Kings Schedule In Depth

When the Kings schedule was released last year, I spent numerous labor-intensive hours examining and breaking down the schedule. Two days ago the Kings released the 09-10 schedule with a very comprehensive breakdown virtually eliminating any work for me; thanks guys! This season starts out with more promise than a year ago, so I feel I'm looking at the schedule with a different mindset. There are teams that the Kings could easily dominate who weren't so easy to play against last year (Minnesota and possibly San Jose). San Jose had been making zero waves this summer, so I'm not exactly sure with my assessment; all I know is the Kings are stronger now so it'll be interesting to watch.

The following is a quick scan on my part after perusing the schedule:

Oct. Sat. 3 vs. Phoenix (home opener): Talk about the most boring way to begin the season...
Oct. Tues. 6 vs. San Jose: ...Go Rob Blake...
Oct. Sat. 10 @ St. Louis: Start of the longest road trip over 11 days
Oct. Mon. 12 @ Islanders: Will Matt Moulson play??
Oct. Mon. 26 Toronto @ Anaheim: Going to the Pond for this one... will need a women-sized Leafs jersey. Wouldn't that be hysterical if I got Burke on the back of it? Hated him in Anaheim, but like him in Toronto.

Nov. Thurs. 5 vs. Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby at Staples!
Nov. Mon. 9 @ Chicago: Start of possibly the worst 5-game road trip. CHI, CAR, ATL, TBL, FLA. Zzz..zzzzz....ZZzzZzzzz....
Nov. Wed. 18 @ Philadelphia: Pronger still in orange, yikes.
Nov. Wed. 25 @ Edmonton: Battle versus Moose!

Dec. Thurs. 10 vs. Phoenix: Can't think of a more boring two-game home-stand.
Dec. Sat. 12 vs. Dallas: ...zzz...ZZZzzzzZZzz....

Jan. Sat. 2 vs. Washington: Do you think Ovechkin will try to take a run at Dustin Brown again? Ow, my ear!
Jan. Thurs. 21 vs. Buffalo: End of the longest home-stand at seven games.

Feb. Sat. 13 vs. Colorado: First game against Kyle Quincey! How many tears will Ryan Smyth shed?
Feb. Sun. 14 - Mar. Mon. 1: Olympic Break. Can't say either way if I'm excited yet. I probably will be, but I'll just be hoping the Kings are still in the hunt at this point.

Mar. Sat. 6 vs. Montreal: Kings against the smallest line in the NHL, which includes Michael Cammalleri, bahaha.

Apr. Sat. 10 vs. Edmonton: Last home game of the season; not a bad way to end except if both teams need that last few points to get into the 8-seed.
Apr. Sun 11 @ Colorado: Kings end regular season with a back-to-back, hrm.

Any games that stand out to you? Let me know if I missed something of interest...

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Douchebaggery

Michael Cammalleri's 5-year, $30 million deal.


Initial reaction:

OH

MY

GOD

THAT

ASSHOLE.

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Classy

You stay classy, Cammy.

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Back At It: Flames 2, Kings 0

I think the Kings should move to the Eastern Conference because it's clear that they'd make the playoffs every single year if they were in the east. The Kings returned to Staples Center after a very successful roadtrip only to find that (surprise, surprise) the West smashes the East in terms of competition and quality of life (I like being warm). Not only did the Calgary Flames shut out my team, Michael Cammalleri got the first goal of the game and his 29th of the season. I won't lie; I booed. How in the hell did he only score 19 all last season. Yeah, he was out with that stupid rib injury; excuses excuses, Cammy.

The Kings threw the normal number of shots on with a bunch of ridiculous chances, but nothing happened on the scoreboard. It was definitely frustrating to watch especially because the puck spent the majority of the game in the offensive zone. One thing I liked was that Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty got more than a minute to play with each other 5-on-5. Those two are so skilled that I'm hoping they don't create a top-heavy defensive core, and I only say that because Kyle Quincey's play has been dropping as of late in that he's taking more penalties because his temper seems to get the better of him more often than not.

I'm not going to jump to any conclusions because this was their first game back from being on the east coast for a week and a half. We'll let the next two home games just play themselves out.

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One Down And One Up In Western Canada

The Kings played Calgary on Wednesday and basically got their tails handed to them, but the game didn't start out that way. The first period made it seem like it was going to be a good contest. The shots were even and the goalies were looking pretty solid. But once the second period started the Flames got stronger and stronger. Even though the Kings lost a terrible 6-2, it definitely didn't look like one of those horrendous losses from last season where it seemed like they stopped trying altogether. The Flames just dominated a team that was struggling in all aspects of the game. The effort was visible, but nothing was working so I'm not going to jump down their throats. I'm not suggesting the Kings needed a loss of that sort since they've lost worse in past seasons. It was just another sign that this is a team that is still learning and feeling out the lines.

The one thing from this game that had and still has me a bit worried is the fact that Erik Ersberg was pulled and Jason LaBarbera was put in. Barbs then played last night against the Edmonton Oilers. Does this mean that Barbs will play until he has to get pulled? Is that how this is going to work? I guess that's fine... I'm not sure how I completely feel about it, but I can honestly say that I'm not feeling too confident about the back end anymore. Denis Gauthier did NOT have a good game against the Flames, and I'm wondering why Terry Murray is so happy with him. Yeah, he can kill penalties, but, really, he's made some horrible plays in general. He's definitely outside the circle of trust.

(AP Photo, The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

Greene though the Kings were figure skating that night hence the terrible, terrible hockey

Terry Murray reunited the Patrick O'Sullivan, Anze Kopitar, and Dustin Brown trio for the Flames blowout, but, once again, the very next game, Sully gets demoted and Kyle Calder gets put back on left wing on the top line. Gross. Why is it that when this awesome line gets a chance to shine, the entire team has an off night? What's the deal? C'mon Fates! Help them out a bit here! I'll give Murray one thing though; it's blatently clear that he's not going to coddle this line. One game to show him something; if not, it's back to the drawing board. I can respect that but can you please put someone else up there instead of Calder??

The bright spot: Sean O'Donnell. I'm so freaking happy he's on the blueline. He got a 5-minute fighting major, a 10-minute misconduct penalty, and a 2-minute instigator penalty. The game was already in the bag for the Flames but O'Donnell wasn't going to take shit from anyone, and he let the Flames know that. Talk about mentorship and leadership. On the flipside, Raitis Ivanans got 10 minutes of TOI and did nothing but take penalties. Let's think about this: last season when he'd get more than two penalties or so, he'd get less than 5 minutes of TOI. But in this game he got 4 penalties (8 total minutes) and 10 minutes of ice time. Was Terry Murray hoping Ivanans was turn the momentum of the game? Well, it didn't work.

One last thing about this game versus Calgary. I was watching the Calgary feed, which was on Rogers Sportsnet. Wow, whoever the play-by-play guy and color guy were, you guys were terrible! I'm so glad I don't have to listen to that for 82 games. Their "commentary" was piss poor and didn't enhance the viewing of the game at all. What they were saying wasn't biased in favor of the Flames; rather, it was terrible because they weren't saying anything of worth! "That was a great pass." Wow... is that all you got? Really?

The game on Thursday the Kings went against the Edmonton Oilers. The Kings bounced back very nicely and won 2-1. They returned to their disciplined play out-hitting and out-shooting the opposition, but they weren't over 50% in the faceoff circle. I'm blaming this on Derek Armstrong (4 for 11) and Kopi (8 for 18) combined with Michal Handzus playing on the wing. Jarret Stoll, you keep doing what you're doing. The Kings also took only 5 penalties in this game compared to 15 against Calgary. Were the interference calls against Brownie and Barbs really penalties? I don't know, but I'm not going to dwell on it. The penalties were taken and killed; end of story.

I WILL bitch about the boarding penalty that Steve Staios took against Sully. Dude is mere feet from the boards and you're gonna give him a shove in the back towards the boards? C'mon man, can you be a bit more mindful of the head of another player? Sure, Sully may have whiplash this morning, but can you not try to give him a concussion to go with it? Another change was that Tom Preissing was back in the lineup and Gauthier took a seat in the press box. I honestly thought Preissing wasn't going to make the mistakes that he did. They weren't as terrible as the ones Gauts has been taking, but still...

A rarity: the Kings scoring first! And wouldn't you know it, it was Sully who netted it and, amazingly enough, he showed emotion!!! If you haven't noticed it before, Sully usually scores and has a deadpan look on his face. No reaction whatsoever. But this was such a change that I even cheered more! Who knew he possessed the ability to have more than just a vacant look on his face?!

(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, John Ulan)

Not new: Sully scoring. New: Him reacting.

Who know who's awesome? Dustin Brown. He's just freaking fantastic and I heart him. I know I heart a lot of things, but I REALLY heart him. He's just such a great leader and is getting noticed more and more and more. He can honestly do no wrong. He's a dynamically solid player who is doing nothing but getting better.

The second half of the game didn't see anymore goals, but it was a solid game for the Kings. I'm not sure how happy Moose was though. I think the text saying "We are an AWFUL hockey team" means that the Oilers are struggling. I'm not sure, but I think that's what it meant. In any case, the Kings got back on their ponies with this game and have a break until they face the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday at the beautiful Staples Center.

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Hockey On The Weekend

On Friday night I had a guest spot on the Puck Podcast where I wanted to discuss the Kings and the salary cap floor. I thought I had done a pretty good job conveying what my thoughts were, but I was a bit disappointed in the final product. My portion was edited down to where maybe half of what I said was cut out (if not more). I guess I'm not too bummed seeing as how Marie and I will be able to discuss it in depth as much as we want when we record on Tuesday evening for the next episode of the Kings World Podcast.

Speaking of, our next episode will be available for you all on Wednesday the 10th where we'll talk in depth about the Breakfast with the GM that was held on Saturday morning at the Toyota Sports Center.

Link for you: The Calgary Sun has an article on Michael Cammalleri. So he's excited to go to a place where there's "an established Italian community?" What's up, Cammy? The Mexicans of LA weren't doing it for ya?

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Year-In-Review – 27 – Michael Cammalleri

So if you haven't noticed, I've gotten really tired of these reviews. I'll finish them (I think), but I can't promise the quality of them to be great. I'm basically hanging on for dear life until the next season starts....

Michael Cammalleri’s 07-08 season started with his session in arbitration as opposed to his first goal of the season, which was the first goal that was scored in the NHL in 07-08. There was such promise for Cammy to have the same output last season like the season prior that when it didn't happen, he was viewed as a disappointment. Unfair? You can judge him how you wish. In 63 games he got 19 goals and 28 assists for 47 points. Not a terrible output seeing as he was even out of the lineup with various injuries. At the beginning of the season, I saw the Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, and Cammy line as completely dominant and one that wouldn’t last. That line created a roster that was completely top heavy because Alexander Frolov was still injured and Patrick O’Sullivan hadn’t yet started his breakout season. So Cammy constantly found himself on either the top line or 2nd line. Neither was consistent, which is hardly shocking, and he never seemed to get in a groove. I won’t discount that he started out the season strong; he had 10 goals in the first 10 games, but after that, his production definitely trailed off.

I’ll give him props for coming to the defense of Kopi when other players were taking runs at him. But it just took that one instance where he came away with a rib injury that put him out for a significant amount of games. Once this happened there was a collective groan from Kings fans because the secondary scoring was going to become even more invisible. But in came Sully to save the day. With his rise in terms of personal growth and point production, Cammy sadly became somewhat expendable. He spent the rest of the season being invisible, which didn’t help in the constant speculation of his movement within the next season sometime.

He likes it down there

Cammy survived the frenzy of the trade deadline last season, which was a bit understandable because his trade value wasn't as high as it could have been. I figured he'd be sent on his way at the next trade deadline after he had shown he was still a player of worth by trade day 2009. Of course, I was incorrect in my feeble guess because once draft day hit Kings fans breathed a sigh of relief. I guess I shouldn't generalize because not every fan wanted him gone. I guess it was a bit of the mob mentality in terms of how Cammy was viewed. I wasn't sure he'd be good trade bait for the draft, so I was surprised when it happened. He was sent off to the Calgary Flames along with the Kings 48th pick. This gave us Calgary's 17th pick, which was sent to the Anaheim Ducks with our 28th pick. We got back from Anaheim their 12th pick which was in addition to Calgary's 2nd round pick in 2009. Can you say A+ for Dean Lombardi? With all this movement and another eventual move, the Kings picked up Colten Teubert who is as mean and nasty a defenseman as you can get.

I'm not sure how he'll do in Calgary, but I'm sure if he finds himself playing with Jerome Iginla, he'll definitely pot some goals against us. Maybe Elisha Cuthbert will grow tired of Dion Phaneuf and go for Cammy. Whatev. All's I know is that Cammy's departure opens up a spot on the second line for Teddy Purcell, which makes me smile.

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2008 NHL Draft - Day 1

To start:

The Nokia Theater at LA Live is a fantastic venue. But it was hot outside and the last thing I want to do when it's hot is stand in the sun waiting for the doors to open. I had never been to Nokia before and currently do not have any suggestions to management on what they could have done to make Kings fans not feel like cattle. But I, along with my entourage, hung out in the TeamLA store across the street in the air conditioning.


On to the meat:

This morning I came across the news that Dan Cloutier had been placed on waivers. All I have to say is, "It's about freaking time!" But I'm going to be nice and give Clouts some advice: Don't talk crap about the organization that pays your salary. It's a privilege to play in the NHL, not a right.

The Kings made a trade before the draft started that got the crowd hootin' and hollerin'. This is officially the 2nd transaction between the Kings and Ducks. But it turned into somewhat of a threesome with Calgary joining in the trade.

To the Ducks went Calgary's 17th pick (2008) and the Kings 28th pick (2008)
To the Kings went Calgary's 2nd round pick (2009) and Anaheim's 12th overall pick (2008)
To the Flames went Michael Cammalleri and the Kings' 48th pick (2008)

When this was announced I was in a bit of shock because I didn't think the Kings would move Cammy this early. I was thinking maybe he would have been moved at the trade deadline in 2009 since he would have hopefully upped his trade value to make himself more attractive to other teams. Turns out Calgary was eyeing our 5'9" short stack already. I thought this was such a good move by Lombardi and he definitely still has my full support.


2nd pick:

I was completely nervous watching DL and Co. walk up on stage. Even as they were walking up the stairs, I had no idea who he would pick. But when Drew Doughty was chosen, the feeling of relief came over me and we all watched him pull that beautiful jersey over his head. This was definitely the pick that we needed. I know I said that I wanted Luke Schenn, and I still kind of do; but watching Doughty being interviewed after he was chosen and then seeing Bob Miller and Jim Fox talk to him on the speaker phone was great. This is definitely the kind of mindset that will beyond endear him to Los Angeles:

"I saw Dean Lombardi shaking hands with the Calgary GM. I kind of buried my head in my hands and said, 'Oh, no.' I really wanted to be a L.A. King.''

I think the thing that shocked me the most was how much weight he has lost. I knew he was dropping the weight, but I didn't he would lose 24 pounds! That's a couple of Thanksgiving turkeys! I am super excited for Doughty to make his way over to the west coast and start the process of making the roster next season. In looking at the blueline, I feel that he could definitely make an immediate impact. I don't want to jump the gun by believing that Thomas Hickey will be on the roster as well, but I can't help thinking about that scenario. I hope everyone realizes that the Kings now have 4 prospects from the Team Canada roster that won gold at the World Junior Championships in 2008. The Russian Super Series? Killed that too.

SIIIIIIICK

12th pick:

The Kings trade down to the 13th pick. Buffalo gives up their 3rd round pick in 2009. Good old Deano. Always looking to stockpile. Well done.

Great quote from Lombardi to Rich Hammond:

"Finally I went to (Buffalo) and said I won't trade with this other team if you tell me who you're taking. So we wrote down who we both wanted and kind of turned the paper over. Sort of like blackjack, showing your cards. We didn't have the same player written down, so we made the trade.'"


13th pick:

The Kings select Colton Teubert (D Regina Pats). The thing that stood out to me while looking at the reviews of this kid was this particular quote from an unnamed scout through The Hockey News.

"He's not as polished with the puck as Schenn, but he's meaner than Schenn. He's a nasty guy to play against."

I was so happy reading that because instead of getting Schenn, we get a player who could gain the necessary skills to make himself a top flight defenseman AND he's force in the defensive zone. Oh yeah, we also got Drew Doughty!


The aftermath:

After about the 15th pick, Bob and Jim were joined by Marcel Dionne and Jonathan Bernier up on stage. Obviously I flipped out a touch when Baby Bernier walked out on stage, but the whole situation was made even better when Luc came out and sat down next to Marcel. Great job to the Kings staff for making the event a memorable one. Although it was irritating when I wanted to take a picture with the gigantic Kopi mural at the end of the event. I wanted to get on the stairs to get some height on this vertical mural thing but was denied. Dude, security staff guy, you need to chill out. I just wanted to stand on the stairs and get my picture taken with the picture of Kopi.

To the CMO: Thumbs up on the ice block in the lobby. People probably passed by without a second glance, but it was a very nice 1st class-type of touch to the event. Your asking means that you really care what the fans think, and I really appreciated that.


On tap:

A bunch more picks for tomorrow. Bright and early!

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Cammy On Cribs

Here is Michael Cammalleri on Canada's version of MTV's Cribs. It begins with Cammy showing two Asian-themed items in his foyer, and I was kind of afraid that he was going to have that whole theme running through his house. (Why is it always the white boys with the Asian fascination? But I digress.) It seems a cool enough pad in the South Bay with 3 floors and a rooftop area where one could possibly enjoy a beverage of choice. So yeah, good times had by all.

Forewarning: If you currently have a headache or get motion sickness, I wouldn't recommend this video for you.

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Stepping up: Kings 5, Blues 1 (PT)

Player Transactions:
- Jaroslav Modry was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for a 3rd round pick in the 2008 entry draft.
- Peter Harrold was recalled from Manchester.
- Lauri Tukonen was reassigned to Manchester.
- Erik Ersberg was recalled from Manchester.
- Kings claim Matt Ellis off of waivers from the Detroit Red Wings.

Pre-Game:
- I made a sign for Army since he always looks out at the fans and acknowledges them during warmups. I thought he'd appreciate the message. I must say, he is a COMPLETE HAM and LOVES the attention. Oh yeah, I got a puck from him too. Score!

Cheeseball

1st Period:
- The Blues came out hard and had a really aggressive forecheck. Clouts fumbled the puck with his first shot on, which didn't help my confidence in the turn out of the game. And it didn't help that the Kings didn't get their first shot on until the clock said 15:33.
- The Blues also dominated the neutral zone more than the Kings did, and there were some big turnovers by the Kings. They were soft on the passes, soft on the hits, and many of them seemed to constantly be out of position.
- Good note: Handzus is using his body more. I always thought he was a little soft and hesitant to take the body, but he wasn't too bad in this period.
- To continue the pathetic...ness of this period, with 5:25 left, the Kings have only 5 shots on net. And these last 5 minutes were uninspired. The Blues were dominating and were clearly working with each other to set up in the neutral zone and enter the Kings zone like a line should. Kariya and McDonald were pretty feisty and jumping on any loose pucks. It seemed like whenever the Kings got the puck, their reactions were delayed. They were sometimes successful with the first pass out of their zone, but that second pass was more often than not foiled by a Blue. But even when they were able to get that second pass, they just dumped it in and went for a line change.
- This period was crap-tastic. Way to NOT show up guys!! The Kings had only 5 shots on to the Blues' 13.

2nd Period:
- The Kings are on the PK which they kill very nicely. I was actually pleasantly surprised!
- Kings PP - Kings Goal - Kopi (26) took a shot and Sully got the rebound and moved around a sprawling defender with superb patience and put it in the slot. Kopi came in and simply backhanded it past Legace (6:34).
- Kings Goal - Less than two minutes later Frolov (17) passes the puck to Sully from inside the Kings blueline in between his legs, Sully takes it up the right side through the whole neutral zone. He gets pinched on the right side inside the blueline and drops the puck off to Cammy who takes it all the way to the net but then passes back into the slot where Fro got the shot on (8:19).
- Kings Goal - Less than 3 minutes later Fro (18) nets his second of the night!!! Sully now has 3 assists (10:55). Umm, can we say studly??
- The Blues call a predictable timeout and I can catch my breath and reflect on what just happened in the last 10 minutes.
- What pissed me off: Clouts was basically taken out twice by two different Blues players. The first run-in was blatant and Clouts was slow to get up and collect himself. That drew ire from the crowd and we were pissed. The second time, Brad Boyes just completely jumped over Clouts' head and took him down again! JJ had had about enough of that and went after Boyes, thank god. That resulted in a goalie interference call (11:50), which should have come with the first run in!!
- Kings PP - Kings Goal - They convert this opportunity to shut the fucking door in the Blues' face. Sully (15) nets a sweet goal! Kopi was at the right half-boards where he passed to Stuart on the point. Stuart takes a long bomb and goes wide to the left of the goal. The puck bounces behind the goal to the right where Sully picks it up and puts it past Legace who couldn't get to his left fast enough. But I don't think he would have caught it anyway since Sully put it top shelf.
- Blues change up their goalie; Chris Beckford-Tseu. I have NEVER heard of this kid before.
- The Kings are now up 4-0 and the bodies are being thrown a little harder, the passes are landing correctly, but wouldn't you know it, we're still losing faceoffs!
- I want to highlight Jack Johnson. I was very impressed with his play in this game. He's making smart decisions with the puck, he's making sure he's where he's supposed to be on the ice. Did he just decide to mature overnight with Modry leaving? I was honestly a little sad when the crowd booed Modry when it was announced that he was traded. Do the people not realize that he was a consistent Dman? He didn't take the body like the other Dmen, but he always seemed like he was in the correct areas.
- Even Dallman is making a small showing. But you know who still sucks? BRIAN WILLSIE. He's turning the puck over and not helping to complete plays when momentum is going in their favor.

3rd Period:
- Kings Goal - Okay, I will say that I am not sure Frolov (18) got this goal. It was given to him to get the hat trick, but I....have a feeling that it should have been Cammy's. They video reviewed it and I...don't...think I....agree with the outcome. So Cammy got in front of the net and essentially waited for the puck to come to him. Once he got the puck, he shoved it 5-hole past the netminder. As it was going in, Fro poked his stick in just add some insurance. I mean, it looked like he got some wood on it, but....I think it went over the line before Fro's stick got there.
- The crowd was demanding the hat trick from the officials. Fro, you know I love you, but I don't think that was yours. So you should just score another goal to really ensure that you got the hat trick!
- Right after this goal, Salvador and Scott Thornton start going at it; it's number 27 against 27. That's going to Thornton just because I feel like giving him the win. He definitely made a good showing for this game.

(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

Someone is about to get domed.

- It's basically at this point where I think: Fro, Cammy, and Sully have been absolute studs in this game.

(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

STUDS

- The Blues decide they need to attack and start pushing the Kings out and are preventing the Kings from getting in front of the Blues' goal. So it's here where I notice that WILLSIE is on a line with Brownie and Kopi.....REALLY, Crow??
- Kings PK - Handzus causes a turnover and makes up for it by taking a penalty! Clouts had to come in and save Handzus' ass by making a point blank save. Grrr..... But, this is a great PK. The Kings are making very smart moves and are holding onto the puck instead of dumping it every time they got a chance. The Blues got some shots on, and there was one shot where the whole arena thought it went in; even the light was going off. After a review, it was deemed no goal.
- Kings PP @ 11:31 - I think the Kings weren't too aggressive on this opportunity because they were up 5 to nothing. They were cycling and were looking for the more finesse shots than anything else.
- Kings PK @ 15:19 - Handzus takes another tripping penalty. This was just ridiculous; he did NOT need to do that. Yeah he lost the puck, but there was a defender there between the puck and Clouts. This was just a dumb move by the mullet-less man. Blues Goal - Martin Ruchinsky (15:58). Damnit, no shutout for Cloutier!

Game:
- Kings 5, Blues 1
- After an abysmal first 20 minutes, the Kings decide they want to win! That must have been one hell of a pep talk by the Kings' coaching staff. They looked like a different team at the start of the second period.
- Studs of the game:
** Sully - 1G, 4A, +3, 2 hits, 4 missing teeth
** Frolov - 3G, +3, 6 shots on net
** Cammy - 3A, +3, 5 shots on
* *Cloutier - 32 saves, another W

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More Ice Time For Raitis Please!

Dear Marc Crawford:

This is a request for more ice time to be given to Ivanans. Because, really I’m tired of dudes taking cheap shots at Kopi. Brownie and Sully definitely have that air about them that tells the opposition that they can take care of themselves. But to see Cammy stick up for Kopi, c’mon people! And now Cammy’s injured, and there are trade rumors, and really, there’s nothing good that comes with one of the smallest guys sticking up for one of the biggest guys. But make no mistake, if I was out having ice cream with Anze and Pronger came by and slapped the cone out of Kopi’s hand, I would take down Pronger in a second. That’s just a travesty to waste ice cream like that.

I kind of want to see what would happen if Crow put Ratti out on a shift with Kopi. Would anyone actually have the balls to mess with Kopi? It must be so frustrating for Ratti to be sitting on the bench for the better part of 50 minutes of a game watching cheap shots being doled out. I’m not saying it’s happening on a regular basis, but still. And I’m not advocating that the league go back to the days of having the role of the pure enforcer, but hasn’t it been an issue with the Kings lacking size this year? We have a guy of scary stature in Ivanans; why not use him more for the size issue? I hardly see why Crawford wouldn’t utilize him more.

And just to reiterate his badass...ness, I was absolutely floored when he took a Rob Blake slapshot to the face earlier in the season. Not only did he NOT fall down, he took it like a champ and skated back to the bench so that the offensive play could continue. What would you have done if you were him? I know I'd fall to the ice, howl in pain, and then most likely get taken to the hospital for facial reconstructive surgery. I don't know how many plates I'd have in my face, but Ivanans definitely has 4 in his cheek now...for the rest of his life. But how cool is that, to be able to say that you have plates in your face courtesy of Rob freaking Blake. I'd say it loud and proud, but I think I'm a little too biased. Ahh, good times.

So, please Crawford, please give Ratti some more ice time. He’s a presence out on the ice; one that's actually needed.

Thanks,
CKim

He may not be cute, but he can knock your butt to the ground.

Let's look at Ivanans' ice time of late:
- 01.12.08 vs. Dallas - 4:04 (Pathetic)
- 01.10.08 vs. Toronto - 8:08
- 01.08.08 vs. Nashville - 11:16 (I guess this game was so horrendous that Crow decided to share the wealth of ice time with the lesser of the roster. Thanks, ass.)
- 01.05.08 vs. Calgary - 7:13

To Ratti: I hope Crow realizes your lack-of-presence on the ice. I, personally, love to see you on the prowl like a cheetah about to go in for the kill, not to say you’ve got the agility of a cheetah. But you know what I mean. Sometimes we need a big, bad 265-pound presence on the ice and, really, Handzus ain’t cutting it. I know he’s your teammate and all, but tell me, how can the tallest guy on the team be the softest guy? Why is he so afraid to take the body once in a while? Even Willsie can get all up in your face. (This is why I love Ratti and Giuliano out there. They take the body and aren’t afraid to get a little dirty. A plea for more ice time for my Manchester Boy is for another post.)

I'm pulling for you, Raitis. I really am; I just hope what's his face will listen.


Side note to all you out-of-town announcers, you pronounce his name ee-va-nans. NOT i-van-is.


Player Transactions:
1) Cammy has been placed on IR retroactively to Dec. 22 (ok, really? You waited THIS LONG to put the little one on IR?? It's freaking January 14th!!!)
2) Teddy Purcell was recalled from the Monarchs.
3) Peter Harrold was recalled from the Monarchs.
4) Klemm was NOT recalled. Thank the Lord.
5) I'm excited.

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Hidden Gems – 10 - All-Star Voting

Wow, when I said that I had found the greatest thing ever with Marcel Goc's blog, I was completely wrong. The Kings have put together a video clip of the boys trying to get your votes for the All-Stars. At first my thoughts were, "What the hell is this?" But about 10 seconds into it, I couldn't stop laughing. Just find the Kings Vision link and you'll see it.

"Cookie?? Vote for Lubo!" hahahahha

Man, whoever made this was a genius. GENIUS.

Oh YouTube, I knew you'd pull through. So here is the clip, but just to note the picture quality is NOT as good as on the Kings site. My suggestion is to go to their site to watch it. But here is it:

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Kings 2, Sharkies 1

So I turn the TV on to FSN for the start of the Kings game. What do I see instead but a WSU/WASH game in the last 5 minutes, which they've decided to show until the end since it's tied 35-35. What the hell!! I have to wait for this to be over before I can see my Kings whomp on the Sharks? With each minute that ticks by, I get angrier and angrier. Let's see how I pass the minutes by:

7:39 – 2:08 left in the game. Switch back to Mr. And Mrs. Smith since it's on another channel. Might as well ogle at Brad Pitt for a bit.

7:45 – 15 seconds left on the clock. Things that I'm missing: any pre-game interviews, any game analysis, ANYTHING!! Switch to Wedding Crashers, which is on another channel.

7:53 – The clock has been at 9 seconds for too long. Get it over with! Ok, it's FINALLY over, now go to the game!!! What? Post-game interviews??? CRAP!

7:56 – I'm so fucking pissed. FSN, I'm so mad at you right now.

1st Period: We come into the game with 9:14 left in the first and Brownie (9) has just scored a goal. Wow, I'm even MORE mad at FSN now.
- Calder is on the first line? Well, it doesn't really matter since Crawford is changing up the lines on every shift. I could be out there for 30 seconds and I bet no one would know. I'd put up a hit on Setoguchi and skate away while saying, “That's for colonizing my ancestors...and scoring a lot of goals.”
- On Marleau's penalty, Blake took 3 shots on, which made me happy since he hasn't really been doing that this season because it's been the norm up until this year. What's the deal?
- Zeiler – Way to completely miss that attempted hit. Good job.
- Side note: Calder now as 5 titanium pins in his thumb to match the pin that's already in his shoulder.
- Kopitar (9) scores on the PP from awesome passing from Brownie, to Vish (who fakes a shot, only to pass), to Kopi who one-times it past a stiff-looking Nabokov. Sick.

End of 1st: I'm still pissed at FSN, but the Kings are up 2-0 so I guess I should relax a little.
- Looking at the stats, the Kings have only one hit to the Sharks' 4? And 5 shots compared to the SJ's 7? Those numbers have got to come up.

2nd period: Fun fact: Rob Blake has 215 shots on goal, which is the most by any NHL defenseman. AWESOME.
- I thought the PK from Nagy's penalty was good; they were clearing the puck and shutting down the Sharks.
- In always hoping their passing improves, I thought at 10:38 in, Moulson's turn around pass to Blake was a nice setup. Even though it was blocked, it still brought in a shooting opportunity.
- Nagy was awarded a penalty shot and tried to go 5-hole on Naby, but was denied. No worries, they're still up 2-0.
- Side note: Ivanans now has 4 plates in his left cheek courtesy of Rob Blake.

End of 2nd: Hmm, it appears that Handzus is actually being effective and making a noticeable difference on the ice.
- The Kings were outshot 13-6 this period. Crap guys! What do we gotta do to get the puck to the net more? And by “we” I mean “YOU.”
- Even though the shot total wasn't ideal, I thought the Kings transitioned their energy well from the first to the second period.
- During the intermission, they showed a clip of Cammy while in London. The season opener was a while ago, and they're just now showing this? Anyway, since I am pretty critical on speaking skills and the ability to talk without using “umm,” “like,” and “you know” in everyday vernacular, I have something to say about Cammy. I am SO GLAD that the Kings have captains who are competent in their speaking abilities. Blake, Thornton, and Cammy are well-spoken and I definitely appreciate that.

3rd period: Off the bat, the energy levels are still there making this a very hectic period.
- Sully – HIT! (and appears to not be wearing his teeth tonight)
- Zeiler falls. Hmm, why is that not surprising? I see this guy as being like a spastic younger sibling in that he just gets out there and starts running around. But, I mean, it's his job as being part of the energy line, right? But lately, with Crawford changing up the lines like there's no tomorrow, who knows what Zeiler is supposed to be doing....besides falling down a lot.
- The Kings are still skating with energy and hustle, which is actually causing me to feel a bit stressed even though they're still up by two goals.
- Goal for Sharks by Milan Michalek. Damn, Barbs almost got a shutout.
- At the end of the game, Joe Thornton almost scores on his own goal from the Kings end but hits the post. Oh well, I'll take the one goal win.

Game: Kings 2, Sharks 1. Five-game losing streak SNAPPED.

When Barbs was being interviewed after the game, did anyone else think the guy sitting behind the glass to his left looked like Newman? Seinfeld anyone?

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Another Lackluster Performance

Looking back on this game as a whole, I think the best part for me was the pregame interview with Cammy. When Patrick O'Neil asked him about the lines and what they might look like, he got a huge smile on his face and said that things would be looking a bit differently. In reference to the Coyotes, he said, “We might throw the shocker at them.” And he thoughtfully added a little WINK on the end of that sentence. OK CAMMY. Do you even know what The Shocker is????? hahahah, WOW! I think I might have fallen off the couch laughing.

Note by commentators: Brownie leads the NHL in hits. =) Ahhh, that's what I like to hear. I'm not an advocate of violence, but a good solid hit will from my team will ALWAYS put a smile on my face.

So this is Cammy's idea of what The Shocker is: 1st line of the night: Kopi, Brownie, Nagy. 2nd line being himself, the Fro, and Sully. Somehow, his version of The Shocker isn't quite as scandalous as the known version. Oh Cammy, you and your 5'9” frame kill me.

This game really didn't hold much excitement so this review will be reduced down to a list:

1) Zeiler definitely put up a hard hit and drew a cross-checking penalty. Wow....good job... The thing to note is that this was the longest delayed penalty I've ever seen (as agreed upon by Jim Fox).

2) Brownie – HIT!

3) 2 shots on that PP? Umm...

4) Jim Fox - “Can't get caught sucking down low.” Umm...

5) The first period had a lot of coast-to-coast playing with not much going on. Not surprisingly the Kings had 10 giveaways compared to Phoenix's 3.

6) During the first intermission – Video montage of Gretzky. Aww, I LOVE Gretzky!

7) Airborne was on HBO and I started flipping at the commercials. If you've never heard of Airborne, let me say that it is horrendously awesome and everyone should check it out. If not for the stellar acting of 1993, then for the terrible ice hockey moments scattered throughout the movie.

8) In the second period they kept the camera on Anze on the bench for a minute or two. So what exactly was he sniffing (smelling salts?) and why was he shooting water everywhere BUT in his mouth?

9) Lone goal by Doan. Damnit, Vish and Blake for giving them a 5-on-3.

10) Is this post interesting anymore, because the game sure wasn't. *sigh*

11) Crawford decided that the DAM line needed to get back out there and actually start producing. This resulted in a much-needed push, so good job for that. Yet the constant stoppages by Bryzgalov were killing any momentum the Kings were trying to build. Oh yeah, the Coyotes picked him up off waivers this morning. (More on this later). Side note: Cammy, nice roller hockey turn on the skates. ha

12) So I've said it before, but I feel I need to reiterate this point: The Kings need to stop passing so much when desperate times call for ACTION. NOT PASSING.

13) After not taking advantage on 5 PP opportunities in these 60 minutes, the Kings continued their losing streak (3) and gave Bryzgalov a shutout. What did they end with? A whopping 3 or 4 shots on net in 5 PP chances? Cool.

14) On a happier note: I will give a props to the goaltenders for the night, Barbs and Bryzgalov. I thought both played well and saw them both as walls in front of their respective nets.

15) After the game Kings Talk with Nick Nickson and Daryl Evans brought up a interesting/comical/terrible point. A caller asked if the Kings would have picked up Bryzgalov if the opportunity had presented itself. Nick (or was it Daryl, they kind of sound alike) said this most likely would not have happened due to the number of goalies the Kings have (Barbs, Aubin, and Cloutier – with Bernier on the rise) AND the amount of money that is tied up by these guys. Do you realize that (according to the math done by Earl Sleek over at BofC) the Kings would have just needed to pay out the remainder of his salary worth $900,000? Wait, what's that? We're spending $3.1 MILLION on Cloutier so that he can continue to be a losing goaltender even at the minor league level? That's fantastic, guys. Money well spent.

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Hidden Gems - 4 - Kind Of

Original post date: Wednesday, October 31, 2007

I say "Kind of" since this isn't really hidden for Kings fans. This is on Kings Vision TV and it's a two minute clip of the boys at the Los Angeles Kings Bud Light Golf Invitational, which ends up bringing in one of the largest contributions for the Kings Care Foundation every year. It was held at the Pacific Palms Conference Resort in the City Of Industry on Monday, October 29, 2007.

The two-minute clip is good for some laughs, but it's great to know that the thousands of dollars that civilians pay to golf with the players is going to a good cause. Highlights:

1) Army in his goofy hat and white framed sunglasses.
2) Cammy commentating in an English accent.
3) Army talking about the Euros wearing Armani and Versace, while watching Fro hitting a drive. Fro, you need a bigger back swing.
4) Heidi throwing her club and stomping out of a sand trap.

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"I Don't Really Like You Today"

Original post date: Tuesday, October 23, 2007

It was basically an annihilation of the Preds tonight. 6 unanswered goals in about the most comical game I've seen in a long time. So here are the notable game notes from yours truly.

The Fro – pre-game interview: I realized that I need to get to know my team better. His accent was thicker than I thought it was going to be. Maybe he should just stick to wordlessly smiling.

Sidenote: I forgot to mention this in the last game. The two women singing the national anthem. They were fine, except the woman who was doing the harmonizing should have had her mic turned down cuz she was overpowering the actual singer (annoying). AND, ladies, it's “the bombs” NOT “thbombs.” There is more of a pause between the two words, ok?

First period
1 – Cammy (9): Leading goal scorer of the NHL once again! Assist: Blake!
2 – Lubo (1): That was amazing. Assist: Blake!

The best part about the interview after the first period was when Patrick O'Neal told Cammy that if he netted another goal, he would keep the streak alive of 10 goals in 10 games. To this Cammy said, “I don't really like you today.”

Second period – Gelinas. Seriously, what were you looking at? You didn't see the butt end of the stick approaching your eye at a rapid speed?? I was laughing for so long that my bro had to tell me to stop laughing so we could continue to watch the game. I was secretly laughing for awhile longer after that.

3 – Ivanans?? (1): I know a good dentist. He's really gentle.

Ok Zeiler, I thought you were gonna fuck up that goal for Ivanans. And stop fucking falling down! Didn't we already go over that?

The most memorable part of the second period, the coast-to-coast sloppy playing from both sides. The Kings were on a 3-on-1 charge and the D man sprawled down on the ice and blocked the shot. I shouted, “I can't believe that worked!” Then the Preds come immediately back the other way with a 3-on-1 and the Kings D man lays down to block the shot. To that I say, “I can't believe that worked!”

4 – The Fro (2): I heart you

Second half of the second period: Kings looked sloppy and I thought they were going to start going downhill. But it was a good thing the Preds were sucking worse.

Handzus – You suck the most.

Third period – Jack, where are you? My heart is not whole without you on the ice.

5 – Nagy (1)

Zeiler – It's called “fighting” NOT “making love”

6 – Cammy (10): Keepin the streak alive. I like that Jim Fox (or was it Patrick O'Neal) said after the game that Cammy is now 10 for 10 and is on track for 82.

Game: Kings 6 – Preds Zilch

After game note: When I was driving home after the game, I was listening to Kings radio and this one woman called in. After all her umms and good jobs she asked why the Kings don't come out to center ice and salute the fans like the Rangers do. Ok lady, 1) It's probably because the Rangers started that tradition and it's their thing and 2) The Kings would look pretty homosexual if they just started doing it. So please, why don't you just hang up and call back when you have a real question. Thanks.

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My Star of the Game

Original post date: Friday, October 19, 2007

Is Jack MUTHA FUCKIN Johnson. First goal of his NHL career. Fitting that it should come on the 50th anniversary of Maurice “The Rocket” Richard's 500th goal.

The Kings played well and they were rewarded with the 2 points. But when the first period came to a close, I was worried that that was going to dictate what the rest of the game was gonna be like. But Crawford apparently gave the guys some of Popeye's canned spinach and they ramped it up for the last 40 minutes. I was presently surprised to see my Kings look more hungry as they came off the first drop of the puck in the 2nd. Finally! Some quickness to their legs.

I was so happy that Fro finally got his first goal of the season! I was wondering when it was going to come. He has, what, 5 assists already? Time to add a goal to that stat! Woohoo! I really didn't have any opinions when Cammy tried to get his contract the way he wanted it. I think at that time I was too busy trying to get my ass out of northern California.... yeah... But he's got the most goals in the NHL as of tonight with 8. Fan-freakin-tastic. =)

I will also comment on the fact that I have never seen a goal rewarded like that either. Brownie got taken down while going to the goal on an empty net. When the ref pointed at the goal, I said out loud to no one in particular, “Really???” Vancouver was definitely scrambling in the last minutes and I was basically watching with my hands over my mouth nervous as all hell. They needed this win and I'm STOKED that they were able to close out the game. LaBarbara? Way to go, my friend.

So once again, my star of the game (and apple of my eye) is JMFJ. And really, why does he have so many freaking names?

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