, okay, here's, I'm thinking penalty killers, because we're going to make two lines of penalty killers. I know Kopitar and Kempe probably be my number one penalty kill forwards. I mean just why I'm throwing that out. So that's my, my third line.
Speaker 4:Eddie, why don't we go with your third line? Um, I've got Jeff Carter, uh, at center. Uh, bernie Nichols on one wing and Butch Goring on the other. Um, again a couple of guys I didn't see play in person, or you know, when I was, I became a Kings fan in the nineties, so I didn't see Bernie play with the Kings or Butch, but I think the numbers speak for themselves that they I would think those two guys would be amongst anyone's list of you know, picking four lines. I would think those two guys are going to be in there somewhere. So that's what I got Carter with Goring and Nichols.
Speaker 1:I have no problem with that either. That's a great line. What about?
Speaker 2:you, kev. Yeah, carter is underrated really, he really is. He was a fantastic player and very underrated and not mentioned enough, and I agree with that. And Goring was just very quiet and just handled his business. You know, my third line starts with Dustin Brown, then I got Kempe and of course Kopitar, so Gary just copied me. No, I didn't. I put them in a different order. Don't be so defensive. Gary.
Speaker 2:What's the matter with you? Goodness gracious, this is banter bro. But yeah, kopitar Brown and Kempe are my third line, and what a third line. You know, now you're getting the physicality. You're going to get blitzed by my first two lines. You're going to get behind and I'm going to put my third line in and they're just going to shut you down, you know, because they can do it all. And so to have your third line, kopitar brown and kempe, my goodness, I mean, you're just, you're getting way about. How are the ducks ever going to compete with, with what we were able to put on the table with these guys? But yeah, you had it right. Gary, I want to compliment you on your third line because you had it absolutely perfect. You nailed it.
Speaker 1:I had this already done two weeks ago, Kevin. What the fuck's up? What's the matter with you?
Speaker 2:Eddie, you know I'm kidding right.
Speaker 4:Oh, I didn't. I mean you guys can put anybody you want on there. I mean it's your, it's your team, you know that's right, so we can, we can argue about it if you want, but in the end it's up, it's your team, you can put whoever you want on there.
Speaker 1:And Kev, why don't you go with your fourth line?
Speaker 2:we'll just go right back, uh okay now the first line is one I wasn't that comfortable with, but I went back and forth with Gary on the very subject that we talked about at the beginning, the little fly in the ointment that Eddie put in that. I had the same kind of fly in my ointment too, and I asked you if we include them with their career stats count. And under that premise my fourth line reflects that. Okay.
Speaker 2:So my criteria if he didn't play at least 50 games then I wouldn't even put you on, even if you were a superstar Minimum 50 games. So and I'm kind of embarrassed to even say this as a kings fan because yari curry, you know he played 331 games, but he's the edmonton guy, you know I can't and he and he was here when his. You know that not much tread left on his tires, but it's still yari curry and if we're going to count his career, you can't not have Yari Curry, even though he's on my fourth line. If I truly didn't care, he wouldn't be on my fourth line, he'd be higher, but with trepidation, the whole line I'm going to give you I'm a little embarrassed by, to be honest with you, but I'm using the criteria of career stats. That's why these guys are on my list and I'm going to tell you how many games they played.
Speaker 2:Jeremy Roenick played 58 games for us. Okay, he's not a king, but that was the criteria. So my fourth line John Tonelli played 221 games for the Kings. So I got Yari Curry, john Tonelli and Jeremy Roenick, none of whom I really feel in my heart are Kings, but they did play for the Kings. They passed their criteria, and so that's kind of my fourth line. I mean, you look at the names and the pedigree and the career. You can't argue it. But as a Kings fan it gives me a little dyspepsia. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:That's my fourth.
Speaker 1:Okay, eddie, what's your fourth line?
Speaker 4:Well, like I said, I didn't consider Yari Curry because his time as a King would not put him on my all time Kings list. If you were taking his total career into consideration, then I probably would have given him serious consideration, but that wasn't uh how I wanted to make my team so. Um, I have Adrian Kempe as my center uh on this team because I need somebody to play center and he's certainly capable of doing that. Uh, charlie Simmer. I have charlie simmer on one wing, um, great, great numbers, but uh, obviously he did not play uh as much as some of the other guys I have ahead of him. Uh, with the kings like butch goring and dave taylor and luke robitaille, the left wingers I have ahead of him. And then the last guy I gotta be honest with you, I don't know much about him, but looking at just the stats, he kind of kept popping up in that around the top 10 range. Uh, and maybe, kevin, you can enlighten me a little bit on Mike Murphy.
Speaker 4:He's 11th in games played 11th in games, played 13th in points, 13th in assists in Kings history. Go ahead, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:Very consistent, very solid, pretty good two-way player. Um, just very consistent. It was just. You know, every game you got a consistent performance. He added points on there and he was also not bad on the two-way situation. Uh, it makes sense. That's a I like, I like your. Uh, fourth line, that's a, it's an excellent.
Speaker 4:Is there anyone of a more modern team that he can compare to, just to kind of give people like me a little bit better idea of like, oh, he was kind of like this guy, that's a little bit more current.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, I don't think anybody that comes to mind currently would be too much of a superstar. This was just a very good, solid two-way player. I don't want to call him, you know like. Dustin Brown is a great player. Right, he isn't in that category, he's not in a Kopitar category, but he was just a very solid two-way guy that's going to score for you and you know nothing. That stood out in particular, but you didn't notice mistakes either. He just played in a very, very solid way.
Speaker 1:Eddie, I would say the closest comparison I could come would be Dustin Brown. Okay, he could score, he would do the dirty work, he was a good player. I'm not gonna say he's better than dustin brown, I don't think so but kind of in that kind of way. Was mike murphy all right? So, um, my, for my fourth line I'll give you guys right now. Now, the funny thing is is a lot of the same guys. We just got them on different lines. I have Jeff Carter, Bernie Nichols and Butch Goring. I go, take that for your fourth line. Dang, that's a killer line. I mean I could have made them the third line just as easy as I did. You know, Kopitar Brown and Kempe.
Speaker 4:I may be wrong. I think Yari Curry is the only guy that we're not all in agreement on. I think we all have everyone else other than Mike Murphy would be my outlier, I guess. But I think we've all had Kempe, we've all had Sim, I think we've all had campaign, we've all had Simmer, we've all had Carter, we've all had Goring, nichols Brown, gretzky, taylor, robitaille, kopitar and Dion. So at least we've got a very.
Speaker 4:I think we've got a very uh agreement on most things just one or no no, uh, ronick, and Tonelli is only Kevin.
Speaker 2:Well, I went with the criteria on the fourth line for the career stats.
Speaker 4:But I did want to mention. So, kevin, did you not have Kempe, kempe's?
Speaker 1:not in your forward group. No, he was on the third line. All right, Kopitar and Brown. Yeah, Kopitar.
Speaker 2:Brown and Kempe. Gary copied me, you know.
Speaker 4:I'm trying to figure out who else he left off that we had.
Speaker 1:He. I'm trying to figure out who else he left off that we had. He did not have Jeff Carter.
Speaker 2:I didn't have Carter, but that was because of the career thing that we kind of both kind of like as King fans. It kind of makes us go. Oh God, I don't really want to put John Tinelli on there, but you look at his career Well.
Speaker 1:I could tell you why I would pick carter over him. He he was the difference of us making uh winning the cup. He was a late pickup, helped us well in the 14 which cup I'm trying to remember which one well, he was on both teams, so he was on both teams.
Speaker 1:So he was, he was that pickup with in 12 when we barely made the playoffs. It was a miracle we made the playoffs, I think. And then we go and win the stanley cup. Um, then you had mike richards, which was obviously was a really good player. Nobody picked, but then he, he kind of he's.
Speaker 4:I think they're still paying him they are, they are actually I think he's been paying for like he's getting like a check for 500 000 for like the next five years, which is man how, how amazing is that?
Speaker 2:I mean, just here you go, here's your check I did want to mention on simmer, because we all have them and, eddie, you didn't get a chance to see him as much as us, but he was just this big hulking guy and he'd be in front of the net and I remember the reason he didn't play that long is because he had a very catastrophic injury. I believe it was at Boston Garden. He was, as usual, camped in front. Somebody cleared him and he went over his leg and his leg just shredded. I think it might have been his ankle that just completely snapped and he was never being a big hulking guy and you get just your leg shredded or your ankle just smashed. He was never able to beat Charlie Simmer again after that.
Speaker 2:I believe it was at the Boston Garden. I was watching the game and I was like, oh no, not Simmer, and it turned out to be just a catastrophic injury. So that's why we don't have 700 games and if we did have that, we might all have Simmer higher, because he was the original camp in front of the thing. You can't move him, he's too big and any rebound he's just going to Well and back in those days.
Speaker 4:He must've just taken an unbelievable amount of abuse because of the cross-checking and whatnot everything they were allowed back then. So respect for that role. I will also, since we're, since the show we're doing is titled what it is, I will also say that Yari Curry, being a doc also was, uh, uh, another reason not to have him on this team.
Speaker 2:Good point, good point. No I agree, but here we go.
Speaker 1:Eddie, why don't you start off with the first defensive pair you'd pick?
Speaker 4:I mean, I can't imagine us having a different pair than a Hall of Famer and a going-to-be Hall of Famerer, and that's rob blake and drew dowdy. I I just you know, um, if, if there's another one you guys have ahead of those two guys, I will be very surprised, um. So I think I thought this was a very easy selection, um, for the top pairing on defense blake and dowdy.
Speaker 2:Kevin. Well, you're going to be surprised because there's one name that you're missing, and again, it's because I'm so old that I saw him play Right. Obviously am I still got me.
Speaker 4:Can I take a guess?
Speaker 2:Sure.
Speaker 4:Is it Larry Murphy? No, no, I am completely intrigued. Now still got me, okay, yeah, okay, can I take a guess? Sure, is it larry murphy? No, no, all right, I am completely intrigued.
Speaker 1:Now me too, eddie, because I was thinking the same thing. Are you kidding me?
Speaker 2:okay, again, again, because I'm old and I saw him play and he played. Let's see 182 games for the Kings over three seasons. He is a hall of famer.
Speaker 4:Oh, I know who it is now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he was huge, he was smooth, he was always under control. You come anywhere near on our side, he's going to board you and then he's going to skate off and not even miss his step. Larry Robinson was the the best defenseman I ever personally saw in person and he played three years for us. Obviously, now I do check some of the plus minuses, because I wish I had had more time to do more stats, because I like to throw stats in as well. And why do this? I'm going to give you a for instance. Now, let's see.
Speaker 2:So Larry Murphy clearly is going to be on this list. I'm not going to tell you where, because I don't want to tip it. Do you know that Larry Murphy? And he deserves to be on the defense. Do you know Larry Murphy's career plus minus was 197 for Larry Murphy? Did you know that? I did not know that off the top of my head. Okay, so knowing that Murphy was a great player and an extraordinary plus, 197 was his plus minus. Anybody want to take a stab at what Larry Robinson's plus minus was for his career?
Speaker 1:Yeah, he played for Montreal for quite a few years, so it was probably pretty good Go ahead and take a guess.
Speaker 4:I'll say 300.
Speaker 2:Wow Okay, gary, 275. Plus.
Speaker 4:Oh no, he left us in suspense. It cut out right as he was saying the answer. Say it again, kevin.
Speaker 2:I'm trying what happened.
Speaker 4:Go ahead.
Speaker 2:Plus 722, boys, now, anybody that you saw play. That was that effective. He shut down anything that came in our zone. He'll board you and he'll get up and clear, clear the puck and he won't even break strides Like one of those football players or baseball players where they don't even look like they're moving Right and they're going super, super fast. That was, and he was huge. He was the biggest guy on the ice. He was smooth, he was aggressive but he wasn't pissed about it and he was just so talented. Best defenseman I've ever seen play, larry Robinson, and one of my favorite gentlemen and one of my favorite players, obviously Rob Blake, you know, is my second on my first defense line. So Rob Blake, we agree on it's just Larry Robinson. That's kind of the historical guy I see play. And plus 722. How about that? There you go. It's ridiculous. Yeah, it's crazy. Great player.
Speaker 4:Okay. So I will just say again, if this were a list that I and I didn't look into it, but I'm pretty sure I can't imagine If this were a list of just guys who ever played for the Kings, then yes, larry Murphy and Larry Robinson would I'm sure be on my list as well. But that wasn't what I was looking to do with my team. I would ask Kevin this question. I would ask Kevin this question. You would take Rob Blake over Drew Dowdy because he's a more physical presence, because Dowdy does that better. I know you said you're a stat guy. Dowdy does already have better stats than Rob and he's still playing. So just a question.
Speaker 2:I feel that Blake was more of a presence, especially on the defensive side, and he also scored Fair enough. Just a big, just super talented two-way guy. And again, similar demeanor to Robinson you come in, I'm going to board you. If the whistle blows, I might help you up. But you come in my zone, I'm going to board you, I'm going to clear the front of the net and then I'm going to go down and score and I like the question. So Blakey had 494 points in 800 games and you know they're similar Dowdy's on my next one. I don't want to tip it, but if you look at the pace of the points and then the grit, they both have it. So they're interchangeable. But just, I saw more games in person with Blakey and he also uh, maybe you know, because I thought he did a pretty good job as as an executive, maybe I gave him a little bit extra on that, but they're, they're interchangeable.
Speaker 4:I did. By the way, I did see Larry Robinson play for the King, so I I do remember larry robinson. He was like, uh, no helmet, as I recall, uh and uh, he felt like he was a coach on the ice, you know, because he just had that kind of you know, older, been there, done, that kind of a kind of a guy, as I remember. It was kind of like of like, almost like the dad was playing with the kids or something Very smooth, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Was he the Stork? Was that his nickname, or am I confusing him with somebody else?
Speaker 2:I don't think. I'm not sure about that one? I don't think so.
Speaker 1:I do remember him being a steady influence back there as an older defenseman when he came to the Kings. But I'm going to give you my number one line for defense and I can't see anybody. Number one would have to be Drew Dowdy. I think he's probably the greatest defenseman the Kings have ever had. I have Larry Dowdy and I do have as his partner Larry Murphy. Larry Murphy played enough games. It was a contract dispute and they gave him away. If they would have kept him, I don't know how crazy and good the Kings might've been with him, but it was all about money when they got rid of Larry Murphy. So I have Dowdy and Murphy. Then I'm going to give you my number two line and no team, no Kings team, could be without Rob Blake on it, and I got Rob Blake and Steve Duchesne as my number two defensive pair.
Speaker 2:That's good. I think Duchesne seemed to me, as I recall, more offensive than defensive, and for me I want a guy that if you come in my zone you're going to get boarded, and so I agree that Duchesne is on the list. Very good scoring defenseman.
Speaker 1:The nickname for Larry Robinson was Big Bird Eddie. I looked it up.
Speaker 4:I was going to. I was in the Bird family. You know who I think was the stork. I don't know if you guys are football fans at all. Do you remember the linebacker, ted Hendricks?
Speaker 1:Absolutely, I think that was the stork. I don't know if you guys are football fans?
Speaker 4:that aren't at all. Do you remember the linebacker, ted hendricks? That was absolutely. I think that was the stork.
Speaker 1:I confused my uh, my big, tall, uh, athletes anyway yeah, my lines have a combo of defense and offense to them. So that's I. I picked uh blakey and uh steve duches. Eddie, who do you have as your second pair?
Speaker 4:I would say that my second pair is also that mix of defense and offense. I have Steve Duchesne as well, but I have Matthias Nordstrom with him. I love Matty. You know, just a reliable, hardworking, blunch, pale kind of guy, not spectacular in any way, not offensively gifted in any way, but just from defense physical big fan of Matthias Nordstrom. So I've got him on my second pair with Duchesne. I had forgotten all about.
Speaker 1:Matthias Nordstrom.
Speaker 4:How could you forget about Matthias Nordstrom? You?
Speaker 1:know you said everything. You just said. It brought all back memories. He was a great king.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I see your hair standing up there, Gary.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is. What about you?
Speaker 2:Kev. Okay. So I'm building a team right and with my forwards I stuck with the triple crown and then I went Gretzky, robitaille and Nichols for offense and then I put Kopitar, brown and Kempe for more of a defensive. So I'm trying to build a balanced team while I'm trying to be mindful of the Kings and the history and such. So my defensemen are one of them. You're going to say, finally is Dowdy. Of course I mean, that was it's just because I, robinson, was one of my favorite players ever. So I put Larry Robinson first and I just thought he was awesome, and Blakey was number two and then Dowdy's three. So that, but they're all interchangeable to me.
Speaker 2:My second defenseman I need I need somebody that if you come down and you clean out Gretzky, you're going to have an issue. You have a problem. You come down and you throw nickels against the boards. I want somebody that's going to make sure that he tells you that that's not acceptable. So I got Marty McSorley. I want that grit, I want that toughness. I want somebody that if you put hands on my forwards you're going to get a knuckle sandwich boys. I did have one interesting thing. Do you know that McSorley scored 234 points in 472 games. So he only paid 472 games. He scored 234 points. So he's not just a goon. He actually could score.
Speaker 4:He had some talent, he played a little forward in his NHL career.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, he did.
Speaker 1:He did play both, but he is listed as a defenseman on almost every other thing. I don't have a problem with you picking McSorley, I want my team.
Speaker 2:That's my team. You're going to come and mess with my guys. Marty's going to come up and introduce himself and tell you that we don't do that here.
Speaker 1:Okay, kev, why don't you go and give us your third team? We'll just go back in reverse order, sure.
Speaker 2:And I have one quick. So when Gretzky was still with Edmonton right, I got tickets to the Kings game. And I was able to get tickets to the Kings game at the Forum when we made the playoffs and I was about 10 rows behind the goaltender right. So in between periods Gretzky's playing for Ace Gwan. He's buzzing everywhere and nobody's hitting him and he's feeding everybody. We're getting our butt kicked. So between periods I go down where the Kings go into their locker room and they come out and I get my beer. I might've already had a dope beverage or two and here come the Kings go into their locker room and they come out and I get my beer. I might've already had a adult beverage or two and here come the Kings back on the ice and I'm screaming at him hit Gretzky, just hit him, knock him into the boards and they didn't do it.
Speaker 2:And why didn't they do it? They didn't want to deal with Mick Sorley. But I just remember screaming at him like just somebody hit the guy. What are you doing? And you could, they wouldn't hit him. So that's why I you know. Just that's a quick McSorley story. My third line is Larry Murphy. Of course you know that's obvious and agreed. And then you know I had the criteria of 50 games minimum or I wouldn't pick them. So I guess we all have to make a line of demarcation of what's a king and what's not. But because of the statistical career, paul Coffey played 60 games. So I have Paul Coffey as a defenseman. He's one of the best all-time defensemen and a plus 298 on his career, by the way, not bad.
Speaker 1:True, how about you, eddie?
Speaker 4:Well, we went. I mean, we already have said what my criteria was for picking. I did consider Marty McSorley, by the way. I did consider him, but kind of, looking at the stats, I kept seeing someone that was ahead of him and I do remember seeing him play at the end of his career with the Kings, or at least the end of his career with the kings, or at least his at the end of his time with the kings, and that was mark hardy. Um, he's third in games played all time by a defenseman. He's third and assist. He's fourth in points. Um, so you know, he's just behind some pretty good players like blake and dow, uh, statistically as a defenseman. So, um, I got him on there as a King, great King, defenseman.
Speaker 4:And the other guy I've got is, uh, alec Martinez. Um, I, you know you can argue with that, certainly, um, but, uh, you know, certainly as far as, uh, important goals in King's history, a couple of the biggest ones of all time and a steady guy, solid career. So, martinez, you know it's not a, I don't know that I have a, I could be talked out of it perhaps, but I still. I mean, I like Marty a lot, so it's my team. So I'm picking Alec Martinez. Okay, so I'm picking.
Speaker 1:Alec Martinez. Okay, I like your pick because I have Alec Martinez also on my third pair, but I do have that enforcer for Gretzky. I did pick Marty McSorley McSorley and. Martinez as my third pair.
Speaker 4:Take it easy, Kevin Calm down. Got to Take it easy, Kevin Calm down.
Speaker 2:Got to have that grit man. You got to have it. You mess with my guys. You're going to get a knuckle sandwich.
Speaker 1:Now, guys, we're almost done with this. Let's go to goalies.
Speaker 4:All right, I was surprised that Kevin didn't have Dowdy and Blake as his top two, but I understand his, his reasoning, I guess, and again, it's his team. So whatever, if he doesn't, if we'd all don't have the same two goalies, I will be flabbergasted.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 4:Is that a good word? Flabbergasted?
Speaker 1:Yes, that's a great word, love it. You never know, kevin Love it. You never know. Kevin, you want me to go first. Guys, I'll go first. The number one's got to be two-time Stanley Cup champion, jonathan Quick. There's just no other doubt in my mind. If he's not our number one, then something's wrong, and I would say 1A, 1b. Rogi Vashon would be my backup. So those are my two picks.
Speaker 4:Agreed, Kevin.
Speaker 2:I hate agreeing with you guys. I really do. I see you had to. I really hate agreeing with you, but you got one.
Speaker 2:Hall of Famer and one soon-to-be Hall of Famer. Definite, no question. Brought us two Stanley Cups In 2012,. It was his cup that he brought us. Honestly, he didn't have the support 2014,. He had a little more help, but I mean he was standing on his head in 2012. Great games, played goals. Again, he's a Hall of Famer. Quick is no question, no doubt. Yeah, I'm not that crazy. And Rogie Vachon, you know, nobody else really stands out. You know, I remember Kelly Rudy and he was very inconsistent. Sometimes Rudy would be great and the coolest thing about Rudy was the whole crowd going Rudy, rudy, okay, but that's not enough to get you over any great.
Speaker 3:And the coolest thing about Rudy was that people, the whole crowd- going okay, but that's not enough to get you over, uh, anyone.
Speaker 2:Um, you know, I, our current guy's pretty good too, so we'll see what happens, but that's yeah those, those are the two that clearly I can't. I can't throw anything in here, so yeah, I, I.
Speaker 1:There's not anybody else even close. No, um, not that I can see well quick. Honestly, guys, we have a lot of the same players. We may have them mixed around a little bit, but one thing I was going to tell you, eddie, you had kopitar on your number one line. The one reason I didn't put him on my number one line is he's one of my number one penalty killers, so I'd rather have him play a little less minutes. So he's a good penalty killer. That was my thought, because I agree with you Greatest king ever, two Stanley Cups. He doesn't have the best stats, but stats don't mean everything. I mean, you think about it. Um, the lakers don't win without kurt rambis, and he really wasn't a stat guy, right?
Speaker 4:well, it also means something to me, um, when you're talking about the greatest player of X. It means something to me if that player was drafted by that team and played his entire career with that team especially in today's day and age. That does mean something to me. Now Kopitar's career isn't over yet. It's not completely impossible that he would go somewhere else. I guess I would be stunned though I would be shocked if that happened. I can't envision that happening. So it does mean something to me.
Speaker 4:like I said you're drafted by the team and you played your whole career and I, if you're, if you're the the face of that franchise and if you're that all-time guy for that team, that's important to me well, no, and I agree with you.
Speaker 1:But the reason I put him not up farther is that he'd play a little bit less on the third line and be one of my main penalty killers.
Speaker 4:Well, you're thinking, you're really taking this to the extreme as far as being the coach of the team, so to speak.
Speaker 1:So that's why I try to think it all out. You know, I've I've I've coached a lot of teams in my day. Not ever I did I ever coach hockey. A lot of teams in my day Not ever did I ever coach hockey. But sometimes, you know, we sit on the couch and we second guess what the coach does.
Speaker 1:I can remember driving and the Kings were playing Edmonds in this last year, and even the Kings broadcasters when they did the ask for the video review for goalie interference on the goal, they said I really I wasn't sure if I would do that and then we ended up losing. So obviously, second guessing pillar on that decision. But I thought when I made my team I was trying to think about every aspect of playing a game with this team too. So but I, like I said, we got a lot of the same players. It's, it's not a shock. I mean we have a few out. Well, I mean I have Curry, nobody else does, and we have.
Speaker 1:Oh no, kevin does Roenick and Tonelli, nobody else had. But mean I have Curry, nobody else does, and we have. Oh no, kevin does Roenick and Tonelli, nobody else had but Kevin, you're the only one that had Nordstrom, but I don't have a problem with that pick. I didn't even think about him, but I had no problem if he'd be on our team. To be honest with you, I think whoever we pick, we're going gonna probably beat those ducks. So let's start trying to build that team. So can we come up with an idea of how, what kind of first line we really want?
Speaker 4:I mean, I don't know there, I I don't know that there's going to be a wrong answer. I don't think there is, if you're going to twist my arm and say Gretzky over Krobatar or something like that. On the top line I'd be like, okay, I can understand that.
Speaker 1:I'm not twisting anybody's arm. Honestly, we all had a different center on the first line, but we all had the player somewhere else in the line.
Speaker 2:Dion's all on our first lines, right? Marcel dion's on our first line. For all of us, is that right?
Speaker 1:actually he wasn't on my, on my he was yeah for me, he was well so we want to have dion. Do we want him to be the forward center or just one of the forwards? Okay, we all agree on dion.
Speaker 4:Okay, okay are we oh look, I'm sorry, are we picking what our starting lineup is right now? Is that what? We're doing yes okay, all right, I I will agree on. Well, I had dion on my top line, so obviously I'm gonna agree on that. You're the one, gary, I think, that we have to convince to put marcel dion on the top line. So obviously I'm going to agree on that. You're the one, gary, I think, that we have to convince to put Marcel Dion on the top line.
Speaker 1:And I just agreed with you let's put him on the first line. He's on my list. Really, we mix this up. It's not going to hurt my feelings at all, because I mean all these guys are great players. Because I mean all these guys are great players I know you have Taylor and Simmer on yours, kevin.
Speaker 2:I'm a homer, you know.
Speaker 1:You had Robitaille and Kopitar.
Speaker 2:If you're going for just picking, like the pool, like Eddie was saying, and you're picking out the pool, maybe you don't put those, but I just know as an effective effective line together.
Speaker 1:They were amazing. But you know it's a. It's a little homer bias on that one, I guess. Well, so let's look at the first lines. You guys both had dion. I didn't. We'll go with dion, so it's two to one on that. Um, you're the only one that had Simmer on the first line and you're the only one that had Taylor on the first line, I know. So Robitaille me and Eddie agreed would be on the first line. Do we want to go with Robitaille? That would be like two to one.
Speaker 2:How does that sound? Yeah Well, I mean, you have the results. So anything that there's a two-to-one consensus on, I think that kind of ends the argument. We're just going to restate where we came from, where we're coming from.
Speaker 1:So now we've got to come up with a third. And you still have Taylor Simmer, he has Kopitar, I had Curry and Gretzky.
Speaker 4:I'm fine with Gretzky being on the top line. Yeah, agreed.
Speaker 1:Okay, so we do. Gretzky God. What a killer line that is.
Speaker 2:I don't know. I liked Gretzky Robitaille and Bernie Nichols. I thought that would just be. You can't stop.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, they actually did play together, wow, you know, when they all played on the team together, they did play together quite often.
Speaker 2:I thought Nichols was not on the same line.
Speaker 1:No, he scored 70 goals. Who do you think passed him the puck?
Speaker 2:Gary Spink.
Speaker 1:Not me, cody Spink, I can't skate, so I guess it was you, Eddie.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it must have been Eddie.
Speaker 4:I can't skate, but not well.
Speaker 1:So okay, so we have Gretzky, robitaille and Dion, so we get rid of Dion, we get rid of Gretzky, robitaille's out, dion's out. Who do we want to put on the second line we have? I mean, I tried to put a center with each one of them. I mean Dion put a center with each one of them. I mean, uh, dion was a center, so we have two centers on that line.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, but we're not doing just like has to build it on a position.
Speaker 1:We're just saying the best for you know front yeah, you know well, I always want you because you got to um. You have to realize you have to have face-offs too.
Speaker 4:You have to realize you have to have face-offs too. I would say Kopitar and Taylor should probably be on the second line.
Speaker 2:The third forward to me is I'm willing to listen. Okay, so I agree with Kopitar and Taylor. I do too. Gary, you're good with that.
Speaker 1:Oh absolutely the one player. Oh, I have two player jerseys. Kopitar is one of them. So I like Kopi a lot. I mean I love the way he plays because he really doesn't have an overall weakness and he's pretty healthy most of the time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he answers the bell. So on this one, are we going for the? What is our criteria Like? If we take Dustin Brown, nobody's going to be pissed, but then you're leaving the scorer like Bernie Nichols, that is going to give me more offensive firepower. So I guess it's just are we building this with any kind of eye toward balance of the line? Cause if you're going to have a balanced line, then you can put Dustin Brown on. So that's my question.
Speaker 4:I'm fine, I'm fine either way. Um, I guess I would probably say Bernie Nichols over Dustin Brown, because you've got, you've got the grinder and Dave Taylor. So maybe Taylor and Brown together are two kind of similar players. Maybe you'd want somebody who was more of a finisher.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think I agree with you, Eddie. I think Nichols would be the perfect guy because he he was a big scorer and Kopi is obviously a great passer. You were balancing out our lines, I like it. How about?
Speaker 2:you? You okay with that, kev? Oh yeah, those were the two that made sense.
Speaker 1:Let's go to the third line.
Speaker 4:I think Brown on the third line, brown and.
Speaker 2:Kempe Would be two Brown and Kempe.
Speaker 4:You got Kempe at center or wing Because I had him as a center on my list.
Speaker 1:He can play either, so we could put him there. I'm just trying to.
Speaker 2:So we agree on Brown. Then at least right, yes, I think. Yeah, I got Brown him there. I'm just, I'm just trying to. So we agree on brown.
Speaker 1:Then at least right, yes, I think yeah, I got brown, I'm okay with that. Okay, we have carter we could put.
Speaker 2:Carter as the third line center, or Kempe, or put Carter and Kempe.
Speaker 1:Well, you got the grit with Brown right.
Speaker 2:Well, you definitely have the grit in front of the net presence for sure, so I think you got to go. You can't go, simmer, because he's in front of the net presence too, so I think you'd have to.
Speaker 4:Which.
Speaker 2:Goring Not a bad pick. Not a bad pick. We could put Goring as the third line center with Kempe. Are we good on Kempe with the second one on the line?
Speaker 4:I'm fine with it, kempe.
Speaker 2:That's not a bad.
Speaker 1:Brown and Kempe Goring as the center, because Goring was the center.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I could do Goring as a center, because Goring was a center.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I could do Goring. So we have three forward spots left. We're moving this pretty quick guys.
Speaker 2:Well, it's because you guys know what you're talking about. Well, I think we've got to have Simmer's got to be on that line.
Speaker 1:The fourth line Carter's got to be on the fourth line, Okay.
Speaker 2:And Curry played 331 games. So it's the reason I included him, even though this whole fourth line was very ambiguous for me to even put in there. So if you went on Curry's career stats he wouldn't be on the fourth line, but because I, you know well, when you have an all-star team, somebody has got to play fourth line. Yeah, but I'm I'm kind of leaning toward Eddie a little bit more in this one that I don't really in my heart. I never would think of Yari Curry as a king.
Speaker 1:We can leave Curry off the list. I don't care, I'm okay with that. What we have left is you have Roenick Tonelli.
Speaker 2:Well, they're worse than Curry. As far as not being a king, we have Mike Murphy.
Speaker 1:well, they're worse than curry as far as not being a king. So, uh, that's why we have mike murphy I'll take anyone over, ronick grant fuhrer yeah, I'll take grant fuhrer over I I you know I
Speaker 4:I, I, I. I love jeremy ronick, but when he came to la and just just totally didn't even try I think he came here because he wanted to act and get into that kind of stuff. I don't think he was interested in being a hockey player anymore. So that was really disappointing. Because I was a big jeremy ronick fan. I was excited when he came and then when he was just kind of like, yeah, I'm just out here goofing around, I was like it really bothered me.
Speaker 1:So I think, I think, my, my vote would be mike murphy. I think he's the only one. Well, he was in he was in my.
Speaker 4:He was in my top group, so I'm not going to push back on that, obviously.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't have anybody left. The only one I had left was Curry, and I crossed him off. He wasn't king long enough, Okay.
Speaker 2:I'm good with that.
Speaker 1:Let's do, mike Murphy.
Speaker 2:Perfectly cool, perfectly appropriate.
Speaker 1:So let's do our defensive pairs. So who do we want on our first? I mean, Blake and Dowdy are interchangeable to me, so I think one has to be on. I think you had them on the same line, right, Eddie?
Speaker 4:No, yes, yeah, I had.
Speaker 1:Dowdy and Blake as the top pairing. I mean, that's we all agree on Blake, right?
Speaker 2:Well, yes, I think, because he's on my top also.
Speaker 1:Well, I had Blake on the second line because I was doing righty-lefty. That's what I was thinking.
Speaker 2:That's why I, you are overthinking it, man.
Speaker 1:Well, that's how they play.
Speaker 2:I know God bless you. That's great man, that's cool.
Speaker 1:That way they're on their side. They can keep that puck in the left hand. I mean, obviously, Gavrikov played the right side and did a great job.
Speaker 2:Have you considered when you're going to do line changes?
Speaker 1:No, the simulation will take care of line changes.
Speaker 2:I just wondered if you considered that and how old they were and how fit they were.
Speaker 1:Well, we're not. It's going to be a simulation done by the actual computer, because people can manipulate it. You can manipulate it and just have the same line the whole time, or whatever, if you're controlling all that.
Speaker 2:Keep an eye on Cody, then I will, if you're controlling all that. So if you do a simulation, keep an eye on Cody, then.
Speaker 1:I will. Well, we did it. We had some guy do it for us the last time, but Cody thinks he can do it this time. He won't cheat.
Speaker 2:I know Silly You're serious Gary.
Speaker 1:So do we want to do Blake Dowdy and just do two righties? We can do that.
Speaker 2:Well, I like Robinson as one of my favorite players ever in hockey for the Kings. I mean, he just you know whether or not it's a career thing he played three seasons and 182 games for us and he really helped. He's just one of my favorite players, just like the triple crown line. I didn't have Gretzky on my first line because I like these guys. That's the way I am. I would vote Robinson, then Dowdy, but if you guys go Dowdy and whatever it's two to one, I'm going to throw my hat to.
Speaker 1:Robinson. Let's look at everybody we agree on. Robinson was a lefty too.
Speaker 2:Robinson was a lefty too. I know yeah.
Speaker 1:We all agreed on Dowdy, we all agreed on Blake, two of us agreed on Duchesne, two of us agreed on McSorley, on McSorley.
Speaker 4:I'm fine putting McSorley in there, because I did consider him. I'm fine putting him in there.
Speaker 1:And two of us picked Larry Murphy, so we have Blake Dowdy.
Speaker 2:What do you guys think about the Robinson addition? Because you didn't consider that. But now that I've made my case, I mean, is it a?
Speaker 1:compelling enough case or no. I did think of him. I don't know. Maybe it's because he didn't play as many games with the Kings.
Speaker 4:It's hard to be against a Hall of Famer Plus 722, by the way, Career plus 722.
Speaker 2:Probably got to be one of the highest.
Speaker 1:So we have Blake Dowdy. Those were unanimous right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, go Blake Dowdy, and then I'm going to still lobby for Robinson on the second defense line.
Speaker 1:Well, the ones we have, two, we have Duchesne.
Speaker 2:And now we've had a discussion and we've brought more information.
Speaker 1:And we've had Murphy. These are all the guys we had, too, we had McSorley. You know I.
Speaker 2:McSorley over Larry Robinson.
Speaker 1:Well, we still need one more. I'm going to vote for Nordstrom.
Speaker 4:There you go.
Speaker 1:Did anybody else have Nordstrom? I'm just going with the ones we had too. I like Nordstrom, though I have no problem with him.
Speaker 2:That's why it's a discussion though.
Speaker 1:That's why we are discussing it, though that's why we are discussing it. That's why I'm just throwing the the what we've done so far. I mean, we've already picked the gully, so we don't even have to worry about that. We can well, so we're having two defensemen.
Speaker 2:Two lines of defense, correct. Three oh three. Okay, so we got blake, and dowdy is the first one, right?
Speaker 1:right, I'm okay with that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I'm good like okay so we all agree on that, okay there's your first defensive line and then it's just now we got. I think, uh, larry murphy would be on the second defense line.
Speaker 1:Well, here are the guys that had two votes two of the three of us, d Duchesne, Murphy and McSorley.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, I'm nominating Larry Murphy to be on the second line, so should we vote.
Speaker 1:I'm okay with that.
Speaker 4:Are you Eddie? Not really, but I'm not going to get upset about it.
Speaker 2:Who would?
Speaker 4:you rather have as the first defenseman. No, it's just going back to the whole argument of having guys on an all-time Kings team list that weren't they were all-time great players, but they weren't all-time great Kings to me great players, but they weren't all-time great kings to me. So it's just that whole, the most basic argument at the very beginning of all this.
Speaker 2:Well, where do you? What's your line of demarcation, though? You know what I mean.
Speaker 4:Like gretzky only played 539 games, dave taylor played 1100 dustin brown uh copic I think, I think, if you, I think, if your performance was, you know, if you were amongst the best players at your position while you were with the Kings and you, I don't know, I don't have a number of games, I don't know, like three seasons to me, that was Robinson right. Three seasons, yep, that's not much, you know what I mean. I just I would say like if I, if you're going to make me pick, I would say like maybe like five seasons, something like that.
Speaker 2:So that eliminates Murphy, that eliminates a lot of guys. Correct Eliminates a lot of people.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, to throw out a guy who played a lot of games for the Kings. Mark Hardy did, and I think, eddie, you're the only one that picked him.
Speaker 4:Right, but he, he isn't a guy I'm going to like, uh, he's not a guy that I'm going to go like. No, he must be here. You know? No, I just I just like I said he wasn't even on my I wasn't really considering him to begin going into it. But then when I just kept looking at the stats and I kept seeing his name and I kept seeing his name, I kept seeing his name, I was like I remember as a kid watching hardy play.
Speaker 1:I'm not like I said yeah, I'm not going to.
Speaker 4:Uh, he's not someone that I'm going to be like. Oh yeah, he's, he's got to be here. We can put somebody else, that's fine.
Speaker 1:Let's go.
Speaker 2:Let's look at Steve Duchesne Does anybody not think Steve Duchesne should be on the team. He's something to consider.
Speaker 4:I would think we should put him on. He was on mine, so I'm not going to argue with you.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 1:There you go, shane. Well, I mean, he played a lot of years with the Kings, so we got an agreement on one defenseman.
Speaker 4:I'm fine putting larry robinson on. I just like I said, I don't know I for me, for some reason I'm more open to larry robinson than larry murphy, I don't know why.
Speaker 2:So interesting but we got robinson on well, he's one of the best that's ever played. That's also good. Classy guy Really mentored a lot of the younger guys and was a great leader for the team. Just the smoothest skater I've ever seen, man. So good.
Speaker 1:Two of us had Alex Martinez also.
Speaker 2:So put on Alex Martinez then.
Speaker 1:So we need one.
Speaker 2:Go for that grit, go for the toughness.
Speaker 1:You want to go McSorley?
Speaker 4:You okay with McSorley. Sure, eddie Sure.
Speaker 1:Okay, so now we have our team. Now we got to pick a penalty or two power play lines.
Speaker 2:We all agreed on quick right for the goaltender.
Speaker 1:Oh, quick and Vachon are the goalies.
Speaker 2:Okay, there was no other one even considered no argument on that.
Speaker 1:So Power Play 1, what would you guys like to do? We got a storehouse of great Power Play players that we can put on Line 1 and line 2.
Speaker 4:I'm open to whatever we want to do on this I have. Is it going to be the traditional? I mean, you know what do we get? We're going to do five forwards. Are we going to do four? Four forwards, one defenseman. Are we going to do a traditional like, like nowadays? It really is it's unusual to see two defensemen out there. Anyway, right, we can go, I would say here, but I just I don't want to.
Speaker 1:I I don't want to do five, I mean two defensemen. Uh, or force us to do two defensemen. We could do four forwards. If you want, I'm fine with that.
Speaker 4:So let's, let's figure out, um so blake and would blake and dowdy. Let's start from that standpoint. We'll split up blake and dowdy and have them be our two power play quarterbacks, or I I I like it all right what do you?
Speaker 1:what about you, kevin? Good, uh, who do you want on the first line guys? Because I don't care either.
Speaker 4:One works for me uh, I would say I. I would say, if you're gonna have, I would say the first line should be the, also the first power play unit, uh, group of forwards. So robitaille, gretzky and dion, I would say would be the, the, and then we'll add another forward in there. But I think, those three. I think those three. Yeah, I'm fine with Brown, put him in there.
Speaker 5:You got to have that guy in front of the net, exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, robitaille. You want to balance it.
Speaker 4:You got enough finishers right, you got enough guys who can finish and then guys who can finish.
Speaker 1:And you said you wanted Brown to be the presence in front of the net. Yeah, I'm good with that. And what defenseman do we want to be on the first line?
Speaker 4:I would say Dowdy, but I'm not going to be upset. Dowdy's good.
Speaker 1:So that tells us who's going to be on number two. It's going to be Blake, for sure. And who do we want to put on the second power play?
Speaker 4:I think Taylor's definitely out there. Yes, kevin, talked about Charlie Simmer being that guy in the front of the net, so put him in there as well. I like that so Kopitar. Kopitar yes I agree, kempe in there as well.
Speaker 2:I like that, so copetar, copetar yes, I agree um can't pay.
Speaker 4:Can't pay or nickels, all nickels, I would say.
Speaker 1:Nickels, then is that enough, or can we put them both up there? I'm lost count. Uh, that would be it. So it's gretzky d Dion, Robitaille Brown, Dowdy, Kopitar, Taylor, Nichols, Simmer and Blake. I think we're going to score a lot of power play goals.
Speaker 2:Just keep an eye on Cody, because he doesn't have a chance unless there's a finger on the scale a little bit. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4:Well, he's a Ducks fan, so you can never discount that Exactly.
Speaker 2:He'll just rerun it.
Speaker 1:I can guarantee you he wouldn't do that.
Speaker 5:I know I am still here, you know, I can hear and see everything.
Speaker 2:Tell your dad to just get a. You know, chill out man. He's just busting his chops a little bit here, so let's go with our penalty kill who you know chill out man.
Speaker 1:He's just busting his chops a little bit here. So let's, let's, let's go, let's go with our penalty. Kill who, who? Uh, I mean my thought would be kopitar and kempe on the first pk.
Speaker 4:Forwards with what blake and dowdy I have no issue with that at all well, wait a minute, you have blake on but the only thing I would say is penalty is.
Speaker 2:That. Is that I'm fine with that.
Speaker 4:That doesn't bother me, that doesn't bother me. Well, but I would say are we? You know, because I don't know like I'm guessing, marcel dion did not kill penalties. I don't know that he's not good, he did not kill penalties.
Speaker 1:I don't know that for a fact. He did not.
Speaker 4:I'm just saying we may need to go ahead and just eliminate who's not even in consideration for it. Like Luke and Marcel, they're not going to be on the peak.
Speaker 2:Gretzky is not going to be on the penalty kill. So you got Kopitar, dave Taylor, dustin Brown, brown, kempe. Carter Gretzky's not going to be on the penalty, so you got. Kopitar, you got Taylor Dave.
Speaker 1:Taylor, dustin Brown Brown, kempe Carter. I don't remember Simmer being there. I can't remember if Mike Murphy is or not, but Kempe Brown, kempe Brown, kopitar and Carter. Where's Dave Taylor? Dave Taylor was well, we could put him on there.
Speaker 2:So we have those options.
Speaker 1:So Kopitar Taylor he was tough. Kempe Brown Carter. So we need to pick four of those five Kempe Brown.
Speaker 4:Carter. So we need to pick four of those five. Kempe and Kopitar, I think, definitely are out there. So that would be. Who was it, taylor Brown? And who was the other one, carter Carter.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:I don't remember if Dave Taylor killed penalties or not, so you guys, I'd have to defer maybe to Kevin on that one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he was the guy that was going to just kill the penalties. Go in the corner, root out the puck. He was a tough guy. He was the guy in the corner. He was the guy that would get boarded and still hold the puck under his skate so you couldn't do anything with it. That's a guy, a great. I like my grit guys.
Speaker 4:He was a total grit dude, then let's do uh brown and taylor instead of, and carter is out okay, what about uh, our defenseman uh? Norstrom, I think, well, I think norstrom. If he's Norstrom, I think, well, I think Norstrom. If he's even on the, is he on the team? He's not, he's not Okay.
Speaker 1:So I know Dowdy does it. He kills penalties right.
Speaker 4:Yeah, but wasn't didn't we already say it was he and he and Blake would be? Are we splitting them up or are we keeping them together?
Speaker 1:We could do whatever we want. We could do two different defensemen on the second penalty kill. You want to do Blake and Dowdy.
Speaker 4:I mean sure, Whatever, sure. I don't know who the other two are going to be, though.
Speaker 2:Well, if we're going to include Robinson, you've got to consider him. You've got one of the top players in the history of the game. If he's going to be considered plus 722.
Speaker 1:Was he a penalty killer Dude.
Speaker 2:He was plus 722. He did everything. It's Larry Robinson now.
Speaker 1:And we want to put Larry on. I'm okay with that.
Speaker 4:All right Good.
Speaker 1:We have Martinez Duchesne McSorley Left.
Speaker 2:Well, duchesne was an offensive defenseman either. Uh, what's that martinez guy right? Why don't you do?
Speaker 1:that alex martinez, part of the two stanley cup champions exactly I don't remember. Was mcsorley a penalty killer?
Speaker 2:I don't. I think he was out there when wayne was out there, man I don't think.
Speaker 4:I don't think so, but know, what. We may have to make a concession.
Speaker 1:What do we want to do? Mcsorley or Martinez, I'm good with either one.
Speaker 4:Let's go, martinez, there you go.
Speaker 1:So we'll leave McSorley to protect Gretzky. Now we need to come up with a coach, a GM and then a home-and-away jersey. That was a surprise when they did it.
Speaker 4:Well.
Speaker 2:Sutter for the coach.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean, yeah, I don't know that it's hard to go against, uh, Lombardi and Sutter as your combination there, exactly.
Speaker 1:I agree, we got the cup, baby. Well, we, we got this done pretty, uh pretty quick on this part. Um, what jerseys do you guys like?
Speaker 4:well kevin will probably be thrilled to know that I I wish the kings would go back to the forum. Blue and gold, yeah, because that certainly seems his uh, his jam, absolutely. So I'm more than happy to uh to take that into consideration. My favorite jersey. Hold on a second. I've got a prop here. I didn't do this on purpose, by the way.
Speaker 1:That's okay.
Speaker 4:Do it anyway. If we can go back to something like this, I would be thrilled.
Speaker 2:Nice, nice.
Speaker 1:Okay, winner, winner chicken dinner.
Speaker 4:That's the reverse retro from the last time they had it, which was? Was it two years ago? I think it was two years ago.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Nice.
Speaker 1:That's the away Jersey right Reverse retro away.
Speaker 5:Yeah.
Speaker 1:What about a home? Jersey guys? What about a home?
Speaker 4:jersey, guys. I mean, if we want to, if we want to, like, honor both halves, maybe we should have a black and gold jersey for the, for the home jersey. If we don't have one of each, why not? I don't know well they.
Speaker 2:They did win the cup with that, yeah yeah, I would.
Speaker 4:Personally, I would rather go with the gretzky era silver and black, because that's when I became a kings fan. So that's near and dear to my heart. If we're going to go. If we're going to go with, if we're going to go with the silver and black. I never liked that home plate logo. I know we won two cups with it. It's the one that's behind our illustrious host there.
Speaker 1:But I just, I just liked the background. It wasn't the home plate. What do you?
Speaker 4:think.
Speaker 4:Well, I, I, I, I do love the reverse retro one yeah, I I that's a winner, winner I said a million times on my show, I always am in favor of the crown on the front of the jersey. That should always be the case. What, what, what style of crown you want to put on there, I'm willing to listen, but I I just think the crown should always be there. I didn't care for that shield they used to have, didn't care for the home plate, so I I'm in favor of any kind of a crown you put on there so the silver and black from gretzky era, didn't?
Speaker 4:that was what was that that's true, that was the chevy logo yeah, that, that's the one you want, right there.
Speaker 5:So why don't you guys? If you guys want to do the form blue with the new school, why don't you just pick the one that my dad's wearing as the home?
Speaker 1:No, so that's the.
Speaker 2:I think it's settled.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we want the crown right. We want it in both how about this one. Yeah, that one's better. I like it. Let's do that.
Speaker 4:Got the crown, but it's also kind of honoring a different era, and I love purple. That's, I just love the purple. So we got to get a purple in there, right? Kevin?
Speaker 1:I'm good with that. I love it with the crown for sure. All right, good job, that was easy.
Speaker 2:That's because you guys are smart. Didn't have to edumacate you very much Edumacate.
Speaker 1:Really Well guys, good job.
Speaker 4:Thanks.
Speaker 1:Does anybody know who has the best plus minus in King's history?
Speaker 5:As a.
Speaker 1:King as a King, I don't.
Speaker 2:What's the criteria for as a King?
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's true, only numbers a king.
Speaker 1:I don't what's the criteria for as a king? Yeah, only numbers, while he, while he was in a king's uniform, right, right, correct, correct. Hmm, he's on our team, by the way. I'm gonna say dave taylor, what about you? Eddie kopitaritar? It is Dave Taylor, like 186. I was surprised when I was doing my research for this, when I looked that up. I was going to put it on another episode, but I thought it just works today. I was going to see if Cody knew that. Nope.
Speaker 2:No, he was. He was a great, great player. He doesn't get it.
Speaker 4:I was number two, by the way, but he was a distant second.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah Well, cobra car more games, by the way, many, many more games.
Speaker 1:It's going to be a sad day when Kofi leaves, so he's pretty much been my favorite player since for his whole career.
Speaker 4:So well, it's been cool to see him from day one. For me, um, didn't, obviously there were, you know, didn't see day dion play, uh, I what was robotized rookie year? Uh, I don't. I don't think I saw luke's first year. I was, I saw a lot of him early on, but not I don't think I was there from day one. So cool to see. Yeah, uh, kopey from day one robotai was 86 87.
Speaker 4:yeah, that was. That was before my time I got in. I got in in the early 90s, so he'd been in the league for a while.
Speaker 5:Probably missed his his better seasons, to be honest who'd you guys pick for your general manager and coach? Again lombardi and sutter yeah I mean I don't know why I thought you're gonna go with barry melrose for a second no, because you, because you're a Ducks fan.
Speaker 2:That's why that has nothing to do with the.
Speaker 5:Ducks.
Speaker 1:He did take him into the Stanley Cup. They just didn't win it.
Speaker 2:He did, but Because of the freaking stick thing in Montreal, right.
Speaker 1:Well, everybody wants to blame it on that, but there were games after that? Yeah well, so it is what it is. Yeah well, it is what it is. Cody's got some work to do now, Don't know how.
Speaker 5:I'm going to do it, but I'll figure it out. He does a great job for me.
Speaker 2:You'll do awesome man.
Speaker 3:Good to see you Good to see you. Good to see you guys Locked on Kings.
Speaker 2:man Check it out.
Speaker 4:Kevin, do you get out to games these days? I'm sorry, Cody. Let's say hello to games sometime.
Speaker 2:Let me know when you go. I got so many stories.
Speaker 1:Eddie, are you at most games?
Speaker 4:Well, this season, the way things are at the moment, I probably will be at most games.
Speaker 1:Yes, okay, nice I, I just I has to typically be on a weekend for me because my work schedule yeah that's the way it used to be for me, but I've suddenly found more myself with more time nice, well, you've done, you're, you're, you've done. Well, ed, obviously with Locked On Kings and the podcast.
Speaker 5:Congrats on the 20 years on that by the way. I forgot to tell that to Doug last week.
Speaker 1:I forgot that was my fault and then obviously Locked On, thinks highly enough to have you on that second show, the NHL game night looking forward to doing a full season of that.
Speaker 4:That'll be fun.
Speaker 1:Sounds cool boys.
Speaker 5:Eddie, while we're on the topic of you, you want to tell everyone where they can find you at, even though we kind of just said most of it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, if you like podcasts, locked on LA Kings, wherever you get your podcasts, and also on YouTube. And again, if you like hearing about a weekly recap of the entire NHL and sometimes Ewok movies, then the Puck podcast is for you. You can find again wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 5:And don't forget the weekly reminder of the Isaac Howard trade.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, doug brought that up again at the end of the Ewok thing.
Speaker 5:I have no problem with that. It cracked me up because when you said it again I was like wait, I think he said that last week and then Doug said I'm like okay, it wasn't just me then Well, you'll enjoy this week when I talk about how I complained that three people were not on the Canadian Olympic invite, who are Americans? Oh, I think I heard about this one.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I for some reason my brain said they're playing for canadian nhl teams, so why wouldn't they be invited to play for team canada? It makes no sense, was that cole? Caulfield one of them cole, caulfield, dust, dustin wolf and uh who was. There was one other one. I'm like why aren't these guys on the uh canadian? Well, because they're Americans, idiot. That's why.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I was like I heard someone talk about that on another podcast. I was like wait, was it Cole, Hudson or Hudson?
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, it was Lane Hudson.
Speaker 5:Yes, I'm like I thought he was American yeah. He is, you thought right, that's what I thought. Okay, so it okay, so it wasn't just me.
Speaker 4:Okay, cool, yeah, and I feel better about that sometimes you say something so dumb that you just have to laugh. So yeah, I just.
Speaker 5:I had. It happens to me too much is that true, gary?
Speaker 1:yeah yeah, go ahead, eddie.
Speaker 4:I was just gonna say thanks for the invite.
Speaker 1:Appreciated, uh being on oh, we love having you on, eddie and, like I said, um, you got great podcasts going on there and you, you're a pioneer. Thank you for leading the way for the rest of us. Are you still there, kevin? I'm here, okay, uh, anything you'd like to say before we go off? Kev, you want to do a shout out for your insurance?
Speaker 2:agency. Yeah, I'm an insurance broker 30 years experience, you can tell I pay attention to details. I have all the insurance avenues and anything that you could want. My website is TotalPros, with a Z TotalProscom. Click it and I'll help you out. Whatever you need Car house anything.
Speaker 1:Awesome, that's it, so we all ready to go.
Speaker 5:Yep, everyone, just don't forget to go follow Eddie at LockedOnKings and the Puck Podcast, and if you need insurance, call Kevin. And for Broly Collect we're on all things podcast platforms and also all things social media. Go, give us a follow, subscribe to us on YouTube so you can always watch us live and make sure you download the episode. And next week we should have the results of this. All-time ducks versus all-time kings.
Speaker 2:I'll offer my condolences in advance.
Speaker 5:I can just tell you this Ours went a lot smoother than yours did. That's what I felt like.
Speaker 1:We started rocky but we rolled at the end.
Speaker 2:We have a lot richer and longer history to sift through.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I'm just saying I thought we all worked really well all last week. The other half of Puck Podcast on there we had Doug Stolhan and, Locked On Ducks, Kyle Carr, then our good friend of the pod, the captain of Chaos, Adam Brohl, who's always in the comments on these things. But I enjoyed our time last week and it was fun listening to you guys for sure too, and we love you, Cody.
Speaker 2:You know that.
Speaker 5:Yeah, and here's Mr chaos himself disagree. Painful, just painful. That's because it was all kings he's, he's just being him, so but all right, well, we will see you guys next week. Thank you guys again for coming on, and we'll see you guys next week on. Royally go, kings go. All right, guys, take care.
Speaker 2:Go, kings go. Alright, guys take care.
Speaker 3:Shout and go kings, go Our clocks. They cheer Our father and son. They're fast and sincere On the ice. Their love appears Through the highs and lows in the years.
