Kings break up road trip with outdoor practice

NEW YORK -- The Los Angeles Kings took on frigid conditions for some bonding and a respite from their routine Wednesday.
In the midst of a four-game road trip against Metropolitan Division opponents, the Kings broke up the monotony by practicing outdoors at Lasker Rink in Central Park.

"It's a little bit of a different look for the guys, back to your roots," coach John Stevens said. "I think you've got to be] energized physically and mentally, and I think hopefully it does both."
[The New York Rangers practiced at the rink this month
to prepare for their upcoming appearance in the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic against the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 1. The Kings do not play an outdoor game this season.
"It was good," forward Dustin Brown said. "We've [practiced outside] before, not at Central Park, but it's always a wrinkle in things as opposed to the normal practice we do every year."

The outdoor practice came together over the summer, when Stevens and Kings general manager Rob Blake arranged it to coincide with their week in New York. After the Kings secured the rink and managed the logistical hurdles, the only concern was the threat of bad weather. Although the temperatures were cold, about 30 degrees with wind chills in the teens, the sun was out and the ice was in good shape.
"It wasn't too cold where it was miserable," goalie Darcy Kuemper said. "But it was below freezing, so the ice was half-decent."
The practice was broken into two sections, opening with drills and closing with a 3-on-3 scrimmage that was played with enhanced intensity, resembling a game of shinny on a frozen lake or pond.
"That's what it kind of felt like," Stevens said. "That's the game you love."

A handful of Kings, including Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik and Drew Doughty, wore eye black, and the wind blew leaves onto the playing surface and snow off the ice and into the players' faces.
"I played on an outdoor rink growing up, so it was very similar, especially when the wind hit you," Brown said. "It brings back old memories."
The scrimmage was rife with trash talking, and when Gaborik scored the game-winning goal, his teammates poured off the bench and mobbed him to celebrate as if they'd won a game in overtime.
"I think we did a good mix of getting some important drills in early just to get something out of it," Kuemper said. "After that it was good team bonding to have a little competition like that."
The practice added one more element to the unique season for Los Angeles, which leads the Pacific Division in Stevens' first season back as coach. The Kings played in the NHL China Games presented by O.R.G. Packaging against the Vancouver Canucks in September.
"So far this year, we've been a pretty tight group, and it's fun to do little things like this," forward Tyler Toffoli said. "Obviously, going to China at the start of the year was a big trip, but this is another one of those things where we come together and have fun."
There's only one thing Stevens wished was different.
"I was hoping it'd be a little bit colder, but it was fine," he said.