Belief is a Hell of a Drug

Take a look at your team right now. I don’t want you to look at the line-up on paper—I want you to think about what they look like when they’re on the ice. When your team takes the ice, do you expect them to win? Always? Does it depend on the schedule or the opponent? When you think about the playoffs, do you think about how your team “might” make or “could” make it? Is it enough to just make the playoffs for you this year? Or do you look at your team; envision the teams that usually make the playoffs and TRULY BELIEVE that you can compete? It’s been a while since I’ve tasted this brand of Kool-Aid—and I really like it.

Plenty of mainstream media members and bloggers alike have taken a look at how a team develops from pretender to contender. When you hear people talk about the Penguins, Blackhawks, Blues and now Kings, a certain pattern seems to develop. Awful teams lead to high draft picks. The high draft picks take a while to mature, then take the steps from the conference’s basement, to playoff contender and finally to Stanley Cup contender. The way (and luck) the teams have gone about their rebuild have been different, but this is the same pattern that they’ve all gone through. We are 16 games into the season and watched the Kings take some serious strides in the right direction of their developmental process as well.

The aspect that people don’t usually talk about is something you can’t quantify with metrics or statistics. It’s something that all great teams have—and something that bad teams don’t. It is one of the most important parts of the metamorphosis when a team is making the transition from cellar-dweller to the leagues elite. And usually it’s the hardest to accomplish. I’m talking about that moment when a young, talented team with potential stops hoping they can compete and starts BELIEVING they’ll win every game they play.

For people who have actually watched the Kings play this season, they’ll see a fundamental change in the way the young players are playing on the ice (Yes, I know it’s really hard for East Coasters to stay up and watch those games that are SO late at night). In the game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins, the Kings entered into the 3rd period trailing on the scoreboard even though they had carried the majority of the play during the game. In past years, the Kings would wilt away and lose a game that they very easily could have won. To be honest, it’s a scenario that has happened so often that Kings fans are used to it.

But a funny thing happened on the way to another L in the loss column. The Kings players didn’t think they were going to lose. More than one player said that the locker room between periods was filled with confidence, not self-pity. They BELIEVED they would win.

“I think it’s a mixture of character and never letting up, really. I think it’s a big positive for us, knowing that we can be down going into the third (and win).” –Dustin Brown

There’s a difference between hoping you can win, thinking you can compete, and KNOWING you can compete. The belief system is a HUGE part of the growing process that can’t be measured on any stat sheet or in the standings.

It’s something special that the Kings haven’t had in a while. I’m not talking about the Kings 3rd period specifically—or even the game against the Penguins. It’s an attitude that the Kings have played with all season. It’s an understated confidence that if the team plays the way they know they can, they’ll win. Period.

“There’s a different attitude, a different mindset (this year)… a different kind of quiet confidence about this group.” –Jarret Stoll (via Frozen Royalty)

I’m not saying that they’re anything that they’re not… I’m just saying that there’s a belief that hasn’t been around the Kings in a LONG time. And I’m not just talking about the players either. When opponents talk about the Kings, they’re no longer talking about how “these are 2 points that we expect to win.” Now the quotes are more like Sidney Crosby before facing the Kings:

“They expect to win, and they’re playing solid hockey. Kopitar is playing great. Everybody is playing great for them, but he’s really leading the way. So I would say, just beating good hockey teams’ builds confidence.” –Sidney Crosby (LA Kings Insider)

For the first time in years, there’s a different feeling in the building. Anyone in attendance can SEE that there’s something different with the psyche with this team. They believe they’re going to win and it spills over to the people in the stands. There’s an environment of excitement that no matter who is playing, the Kings are good enough to win. They SHOULD win.

Maybe it’s because an Eastern Conference team came out west and was destroyed (or maybe because the NHL’s poster boy was in the arena), but it looks like the national media is starting to take note as well. The thing is: this isn’t new. They’ve been playing this way all season—this was just the latest in impressive wins against good teams. The Phoenix Coyotes are off to a hot start, but the Kings have beaten them twice IN PHOENIX. The Blue Jackets are off to the best start in franchise history, but the Kings have beaten them as well. They beat the league leading Sharks. They’ve beaten 3 of the 4 best teams in the West and the best team in the East (and have a chance to make it 4 for 4 with their trip to Colorado). Their win against the best team in the East is just more of the same. Only slightly more publicized. Go figure.

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Think of your life: Have you ever been on a team in your past? You know what kind of team it is whether it was when you were a kid or on a Sunday morning league before pizza and beer. You know when you go into a game EXPECTING to win. It’s when you truly stop worrying about the other team. Really good teams know that when they step on the ice, if they play THEIR game, the opponent doesn’t matter. It’s one of the most cliché things in sports, but when you see it in action it’s a beautiful thing.

It’s the same concept that businesses in the “real world” try to deal with all the time. When a Mom-and-Pop venture looks to make the step up from small business to thriving organization, everyone has to BELIEVE that they’re going to succeed. Until the people within the organization believe they can take the next step, they never will. It’s like the whole, “if you can dream it, you can be it,” thing—without the acid and dreadlocks. The NHL is no different.

Of course, talent goes a long way to helping out in the confidence department. Kopitar’s success had been well documented—leading the league in scoring and 2nd in goals has a way of garnering attention. But there are more players than just Kopitar that have stepped up their game this season. Drew Doughty has managed to actually IMPROVE from his outstanding rookie season. He’s 2nd in the NHL in defenseman scoring (behind Tomas Kaberle) as a 19 year old and has been called upon to both quarterback the power play and kill penalties. If Kopitar is an early candidate for the Hart Trophy, then Doughty might start receiving attention as a possible Norris Trophy candidate.

Ryan Smyth is proving to people that he’s NOT over the hill. Justin Williams is proving to people that he’s worth Patrick O’Sullivan when he’s healthy. Jonathan Quick is proving that he is capable of being the backbone of an elite NHL team (at least through the first month of the season). Wayne Simmonds is proving that he has the potential to be an absolute BEAST in the NHL. You get the point. They’re all proving they can play at the highest level—and they expect to every night.

Fans in Los Angeles have been desperate for a decent team for a while–so desperate that the players were singing that Journey song in the locker room last year.  Even the most loyal of fans have had their moments of doubt over the past 3 dark years. Make that 41 dark years. But through the darkest of days, it finally looks like this could be a team that brings the light. They have the leadership in every corner of the locker room. They play with a confidence on the ice that SHOWS that they’re ready to be taken seriously. Finally, it looks like they believe. Judging by the euphoria that is surrounding Kings fans right now, belief is a hell of a drug.

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