(happy music)
- We have to win hockey games.
We think pressure is a privilege.
When you have pressure, it means you have
expectations of winning and I think every athlete
and every team and every coach wants to be
in a situation where you're expected to win.
- We control our own fate.
We're placing our faith in the group that's out there
and believe that these guys can do it.
(birds chirping)
(bicycle bell rings)
There probably isn't a day during the year
that as a management group,
we don't step into the back, into the war room,
discuss our team, discuss areas where we can improve.
Just every possible avenue and leaving no stone unturned
as to how we can make the team better.
- Here with Jarret Stoll just to go over again
the trade that the L.A. Kings have indeed made.
Dion Phaneuf, Nate Thompson from the Ottawa Senators,
for Marian Gaborik and Nick Shore.
- [Jarret Stoll] It's a good trade for both teams.
Definitely shakes things up in that locker room.
(intense music)
- I found out about the trade.
I was playing for Ottawa at the time in Pittsburgh
and Marc Crawford, who's the defense coach there,
leaned over to me on the bench and said,
"I'm gonna have to sit you down"
and I'd actually, we'd just got scored on,
and I was like Geez, like, usually don't get sat down
when you make one mistake.
- I was actually at home in Ottawa.
I wasn't playing.
I was watching the game and just kinda saw Dion
being pulled off the ice and, you know,
figured something was going on.
- I go into the locker room after the intermission
and that's when I found out
and from that moment on, I was extremely excited
to start a new chapter of my career.
Right here! Right here!
- [John Stevens} You're adding two guys
that really want to be here.
- One goal!
We're zipping it today, eh, Marty?
- When trades are made sometimes,
guys don't wanna leave where they are
or they're not sure where they're going
but in both their cases, they're familiar with the area.
- At first, you know, when you get traded,
there's always a little bit of a shock.
But knowing I was going coming back to the,
you know, Western Conference,
I was really, really excited to get going.
- Marty!
- I'd known Dion for a long time.
You know every night what you're getting with Dion.
He's gonna bring a hard game, he's getting pucks to the net.
He talks up in the room, he's vocal on the ice.
- Hoser.
- He's just, he's one of those guys
that you never have to really worry about
because you know what he's bringing every night.
- Whoa!
Watch this one, watch this one, watch this one!
When you get traded you wanna try and fit in
as quick as you possibly can and do what you're asked to do
and you come here and you try to contribute
in whatever way that you can
to help the team win hockey games.
Never a bad shot.
Hits them, bounces out, we got (bleep) big forwards.
- He brings skill, he brings grit, he brings experience,
he brings leadership, and the list can go on and on.
(intense music)
With Nate Thompson, I'd call him an aggressive
fourth-line center.
He has a little bit of an abrasive style to him
but he has some skill as well.
- [John Stevens] Tomaroo comes in.
He's a pretty confident veteran guy.
- Hard hard hard hard!
- Understands the detail of the game
and I think that part is really is gonna help
our young players.
- Come on blond, come on boys!
Rev the hop here, rev the hop, hey team.
Cliffy, let's have a night, let's have a night here!
Come on!
- Just a good leader, he's a good guy.
You can tell the people, like the younger guys,
they watch him, they see what he does,
you know, that's what you need.
- Heads up, heads up, heads up!
For me, it's been breath of fresh air,
coming to a group of guys that have been together
for a long time.
That have won together.
You can see why they have won.
How guys are have been welcoming to Dion and I.
Come on blonde, come on boys!
Here we go, here we go here!
Just to get here the first time
I felt like I was, you know, 20 years old again.
- [Announcer] Pearson sweeps it to the line.
Martinez with the drive.
Rebound chance for Carter!
He scores!
Jeff Carter!
(arena horn)
(crowd cheers)
- That's it Carter, that's it!
- We wanted to improve our team's speed
but specifically, as we'd look at our bottom six,
I think you've seen a little bit of shift in persona.
Toby just really fits the type of player
that we were looking for.
- [Announcer] And now, fast and loose with the puck,
here's Rieder short handed, he's in and he scores!
Wrist shot, towards the net, stop, rebound, they score!
Toby Rieder on the put back!
- They said there's a reason why they traded for me.
They just want me to play the exact same way
and, you know, that's what I'm trying to do.
- He's clearly a guy that gives us depth
in the forward position.
He's a good kid, he comes highly recommended.
I know some coaches that have coached him before
and they rave about the kid and how hard he works
and how dependable he is.
- [Announcer] Here comes Rieder.
Some speed.
Toby Rieder scores!
- We think we're a better team today than we were
just about a month ago.
We think that all three players collectively
make us a quicker team, a more dynamic team,
a more skilled team and in certain areas,
a more aggressive and abrasive team,
and more difficult to play against.
- [Announcer] Pearson shooting it up high!
Rebound score!
- This group is dedicated to winning.
They are dedicated to playing a real strong team game
and it's gonna allow us that success
and this group has a real deep passion
to get back in the playoffs.
- [Announcer] Thompson down the wing.
A shot!
Score!
Leading his man up ahead, Carter scores!
- I've never been in the playoff race in Arizona.
That's what you work so hard for
is exactly this time of year.
- [Announcer] Here's Carter up ahead.
Rieder has his second!
- You get traded to a team
that's every game you're fighting for something,
you're fighting for playoff spot,
you're fighting for a position.
- [Announcer] Kopitar deking through the middle!
- [Nate Thompson] This is playoff time.
- [Announcer] He scores!
- It's a battle.
There's a lot of teams that are fighting
for those positions.
We have put ourselves in a position
to take care of our own backyard.
And if we take care of our own business,
we'll be holding the bill.
(cheering)
(buzzer)