Following an embarrassing 8-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings coach Jim Hiller admits he is 'always concerned' about his job status. The Kings players were also asked if the team had quit on their coach.
There is no other way to put it than the Los Angeles Kings got smoked on Thursday. They were handily defeated by their Pacific Division rivals, the Edmonton Oilers, with a final score of 8-1.
Later in the contest, there were audible "Fire Hiller" chants from the home fans at Crypto.com Arena, directed at the Kings' head coach, Jim Hiller. The same phrase has been spread thoroughly around social media.
After the game, Hiller was asked about the confidence he has in his job security and if he's concerned.
"I think you’re probably always concerned when you’ve got a job in the coaching world, so that’s just something that’s always tucked away," Los Angeles' bench boss told reporters. "But what overrides all that is trying to get your team to win games."
This was the Kings' biggest loss since the 2005-06 season, when the Buffalo Sabres beat them 10-1. That turned out to be the team's biggest loss in franchise history.
"Well, we got smacked tonight," Hiller assessed. "Tonight was a smacking, there’s no denying that."
But what concerns the Kings' head coach the most after a massive loss like this one?
"My greatest concern is, how can we pick ourselves back up and have energy and come in a positive frame of mind and win on Saturday?" he told reporters. "There’s some stuff underneath that and behind that, that we’ll have to do, but that’s my biggest concern is to make sure the group is ready and energized."
Hiller was referencing the team's next game against the Calgary Flames, another Pacific Division team.
Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson was asked after the game if the players had quit on their current coach.
"Everyone’s trying to pull our weight," Anderson said after the game. "Obviously, we come out of a break feeling fresh, and as a group of players in here, we didn’t do enough to get points.
"Everyone’s got a piece of the puzzle, but I don’t think guys have quit on anybody. It’s a group in here. It may not always seem like it from the outside, but we’ve got a good group of guys here, guys that want to be here," he added.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.