A Day With the Cup

So, if you follow my Twitter feed (hint hint), or at the least have stumbled upon this site in any fashion, you know I am a fan of the Los Angeles Kings.  If you have followed hockey at all in the past month, you know the Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup, and are the champions of the National Hockey League.  As noted earlier, that's pretty cool, and your favorite team in a sport winning a championship is something everyone should experience.  I'd recommend it.

At the risk of getting weepy to, presumably, Kansas City hockey fans on a Kansas City hockey blog about a team in Los Angeles, seeing the pictures of the Kings parade and rally make me long for a similar parade and rally to attend in my own backyard.  You, oh wise and wistful Kansas City sports fan, will say, "but the Royals had a parade in '85," and, "just wait, the Chiefs/Royals will be holding a rally soon enough!"  And that's all fine and good, especially since any success from these teams would be small payback for years and years of crushing disappointment.  Winning a championship and giving us a reason to celebrate something, anything, is the least they can do.

Greg Wyshynski: Missing the Point

A few things I want to point out about Greg Wyshynski's lack of actual reporting, and why this gives bloggers something of a bad name among those in the dying, though somewhat still prestigious, mainstream print media.  Don't get me wrong, Greg has some fine articles from time to time, and I'm not debating his success as a sports writer/blogger.  I enjoy his site, and I think it's a great place to discover the hundreds of thousands of hockey blogs around the world.  Perhaps you discovered this blog from his site.  But I have to disagree with him on something, just like I've disagreed with him here, here, and here.

Here is the story is question.  Please read it first:

LA Kings fans boo injured rookie Avalanche goalie (Video)

First, here are a few things to keep in mind:

*Greg reaches a large audience with his blog.  This gives him influence among the casual hockey fan blog reader, whether he likes it or not.  What he writes resonates with a community of unique-minded individuals.

*Greg – I don't believe but someone can prove me wrong – does not profess to be a journalist, and is not held to the same Journalistic criteria as those members of the print and broadcast media.  He is a blogger, albeit one of the lucky few who get paid to talk about something they love for a living.

Okay, please jump for the Twitter log of Greg's realization and further understanding of the events as they unfold.  One more thing to keep in mind is that Greg has already written and published his Puck Daddy article at this time.

Roster Cut: Inside Deano's Office During the Kevin Westgarth Trade

What follows is a new feature called "Roster Cut" which will feature some of my Los Angeles Kings-centric articles that did not make the cut on Jewels From the Crown because they really had nothing to do with anything.  Basically, they were just fun to create, and I'd like to post them, and there is a lack of KC hockey news.  So yeah.  But, be aware of some fun stuff coming to LCOB in the near future.  It's a surprise, so just be patient and deal with it.

This first post places us inside Kings GM Dean Lombardi's office (he of columbs and truth seeking) as he tells seldom used enforcer Kevin Westgarth he will no longer be with the team.

My Announcer Could Beat Up Your Announcer

Bob Miller, Stanley Cup Champion

In case you need a delightful hockey tale about the "good ol' days" in your life right now, here you have it (link below).

Bob Miller, the play-by-play announcer of the Los Angeles Kings' since 1973, wrote a story a few weeks ago over at the LA Kings Insider site about a trip the Kings made to face the Scouts at Kemper Arena.  It's a delightful tale of the Scouts losing, but also has everything you want in a story about Kansas City: people throwing crap on a playing surface, lazy security guards, imposing jerks, and empty threats.

Anyway, it's a good story, if for no other reason because there are few people out there with a Scouts story.  By the way, both the Kings and Scouts played in something called the NHL, which I'm told is a former North American pro hockey league.

LA Kings Insider – There Used to be an Arena - Kemper Arena

The Best Ice Rink Concept, or the Best Ice Rink Concept? Also, a Programming Note

Your move, KC ICE.

Remember folks, new open air ice skating rinks are coming this late fall/early winter to an outdoor area near you.  The Plaza Ice Terrace, of course, but also the new rinks at Burlington Plaza in the Northland and KC Ice Center in Shawnee's new additional open air rink.  It's good stuff, you can be sure of that.  But, still, it's not that great.  Just look at that concept photo above.  I think it's pretty self-explanatory.  Not just one rink, but three.  On top of each other.  With a ferris wheel and Super Fun Happy Slide.  Especially, a Super Fun Happy Slide.  No matter it defies accepted laws of physics in some cases.  Then again, by pushing past proven standards and dreaming big, isn't that how we evolve as a society?  Yes, yes it is.

Also, a quick programming note:
You can now read my musings here AND at SB Nation's Los Angeles Kings hockey blog Jewels From the Crown.

REPEAT: I will still post here.  So yeah, ya take the good with the bad...

For quicker updates, follow my Twitter account (you can do this without your own Twitter account because TECHNOLOGY!) for more links to cool stuff, articles, hockey news, KC sports items, LA Kings musings (of course), etc. that don't make it to the blog post stage of production.

Hopefully soon, new contributor Nutbush will begin posting here.  He's a skilled Internet craftsmen, and you'll enjoy his stuff.  Or maybe you won't, I don't know.  But, we're just going to keep having fun here and keep pushing that boulder over the hill with you KC hockey fans until one day it goes over the hill and rolls away leaving a vibrant hockey town in its path of destruction.

As always, Puckchaser and NHL in KC have cool stuff for you to check out.  They have been doing one hell of a job for a long time, which is nearly seventy years in Internet time.  And Missouri Mavericks blog guy, your site is broken, and you should fix it.

Missouri Mavericks Pass the Cup to The LA Kings, or Something Like That

The Missouri Mavericks have a special message for the 2012 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings.

Via the Mavs YouTube account

This is pretty cool, especially since the Cup visited the IEC earlier this year.  Well, it's cool to me at least.  You should be happy for me.  You should be happy for you for being happy for me.

Willie Mitchell is the Happiest Person on this Planet (or Any Other)

Do you know who Willie Mitchell is?  You should.  He's awesome.

He's also the oldest member of the Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings at age 35, and he kinda looks like Non from Superman.  He had never won the Stanley Cup until the other day.  And dammit, he is one happy sonofabitch.  Don't take my word for it, though, just look at the pictures of him with the Cup.  You will enjoy it, trust me.

So, skate on over to the new Willie Mitchell Cup Love tumblr and submit your favorite Willie Mitchell photos with the Cup!

Also, submit photos you have found to add to the collection.  It's really easy, and free too!!!

The End of the 2011-12 Hockey Season

My favorite team just won the Stanley Cup.  I know you don't care, but I do.  There is no way to describe this feeling because I still don't quite understand what happened.  Surreal.  I can't comprehend this.  But I'm happy.  Very happy.  And I will probably break down crying tomorrow at work, then get sent home early.  If so, I'll write something more meaningful.  Until then, it's just whatever, man.  Dude, Kings.

Stanley Cup Finals: Why Should Kansas Citians Care?

Hey, Kansas Citian!  Yeah, you!  The Stanley Cup Finals between the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils start tonight.  Well, it's going on right now, but whatever.  Do you need a reason to watch the series?  Yes?  Okay then, how about a few Kansas City connections to get you warmed to these teams and maybe find a rooting interest.

New Jersey – Formerly the KC Scouts (1974-76), moved to Denver as the Rockies, then moved to their current home in Newark in 1982.  They have three Cup victories in five attempts (95, 00, and 03)

Los Angeles – Played an exhibition game at the Sprint Center the past three years.  The Sprint Center is owned and operated by the ownership group of the Kings, AEG.  They have zero Cup victories in one attempt (with Gretzky!).

Why you should really care: it's hockey, and once this series ends, it's the painful offseason (and the Royals will be hard to watch for the next four months, trust me).

This is as deep as it gets for a KC for primer fans, so.... yeah.

Might I also take this time to remind you of the Puck-O-Rama series that ran early this season where we helped you fine KC hockey fans without a team find the perfect KC-esque team to follow.  What were those choices again?

Florida Panthers – Southeast Division Champs, lost to Devils in first round
St. Louis Blues – Central Division Champs, lost in second round to Kings
Nashville Predators – Second place in Central Division, lost in second round to Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes – Pacific Division Champs, lost in conference finals to Kings
Los Angeles Kings – it escapes me at the moment...

New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche Come to Sprint Center October 6th!!!

Hell yeah, another NHL exhibition game!  This October 6th, Kansas City-area hockey fans will have the treat of seeing the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche play a late-preseason hockey game.  At the Sprint Center.  Here, in KANSAS CITY!!!  This is an interesting matchup between two teams that have absolutely no reason to come here to play a game (let's get the rumor started that the Avalanche are relocating, shall we?).  It's already been said and assumed, but this is the first game that does not feature the Blues (the club with the closest geographic proximity), the Kings (owned by AEG), or teams with a history of wanting to relocate (Islanders and Penguins–the Pens after the fact, of course).  This means, presumably, that the NHL and AEG are either a) continuing to test the waters in Kansas City to see just how popular the NHL brand is here or b) just giving us what we want.  I know I speak for all KC hockey fans when saying who gives a crap why we get another exhibition game here, I'm just glad we get one.  Also, OH WELL WHO CARES LOL HOCKEY!!!!!

The Distinguished Sports Observer's Guide to Avoiding the Words "Classless" and "Dirty"

Via ESPN

I hate to start anything with a “Webster’s Dictionary states...” style definition, but it has a point, so bear with me:

class*less
adjective
1. (of a society) not divided into social classes.

 Wait a minute, that’s not right.  Okay, maybe this is closer.

2. characterized by the absence of economic and social distinctions

 Not really, but kind of...wait, okay here we go:

class  

adjective 

informal: showing stylish excellence

Classless.  Without class.  Having no class.  Sans class.  The inability to show stylish excellence.  These are all ideas of classlessness.  In the sports world, classless relates to a direct and wiling attack against the rules with the intent of harming another player or the laws of the game.  Playing the game with a reckless disregard for all things good and just in the sport.  Playing outside of the box, in effect, is not allowed in the sports world.  Walter Sobchak would have made a great commissioner with the motto, “Am I the only one around here who gives a sh*t about the rules?”  But, if a player does this enough, or in a gloriously reckless way, they are labeled by the fans of that sports as a “cheat”, “dirty”, or “classless”.  In hockey it can range from anything from playing the puck from the bench, to making direct intentional contact with another player for the sake of injuring that player or to seek retribution, to sucker punching an opponent in the back of the head.  The NHL’s most recent talking point revolves around intent to injure, most notably, headshots and removing dangerous collisions. 

My Contribution to the "Doughty Laughing" Meme

LA Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was caught laughing at the chaos going on behind him during a scuffle in Game 2 of the Vancouver Canucks-Kings series.  This is important (as some people have pointed out) because it shows a more relaxed attitude than what the Kings had in their previous two playoff appearances.  But you don't need to know that.

What you need to know:

• Here is the original photo (also the header pic)
• Here is the video of the original photo
• Here is a gallery using the Doughty laughing image in situations where it otherwise would not be seen.

That's pretty much it.  After the jump, I have offered a few.

Great Moments In Illegal Ryane Clowe Poke Checking History

Via

As you might have seen or heard from last night's San Jose Sharks-Los Angeles Kings game, late in the game the Sharks forward Ryane Clowe reached over the boards to break up a Kings rush into the offensive zone.  This is illegal, but the problem is, none of the officials on the ice saw it happen.  The Sharks would go on to win in a shootout, and the winner of their game on Saturday now could determine who is the Pacific Division champion and gets the third seed in the Western Conference.

Video of the play below:

After doing a little research, I found out this isn't the first time Ryane Clowe has been involved in illegally using his stick.  Take a walk down memory lane, and see what else Clowe has done without the officials, or anyone, taking notice.

The Coaching Carousel, Brought to You By Teams that Fire Their Head Coach With Eighteen Games Left

But, really, Brian Burke?  I could give two pucks less if you have one Canadian on your team or three hundred, but damn, by this point in the season you might just want to ride the pony/coach that got you there and hope for the best.  Regardless, it's time once again for everyone's favorite fired/rehired coaches segment, the Coaching Carousel!

Oh, and it's in the air people, the smell of playoff hockey.  Can you smell it?  Don't take one big whiff, you may become lightheaded.  It permeates everything around you.  It's already upon you, there is no sense in hyperventilating yourself into unconsciousness trying to smell it.

But, maybe you can't smell it, or don't want to smell it.  Well, I know one thing that smells.  Some of the teams who have fired coaches this season.  As of now, EIGHT!!! coaches have been fired through three-quarters of the 2011-12 NHL regular season.  Compare that to two through this point last season.  Yep, two.  That is quite a few less than eight if you take time to really think about it.

Again, what follows is superficial data from each team who has fired old coaches and hired new coaches, comparing and contrasting a few stat categories of the teams playing under each coach.  It won't solve anything or help you in the dating world, but it may make you sound smart to people who don't follow hockey.  And really, isn't that all that matters?

I Like the NHL, But I Live in Kansas City. Please HELP!

Via

Have you recently come down with hockey fever for some reason, but you are unsure about which NHL team to cheer for during the upcoming season?!?!  Well, your ol’ friend Dr. Flubber is here with the remedy.  Over the next couple of days (or week or two) I will be listing the top 5, count ‘em FIVE, NHL teams for the locals to follow this season.  Maybe you will find a favorite team and start a long-lasting relationship, and get married to this team and live happily ever after.  Or not.  It is what you make of it.

There are no predictions.  No previews.  Just a simple way for Kansas Citians to get acclimated to some NHL teams that either have some connection to KC, have unstable ownership/low fan support, or other qualities area residents are used to in their sports viewing.  Basically, a team or franchise that could fit well in the city’s sports landscape.

Of course, this may be all for not since the entire area is full of Penguins fans, as evidenced the other night.  Hey, how about cheering for someone other than the Penguins.*  It will make you interesting at parties and junk.**  The first possible choice after the jump!

*The Penguins, obviously, are not one of the teams.

**Cheering for one of these teams will not necessarily make you interesting at parties.

Kansas City is Abuzz With Hockey-Related News

A day after the EPIC Kings-Pens overtime game that decided the best hockey team in the history of the world (or something), Kansas City has even more hockey news.  Even the KC Star is getting into the act, after the jump of course:

Kings vs. Penguins in Perspective, Plus Pictures!!!

Zamboni-mania!

Well, if you attended last night’s preseason game at the Sprint Center, you certainly got your money’s worth.  The Kings and Penguins tied 2-2 after regulation and a five-minute overtime, and went eight rounds into the shootout before deciding a winner.  Pittsburgh’s Matt Niskanen beat Jonathan Bernier in the shootout to seal it 3-2 for the Penguins and sent the KC hockey fans home relatively happy.

Politics, and Tim Leiweke, and struggling downtown businesses, and all of that nonsense aside, this kind of game is what makes Kansas Citians desperate for pro hockey.  

Kings Expected Lineup

From LA Kings Insider:

Penner-Richards-Hunter
King-Stoll-Brown
Nolan-Loktionov-Williams
Clifford-Lewis-Moreau

Scuderi-Johnson
Martinez-Greene
Drewiske-Voynov

Bernier
Quick

No Kopitar on that list, but still Richards, Penner, Brown, Williams, Stoll, Clifford, etc. etc.  The only players that may not make the team in some capacity are Trent Hunter, Dwight King, and Jordan Nolan (although he may have a shot after all).  Arguably, Voynov (depending on Doughty) and Lokti may start in Manchester, but this is a solid crew.  Plus, both of the goalies!

NHL Game is Sold Out

Kansas City Star:

The Sprint Center has announced that Tuesday night’s NHL preseason game between the Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins is a sellout. A limited number of standing-room-only tickets will be made available starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday. The standing-room tickets can be purchased for $11 at sprintcenter.com, at the Sprint Center box office or charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Seating capacity for hockey at the Sprint Center is 17,544, and the game will set an attendance mark for 2011 NHL preseason games played at neutral site, non-NHL venues in North America.

I looking forward to seeing the 17,543 of you fine folks out there tomorrow!

NHL Preseason Game This Tuesday

*Card is subject to change

Come one, come all to the annual NHL Preseason game at the Sprint Center!

Who: Los Angeles Kings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Where: Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
When: 7:00pm, Tuesday, September 27th
What:  NHL hockey, of course.
Why: AEG controls the Sprint Center and owns the Kings, and the Penguins used the Sprint Center as leverage to get a new arena in Pittsburgh.
How is it significant: Uh...it's really not.  But, it's hockey, and that's cool, right?

Obviously, as anyone who follows the NHL already knows, exciting young defenseman Drew Doughty will not be at the game due to contract negotiation issues.  Also, exciting (young!) forward Sidney Crosby is just beginning to hit the ice hard in the preseason, so he will not get have a working vacation to the Paris of the Plains.  Jim Fox, Los Angeles's television color commentator, asked after the 2010 Olympics why Crosby doesn't just retire.  At the age of 24, he already claims a gold medal (which he clinched) and a Stanley Cup finals victory, along with various other rewards.  But, you will have to go elsewhere to see him, Kansas Citians.

You can check out the Kings previous exhibition lineups courtesy of Rich Hammond over at LA Kings Insider here and here.  Divine what you will from the information given.  The Kings play the Avalanche in Denver on Wednesday night, so they may bring a semi-legit lineup and play them again the next night, or they may not.  Your guess is as good as mine.

Meanwhile, the Penguins preseason lineups (here, here and here) all seem to have their fair share of NHLers.  Malkin has played, along with Staal and a few other notables.  It's important to note that all of their games have been at home, so they could mix and match how they wanted.  Again, there is nothing saying that the big names won't make the trip, but nothing saying they will either.  The Pens play again on Friday.

I will be attending the game and hopefully will have a write up and some photos for you on Wednesday.

Hopefully the updated rosters come out tomorrow.

Buy tickets here.