Los Angeles Kings Hockey Team

In his minor-league days, Jonathan Quick slept so deeply that his teammates would stumble off their bus after a trip and the equipment managers would unload the gear and think all was done only to find the goalie under a seat, slumbering. That made for good jokes but bad mornings -- especially when the Kings sent goaltending development guru Kim Dillabaugh to Manchester, N.H., to work with Quick. Only Quick was late, having overslept. A good scare -- a demotion to the ECHL during the 2007-08 season -- and a good, loud alarm clock changed his habits.

Wayne Simmonds arrived at Staples Center one evening in October unaware his biggest NHL opportunity was at hand. Kings teammate Justin Williams had suffered what Coach Terry Murray called a "lower-body issue" during the morning skate, leaving a void on the team's top line for that night's game against the Dallas Stars. But Simmonds hadn't heard. That's why the 21-year-old's eyes lit up when he walked into the team's dressing room before the game. Murray had written on the drawing board that Simmonds, or Simmer as his teammates call him, would take Williams' place alongside left wing Ryan Smyth and center Anze Kopitar.

Drew Doughty's life is color-coordinated. Greene, he's at home. Brown, he's on the road. That is how the Kings have structured things for Doughty, hoping that by keeping things simple off the ice for the 19-year-old defenseman he can continue to make life difficult for opposing teams on it. Doughty, the second overall pick in June, walked out of the Ontario Hockey League in spring and into the Kings' lineup in fall.

Bob Miller's career as the voice of the Kings got off to a dubious start. In 1973, he left Madison, Wis., where for nine years he had done University of Wisconsin football and hockey, for Los Angeles and the big time. And he would be making $22,000 a year. He was hired by King and Laker owner Jack Kent Cooke through Chick Hearn, but Larry Regan, then the Kings' general manager, set Miller's salary.

Bruce McNall learned at an early age, when he started collecting and then dealing the ancient coins that so fascinated him, that it takes money to make money and that he had to be willing to gamble a little and trust his instincts a lot if he wanted the best. Too, he has always said that the key to success is having fun, sticking with the ventures that bring personal satisfaction. So far, those philosophies have paid off for him.

Craig Johnson scored two goals, matching a career high, and Jaroslav Modry had a career-high three assists, but the Kings' 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday was the newlywed's game. Lubomir Visnovsky, who flew home to Slovakia earlier in the week to get married, scored a goal, the first by a King defenseman other than Mathieu Schneider, and added an assist in front of 15,481 at Staples Center.

Kings Coach Terry Murray looks at the Ducks and sees a team that still has the heart of a champion and is capable of world-class efforts when the moment demands them. "With us, looking at our team, we need to develop that attitude," he said. Ducks General Manager Bob Murray (no relation) looks at the Kings and sees a mobile and talented defense that could be a force for years to come. "You've got to build from the defense," the former NHL defenseman said. "Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, Matt Greene -- what a move that was to get Greene.

We are going to build for the future--keep all our No. 1 draft picks and form a solid organizational blueprint, eschewing the win-now philosophy of trading youth for experience. Really. The Kings, coming off a monumental playoff disappointment in a first-round loss to Edmonton last spring, said all those things during the long, somber summer. But during the summer of 1988, they mouthed a similar philosophy after losing a one-sided, first-round playoff series against Calgary.

The Kings made their first venture into the free-agent market Thursday, but not for the winger they need so much. Instead, they agreed to a four-year, $13.6-million deal with defenseman Rob Scuderi, who won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins last month and hasn't yet had his day with the trophy. Scuderi parlayed a team-leading 164 blocked shots -- and a strong postseason performance, especially in the Cup final -- into a huge raise over the $725,000 he earned last season.

He was the son of a well-known hockey coach and had a full-size rink built into his backyard, and his skills were unmatched by his peers. Yet Anze Kopitar knew it wasn't enough. He wasn't quite 17 when he traveled from his home country of Slovenia to Sweden, settling by himself in a cramped apartment and joining the only club that extended him a tryout. He walked, bicycled or hopped a bus to get to the 6,200-seat arena, where he competed with and against grown men.

VS. NASHVILLE When: 5 PST. Where: Bridgestone Arena. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 38-20-4; Predators 34-23-5. Record vs. Predators: 0-1-0. Update: In addition to Wednesday's trades, the Kings recalled forward Scott Parse from the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League and assigned forward Oscar Moller and Marc-Andre Cliche to the Monarchs. — Debbie Goffa

Kings tonight VS. COLORADO When: 7:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 36-20-4, Avalanche 35-19-6. Record vs. Avalanche (2008-09): 1-2-1. Update: The Kings' final game before the Olympic break carries major playoff implications because Colorado is tied with Los Angeles in the Western Conference with 76 points. Saturday's game is the first meeting of the season between the Kings and Avalanche, and they'll play each other three more times before the season ends.

Kings Coach Terry Murray has made no secret of the fact he likes the makeup of his team. But he may want to reconsider just how much he likes it after Thursday's shootout loss to the hapless Edmonton Oilers. Sure, it came in dramatic fashion, at the end of a franchise-record 10-round shootout. But the game still ended with the Kings losing for the second time in as many games. For the Oilers, meanwhile, it was their first win on the road in two months. And it didn't come cheaply, with Edmonton playing as well as the Kings did poorly -- something the Staples Center sellout crowd of 18,118 began to recognize midway through the second period when it started booing the home team.

There's a lot of Ilya Kovalchuk gear on sale at the Thrashers' team store, so Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello won't be the only one getting a bargain after the left wing was traded from Atlanta to New Jersey last week. The Devils had the depth to give away promising kids like Niclas Bergfors and Patrice Cormier and a first-round draft pick for Kovalchuk, who can walk away as a free agent July 1. The Kings wouldn't surrender any two of Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson and Wayne Simmonds, so Thrashers GM Don Waddell took the best deal available.

The Ducks ended the Kings' streak, but the two points in the playoff race might have come at a high price. Ryan Getzlaf , the team's leading scorer, sprained his left ankle during the second period and left the arena wearing a boot and on crutches. X-rays were negative, but an MRI exam is scheduled for Tuesday. "That will give us a better indication of the severity of the sprain," Coach Randy Carlyle said. The Ducks have three games remaining before the Olympic break, when Getzlaf is scheduled to play for Canada in Vancouver.

The Kings' winning streak ended Monday at a club-record nine games, halted not by lack of effort but by a more desperate effort by the playoff long shot Ducks. It took every bit of determination the Ducks had to subdue the Kings, 4-2, at the Honda Center and set a record of their own with a 10-game home winning streak. It took Scott Niedermayer frantically batting the puck away from Dustin Brown while on his knees near the net midway through the third period. It took Corey Perry contributing a goal and two assists despite losing his center, Ryan Getzlaf, to a sprained ankle in the second period.

Kings-Ducks tonight When: 7. Where: Honda Center. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 1150, 830. Records: Kings 36-19-3, Ducks 27-24-7. Season series: Kings 3-0-0. Update: Something has to give. The Kings have won a franchise-record nine consecutive games. The Ducks have won their last nine at home. Goaltending has been a key for both teams. The Kings' Jonathan Quick leads the NHL in wins with 34. The Ducks' Jonas Hiller was 12th with 23. But Hiller has 11 fewer starts after sharing the job with Jean-Sebastien Giguere before Giguere was traded to Toronto.

The Kings' record nine-game winning streak is hardly news to the Ducks -- after all, they were victim No. 8. "They're a good hockey club that is rolling along, obviously, and yesterday was an example again, coming back from a 3-0 deficit," Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said Sunday, the day after the Kings rallied to beat Detroit, 4-3. "For them to come back and beat the Detroit Red Wings, that's no easy feat." The Kings -- who play the Ducks on Monday night in Anaheim -- have won six of their franchise-record nine in a row by comebacks, and six by a one-goal margin.

When the Kings stepped onto the ice at Staples Center on Saturday afternoon, they were greeted by a sellout crowd waving signs that read "We Believe." When they skated off 2 1/2 hours later, they left to a raucous standing ovation. But the big news is what happened in between, when the Kings rallied from a three-goal deficit to defeat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-3, setting a franchise record with their ninth consecutive win. Which, according to Coach Terry Murray, is nothing more than a good start.

The first Kings team to win eight consecutive games was a rugged fan favorite anchored by goalie Rogie Vachon and legendary defenseman Terry Harper. The second time it happened, the roster included future Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille. On Saturday afternoon at Staples Center, the current Kings have a chance to erase their predecessors from the record book by winning a franchise-best ninth in a row. But whether that will also win these Kings a special place in team lore may take longer to sort out. "We're trying to find out what kind of team we're going to be," said Kings Coach Terry Murray, whose squad faces the Detroit Red Wings in a 1 p.m. matinee.