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Kings News: Rob Blake to replace Hextall as Assistant GM

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Welp, there's nothing to say or do about it now. We're going to be seeing this guy's face all the time talking about this team's future, collecting a Kings paycheck. Whether we like it or not, his name and number is now going up in the rafters, and we're expected to forgive. Will be very easy for some and very difficult for others. The man has spent a lot of time in LA, and now needs our support for the betterment of the franchise. Personal feelings aside, it's the team that matters and Dean has made his call, so welcome back to LA Rob Blake...
 
People questioning Blake's experience outside of playing may not be aware of how involved Blake is with the Junior Kings program. He's been involved with them for many years and worked with Emerson for the Junior Kings program. So he might know a thing or two about player development.
 
Well, I'm hoping Ron Wilson gets fired in San Jose soon.

Seriously, I don't like what Blake did in the past. Maybe the Junior Kings thing is something to be considered, but that's a pretty big stretch. If he busts his butt and does a good job, then fine. He has a lot of work and fence mending to do. It's not a decision I agree with or like, but hope I am wrong.
 
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Ziggy Stardust said:
People questioning Blake's experience outside of playing may not be aware of how involved Blake is with the Junior Kings program. He's been involved with them for many years and worked with Emerson for the Junior Kings program. So he might know a thing or two about player development.
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Well...I'm completely sold now. He developed the junior Kings.
 
Telos said:
Welp, there's nothing to say or do about it now. We're going to be seeing this guy's face all the time talking about this team's future, collecting a Kings paycheck. Whether we like it or not, his name and number is now going up in the rafters, and we're expected to forgive. Will be very easy for some and very difficult for others. The man has spent a lot of time in LA, and now needs our support for the betterment of the franchise. Personal feelings aside, it's the team that matters and Dean has made his call, so welcome back to LA Rob Blake...
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There's a small part of me that hopes DL taking him under his wing and teaching him the ins and outs of the GM position is to make up for the fact that the Kings are not going to put his number in the rafters...Sort of a well we can't do this but I can do THIS for you instead... Yeah I know, not gonna be the case. But i can hope.
 
tigermask48 said:
There's a small part of me that hopes DL taking him under his wing and teaching him the ins and outs of the GM position is to make up for the fact that the Kings are not going to put his number in the rafters...Sort of a well we can't do this but I can do THIS for you instead... Yeah I know, not gonna be the case. But i can hope.
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As nice as that would be, it would backfire because him being a long standing assistant GM will only add to his tenure here and increase his odds of earning the accolade.
 
Funny Blake story, my buddy in college worked for Prime Ticket (this was 13-14 years ago) and there was an event where they had Dodgers, Kings, Angels, Ducks and Kings players there representing the network and signing autographs similar to Tip-A-King.

My buddy said no one was at the Kings booth so he walked up knowing I was a fan and Rob Blake was sitting there with no one in line so he said his buddy (me) was a huge Kings fan. So now, I have a nice Rob Blake glossy signed with my name :) Back then no one cared about hockey or the Kings.
 
Oh man... They went and did it. They made Blake the GM of the Monarchs as well as assistant GM... Is it bad that I'm suddenly really nervous and not so ok with this? They put him in a role where he will in fact have his hands on the prospects.
 
I can begin my Rob Blake collection again. 800-something cards and counting...

Maybe I can get some signed like how I got a free hot dog coupon from Ron Hextall on opening night. :D

I wonder if they will start selling some 90s style cross logo jerseys of his? I could never afford his jersey when I was a kid. He was the best player and only good thing going for the Kings after Gretzky left. The organization was such a disgrace back then and he had to lead those bad teams. In Anaheim they looked like they had superseded the Kings at times. Today, we see Shea Weber get offersheeted by an astronomical amount and they find a way to keep him even with a cap in place. I wish they treated Rob the same way.

In Dean We Trust.
 
tigermask48 said:
Oh man... They went and did it. They made Blake the GM of the Monarchs as well as assistant GM... Is it bad that I'm suddenly really nervous and not so ok with this? They put him in a role where he will in fact have his hands on the prospects.
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I share your nervousness.

That said I'm never whenever there's a change away from something that is working. So I'll wait and see how Blake does. Only problem is it'll take years before we really know definitely if he's doing well or not.

Blake can be a complete pompous ******* if he wants. As long as he doesn't show it to the fans and keeps the Kings pumping out good prospects, I'm fine with it. And frankly, he shouldn't be talking to the fans a great deal. Hextall didn't talk to us (or the media) a lot, so no need for Blake to do it either.
 
Some reading

http://networkedblogs.com/NhDM4

Speculation at the trade deadline in ’08, your last year here, was that Lombardi wanted to trade you and you wouldn’t allow it. Any truth to that?
No. He tried to trade me and I allowed it to go through if that’s what he wanted to do. I guess at the last minute they couldn’t get the deal worked out. I wasn’t going to stand in the way of anything they wanted to accomplish
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http://networkedblogs.com/NhDM3
 
The Dingo said:
Some reading
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Related to that is the source of the Blake won't waive his NTC reports that came out around that time.

From Bob McKenzie:

Contrary to reports, sources tell TSN that Rob Blake has not waived his no-trade clause. In fact, sources say Blake has told the Kings he does not want to be traded. If, however, the Kings are intent on presenting Blake with a proposal, sources say it will have to be to go to Colorado and would have to be significant enough for the Kings to incur the wrath of Blake, who made it plainly clear to the Kings he prefers to stay in L.A.
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Wayback Machine Link

Another was where Blake claimed the Kings never even made him a contract, which left him no real choice except to go to look for another team since he still wanted to play.

From Rich Hammond:

Just got off a conference call with Rob Blake, who says the Kings never made him an offer. (Left unsaid was that Blake’s agent apparently talked to the Kings on July 1 and asked for $4 million). Before Blake got on the call, San Jose general manager Doug Wilson said he called Blake’s agent on July 1 to inquire about Blake’s services. Here’s some quotes from Blake…

On not getting an offer: “No, i didn’t receive one from the Kings. As time went past on July 1… I made a decision a few weeks ago, a month ago, that i wanted to play again. That wasn’t going to be happen in L.A. and I had to start looking elsewhere. I’ve always admired San Jose and they have a ton of potential. They’ve been on the verge every year and excited to be right there.â€
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Link 1 - Blake's conference call on leaving LA

Link 2 - Lombardi talks about expectations for Blake and contract talks he had to date that Blake said never happened

Link 3 - Agent pitches non-negotiable dollar amount, Lombardi asks for time to free up money, and response is that they have no interest in waiting
 
Primakov! said:
Related to that is the source of the Blake won't waive his NTC reports that came out around that time.

From Bob McKenzie:



Wayback Machine Link

Another was where Blake claimed the Kings never even made him a contract, which left him no real choice except to go to look for another team since he still wanted to play.

From Rich Hammond:



Link 1 - Blake's conference call on leaving LA

Link 2 - Lombardi talks about expectations for Blake and contract talks he had to date that Blake said never happened

Link 3 - Agent pitches non-negotiable dollar amount, Lombardi asks for time to free up money, and response is that they have no interest in waiting
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Hopefully our new assistant GM isn't still a total liar.
 
KingCanadain1976 said:
Any chance they take the mancheaster gm away and give it to someone better suited? not sure who but someones got to be better then blake a rookie.
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And how do you know Blake is not suited for that job? Yes, let's act like Lombardi and Luc have absolutely no idea what Rob is capable of.
 
Primakov! said:
Related to that is the source of the Blake won't waive his NTC reports that came out around that time.

From Bob McKenzie:



Wayback Machine Link

Another was where Blake claimed the Kings never even made him a contract, which left him no real choice except to go to look for another team since he still wanted to play.

From Rich Hammond:



Link 1 - Blake's conference call on leaving LA

Link 2 - Lombardi talks about expectations for Blake and contract talks he had to date that Blake said never happened

Link 3 - Agent pitches non-negotiable dollar amount, Lombardi asks for time to free up money, and response is that they have no interest in waiting
Click to expand...

I remember this: Blake wanted to play, still wanted to get paid millions and on the open market he was worth it. Lombardi says he wanted Blake to stay but for that money, he should mentor the kids like Jack Johnson and Blake doesn't say that back. Blake, a UFA, on his last few years, not getting the contract ge's worth and getting an offer from a good team will offer him a chance to win and who will pay him what he's worth on what will be his last contract, signs the only deal in front of him and goes to a contender.

Kings fans, misdirectedly bitter about the 2001 thing when they should have been mad at the PoS organization, take this as a second "diss" when it wasn't even the first.

Don't believe it? Well Dean just hired him to bring him back yet again.
 
FrozenRoyalty said:
LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi Tosses Ice Cold Water On Criticism Of New Assistant GM Rob Blake
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I don't think what Lombardi seems to be attempting to do (put cold water on things) between your article and John Hoven's quite addresses what pissed off so many fans of the Kings. It comes off kind of shallow and disingenuous because it tries to say, "Hey, he went for the money, but there were good reasons for that!"

The fact that Blake asked for top dollars and that outside pressures may have been exerted on him by the NHLPA have *nothing* to do with how he conducted himself as the Captain of the team towards the end of his tenure and Lombardi should know better, or he really has no grasp of the situation.

One plus one does not equal banana. The NHLPA didn't use magic ghost hands and ventriloquism to get Rob Blake to resign his captaincy.

I can't speak for everyone, but the fact that he left or that he wanted more money does not bother me in the least bit. Players come and go all the time, be it voluntary or involuntary, and I'd like to think others know it's the normal course of hockey business. It sucks when it works against you, but there's an obvious right way and a wrong way to go about it that can mitigate the break-up and Blake went for 31 flavors of bungled failure there.

Yanking that symbolic "C" off his chest amid a contract dispute of all things goes against everything that having the leadership mantle on a team is supposed to mean. It was downright sacrilegious. Heck, it goes contrary to all the virtues that Lombardi himself trumpets as being essential in the makeup of a great hockey player and leader.

That patch is more than a piece of fabric you can attach to the front of your jersey because it looks cool. If he didn't understand the unspoken implications and expectations that comes with it then he *NEVER* should have accepted it in the first place.
 
If Dean thinks Blake is the best available then that's good enough for me

Ya sure, everyone was pretty upset about him back in 00-01 season but honestly that's way back then. Its not like the franchises are angels neither. Remember what Dean did to Visnovsky? Sent packing to, of all places, Edmonton right before his NTC kicks in. Equally a despicable move by the franchise, and reminds us that in the end its a business

So ya, like I say, if Blake is the best guy then he's the best guy
 
I don't buy Lombardi's explanation of the "climate" at the time. The same climate exists today and it existed before that off season. Players will always try to maximized their salary. Players will always be paid in contrast to other players. That hasn't nor will it ever change.

All the digging of articles that Primakov shows the smoke and mirrors bs that took place and continues today. There is a lot of pointing fingers about who did and didn't do what. there is no clear and conclusive proof to the spin they are playing on this. People can sense and read through the bs. The general public has seen this act played out to often and can smell through the nonsense. When the evidence trail is as littered with bs, then it's likely the entire scenario is bs.

It is what it is. Nothing we can do about it, but hope that maybe he will want to go and join Sakic and Roy in COL.

I won't forget what he did and how he turned on the Kings. To not waive the NTC and then months later bolt, while trying to say that LA didn't offer a contract.....whatever Blake.
 
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