The King of Lions Mike Richards | Photo: D. Sheehan

“The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it.” -Wayne Gretzky

UPDATE: variable pointed out in the comments section that perhaps Lions and Lambs would be more apropos than Hungry and Heartless and I totally agree. Way better! Thanks V.

It occurred to me the other day that I invariably put NHL players into 1 of 2 categories. And this pretty much determines whether or not I like the way they play the game of ice hockey.

Category 1: Lamb – A player who appears indifferent. Aloof. A tendency to look lazy or lackadaisical in their effort.

Category 2: Lion – A player who exhibits a clear and consistent desire to succeed. Relentless. A willingness to go the extra mile. At ease, confident. Effort.

*It’s important to note that these categories are on a sliding scale and are not black and white. Some players fluctuate between these 2 categories, while others are more or less easy to classify.

That said, here is my breakdown of the current Kings roster and my explanations. It goes in order from most “lion-like” to least and most “lamb-like” to least.

I surprised even myself with some of my picks…

Lions

• Richards: The prototype of a passionate hockey player. Constantly starving.
• Quick: Similar to Brown in his quite confidence, yet he exudes passion and determination on the ice only second to MR.
• Doughty: I’ll take a guy whose passion gets the best of him over the alternative any day.
• Williams: His clear desire to succeed and make the most of every shift is only to be admired.
• Brown: Hard to imagine a more silent-yet-strong type of player in the NHL. He sometimes seems a bit lackadaisical, but I know and you know, he’s not. He’s plotting.
• Greene: A guy whose heart is always in the right place. He may not always make the best decisions with and without the puck, but you never question his desire.
• Fraser: The newest of Kings who has made an impression on me in practice for quite sometime. He’s instantly becoming a fan favorite and rightly so.
• Stoll: Another quite type who shows so much desire and effort, it’s hard not to like him.
• Voynov: After enduring the Enigma for so long, it’s fantastic to see 2 Russians as hungry as Voynov and Lokti. Voynov is young and motivated and shows a lot of Doughty-like determination in his rookie year. I knew he’d make the team this year, even if it wasn’t out of camp as it should have been.
• Loktionov: A kid dying to breakout of his shell. You can see the desire to be a regular in the NHL as clear as day. A perfect prospect in that sense.
• Gagne: A pro’s pro. From what I’ve seen so far, he makes the most of every shift. No wasted energy, but when he gets his chance, he usually makes the most of them with great effort and skill.
• Richardson: The non-stop energy guy who won’t be denied. Chippy too. This guy gets more from his skill level than anyone on the team, yet he sits?
• Westgarth: Love his energy and team support. Tons of heart. I admire his effort but don’t respect the position of an enforcer.
• Clifford: It’s hard to find a guy who has fluctuated more between the two categories. I don’t really question his heart, per se. I’m just not so sure he is totally ready for the NHL fulltime. He’s hungry, but is he getting a bit full? Time will tell.
• Mitchell: He and Scuds are so solid and professional, they sometimes seem invisible. And that’s a good thing. I always favor feisty forwards, but I have mad respect for guys like this. He’s a must on any team that hopes to be great.
• Scuderi: If Gagne is the pro’s pro of the forwards and Scuds takes it on defense. No one is more of a professional on the Kings than him. And that goes for coaches, management, on-air, etc. He’s a future coach if I ever saw one.

Lambs

Defined as reserved, passive, sleepy, laid-back, Spicoli-like, too relaxed for my taste. Not without ‘heart’ but lacking on-ice evidence of fire.

• Penner: Better of late, but still at the top of the Baaaa list. We all know he’ll taper off and disappear eventually. He has the ability, but the consistency just isn’t there.
• Lewis: When you have a coach like Terry “no fire” Murray saying he wants to see more fire from Trevor, you know he’s gotta be a passive guy in general. I like Lewis but I really don’t like the lack of grit.
• Parse: A guy who sometimes seems totally disinterested in the game. Knowing he’s out for the season, it might have been because of his injuries that he didn’t show full effort. As much as I liked his skill, I equally disliked his seeming lack of desire.
• Moreau: Another guy who I think I liked but seemed oddly confused at times. As if he didn’t know he was actually playing in a hockey game. Best of luck Chopper!
  
• Hunter: Oh Hunter, where art thou? A goal-every-5-games player has all but disappeared on the Kings. Sure, it maybe be the Murray Curse, but I also think his injuries are hampering his effort. More grit please.
• Drewiske: DD2… anytime you are the #2 guy on a team where someone else has the same initials as you, you’re bound to get dejected. Drew…I mean Davis, is my defensive version of Lewis. A solid player but he lacks grit and fire and this is the reason he’s not just #2, but #7 as well.
• Martinez: A puck moving defenseman with a stay at home attitude. Not my favorite mix. He’s a step above DD2 in the fire and grit department, but not by much.
• Bernier: If this Jonathan is just as talented as the other, then he’s just the opposite in visual determination. Cool, calm, relaxed…very much so. Not bad traits for a goalie. But Quick’s obvious insane level effort and desire to leave it all on the ice trumps these qualities in my book. Talented, sure. Undeniable effort? Not so much.
• Johnson: I don’t doubt JMFJ’s desire, but that smirk on his face during scrums really bothers me sometimes. He doesn’t back down, but I don’t see enough fire in sticky situations. Drop the gloves again and you’re right back up top JJ!
• Kopitar: It’s hard to put him in this category but I’m just calling it like I see it. I love Kopi but always feel like he could do more with what he has. He’s right on the border for me, but it’s a good bookend to the other centerman at the top of this list. Show us determination like Richards and you will dominate this league.

Agree? Disagree?