from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

They have, like their coach, grown into themselves, unflappable in tandem, exposing a new side of the Kings. There was Quick, appearing on The Ellen Show last month, smiling just a few weeks ago, seeming so un-Quick-like; And yesterday, when a television reporter asked him to answer the questions pretending it was after Game 2 — because that’s when he needed the piece to run — Quick played along.

Two years ago, on his way to the Conn Smythe, he rarely tossed up an answer of relevance. Interviewing him was a process that involved discomfort. “See,” Quick said Friday, smiling. “I can be coached.” He can play along.

“He’s grown up,” said Justin Williams, the Mr. Clutch of the Kings. “A lot of guys around here have grown up.”

If only talent won hockey games, the Pittsburgh Penguins wouldn’t have hired a general manager and fired a coach Friday. If talent won hockey games, Cliff Fletcher’s Calgary Flames team would have won more than one Cup and Eric Lindros would have a ring from Philadelphia. If talent won everything, somewhere in time the San Jose Sharks would have had a parade.

This Kings team is complete. It isn’t just talent but a thesis exercise on the model franchise. It has a high-end general manager in Lombardi, who established a culture here and patiently attained it and never veered from it. It has Sutter, who has developed into a coach for the ages.

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