A nice article about AMart and the learning curve of his game but also about the Kings' impressive young D corp.
Good read...
http://espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/201...eles-kings-alec-martinez-journey-being-winner
A good observation:
Longtime NHL netminder John Garrett, now a broadcast analyst in Canada, said there is a lot that impresses about the young Kings defenders.
"You watch this L.A. young defense and Muzzin scores a goal the other night, why? Because he read the play so well and he was down deep. He knew exactly where to be," Garrett said. "Martinez is a good skater and makes good plays too. I think it's one of those things you get that confidence that you can be a puck-moving team. [Coach] Darryl Sutter has that reputation that they're an all-defensive team but they're big and they move the puck well."
It is the kind of team construct that separates the elite teams from the rest of the flotsam and jetsam in the NHL.
"I really think that's the difference between the elite teams [and the rest]. The elite teams in the league that's the difference is they have those defensemen; it's not just off the glass and out, it's puck control," Garrett said.
"You make that first pass tape to tape and you still have puck control. You look around, the other teams they might have one defenseman that can do it but they don't have a group. And I think that's the difference between the final four this year and every other year, you get that group of defensemen and that's what you have to [do] is nurture that skill where you can make a play and control the puck rather than glass and out."
AMart on the Kings Organization
"As an athlete or really anything, any person in general no matter what they do, I think you constantly try to improve," Martinez said. "From management on, ever since I've been here, I think this is my seventh, eighth year with the organization, they do a good job of helping you develop as a player. Working on things both on and off the ice whether it's in the weight room or working on things on the ice you know all the fundamentals we work on all the time. We've got a heck of a development staff that work with us a lot."
Thoughtful and well-spoken, Martinez said part of the learning curve isn't just the nuts and bolts of playing the game but adjusting to the mental challenges.
"One of the biggest things that I've learned since I turned pro; beforehand, sometimes it's hard when hockey's the only thing you do. When I played in college I always had class and I had things to get my mind off the game. It's important to be able to step away and step back and kind of look at the bigger picture sometimes. During breaks, the Olympics break, it gives you an opportunity to get away from the game a little bit mentally and then kind of refocus and sit back and reflect. I think that's definitely a part of it," the 26-year-old said.
