As we get settled in for a new season where our October schedule is weighted in home games and divisional play heavy next month, now seems like a good time to check in on some recent former Kings to provide some emotional or not discussion, on what they brought here, what they gave at their next stop and if they are better after their Kings’ tenure, could they have had the same results if they were still Kings’ property.
The first guy is someone not known for flashy play, but for consistent effort. While other more notable players took far longer to get a contract, if they are signed at all (Markov and Esche come to mind), this spark plug was signed early by the Habs. I will also go on record as saying he was one of my favorite players during his time here.
Tom Kostopoulos
He signed a 2 year $900,000 contract with the Canadiens. His first two games there, he played more than 4th line type minutes at around 15:00 or so, with a collective plus/minus of -1 each game or -2 this year overall. Here in Los Angeles, he played 76 games the last 2 years and earned 22 points respectively, including winning the unsung hero award last year prior to free agency.
One of the reasons, might be how he always stepped up to defend his teammates. Here is one of his longer bouts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN1QWwb5U_o
A Bruins fan thought the Kings might put him on waivers and wanted some feedback, here is some fun reading:
http://boardreader.com/t/Boston_Bruins_68269/Tom_Kostopoulos_293722.html\
Kings fans pondered the possibilities as free agency approached. Here were their thoughts:
http://boardreader.com/t/Los_Angeles_Kings_79277/Will_Tom_Kostopoulos_be_signed_373483.html
When it came to free agency, Kostopoulos had interest from others, but once Montreal showed interest, he was all over it. Unlike other players who wanted no part of the Montreal media glare, Tom and his wife embraced it which surprises me, not at all. I know he was not the Kings most productive players from a points only view, but I love how he showed up each game and each shift, defending his teammates the entire way.
It was time for him to move on from Los Angeles, but the Canadiens better watch their backs, because Kostopoulos likes to keep the room loose and considers himself quite the practical joker.
Here is an interview he gave right after being signed by the Habs:
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=1b07a931-43fa-4d0a-82f0-68ab17d603d4&k=24784
Jeff Cowan
Here is a guy who I did not miss when Vancouver plucked him off the waiver wire last year. I still doubt what he did for the Canucks would have ever happened here. He seems to have truly found a home there in both the regular and post season.
Last year, after his second two goal game in a row, a fan threw a bra of all things onto the ice… wow!! This was his fifth goal in three games no less. Apparently, Cowan is the first player who motivated some wanting female to disrobe herself and throw such an item of apparel onto the ice…
Watch for yourself, history in the making:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnJGLMd0nes
This act has now taken on a life of its own. This event now has its own name, the “Brasserie Cheer”. The following day the Team 1090 held a contest to give the cult motivator a nickname and came up with Cowan the Brabarian, amongst other things.
He was an unlikely hero when you consider during his last partial year with the Kings he played 21 games and had 2 points and 32 PIMs. While in Vancouver, during the same season, his offense blossomed beyond just penalty minutes to 42 games, 10 points and 93 PIMs.
He since resigned with the Canucks where he finds himself a nice fit and back to being teammates with another one that got away, Aaron Miller and newly acquired waiver wire pick-up, Mike Weaver.
Mike Weaver
He was the consummate player last year with the Kings and I remember regularly seeing him providing interviews when asked, and never grumbling about being the 7th defenseman, which meant many healthy scratches and some time in the AHL.
It was no surprise with more kids making it at this level that he went unsigned this off season. He signed as a free agent with the Penguins where he failed to make the club out of training camp. The Penguins attempted to send him down by putting him on waivers and was picked up by the injury plagued Canucks.
Some Canucks fans were less than enamored with the pick-up. Some chatter can be found here:
http://www.thescoreboards.com/forums/vancouver-canucks/45710-mike-weaver-claimed-vancouver-pittsburgh.html
Sportsnet sees him as a decent puck moving defenseman who needs to increase his strength in order to be more effective against some of the larger NHL forwards. The challenge for him to increase his physique makes even more sense when considering he is smallish for the NHL at 5’9”.
The Penguins signed him as a depth move, similar to the role he played here, since their farm team, again like the Kings, is young and could appreciate/benefit from Weaver’s experience and professionalism. This move seems on target considering he was captain of Team USA in the North American College Hockey Championships in their All Star game, in 1999, where he was a defensive defenseman for Michigan State University.
It is no wonder multiple teams have wanted him as a reserve on the big club, or as a mentor at the next level considering he helped the Orlando Solar Bears win the Turner Cup Championship in the last year the IHL was in existence in the 1999/2000 season and went onto win the Calder Cup the next year in the AHL for the Chicago Wolves in the 2001 playoffs. His plus/minus rating was near always on the plus side.
You do not bring Weaver on board for offense as he has a history of going an inordinate number of games without scoring. That being said, he is known as a defensive defenseman so any offense with him is a perk regardless. He also has a techno-geek side to him as he is also known as the guy who built one of the best designed college websites. A pretty cool article on Weaver can be read here:
http://dumpnchase.wordpress.com/2007/02/08/king-of-the-red-light/
Miller, Avery and Roenick thoughts will follow, stay tuned!!
Carla Muller
[email protected] 
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