Kings after deadline: Terry Murray talks about ‘dangerous play’

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There was more than a flash of concern when the Kings’ Anze Kopitar went down for a couple of minutes, via a nasty hit delivered from Minnesota’s Kyle Brodziak in the second period on Thursday night.

Brodziak received a five-minute major for boarding and automatic game misconduct. Kopitar finally left the ice under his own power, hunched over, and would return fairly quickly, on the subsequent power play.

Kings Coach Terry Murray had some blunt observations on the play after the Wild beat the Kings, 4-2.

‘I was worried about that one,’ he said. ‘That’s a very dangerous play. You get cross-checked into the boards like that, I’ve seen too many players blow their knees, break their legs in those situations. I was very concerned about that one.’

In fact, King defenseman Alec Martinez was injured when he was taken hard into the boards (by Warren Peters) in the last game against Minnesota at Staples Center on Nov. 12. Although Martinez later returned in that game and scored, he has been out of the lineup since then because of an upper-body injury.

Murray termed the intent behind those type of hits a lack of ‘respect,’ speaking in a broader sense.

‘You know what, I watch games around the league, and it’s a concern that it happens as often as it does. I don’t get it. I don’t get the attitude, the mentality of the players today. The lack of respect and the jeopardy they’re putting their fellow [players] in. In my generation, that never happened.’

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-- Lisa Dillman

Photo: Kings center Anze Kopitar warms up prior to the Kings’ 4-2 loss Thursday to the Minnesota Wild. Credit: Kirby Lee / U.S. Presswire