Consistently Inconsistent

This is why goaltender Mathieu Garon was never able to gain a foothold as the #1 goaltender for the Los Angeles Kings. 1 period would be flashes of brilliance, but rebounds are given up everywhere. The next period would be a complete meltdown, goals coming in bunches. The final period, he'd figure everything out and be steady and strong. There is just too much inconsistency in his game. Speaking of inconsistency... how about those Los Angeles Kings last night?

Kings 4, Oilers 5


In line with the NHL's new code of conduct,
Craig MacTavish will receive a 4 game suspension for picking his teeth during a game.

What you saw in last nights game was the definition of a young team. They came out on fire, completely dominating the first 10 minutes of the period, but unable to score. But the other team is able to bang out 3 goals against... and the entire team looks deflated. They re-group in the locker room and come out even more dominating. You could tell that every player on the Kings knew they were going to tie the game up. And not only do they tie it, but take a one goal lead. This is when a young team is running on all cylinders... feeling like they are invincible. Then the inexperience shows up in the 3rd period as they are once again unable to hold a lead and lose in a shootout. I'll take the point that the Kings earned. Anytime a team is down 3-0 in the first and comes back to gain a point should be considered a victory. But last night... wow, that King team was so exciting and so frustrating all at the same time.

I'll say it. Kyle Calder played a great game. And Oscar Moller looked very comfortable centering the 2nd line. (He's starting to remind me of Paul Kariya in his skating stride and style). And maybe all Jason LaBarbera needed was some competition for the starting job.

I think that Dustin Brown could could bludgeon a defensemen with his stick as he's trying to deke around them, but as long as he kept his legs moving, the referee would call 2 min for holding the stick on the opposing team. How many penalties did he draw tonight simply by keeping his feet moving?

Did anyone catch the awkward-fest between Patrick O'Neal and Heidi Androl during the 1st intermission? They started talking about holiday shopping, Patrick O'Neal said his kid wants a mannequin, Heidi Androl has just learned about the internet and then they mentioned that 18 year old Drew Doughty is appearing at a Sports Chalet on Sunday. It's almost as if Fox Sports had lost the script before the game and asked these 2 to "wing it."

It's like she's staring into my soul.

I can't remember a time before that there has been a back to back home game... but I'm kinda glad the Kings are forced to play again tonight. There is so much to take from this game, both good and bad, that I'll be curious to see how they react against the Blue Jackets of Columbus. Half Season Ticket Holder Buddy and I will be there.

I Hate You Brian Burke

During the last telecast versus the Blackhawks, Jim Fox made the astute (!) comment that this year, the Los Angeles Kings have not being giving up goals in bunches, something that happened often during the 2007-08 season. When he made that observation, it really clicked with me. I don't often agree with Fox, but this time he was right. I can remember so many times during that season when the Kings would give up a goal and then just collapse defensively. I don't care that it happened during a penalty kill... that's exactly what happened to the Kings tonight. They were dominating that game... and then they gave up a goal... and it all fell apart. That was one they should have won tonight... and they better win tomorrow against Phoenix.

Kings 1, Toronto Maple Leafs, 3


Dude, I called Cole. No, I thought you wanted Carrlyn. Oh shit, faceoff!

I've never seen anything like that crazy last 5 minutes of the game, when the Kings were throwing everything at the net. The Kings had so many chances, but the puck was bouncing everywhere. The players have been complaining about the ice quality all year and you could really see it tonight.

During that crazy last 5 minute flurry, 18 year old Drew Doughty bobbled the puck at the blueline and the Kings lost possession in the offensive zone. The fan in front of me jumped up and yelled and screamed at Doughty. (He was also yelling "SHOOOOOT" all night) To which I said "he's only 18. He's allowed to make mistakes." Half Season Ticket Holder Buddy chimed in as well... "if that happens when he's 20, then we can be upset. But I think we are good for now."

18 year old Drew Doughty takes losing hard. Either that or someone just shot his dog.

Matt Greene played an amazing game tonight. Great pass to Alexander Frolov and outstanding defensive play all night.

As for the crowd, there were a lot of Maple Leaf fans, but not as overpowering as Red Wing fans. I can understand that fans across the league may not know who a lot of the Kings players are. The team is kind of a minor blip on the hockey map. But the Toronto Maple Leafs... man, I had NO idea who some of those players are. Andre Deveaux? Anton Stralman? John Mitchell? And even though Vesa Toskala single-handedly stole that game for the Maple Leafs... he is a jerk off for jamming the knob of his stick into the Kings as they skated behind the net during that last crazy 5 minutes.

Usually the Half Season Ticket Buddy and I enter from the Convention Center side, off of Figueroa. But after reading that the ESPN Zone was opening tonight, we decided to check it out before the game. Do you think there will be a Tupac-Biggie type feud between the ESPN Zone and the Fox Sports Sky Box Bar at Staples?

Yup, looks like every other ESPN Zone.

LA Live, despite the lame name, seems to be coming together well. They even have a big metal tree out in the middle of the plaza.

Also, it seems that there is a new statue out in front of the LA Sports Arch of Fame. Like new.. today.

Listen, I like Oscar Moller too, but I think it's a little premature.
The dude hasn't scored in weeks!

During the 1st intermission, we were getting chicken sandwiches and who should I see but my muse, Ms. Heidi Androl. She was interviewing Toronto Maple Leaf fans:

And you know who else she was interviewing? Why international movie and television star Martin Short.

Alright Martin Short fan sites.... it's your move!

Vartan - HOOOOOOO!!!!

You follow the Los Angeles Kings through ups and downs for over 20 years. You start a blog so you can talk about the team. You post ferociously (only because you are off work right now and don't start working again till January). You get some nice feedback on your postings, maybe get a couple repeat commenters... then this happens:

You get featured as a link on a Michael Vartan fan site. And you get over 130 unique visitors to your blog in a manner of hours. I'm not talking about a couple of Alias fans from Los Angeles... I got hits from Italy, Sweden, Japan, Australia, the Philippines and from Israel!

I never watched Alias. I never even knew who JJ Abrams was until I started watching Lost, a season later than all my friends. So when I decided to post about Michael Vartan's interview with Heidi Androl during Saturday's game... I had no idea it would be this popular.

I have no problem with Michael Vartan being a hockey fan or even a Kings fan. I'm all for celebrities supporting hockey. And when Michael Vartan talks about hockey, it's obvious he knows the game... he's much more Tim Robbins than Snoop Dogg, you know what I mean? Also, he seems to be able to convince writers to construct scenes around the game of hockey, no matter how awkward the dialogue:

Does his government job pay for that ice time at the rink?

One more:

Seriously... ice time is expensive... how does he afford it for just 2 people each time?

I invite you to spend some time on the VartanHo.com website. It is seriously in-depth. It has a list of enemies of Michael Vartan (including the Atlanta Braves). You'll find fan art, fan songs, a review of an un-aired pilot that he starred in and my favorite... fan created slideshows and videos.

I only wished my website was able to follow the Kings in such amazing detail. Someday... But until that day comes, I'll continue to support the Los Angeles Kings and maybe I'll even run into Michael Vartan at a game. We can share a beer and chat about the worst King ever. I'll say "Todd Elik" and he'll say "Gary Shuchuk" and then we'll laugh and both say "Brad Chartrand."

I'll be at the game tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Your move Vartan.

UPDATE: I wrong this post last night at midnight. In the 9 hours since then, an additional 150 people have come to my blog from VartanHo.com. As VartanHo "Heather" writes, in her poem "Reason We Appreciate Michael Vartan":

The Korean prison scene in "Crossings."
The Casablanca airport scene in "Prelude."
His fantastic body.
His devotion to the LA Kings.
-- Heather

I, for one, welcome our Michael Vartan overlords to this hockey website. Stay a while... and chat about 18 year old Drew Doughty's chances of winning the Calder Trophy this season.

UPDATE #2: December 1st just ended.... I received 440 unique visitors who all came over from the Michael Vartan fan site. In one day.

Turkey Blues - 20 Games In

A friend of mine a year ago wanted to write a song called "Turkey Blues" about getting down during the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving is always so joyful he reasoned, why can't we have a song about being down on our luck and so full of Turkey.

At this time last year (20 games in) the Kings were 8-11-1 and in the midst of a 4 game losing streak. Over the next 20 games, the Kings would squeak out 6 wins, 13 losses (including an 8 game losing streak) and 1 overtime loss. Their season would be over and the #1 draft pick watch began.

This year at the 20 game mark, the Kings are 8-9-3. If you look at the numbers, it's hard to see how far the team has come. But if you are a fan, you realized just how different this years team is than the last few years.

This team plays defense. And it plays it well... mostly. Sure there are lapses sometimes and power play goals given up... but that happens to every team in the league. This team... and every Kings team to come after it will only go as far as our goaltender will take us. Erik Ersberg is a fun stop-gap. But he's not the answer. That answer is in the minors right now, either in Manchester or Ontario. We may not see that future goaltender this season. The Kings are playing competitively enough to challenge for a low level playoff spot. That might keep the Kings from bringing up a young goalie and handing the keys to him. Although the Montreal Canadians did that last season... and it seemed to work out pretty well for them.

20 GAMES IN REVIEW:

Best Player: Dustin Brown
Night in and night out, Brownie Squares is the best player on the ice for the Kings. He has taken the Captainship and run with it, the moves he pulled during the Washington Captials game proved that. He has suffered offensively because Anze Kopitar has struggled, but with Patrick O'Sullivan back on the 1st line, help is on the way.

Best Player Under 19: 18 Year Old Drew Doughty
Best Defenseman: 18 Year Old Drew Doughty
I think we all knew he was going to be good... but no one had any idea he would be this good. He is challenging for Rookie of the Year and each night you can see him learning more about the NHL game. Give credit to Sean O'Donnell... he is much more the teacher than Rob Blake or even Mathieu Schneider would have ever been.

Worst Player: Kyle Calder
This one is a no brainer. Calder has hands of stone and couldn't make any opportunity of Coach Murray's gift of putting him on the first line. Raitis Ivanans didn't once score 26 goals in a season. He's paid to be an enforcer. After 1 full season and 20 games, I'm not sure what Kyle Calder is being paid to do.

Worst Defenseman: Denis Gauthier/Tom Preissing
If you could combine these 2 defensemen into 1, you'd have a decent player. Gauthier plays a good physical game, but doesn't seem to be the brightest bulb in the shed. Preissing has great offensive instincts, he's just soft as a pillow. Don't forget... Jack Johnson will be back soon. One of these guys will go away.

Biggest Surprise: 18 Year Old Drew Doughty
Any one who said they thought he was going to be this good is a liar.

Biggest Disappointment: Jason LaBarbera
I really thought this would be the year for LaBarbera. He tore up the AHL since he was forced to stay down there all season. He lost weight, he seemed focused to start the season. But after watching Erik Ersberg play the last 10 games... you realize that LaBarbera just isn't starting goalie material. I imagine he will be traded (as will Calder and Derek Armstrong) in the coming months. Some team is going to need a back-up goaltender.

The Thing that Makes Me the Happiest:

The complete implosion of the Dallas Stars hockey club.

Here's hoping the Kings rebound tonight against the Edmonton Oilers. I gave up on NHL Center Ice this season, but gained NHL Network. So I get to watch the game tonight. And the Half Season Ticket Holder Buddy and his lady are coming over as well to watch different Canadian announcers talk about and mispronounce the names of the Kings. Oh... and we'll see our old friend Lubo.

Our Own Worst Enemy

Kings 1, Predators 3

That first period was as close to complete and total domination that a hockey team can achieve. Nearly every shift, the Los Angeles Kings offense controlled the puck in the Nashville Predators zone. The Kings forwards cycled, performed cross ice puck movement and completely involved the defense as well. You couldn't ask for a better game from this team. Yes, they lost. But I don't care. They played a solid, solid game. They had the misfortune of going against a hot goaltender but in the process Erik Ersberg looked more and more like a true #1 goalie.

Forget about 18 year old Drew Doughty's late penalty... it was the Kings management who made the biggest mistake of the night and caused the Kings loss. You never do an on camera interview with a celebrity whose TV show had just been cancelled in the 3rd Period. It's just one of those unspoken old time hockey rules.

The volume is not the only thing he wants to pump up.

The Rise of Frostoller

How great did the line of Alexander Frolov, Jarrett Stoll and Oscar Moller look tonight? The mixture of these players... the puck protection of Frolov, the grittiness and face-offiness of Stoll and the offensive potential of Moller... this might end up being a stronger line over the full season than Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and whatever slug ends up on the other wing. (How nice was it when Patrick O'Sullivan played that one shift tonight as their winger?)

There is no coincidence that the play of this line picked up the moment their official nickname was born. I mean tonight... Frolov and Stoll both scored... on the same goal! Stoll using his backhand at the same time Frolov shot on his forehand. The goal was credited to Frolov, then to Stoll and all the while Oscar just stood there flashing his toothless grin.

Frostoller. The choice of a generation.

Kings 3, The team falling apart at the seams that plays in Dallas, TX, 2

Ladies and Gentlemen... there are 60 minutes in a regulation hockey game. Tonight, versus the Dallas Stars, 18 year old rookie Drew Doughty played 27 minutes and 5 seconds. By my calculations, that is nearly half the game. We, as fans, are getting the rarest of opportunities to witness something special here. He just keeps getting better and better each game. And with injured defenseman Jack Johnson making a special appearance in the broadcast booth during the 2nd period, it reminded me "oh yeah, Jack Johnson isn't playing." Jack Johnson isn't playing and the team is playing this well. I guess it begs the question... will Jack Johnson's return coincide with a serious run at the playoffs for this team?

After JJ's performance in the booth, I think Jim Fox's job is safe.
That's saying a lot.

I don't want to start talking playoffs yet. For one reason, it's not even a 1/4 of the way through the season. And I've been down this path before with the Kings... a stellar few games backed by a great performance by a goaltender. There is a long season left. But try telling that to Captain Sorrow of the Dallas Stars:

Hey Fox Sports Dallas... when your Captain is about to cry...
you might want to hold off on the graphics and sound effects.

If this guy is getting ready to throw in the towel for the season... then Kings fans can get excited about the possibility of the playoffs. Well, if the Stars season is lost... at least they have the Fan Zam!

Now this is what I call a party bus.

Things I Learned From Watching the Dallas Stars:

The Dallas arena looked emptier than Staples Center has.

The goaltender interference penalty that Sean Avery took in the first is the exact reason why you hate to have him on your team. A stupid penalty that leads to a Power Play goal.

Dave Tippett will be fired as coach in the next few weeks. His replacement...Brett Hull?