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?

Kings GameDay - Captain Fight Too!

This could be one of the greatest Fan videos I've ever seen.

You can either accept it.... or you just don't.

I love the NHL Team logo curtains he has in his room. It shows that he truly loves the sport of hockey and not just the Stars. Also... this whole thing is shot in one take, Robert Altman style. So either zmanluvstars1 is the next Paul Thomas Anderson or this is the last take of many.

How come Robert Altman and zmanluvstars1 have never been photographed together?
Probably because Altman is dead.

What ever happens tonight... I just hope there is another Captain Fight!

Nothing better than a Captain Fight in Fox-Mo.

UPDATED: zmanluvstars1 has another video. This seems to be his opus.

Yes, zmanluvstars1, nothing else matters.

Thanks to Puck Daddy.

Kings Gameday - Kicking the Puppy

Dave Tippett, current Head Coach for the Dallas Stars was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings from 1999-2002. Or as I like to call it... the last time the Kings were in the playoffs. With Tippett as the coach responsible for the Power Play, the Kings were near the top at 20.68% in 2001-2002. With Tippett gone to the rival Stars... 14.69% in 2002-2003. I always wondered what the past few years would have been like with Dave Tippett as our head coach.

Dave Tippett and the Stars have started off slow this year and everyone has thoughts on what is wrong. Marty Turco is usually why I hate the Stars. There is no better feeling than screaming out TUR-CO after he's given up a goal, usually after making an unnecessary stickhandle behind his net. But this season, I've been given a new reason to hate the Stars... Mr. Sean Avery.

Avery's nickname is "Puppy"... a nickname he received courtesy of his new boss, Brett Hull, when they were teammates in Detroit. Avery marched into the Red Wings locker room during his first training camp and proclaimed "Don't worry guys, the big dog is here." 600+ goal scorer Brett Hull took one look at him and said "You're not a big dog, you are a fuckin' puppy." And thus, Puppy was born.

Boy, good thing for the blur there, huh?

Avery played 4 rocky years in Los Angeles. If you really want to just how rocky it was... check out this great article in the LA Times today. (gulp! hockey article in the Times???) Avery is the type of player that you can't stand... unless he's playing on your team. He does the things no one else wants to do... he agitates, he gets in your face, he draws retaliation penalties... and eventually he wears out his welcome.

He is not hailing a cab here.

But tonight, I'll be booing Sean Avery. Because that is what you are supposed to do. Sports are made for heroes AND for villains, and Sean Avery is the best villain the NHL has. Just as much as you want to root for your favorite players, you need to scream at your least favorite players. I mean, Sean Avery nearly is a supervillain with his ability to fly:

This is a big game for the Kings if they want to make something of this season. And even though it's not included in my Half Season Ticket Holder Package... I'm going to the game with my agent. This is Hollywood after all.