Kevin Fiala comments on getting healthy scratched for breaking LA Kings team rule
Many people were surprised when the LA Kings scratched Kevin Fiala, but we later learned it was due to him missing a team meeting.
With the dust having settled, we now know how he feels, as he addressed the situation in his post-game interview.
Fiala blamed his broken phone for missing the team meeting. He attempted to set an alarm on his iPad, but it didn't work. He overslept and paid the consequences. He said the following:
My iPhone was broken. Never had the iPad doing the alarm for me and will never do again. It didn't (go) off honestly. That's the truth but I take full responsibility. I have to be better than that. I felt terrible and let down my teammates. So yeah, of course, I had something to make up for.
There's honestly no anger. I don't know what's (said) from outside but obviously got to clean up things for myself. I'm hard on myself, to be honest. I agree with whatever. Just looking forward right now. Just climbing up. Excited for getting uphill hopefully.»
Kevin Fiala, acquired in a trade that now looks far from ideal for the LA Kings, sending stud defenseman Brock Faber as well as a first-round pick to the Minnesota Wild, has been good, albeit not great for the LA Kings. While he was a point-per-game player in the first season he played for LA, he took a small step back last year, especially on the discipline side. Head coach Jim Hiller spoke on who Fiala is both as a person and a player:
I know he had such high expectations for himself this year. Even higher than he's probably ever had, and he just hasn't started that way yet. So, you know what? We just got to wipe that clean. He's just got to give himself a chance to start fresh. We know the player in there. We know he cares. He'll get back to it. I'm confident of that. I'm not worried about him. Let's put it that way.
It might look like, ‘Oh, he got benched and now he's' I'm not worried about Kevin. Kevin will get it back. He cares a lot.»
Kevin Fiala is an extremely talented player, but he needs to be better. He has received praise from captain Anze Kopitar, but praise is just words. Whether or not he can pull off a comeback year is yet to be seen.
