Blame Canada

There's no better way to celebrate the great holiday of Thanksgiving than to watch the Los Angeles Kings battle against 2 teams on the road in Canada! The Canadians hate the freedom that we provide for them and they throw it back in our face by not celebrating Thanksgiving. So these 2 games weren't just about getting crucial points in the Western Conference... no... these games were about freedom!

Canada may not have Thanksgiving but they have cool hockey graphics.

Kings 3, Oilers 1

A solid effort overall by the Kings in Game 1 of their back to back Canadian Thanksgiving Road Trip. Now, I know that the Edmonton Oilers have really embraced the retro-1980's look this season... but this is just getting ridiculous. Look what they had playing goal for them tonight...


Oh.... not DeLorean? I see now....


If I hadn't already known that the Oilers were participating in a mustache growing event for charity... I might have thought that they had a team of pedophiles... or even worse... hipsters!




God, I'm so glad no one on the Kings looks as lame as these guys!

Kings fans... lock up your children.

Maybe Patrick O'Sullivan was right... the Canadian Press does care more about hockey than they do in LA. The Edmonton broadcast of this game featured an "in-depth" profile of the teeth problems that 19-Year-Old Drew Doughty had this season. And they took it to a level I've never seen Rich Hammond go.

Feed me, Seymour.

Los Angeles Kings 19 year old uber-rookie Andrei Loktionov made his NHL debut in this game centering a line between Dustin Brown and fellow Russian Alexander Frolov.

Loktionov is one of the very promising rookies in the Kings system and his debut, although sudden, was one that many Kings fans were looking forward to. So how'd it turn out?

Awesome! That's how it went!

So with memories of the 2003-2004 season in the back of Kings fans heads... this team is now facing an injury crisis. So what do you do when 3 of your starters and the 1 rookie that was supposed to replace them are all out? You get all "Dean Lombardi Crafty"... that's what you do!

Welcome to the Bigs!

Did you even know there was such a thing as a one game contract? No, of course you didn't... but Dean Lombardi did. So Dean had 2009 #1 Draft Pick Brayden Schenn suit up for the Kings last night versus the Vancouver Canucks. Schenn made it through the whole game with his shoulder intact but the Kings had another now-patented 3rd Period Meltdown© and lost 4-1.

So what are the Kings to do next? With Smyth still out for another few weeks (it may be longer... Smyth didn't travel on this trip and I have a feeling this injury might be worse than the Kings are letting on) and Stoll out and Scuderi out and our prospects terrified of getting called up for fear of their arms being ripped out of the sockets... Dean Lombardi has to make a trade soon, right? Right?

Weekend Warriors

Well, that's not exactly how I would have liked to seen these 2 weekend games play out... but in the end, the Kings have a chance to end this 5 game roadtrip 3-2. Considering the way the Kings played Friday night against the Atlanta Thrashers... finishing this road trip above .500 would be enough to make any Kings fans scream.

Eh... after the 2nd period you may not be as excited to see this game.

Atlanta Thrashers 7, Los Angeles Kings 0

Even after the 2nd period... when it was "only" 4-0 Thrashers... two thoughts came to mind... one was "even though they are down 4-0 how is it possible that the Kings are kinda dominating this game?" and secondly... "what the hell is this goalies name?"

Seems like a long way to go just for "Andre."

The Kings lost this game. Badly. But it's not often that you see a team lose 7-0 and outshoot the opposing team 38-21. It's enough to make Kings fans want to give the team a stink-eye.

I'm coming for you Jack Johnson.

The Kings just weren't prepared for this game. Maybe they were frightened by playing more hockey in the deep south... you see things at these games that you just don't see elsewhere in the league.


Or maybe they were just spooked by this leftover Halloween decoration.

And with another poor game played by Jon Quick... it gets more and more awkward in the Kings locker room.

"That's cool guys, I'll just wait here till you are all changed."

Is it just me or did Rich Hammond get some serious "hockey correspondent" training since the last time he appeared on the air with Jim Fox? Because Hammond was rocking it during this segment. I totally feel that within 3 years Rich Hammond will be known as "Hammy" and is going to be on ESPN, VS or whatever major cable operator is broadcasting the NHL. (Animal Planet) As Half Season Ticket Holder Buddy pointed out... Hammond does much better with Fox than he did with Bob Miller. But that's only because Jim Fox knows what a "blog" is.

Good Evening, I'm Rich Hammond and this is the latest in your Kopitar news.

So you get smashed 7-0 to a team you probably should have been able to beat. Your goalie was pulled after 3 goals, has looked shaky the last few games and also had a talking to by the coach and assistant GM. In pro sports you are always given the luxury of having the next game to redeem yourself. Or to at least save face.

Kings 2, NHL Referee's 1


The controversy in question.

I've been watching the NHL a long time... and I don't know if I've ever seen something like that. As a Kings fan... I'll take the extra point earned with a shootout victory... but if I'm a Tampa Bay Lightning fan... I'm pissed!

OMG! I can't believe they waved that goal off!
Here comes the ref...don't look, don't look, don't look!
Dude, there is no way I'll keep a straight face on the next shift!

The best part of this play (besides the fact that it took a victory away from the team that deserved it) was Jon Quick's.... um... quick response to the fact that he knew it wasn't a goal. From LAKings Insider...

(on the goalie interference in overtime…)
QUICK: “There was a play in the first that was pretty similar. The ref told me that if that went in, it wouldn’t have been a goal. It was worth a shot to give him my piece of mind there in overtime. It ended up working out.”

So the... um... quick thinking of Jon Quick earned an extra point for the Kings. And lets not just praise Quick's brain in this game... he played quite well against a much improved Lightning team. That Steve Stamkos sure looks like the real deal to me. In fact, the only thing the Kings didn't seem prepared for was the Lightning sideline reporter.

Whit Watson! With all your hockey news and notes!
(Said in ole timey fashioned reporters voice)

With his creepy, piercing blue eyes staring at me the whole game... this was the first time in a long while where I said "why couldn't they just have a cute female sideline reporter do this interview instead of grown up Chucky?" Whit Watson seems to be quite the regional celebrity and even has his own blog!

I'm glad the artists name is on this...
because I want to let him know it looks nothing like Whit.

Besides the distraction of Whit Watson... I was really pleased with the overall broadcast from Fox Sports Florida. The quality of the HD was some of the best I've seen from a road game and they did a great job with informative graphics that will make Kings fans happy.

I'm totally not getting tired of this.

In fact, the only strange thing about the Lightning broadcast on Fox Sports Florida was the stunt casting they did by bringing in Ray Liotta to coach their special teams.

As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be an assistant coach.

Oh man! An Adam Oates spotting! I love that players I watched growing up are now assistant coaches on teams like Tampa Bay. It's almost as cool as when the favorite players on your team act out scenes from your favorite movies! Is it just me or is Michal Handzus doing his best Harrison Ford here?

Hanz Solo.

So the Kings are barely scraping their way out of the Southeast Division (thank god we don't have to face the Capitals) and they end their 5 game journey to the south tonight in Sunrise, Florida against the Florida Panthers. The Panthers are the 3rd worst team in the East. I hardly knew anyone on the Florida roster when they still had Jay Bouwmeester... let alone now. Pretty much the only name I know on their roster is the former King, Steve Reinprecht. And that's what scares me about this game tonight. Enough to make me scream.


As always, check out the insightful LitterBoxCats for all things Panther related. (at least to Ice Hockey and Panthers.)

A Sick Loss

I think I figured out what the difference is with Dustin Brown this year. Sure, he's scored 2 goals on this road trip... but he seems like a different player out there on the ice. Last season, when Dustin played the left wing, he could (and did!) pull a move like this each night.

Wow... life before HD video grabs.
And yes, that is injured defenseman Jack Johnson with the insightful analysis.

This season... on the right wing... he physically can't make that move. But it's not the move itself, it's the Dustin Brown who keeps his legs moving forward during this move and would usually draw a penalty. Where has that Dustin Brown gone? Oh and Jon Quick... in the midst of a 2 game losing streak on a long road trip... it may not be the best time to stop with your pre-game tradition.

Oh! So this is what an opening face-off looks like. Cool.

Kings 1, Blue Jackets 4

One aspect of the Los Angeles Kings game that I'm not digging right now is the placement of forward Justin Williams on point during the powerplay. I haven't really seen what the upside of this move is quite yet. I don't mind Jarett Stoll at the point on the other powerplay unit (mainly because he has a massive shot) but I'm feeling that after tonights game... the Kings powerplay units are in for a shakeup. In fact, I think this entire team is in for a shakeup from Coach Murray and his staff. With at least 3 sick players in the lineup tonight... it's pretty easy to see why the Kings played so pukey. HEY-OH!

Talk about a flu blug!
Hey Blue Jackets... you may want a mascot that doesn't scare children.

If this bad play continues (and you better believe me, this has been some bad play... one great period does not make a full game) one can only wonder how long before Kings fans start calling for the players heads. Uh-oh... we may be too late.

It was fun while it lasted, Jon Quick.

And I may not be an NHL caliber player... but I'm pretty sure that if I could clearly see the puck in front of me, I wouldn't be raising my arms in celebration of a goal like Antoine Vermette did tonight after Jon Quick made an amazing save.

The puck is clearly in front of him, right under his armpit.

And finally, I saw one of the greatest examples of fan dedication during the game tonight from the Blue Jacket home crowd.

It's not so much that he's really fat and dancing.
It's not so much that he painted a six pack of beer cans on his stomach.
It's not so much the dude taking a camera phone pic of him.
It's that he took the time to write tiny little "Bud Light's" on each of the cans.
That's dedication.

Special thanks to dedicated Royal Half reader, one-time blog contributor and fierce fan of all things cake, Brian, for this link:

Apparently, someone made the saddest LA Kings cake ever. They must have made it to celebrate this 3 game losing streak.

LA Story

Oh sure. The Kings are definitely in the Midwest.

St. Louis Sports Teams 2, Los Angeles Sports Teams, 7

Screw it, we are going to watch baseball.
Heidi can call the game tonight.

Suck it, Midwest! The City of Los Angeles just opened up a huge can of whip-ass on 2 of the 3 major sports teams in your sleepy city. (What? No basketball team?) Another game, another victory for the Los Angeles Kings... and this win is the type of win Kings fans hope they repeat throughout the year. A fast, tight, well-played defensive hockey game. Jon Quick looked like he did at his peak last season and oh yeah... these guys showed up too.

I mean are those smiles or are those smiles?
I hope to see this image on my tv every game this season.

The "Greatest Line to Ever Play Together" Line added another notch to their season opening scoring streak tonight but I was very pleased with the play of all the lines... even little ole' Peter Harrold had 2 decent scoring chances. And eventually Dustin Brown and Teddy Purcell will learn to hit the net. But even the notorious Ryan Smyth hater RudyKelly over at BoC has to be pleased with the play of Los Angeles' offense.... right?

Nope, Rudy was front row at Scottrade... letting Smyth know how much he loves him.

There was a lot of talk about young defensemen at the start of this game. The dynamic duo of Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty versus the... um dynamic duo of Erik Johnson and Alex Pietrangelo (I'm pretty sure when his Dad's cousin, Frank, played in the NHL it was Peter-Angelo... not the strange way Bob Miller was pronouncing it all night.) I was not impressed with the Blue's young D, especially Johnson. Sure he has a big shot... but he was turned around left and right by the Kings forwards all night. I'll take Drew Doughty poking the puck away from a forward while diving on his belly as he spins around like a record any day over a dude that likes to drive golf carts wasted.

Is it me or is Andy Murray tanner in St. Louis than he was in Los Angeles?

The Kings season almost ended as within few minutes of each other... Wayne Simmonds, Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar all got injured in different ways... but since they are hockey players... they eat steel plates for lunch and came back to play in the game. And poor Drew Doughty already had a tough time getting the ladies... the last thing he needs is headgear.

Worst. Cold sore. Ever.

Wayne Simmonds also took a hard hit and immediately went to the bench.

Whoops, wrong photo! How did that get in there?!?

The Scottrade Center was only built in 1994... so did they lose the blue prints for the correctly sized penalty boxes during construction?

Excuse me, pardon me, excuse me.

I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who paid for table service here.

Tonight's telecast marked the television debut of Kings Blogger Extraordinaire Rich Hammond. And I have to say... he cleans up quite well from his bio photo.

Before.

Less Gremlin-y.

Another Hollywood makeover story. I thought Rich actually did a good job with Bob. And you heard it here first... in 3 years Rich Hammond will be the studio analyst for NHL on the Fly or whatever cable channel is showing NHL hockey then (probably Animal Planet.) And you can bet your sweet ass Heidi Androl will be the sideline reporter.

Hey Fox Sports West... you ever consider that maybe I don't want to be your friend?

And the Fox Sports Team also gave Kings fans unprecedented access... interviewing Ryan Smyth from deep within Jack Johnson's black-light filled basement.

Dude... you have Wii?

The Kings are 3-1. I'm really happy about that. They have beat a really good team (Sharks), a young good team (Blues) and a team that I don't really know much about since its previous coach had everyone convinced that it was a stodgy, defensive team (Wild). Monday, the Kings head to Long Island to play a shitty team that they should destroy (Islanders). I know the NHL is trying to cut costs where ever it can... but I think these new refs are horrible.


For how it feels to be a Blues fan and lose to the Kings... check out:
St. Louis Game Time OR Wazzupwitchu

And Away We Go!

Tuesday at the Minnesota Wild, a team who is battling for the 8th spot in the west. Wednesday in Philadelphia against the 4th best team in the Eastern Conference, the Flyers. And then Friday in Detroit against the Red Wings. Ah, screw it, let's include Sunday's game against the Blackhawks in Chicago. Ok, since we are going for it, the road trip ends a week from tonight in... Columbus.

5 games. 8 days. Yeah... I'd say this is a pretty important roadtrip. There is no 3 out of 5 on this roadtrip... it's all or nothing. I've been accused of blogger hyperbole before... mainly by the guy who sits next to me at Kings games... but this is truly a make it or break it trip for the Kings.

Ok, now I'm REALLY going to start playing.

Dr. James T. O'Brien, Chief of Bubbleology over at Battle of California, has been breaking down the Western Conference battle for 6th, 7th and 8th place... and he still includes the Kings this week as having a slight chance, although I think he is just throwing me a bone so I'll continue to write for his blog.