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LA Kings assistant anxious for hockey
YOUNGSTOWN
John Stevens may not be showing up to his job everyday, but that’s not to say he isn’t working. The Los Angeles Kings assistant coach is surviving the National Hockey League lockout by doing what he enjoys and knows best.
“I’m watching a lot of hockey,” said Stevens, former head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. “I’ve been spending some time with our minor league affiliates, just trying to watch as much hockey as I can.
“If I’m not phyically there helping out I’m following online and trying to help in their development as much as I can.”
He usually keeps tab on his son, John, on the Internet too. But over the weekend, Stevens got the chance to see him in action in Youngstown as his son’s Dubuque Fighting Saints played the Phantoms at the Covelli Centre.
Dubuque (5-0-0) swept the weekend series and outscored Youngstown (4-2-0), 8-2. The younger Stevens is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound left winger and assisted on a goal Friday night. He is committed to play at Northeastern next year.
Stevens and his wife, Stacy, traveled to Youngstown from their home just south of Atlantic City, N.J.
“It’s not that far from Youngstown, so we figured we’d take the drive,” Stevens said. “We don’t get to see him a whole lot and we couldn’t pass up the chance.”
The Kings’ minor league affiliates are located in Ontario, Calif., and Manchester, N.H.
Los Angeles is coming off its first Stanley Cup championship. In June, the Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils in six games.
“We do have momentum from last year with what we have coming back and that we’ve had a taste of the success,” Stevens said. “That makes us even more anxious to get started and back on the ice.”
Still, Stevens says everyone in the league is affected by the lockout.
“The universal thing is to get this thing fixed and get back to work,” he said. “When it gets to be this time of year, we’re used to playing hockey and getting everything going.”
Stevens will be entering his second season as a Kings assistant after spending two-and-a-half years in Philadelphia.
He hasn’t had any contact with Kings players, which include playoffs MVP goaltender Jonathon Quick, veteran defenseman (and former Pittsburgh Penguin) Rob Scuderi and captain Dustin Brown.
Stevens does, however, speak with other coaches and management on a regular basis.
He has faith that the league will begin play soon.
“All we can do is wait,” Stevens said. “I’m checking online everyday for good news.”