April 13--There's that old phrase: What happens in the room stays in the room. But what happens if the coach can't get in the room?
Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi on Sunday confirmed a report that his players kept Coach Darryl Sutter out of the dressing room after a game. The New York Post reported that Kings players barricaded the locker room door with trash receptacles to keep out Sutter.
Lombardi met with reporters at the team's offices in El Segundo for a season-ending session Sunday and, while he confirmed part of the story, he disputed certain facts in the report. It happened, he said, after a game at Tampa Bay on Feb. 7, not in the last two weeks.
Tensions were particularly high on that long trip, but Lombardi said Sunday he was not troubled by what was perceived as a sign of a disconnect between the coach and his players.
"No. And here's why. I could look at it and say that's when we [then] won eight in a row, so let's do it more often," Lombardi said. "In terms of what actually happened, maybe you don't have to go that extreme.
"Theoretically, I have no problem with it."
The defending Stanley Cup champion Kings missed the playoffs for the first time since 2009. They are the first team to win the title and then miss the playoffs the following season since the Carolina Hurricanes in 2007.
"The players, essentially, you want in charge of your room," Lombardi said. "Maybe the way to do was: 'We don't need to hear from you now, we've got it.' Maybe you don't have to go to that extreme."
