Thanks, NHL Media
Thursday, April 23, 2009
So the NHL media dudes voted and Drew Doughty was not included in the Rookie Of The Year balloting. The three who were chosen were Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Bobby Ryan of the Anaheim Ducks, and Kris Versteeg of the Chicago Blackhawks. Now I'm not insanely annoyed at this travesty, but I am curious to know where he ranked overall. I'm sure Doughty would have been recognized had he been playing in a big hockey market in the West or just in the East or, at least, been talked about more. It is disappointing that he didn't get national recognition but we Kings fans know just how awesome he is. When you're a difference maker on a game-to-game basis, knowing that you're gonna be around for many years to come is all I really need.
Thanks Donuts!
End Of Season Note
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
For some reason I have been neglecting the blog; not because I wanted to, but more because I just didn't have anything interesting to bring to the Kings discussion table. They finished out their season with a road swing through Western Canada predictably losing to the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames and beating the Edmonton Oilers. The season ended with little fanfare on the road, but the last home game against the San Jose Sharks was the most exciting game in recent memory. It ended in a 4-3 win with the Kings not allowing themselves to be pushed around by the President's Trophy winner. Staples Center was electric and free giveaways handed out were plentiful. Kings merch sold in the TeamLA store at 50% off, so I picked up an awesome Anze Kopitar shirt for my cousin's baby.
The NHL Lottery was last night and the Kings will be picking 5th overall. I'm not expecting a top prospect for the draft since we really couldn't afford another high end player, but it's a comfortable feeling knowing there could be an NHL-ready player joining the roster next season who will be playing in the top 6 of forwards (maybe even in the top 3). Depending on who the player will be coming in, there could be a lot of interest in the Kings in the next few months...
Please check back periodically as I promise this blog won't be dead over the summer!
Kings World Podcast - Ep 1.33
Monday, April 6, 2009
This is the last episode before the end of the regular season and Marie and I take a gander at how the last two weeks have spanned for the Kings. Not surprisingly the team did not do so well after suffering injuries and playing in hodge podge lines. We also discuss the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy selections for the Pacific Division, touch on Jarret Stoll’s contribution in the faceoff circle, and wonder which teams will make the playoffs and which will suffer with the rest of the bottom feeders. Please listen and enjoy!
We welcome any and all feedback! Please direct any questions, comments, or thoughts to kingsworldpodcast[at]gmail[dot]com.
Good Times: Kings 6, Coyotes 1
Saturday, April 4, 2009
I was pretty unexcited to watch this game against the Phoenix Coyotes, but I was glad I was watching this game rather than the contest between the Tampa Bay Lightening and New York Islanders. This win definitely renewed some hope that the Kings aren't completely sucking balls. Both Alexander Frolov and Brian Boyle had two-goal nights with Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams getting one each. I must say, Boyle had a very productive night: 11:11 of TOI, 2 goals, was a +2, and received a double minor. Frolov was just in the right place and the right times, I heart him.
This game saw a lot of interesting penalties. Out of the 21 total, here are three noteworthy instances:
- Matching cross checking penalties (Michal Handzus and Zbynek Michalek). With the scuffle drawing the whistle, I was surprised that cross checking penalties were called. Weird.
- Matching double minor roughing penalties (Shane Doan and Brian Boyle). Just some good ole punching each other in the face.
- The one that was the most questionable was the altercation involving Denis Gauthier and Scottie Upshall. Gauthier put Upshall into the boards and Gauts received a boarding penalty while Upshall got a slashing penalty. I haven't seen commentary on the hit, but I really didn't think a boarding call was warranted. So following the hit, a Coyote player started to jaw at Gauthier so obviously Gauts was going to defend himself. Lo and behold, Gauthier threw his stick to the ice and took off his helmet and the Coyote player skated away.
Really? You're just gonna walk away like that? Honestly, when both teams aren't playing for playoffs spots and your team is down 6-1, you should just be a man and throw down. That was a chicken move and he heard it from the crowd. Gauthier ended up receiving a 5-minute unsportsmanlike penalty and a 10-minute misconduct on top of the 2 minutes for boarding. Weak sauce. So the Kings have four games left with three on the road in Western Canada and the last home game of the season against the San Jose Sharks.
Wooo... Read more...
R.I.P.: Coyotes 2, Kings 1
Friday, April 3, 2009
Well with five games left in the 2008-09 season, the Kings are finished and all I can say is, "It's about time." They've been floundering their existences away by playing in games they knew they didn't have the stamina to win. I'm not exactly able to pin point at exactly when the season was basically over, but I can guesstimate. In my own opinion, the season was toast around the time the Kings played the Boston Bruins. It was the beginning of a long roadtrip and the toll they took from the season didn't help at all. I guess one could question whether or not fitness actually played a role in their downfall. Ron Wilson said he was surprised at how not in shape the Toronto Maple Leafs were when he joined the team last summer. I figure if it could happen there, there's no reason why it couldn't happen in LA.
The fact that players are out with injuries (Alexander Frolov, Jarret Stoll) or fixing injuries (Kyle Quincey) and that management has brought in players (John Zeiler, Oscar Moller, Brian Boyle) to form a hodge podge roster every game isn't very faith-inducing. I don't even know who's playing center or left wing on any given line anymore. The hockey is terrible and it's not like they're playing opponents who are playing great hockey themselves. I'm not that excited to go to the Kings home game tomorrow but it's the second to last game at Staples Center and I'll make a half-assed attempt to milk it for all it's worth. I'm trying to think of an opponent that is more unexciting than the Phoenix Coyotes, but I really can't. It's bad enough that the Kings played them yesterday, but to have to play a home-and-home is wack. (My apologies to any Coyotes fan who has found his or her way over here.) Perhaps I'll have the desire to write something more on the game tomorrow, but this is all I got today.
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