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After LA's rousing victory yesterday afternoon on Bob Miller's last home game, Sportsnet dropped this report about Darryl Sutter's future with the team:

“I’m hearing Darryl Sutter might not be back with the Kings,” Hrudey said...

Hrudey believes the speed of the game today is simply too much for the Kings.

“They’re having these discussions about style of play. Is it Darryl’s style that just doesn’t work in today’s game, with the speed and so on, or is their organization that they put on those kinds of players?” he said. “I’ve covered them twice in the last eight days, and I don’t know if that group can play fast enough.”

At this point, I may be a voice in the wilderness, but I disagree that Sutter's style "just doesn't work in today's game."

The NHL didn't go to sleep in 2014 and wake up in 1982.

What about Sutter's "style" is archaic, that you don't find with the best teams in the league? Playing responsible two-way hockey? Moving the puck quickly? Winning one-on-one battles? Dump & chase at times?

It's not to say that Sutter's system couldn't have used a tweak or two to maximize its offensive capability. And going forward, this might have to happen without Sutter.

But Sutter's system, which was also just some tweaks on Terry Murray's, is still winning hockey...not just this year.

What rings more true is the charge that the group doesn't play fast enough. But I've said it before -- it's not just a question of adding some insta-speed and voila. Playing fast isn't simply skating fast -- it's also moving the puck quickly.

This team wasn't too slow of foot, it simply failed to execute enough -- which isn't just on Sutter, it's on the front office, and of course, the players.

Anyway, we'll be delving more into these matters in the coming weeks.

But would we even be having this conversation if Anze Kopitar and Tyler Toffoli have customary seasons & the backup goalies (Jeff Zatkoff, Ben Bishop) didn't go 4-10-3 with an .898 save %?

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Full marks to the Anaheim Ducks for how they're handling Bob Miller's last game:

Ducks did fan appreciation activities Tuesday instead of at Sunday's home finale to avoid detracting from Bob Miller's final broadcast.

— Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) April 5, 2017

Sweet look in the press box here. Thanks @AnaheimDucks PR and @HondaCenter pic.twitter.com/A0EPXgKGQf

— LAKingsPR (@LAKingsPR) April 9, 2017

More decorations in honor of Bob Miller pic.twitter.com/xx0NKyvlIi

— Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) April 9, 2017

Check out Helene Elliott's Twitter for more pictures of Anaheim's tribute to their "original voice":

Bob Miller calls final game in Anaheim today - ironically he was the "Original Voice of the Mighty Ducks" (in the two movies at least)

— LAKingsPR (@LAKingsPR) April 9, 2017

There's certainly a healthy rivalry between the Kings and Ducks, but this a moving example of respect.

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ICYMI, two things I wrote about Bob this season:

My Bob Miller Story
The Two Bob Millers

So much has been said about Bob this week...and every bit of it has been deserved.

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