Ex-Player Praised for Guiding Unit

Mark Hardy first made his mark with the Kings as a tough, versatile defenseman, but now he’s succeeding as an assistant coach in charge of the team’s penalty-killing unit, which began Thursday’s game against Minnesota ranked No. 1 in the NHL.

“Harpo is very dedicated,” said veteran winger Kelly Buchberger, who played against Hardy when he was a member of the Edmonton Oilers. “He’s done a tremendous job preparing us for every team that we’re playing. He’s always watching tape of every situation and breakout a team uses.

“He makes us take a lot of pride, and we don’t want to let him down.”

Hardy, who ranks 15th on the Kings’ all-time scoring list with 303 points, played 15 seasons in the league and coached with the Detroit Vipers and the Ice Dogs before joining the Kings’ staff three seasons ago..

Penalty-killing specialist Ian Laperriere credits Hardy’s attention to detail.

“For example, when we went through a stretch where teams did not score against us for a while, he kept putting pressure on us,” Laperriere said. “He kept telling us that we weren’t perfect. He would point out every little thing he noticed on tape. We know that there are always something that we could be doing better, which is good because it keeps us sharp and honest.”

Lonnie White