Unsung Hero: Rob Scuderi remains critical ‘piece’ for defending champ Kings

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi rarely makes a gaffe on the ice, so it’s ironic his nickname was born out of one.

When Scuderi was with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he mistakenly told a reporter that he was “the piece of the puzzle” for the team.

Not “a piece,” but “THE piece.” Which obviously was a point of hilarity for a locker room that included Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

“The Piece” stuck as a nickname for Scuderi – along with the more hockey-linguistic “Scuds” – because he’s been an essential one for two Stanley Cup-winning teams. He logged big minutes and played stout defense for the 2009 Penguins; last season for the Kings, he played 30 shifts a game and finished with a plus-9 in 20 games en route to the Cup.

This season, Scuderi is second on the Kings in ice time (28:08 on average) to defensive partner Drew Doughty (28:08). He leads the team with 23 blocked shots – his forte – and had six in the Game 3 loss.

It’s what he does, and has been doing for years.

“I’ve been playing the same ugly but effective game since I was 18. If you pulled up college video of me, you’d be seeing me doing the same exact thing,” Scuderi, 34, told LAKings.com.

“Although I know I’m the oldest guy here, it’s not something I think about or dwell on. I just try to enjoy myself and play the game hard and try to be a good leader for everyone else.”

How’s his leadership? As captain Dustin Brown told LA Kings Insider:

Scuderi becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, as his 4-year deal with the Kings ends. He’s a valuable piece to the Kings’ championship-caliber roster; but will someone else ante up more for “The Piece” in the offseason?