Standing in the narrow space behind the Kings’ bench at Staples Center, Willie Desjardins stared intently at the ice Tuesday night and swayed gently from side to side, probably without realizing it.
Hired as the team’s interim coach Sunday, he’d had minimal preparation for his Kings coaching debut. He watched a lot of video of recent games yet didn’t change his mind about coaching for the rest of this season. He conducted practice Monday, met with each player the same day and put them through a swift morning skate Tuesday before they faced the Ducks.
Desjardins, whose compact physique and graying mustache give him more than a slight resemblance to former Kings goaltender and executive Rogie Vachon, had to get a quick read on a complex situation.