Something Unethical About Kings’ Hype

I am in receipt of a letter, sent to all Kings’ season-ticket holders, in which General Manager Dave Taylor extols the virtues of new goalie Roman Cechmanek and writes that Roman “is a world-class goaltender with a strong work ethic.”

Does his “work ethic” include the noted tirade and temper tantrum he demonstrated during the final game of the playoff series vs. Ottawa in 2002, in which he skated over to his bench, yelling at his teammates?

Does his “work ethic” include dropping to his knees to retrieve his catching glove while the opponent was in the Flyers’ defensive zone, resulting in the puck’s rifling over his dropped shoulder from an extreme angle -- and into his net during a playoff game this year?

Does his “work ethic” include his widely noted locker-room disturbances while with the Flyers?

And regarding “work ethic” what does it say about the work ethic of the Kings’ organization, when on June 12, the Washington Post reported that among the many highly paid players being “shopped around” by NHL teams are Ziggy Palffy and Jason Allison, who not coincidentally are the two highest-paid players on the Kings.

The Kings do not have a “brain trust.” Rather they have a “brain cramp.” There is something they have in abundance, however: arrogance.

Howard Cohen

North Hills