BACK TO THE SCENE

LOS ANGELES - So little has changed.
From the arrival at LAX, to the vibe of LA Live - from the freeway to Figueroa St., the blinding lights and all.
Nothing compares to the energy of this place.
Or the memories that were made here.
"I'm pretty much a middle-of-the-road, neutral guy," cautioned Head Coach Darryl Sutter. "I don't get too high or too low.

"But that's one of the best parts of being in the National Hockey League is going to those places and seeing a lot, including the fans, including the people.
"The best part for me is, for sure, the behind-the-scenes people. Early mornings, late nights, people you see a lot of or that they're there with a lot. That's what sticks out more than anything."
Winning bonds you.
It's why, when Sutter steps out on the bench and looks up at the two championship banners he brought to Hollywood, the memories will come flooding back.
On Thursday, he returns to the Staples Center for the first time as a coach after leaving the Kings organization in 2017.
But it's what happened three and five years prior to that spring departure that makes this long-awaited return visit so humbling.
Sutter made his mark here - became an icon.
And now, he brings that insatiable thirst for winning back with him, but as a member of the opposition.
"Darn rights," he asserted. "That's what it's about.
"I've been lucky to be in four of those (Stanley Cup) Finals, and some of the Conference Finals were better than the Finals quite honest. Same thing when you go back here, too. That team in '04 doesn't get recognized enough for what they did. All we hear about is the one year (1989) and they should have recognized that a lot more.
"When we play the Rangers and Jersey - those are the teams we played in the Finals in LA - I have a tremendous amount of respect for those two teams because I know what it's like to lose in the Finals and the price you pay to get there. It's a tremendous one, and unless you've been there and done that, you can't explain it. And to be able to do it more than once is even more special.
"Going back to LA, being able to win it in that building, that's what it was like."

To this day, Sutter is something of a legend in these parts. Those championship-winning Kings had many of the same marks the current edition of the Flames do. They were dominant with the puck, had a stifling, defensive structure, they worked harder than most and played with a pace that only a few could match.
Add some elite goaltending and players on the verge that 'popped' at the right time, and a mini-dynasty was born.
"I think it will be fun for him because he obviously has some great memories in L.A.," said Milan Lucic - a former King that arrived after the Cups, but played under Sutter for one season at Staples. "Not only from accomplishing what he accomplished from a team standpoint, but also what it was for him and his family.
"Chris, his son, was a huge part of that culture, too, and that fanbase in that whole South Bay area where the guys live. I think he's looking forward to it and I think it will mean a lot to him. But when he gets into game-day mode, he's in game-day mode.
"He's going to definitely be fired up for that."
So many of those Cup-winning characters are still there: Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Jonathan Quick, and countless more grinding away in the back to make the thing run.
Others, such as Flames forwards Trevor Lewis and Brad Richardson, were part of those magical runs, too.
Now, they're bringing valuable, veteran savvy to a Flames locker-room that's re-built an identity.
Lewis, in particular, won both Cups with Sutter at the helm and spent the first 12 years of his career in La La Land. Thanks to the all-Canadian, Scotia North Division that limited cross-border travel last year, the 34-year-old is making his first trip back to the City of Angels, also, after playing 674 games in that city.
"It's going to be different," Lewis acknowledged. "I haven't been back; I don't think I've ever been in the visitors' locker-room.
"You want to be remembered as a winner. Coming back and every time I go on the ice, I try to work as hard as I can and give it everything I've got. I hope it's a good ovation for sure.
"It's exciting. It will be fun. A lot of good memories, a lot of good friendships and spent a lot of time there. I'm excited, but I want to get the two points first."
Ultimately, that's the mantra that 'Sutter Hockey' instills.
It's why Lewis was a key contributor of those championship squads, and why signing in Calgary, now, made for such an easy decision.
With Darryl, there's no grey area.
It's winning or bust.
"Similar, for sure," Lewis said when asked to compare the 2012 and 2014 Kings with the present-day Flames. "The systems are obviously (are), there are a few things that are different, but we want to be a good checking team, which we were in LA. We want to have the puck more than the other team and stuff like that. It's pretty similar in that way."
The numbers back that up.
In 2012, the Kings were absolute monsters in almost every statistical category. They finished second in shot attempts (54.74%), third in scoring chances (53.79%) and sixth in high-danger looks (52.63%), while getting a .928 save percentage from Quick, the eventual Conn Smythe winner.
Today's Flames have similar rates - Top-5 in all three categories, while setting the pace, league-wide, with a 58.10% split of the scoring chances.
And yes, the goaltending has been a boon. Combined, Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar have given the locals an NHL-best, .933 save percentage.
Best of all?
As gaudy as they are, the numbers don't really tell the story here. It's how they've achieved them that helps drive the point home.
All you have to do is open your eyes and watch this team play. The strides they've taken over the past nine months with Sutter in charge are obvious.
It simply isn't fun to play these guys. The opponents have literally said so.
And in the end, isn't that the greatest compliment of all?
"You have to have an identity," Sutter said. "Really simple. We're trying to get the respect back in the league. And the identity back.
"I watched this team on TV enough. They had to change the way they played. It's true. When I came here, they were too slow of a team. The way the league had changed, they played too slow. It wasn't about how fast the players were skating. They couldn't play at the pace that was necessary the way the league is, especially out there.
"The best teams are still Edmonton and Las Vegas and there's a good reason: They're big, fast teams. It's not based on one player; it's based on how your team needs to play. We're still working on that. We still have guys here that I've got to get them up to that. If they tail off or they don't play, or they don't play as much, that's why.
"I can live with mistakes and everything, but you've got to play a certain way to be successful in this league."
"And it bears fruit all the time."