Pre-Game Activity

I was a bit early to the Los Angeles Kings matinee game against the Phoenix Coyotes today, so I decided to spend a little time walking around the AEG owned and operated LA Live that I've heard so much about from the infomercials that play in between periods during the broadcasts of the AEG owned and operated Los Angeles Kings. What infomercial you ask?

Corporate Synergy at its finest.

I love the conversation between Matt Greene and Drew Doughty at the table while eating... it's almost as if the producer said "just talk about something... like when is the next practice for you guys.. just act natural." I have a feeling if these 3 get together for a beer, they ain't talking about practice on Thursday.

No, I'm pretty sure this is what they'd be talking about.

It's also funny to see good old Canadian Boys like Drew Doughty, Matt Greene and Jarret Stoll be AMAZED at the amount of beer and the way it is transported. These guys not only were drinking by the time they were 15, their parents probably worked at or drove trucks for the local Canadian beer companies.

But I figured if it's good enough for those 3 Kings, then I should check out LA Live myself. Half Season Ticket Holder Buddy and I had been wanting to eat at the new Lawry's Sandwich shop at LA Live... and since the Half Season Ticket Holder Buddy was stuck in traffic on the 101... I figured I'd grab a sandwich.

Try getting this inside Staples.

The beef brisket sandwich was quite good and the atmosphere was festive as all the Kings fans streamed by on their way to the arena.

After the sandwich, I noticed a big gathering in the LA Live Plaza, which is directly across from the Staples Center. Why of course... it was a huge Karate exhibition!

Fear does not exist in this dojo!

Heidi Androl was into it.

She's to the left of the guy in the red.

And 19 Year Old Drew Doughty was even there!

Okay, so that wasn't Drew Doughty. I mean seriously, what actual professional hockey player would be caught dead standing outside the Staples Center... 15 minutes before game time... watching a stupid Karate exhibition?

Oh, shit.

That's right, freshly suspended Denis Gauthier was checking out the action. Because he totally needs to learn a new way to attack opponents. And with him was the perpetual healthy scratch Tom Preissing. Who pretty much made this guys day:

Tom Preissing! I'm with Tom Preissing!

That's right... the one dude at the game wearing a Tom Preissing jersey ran into Tom Preissing outside the arena at a Karate exhibition! I will say that Tom was super friendly to this guy and ended up chatting with the fan and his kids for a good 10 minutes. However, no one approached Gauthier for fear of getting a hit to the head.

To end the exhibition, a master split 3 blocks of ice with his bare hands. Maybe this was to get the Kings fans excited for the smashing of the Coyotes on the ice???

A man confronts you, he is the enemy. An enemy deserves no mercy.

Well, it was game time and I headed in to Staples as Half Season Ticket Holder Buddy continued to crawl along on the 101. As I was walking in, I saw perhaps the sweetest thing I've ever seen...

The family that cheers Jon Quick together...
stays together.

So I sat down in my seat, cheered as the Kings skated out in their black 3rd jerseys... and then watched them completely shit the bed and get embarrassed by the Phoenix Coyotes in the middle of an incredibly tight playoff race.

Kings 3, Coyotes 6

Move On

It's the best team in the NHL... they have a record of 25-2-3 at home. What did you really expect? The Los Angeles Kings lost, and if this team is truly maturing... they will acknowledge it and move on to the next game.

WTF is a Fin Addict?

Kings 2, Sharks 4

Watching the telecasts of the Anaheim and San Jose games back to back really makes a hockey fan realize... just how terrible the Anaheim broadcasting team is. I enjoyed listening to the San Jose Sharks team and I was even more excited that Mr. Svenning from Mallrats is still working.

Stink palm.

I got rid of the Center Ice Package this season, so I've only seen the Kings broadcasts this year. And this was the first time I've watched a game on Comcast Sportsnet. I have to say... Comcast puts together a much better overall broadcast than Fox Sports Net. They even have the most cute and precious line-up graphics.

Collect and trade them all!

Really? They don't have O'Donnell in his Kings jersey?

Overall, the game was a complete wash. The Kings looked flat footed, with a few flashes of brilliance. Erik Ersberg was shaky at times, but strong at others. But when a team likes San Jose gets a 2 goal lead late in the game, it's as good as over. The best thing to come from the night was I learned that some San Jose players must be readers of this blog... cause someone is taking the "Bring Me the Head of Denis Gauthier" tag WAY too seriously.

Missed it by that much.

There will probably be a lot of outcry on the BlogOSphere about Gauthier's elbow on Patrick Marleau last night. I'm never one to defend Mr. Gauthier, but if Marleau wasn't bent over slightly, that would have been a clean check. Suspension worthy? Probably not... although Gauthier is a repeat offender.

And finally, Comcast Sportsnet unveiled their latest Intermission Hockey Game Show last night....

Sharks Fan... Kopitar Relative... or Bored?
You Make the Call!

Um, I think this is for real.

Well, it wasn't a victory against the NHL's 4th best team like Thursday was... but the Los Angeles Kings will have to settle for a solid, dominating win against the NHL's 5th best team tonight, the New Jersey Devils. The Kings outplayed the NHL's hottest team and inched a bit closer to the dream of making the playoffs this season. There wasn't a flaw in tonights game... the Kings came out strong and continued to play that way. This roadtrip has been a great example of how pro athletes learn... the team gives up a lead in the 3rd period to Montreal and loses. They sneek by a really bad team in Ottawa 1-0. They play 2 incredible periods against one of the NHL's best in Washington and then barely hold on in a wild 3rd period. And then tonight, the Kings are in charge from the start of the game and they shut down the Devils in the 3rd.... Man, it is exciting to be a Kings fan right now. How long until the MainStreamMedia and the Hockey BlogOsphere start chatting up the possibility of the Kings grabbing that 8th spot. I give it 2 days.

Kings 3, the NHL's 5th Best Team 1


Damn, that feels good.

I know there is still a lot of hockey left. But this team is starting to feel like Edmonton Oilers of 2006. A team that hovers around .500 all season and then completely turns it on the last 2 months. I'm not saying the Kings have a chance to go all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals like the Oilers did as an 8th seed... I'm just saying this is the most perfect time for a team to get hot.

Last season, The New Jersey Devils moved into a brand new, state of the art rink in beautiful downtown Newark. Well, like most of Jersey... it seems like it's turned to shit within a year.

Seriously? This is the visiting locker room?

I've seen bigger locker rooms in kindergartens. And are you telling me the visiting professional hockey team shares the room with the Seton Hall Pirates?

I also know that after the lockout, the NHL has made the players more accessible for interviews and interactions with the fans. But this is ridiculous.

Apparently, it's not only the Super Bowl that is having porn spliced in.

Yeah, I'd call that Kings All-Access for sure. And the Kings also finally found the perfect spot in the organization for defensman Denis Gauthier...

I'm surprised that Gauthier didn't fall out of the booth
and give up a goal for the Devils in the 2nd.

But the best thing I saw all night? Why that was this teams' 21 year old Assistant Captain being the a team leader and the last player off the ice after a great victory.

Yeah, I'm glad he's around for the next 7 years.

6-1-1 in their last 8 games. They must destroy the New York Islanders on Tuesday who seem to be where the Kings were last year.... last place.

Boyz II Men

I hate it when Detroit comes to town. I don't hate Detroit because of the 1 great playoff series the Kings had with them in the last 10 years. No... I hate Detroit because every time they come to town, their fans come to the Staples Center in droves, outnumbering the Kings fans 3:1. Growing up a native Los Angeles Sports Fan, Half Season or not, is difficult... due to the fact that Los Angeles is a commuter city, and every single hockey fan that has moved out here from Detroit, Chicago, New York and Boston loves to come and root against the Kings. But the Red Wings fans... they are the worst. And they can be... because their team is so good.

Kings 3, Lord Masters of the NHL, 4 (Shootout)


The West Coast Family

This was a tough one. To be honest, I hadn't really noticed Denis Gauthier one way or the other since the start of the season. That usually is a good thing. It means a stay at home defenseman is doing his job. But tonight, Gauthier picked the wrong way to get himself noticed by Kings fans.

This was the game that you saw Coach Murray's team putting it all together. In years past, the Red Wings have come into this building and walked all over the Kings. But tonight, the Young Gun Kings not only kept up with the fast pace of the Wings... at times, they surpassed them.

Oscar Moller had a great power play goal. 18 Year Old Drew Doughty made 2 amazing defensive plays, both that involved him diving to poke away the puck (although I think he was just showing off on the 2nd one). Doughty was also out there to start the Overtime, 3 on 3. That's confidence from a coach.

The Kings moved the puck around on the power play and looked strong on the penalty kill against the most impressive offense I've ever seen. Every time Detroit had the puck, it seemed like they had the ability to score. The 2 big mistakes the team made... taking 2 penalties to get that 5 on 3 in the 2nd period... and of course.... Gauthier's pass up the middle with less than 2 minutes left in the game.

I didn't Tivo the game, so here is a Flyers-era representation
of how Gauthier looked after that pass.

Here is a Flyers-era representation of what Kings Fans
hope happens to Gauthier after that pass.

You are not going to beat Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Hossa in a shootout. You're just not. I don't care how solid of a game Jason LaBarbera had. When the PA announced that shootout lineup, my Half Season Ticket Holder buddy and I just laughed. It's like an All-Star skills competition.

But the Kings got a point tonight. They did something that 7 other teams in the NHL have failed to do against the Red Wings. And I think that is pretty cool.

Things I Learned From Watching the Detroit Red Wings:
Pavel Datsyuk can be insignificant the whole game and still be a threat to score.

Marian Hossa flies out on the ice.

Brian Rafalski has a great last name to make fun of.