The Kings' prospects showed a lot of fight Wednesday night, but not enough offense and defense as they fell to Phoenix 6-1 in the first game of a two-day rookie tournament in El Segundo...Of course, this makes you wonder if the Kings rookies have collectively taken a few too many pucks to the noggin. Think about it. They're playing for a team whose offensive woes aren't exactly a secret and one would think the best way to actually impress would be to score some goals, not sit in the penalty box.
The game was often interrupted by fights, started by young players looking to make an impact. Colten Teubert, a 2008 first-round pick, got a 10-minute misconduct penalty in the first period and 2009 second-round pick Kyle Clifford got in two fights.
I have to wonder if after all these years young players -- who work on honing their skills throughout their whole childhoods -- still really believe the path to success in pro hockey is fighting. If so, I think that says something pretty sad about the National Hockey League and the messages it's sending to its future lifeblood.
The second Kings-Coyotes rookies game is live-streaming on the web at 2 p.m. on the Kings' website. In a related note, a U.S. bankruptcy judge may rule later today in favor of a bid that could allow the Coyotes to move to Hamilton, Ontario.
--Steve Hymon
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