.
Kings take high road to Stanley Cup finals
Dustin Penner's overtime goal beats Phoenix, 4-3, as Kings continue perfect postseason away from Staples Center.
- LA Times
May 22,
2012, 11:17
p.m.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — There was the celebratory group hug taking place by the glass,
followed by a loud chorus of boos and then objects being tossed on the ice by
some fans.
Yes, the Kings' long strange journey to the Stanley Cup finals — returning there again for the first time in 19 years — ended with one long thrilling night of hockey and in somewhat surreal fashion.
Weren't they supposed to be showered with champagne, not debris?
The final step of the journey back to the finals came courtesy of the man who received more criticism since he arrived in Los Angeles a little more than a year ago than any other Kings player in recent memory. The hero was left wing Dustin Penner who scored the game-winning goal on a rebound from the high slot with 2 minutes 18 seconds left in overtime Tuesday for a 4-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.
Penner's goal, his third of the playoffs and 10th point, clinched the Western Conference finals for the Kings, who won it, four games to one. The Kings will play the New Jersey Devils or the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals.
"He had a journey tonight. I stuck with him," Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said of Penner. "He struggled early in the game. Stuck with him."
Said Penner, who also had an assist: "It's the biggest goal of my career thus far. Hopefully there's a couple more waiting in the finals. I was at the right place at the right time."
He addressed what he had gone through this past season, his struggles on the ice and divorce proceedings that became public.
"I guess when you're in a hole that no one can really dig you out of except for yourself," he said. " I put that pressure and that stress on myself to get me out of where I was. I had great support from teammates, family, friends, the organization as a whole."
Kings captain Dustin Brown, following the tradition of hockey superstition, did not touch the Clarence Campbell Bowl, which goes to the Western Conference champion.
He and the Kings were the target of the fans' ire and postgame debris tossing at Jobing.com Arena because of the hit Brown delivered on defenseman Michal Rozsival in overtime.
But there is just one trophy on the radar — the Stanley Cup — and Brown made that clear on the ice and afterward in the dressing room. Still, he acknowledged the meaning of the moment for the franchise.
"This is huge," Brown said. "You're talking twice in 45 years, that makes this something special for the organization. We still have a lot to do. We don't want to follow in the footsteps of the '93 team. We have to get back to work and make the most of this."
No matter the opponent, the finals will begin on the road, a week from Wednesday. The Kings have not lost a game away from Staples Center during this playoff campaign. They are 8-0 on the road, an NHL record.
Yes, the Kings' long strange journey to the Stanley Cup finals — returning there again for the first time in 19 years — ended with one long thrilling night of hockey and in somewhat surreal fashion.
Weren't they supposed to be showered with champagne, not debris?
The final step of the journey back to the finals came courtesy of the man who received more criticism since he arrived in Los Angeles a little more than a year ago than any other Kings player in recent memory. The hero was left wing Dustin Penner who scored the game-winning goal on a rebound from the high slot with 2 minutes 18 seconds left in overtime Tuesday for a 4-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.
Penner's goal, his third of the playoffs and 10th point, clinched the Western Conference finals for the Kings, who won it, four games to one. The Kings will play the New Jersey Devils or the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals.
"He had a journey tonight. I stuck with him," Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said of Penner. "He struggled early in the game. Stuck with him."
Said Penner, who also had an assist: "It's the biggest goal of my career thus far. Hopefully there's a couple more waiting in the finals. I was at the right place at the right time."
He addressed what he had gone through this past season, his struggles on the ice and divorce proceedings that became public.
"I guess when you're in a hole that no one can really dig you out of except for yourself," he said. " I put that pressure and that stress on myself to get me out of where I was. I had great support from teammates, family, friends, the organization as a whole."
Kings captain Dustin Brown, following the tradition of hockey superstition, did not touch the Clarence Campbell Bowl, which goes to the Western Conference champion.
He and the Kings were the target of the fans' ire and postgame debris tossing at Jobing.com Arena because of the hit Brown delivered on defenseman Michal Rozsival in overtime.
But there is just one trophy on the radar — the Stanley Cup — and Brown made that clear on the ice and afterward in the dressing room. Still, he acknowledged the meaning of the moment for the franchise.
"This is huge," Brown said. "You're talking twice in 45 years, that makes this something special for the organization. We still have a lot to do. We don't want to follow in the footsteps of the '93 team. We have to get back to work and make the most of this."
No matter the opponent, the finals will begin on the road, a week from Wednesday. The Kings have not lost a game away from Staples Center during this playoff campaign. They are 8-0 on the road, an NHL record.
Con't
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-kings-coyotes-20120523,0,83876.story
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