GAME #2

LA KINGS
40-27-15
95 pts, 8th in Western Conference, 13th in NHL
vs
PHOENIX COYOTES
42-27-13
97 pts, 3rd in Western Conference, 11th in NHL

Regular Season Series Tied 3-3

Kings Lead Playoff Series 1-0

6:00pm, Jobing.Com
Glendale, AZ
NBC SN

BEST PLAYER TO WEAR BOTH COLORS:

BEST OPPOSITION BLOG:
Five For Howling

BEST COYOTES FANS TO FOLLOW ON TWITTER:
Carl Putnam
Hipchecks
Yotesgurl

ARE THE LA KINGS IN THE NEXT ROUND?
NO!

Now that the Kings are the talk of the hockey world, so many fans and media outlets across Los Angeles and North America are jumping onto the bandwagon. I have absolutely no problem with this... I think having as many people as possible cheer for your favorite team is a great thing. So to help out all the new fans and media who are following the Kings for the first time... I thought I'd put together a helpful little primer so that you can understand who is whom on this team.

The Kings are led by Anze Kopitar... a tall, European center that plays his best when he uses his body to drive to the net.

PHOTO: #11 Anze Kopitar

Jeff Carter has been known around the league as a "bad boy"... but since arriving in a mid-season trade he's been a big reason for the increase in the Kings offense.

PHOTO: #77 Jeff Carter

Drew Doughty is one of the youngest stars on the Kings and over the summer he signed a large contract that has been a bit of a distraction during the season.

PHOTO: #8 Drew Doughty

Although considered a bust during most of the Regular Season, Dustin Penner is finally showing Kings fans the type of player he can be in and around the net.

PHOTO: #25 Dustin Penner

And probably the most important player on the Kings, Jon Quick has shown fans and media around the world just how solid he can be during these playoffs.

PHOTO: #32 Jon Quick

So there you have it... a quick look at the hottest Los Angeles-based team that is currently in the playoffs. Right KNBC?

Right.

Now unlike most of you reading this... I've been a fan of the Kings for a long time. So if it were up to me, I'd love to see the team wear their classic purple and gold jerseys just once during this improbable playoff run.

GO KINGS GO!!!

GAME #1

LA KINGS
40-27-15
95 pts, 8th in Western Conference, 13th in NHL
vs
PHOENIX COYOTES
42-27-13
97 pts, 3rd in Western Conference, 11th in NHL

Regular Season Series Tied 3-3

Sunday
5:00pm, Jobing.Com
Glendale, AZ
NBC SN

BEST PLAYER TO WEAR BOTH COLORS THAT PLAYED
IN THE 3RD ROUND FOR THE KINGS IN 1993:

BEST PLAYER THAT LOOKS LIKE ANDY DWYER FROM PARKS AND RECREATION:

BEST PLAYER THAT WAS NEARLY TRADED FOR RYAN SMYTH:

BEST PLAYER THAT WAS TRADED FOR RYAN SMYTH:

WHAT RYAN SMYTH IS DOING RIGHT NOW:

BEST OPPOSITION BLOG:
Five For Howling

BEST COYOTES FANS TO FOLLOW ON TWITTER:
Carl Putnam
Hipchecks
Yotesgurl 

ARE THE LA KINGS IN THE NEXT ROUND?
NO!

There is no time to blog. I've got a plane to Phoenix to catch. Take it from here, Indiana Matt and Tim from Ironsight Design!!!

Yup. Dustin Penner has been playing like a total bear this series.

The Royal Half will be on the ground in Phoenix Glendale, AZ. I'll be Tweeting from Game 1 so if you don't already follow me on Twitter... then you probably never will.

Podcaster General Jesse Cohen is killing the time before the Los Angeles Kings begin their 3rd Round Series (I'm sorry, it's just so hard to write that each time) against the Phoenix Coyotes by Podcasting his little heart out. So I guess what I'm saying is that there is a plethora of brand-new episodes of All The Kings Men available right now!

First, Jesse and I talk with Carl Putnam from the Coyotes blog, Five For Howling, about the upcoming series and his unusual habit of rooting for sports teams all across this great nation of ours.

Then, Jesse and I talk about the upcoming 3rd Round Matchup (I'm sorry... but it just feels SO weird) with Dennis Bernstein from The Fourth Period. You can listen to that by clicking here.

And finally... Jesse goes on an solo interview tear with Jim Fox, Darryl Evans and LA Kings Super-Fan, John Ondrasik (aka Five For Fighting).

And for anyone wondering what I'll be up to this weekend... well, here is a sneak peak:

When I asked Brigitte from One Girl, One Puck to write a "Know Your Opponent" for the Los Angeles Kings against the Vancouver Canucks... she thought it would be a fun one-time gig. Then when she wrote another one for the St. Louis Blues series... she thought that Jordan Nolan had a better chance of scoring a goal than writing one for Round 3. Well... here we are... and Brigitte probably thinks the Virgin Mary herself has a better chance of bleeding from her eyes than the LA Kings do advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Close enough.

Click Here to Check Out "Know Your Opponent" for the Kings vs Coyotes 3rd Round Series!!!

Well, when Jesse said we were going to continue podcasting all throughout the 2012 NHL Playoffs... I had no idea it would be regarding the Los Angeles Kings! So now that the LA Kings are advancing to the 3rd Round (!) against the Phoenix Coyotes, it's a brand-new episode of All The Kings Men with myself , Podcaster General Jesse Cohen and The Mayor John Hoven. And I'm pretty sure we spent the entire podcast talking about this video:

Check it out here, subscribe to it on iTunes or you can listen below.

Remember... you can't spell "t-shirts" without TRH. So as the Los Angeles Kings head into the 3rd Round of the NHL Playoffs for the first time since 1993... show your team pride with a little sass. From the minds of The Royal Half, Indiana Matt and Tim from Ironsight Design... presenting the brand-new 2012 TRH Playoff Collection!!!

Specially priced at $14.93!
Get it? 93!

In special playoff tribute to the truest unsung hero on the LA Kings... we present the latest addition to our "I HEART LA KINGS PLAYERS" line...

Colin is so honored he's crying. Again.

And the best t-shirt ever created from a totally inside joke on All The Kings Men Podcast!

You can check out all of our TRH-shirts at The Royal Half Gift Shoppe. Order now so you can wear them with pride in the 3rd Round. Honestly... I never thought I'd get a chance to say that.

Awesome LA Kings fan The Mouth is doing the Lords work today...

If u dont remember the last time the #lakings saw the 3rd round. Heres video from rounds 1 thru 3 in '93 from yours truly back in the day...

— The Mouth (@TheMouthLAKings) May 7, 2012

Kings 6, Flames 3
Kings 4, Flames 9
Flames 5, Kings 2
Flames 1, Kings 3
Kings 9, Flames 4
Flames 6, Kings 9

Kings 2, Canucks 5
Kings 6, Canucks 3
Canucks 4, Kings 7
Canucks 7, Kings 2
Kings 4, Canucks 3 OT
Canucks 3, Kings 5

Kings 1, Maple Leafs 4
Kings 3, Maple Leafs 2
Maple Leafs 2, Kings 4
Maple Leafs 4, Kings 2
Kings 2, Maple Leafs 3 OT
Maple Leafs 4, Kings 5 OT
Kings 5, Maple Leafs 4

I love how Mike Richards leans over and says "act like you been there before."

Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown is the 2nd Greatest Hug in Los Angeles Kings history.

This is the 1st.

GAME #4

LA KINGS
40-27-15
95 pts, 8th in Western Conference, 13th in NHL
vs
ST. LOUIS BLUES
49-22-11
109 pts, 2nd in Western Conference, 3rd in NHL

Kings Won Regular Season Series 3-1

Kings Lead Playoff Series 3-0

12:00pm (!), Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA
NBC

BEST 2ND ROUND QUOTE BY DARRYL SUTTER:

Darryl Sutter, asked about the early start time, shrugged and told the media about his sleepwear.

SUTTER: “I just fold my pajamas, and that’s it.’’

These are courtesy of Tim from Ironsight Design.

BEST OPPOSITION BLOGS:
St. Louis Game Time
Thrashing the Blues

ARE THE LA KINGS IN THE NEXT ROUND?
NO!

Sunday's Game 4 against the St. Louis Blues is the Los Angeles Kings 99th game of the 2011-2012 NHL Season. That's right, 8 pre-season, 82 regular season and 9 post-season games. So since the fans of the St. Louis Blues haven't had much to be cheering about these past few games, myself and Spike Coffman, producer of The Fourth Period Radio Show on XM Home Ice and The Royal Half's In-House 1990s LA Kings Historian, have decided to put something together for Blues fans that they haven't seen in a while... a recap of a St. Louis victory against the LA Kings!

March 18th, 1996.
Wayne Gretzky returns to Los Angeles.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ROYAL HALF RECAP OF BLUES-KINGS FROM MARCH 18th, 1996!!!

After a brief hiatus to soak in the Los Angeles Kings 2 victories on the road against the St. Louis Blues, the All The Kings Men Post-Game Show is back! Podcaster General Jesse Cohen, The Mayor John Hoven and I have a late-night discussion about the Kings 4-2 Game 3 victory that has put this team 1 win away from advancing to the 3rd Round for the 1st time since... well... 1993.

Oh... hey guys.

Check it out here, subscribe to it on iTunes or you can listen below.

And it's a Two for Saturday! That's right... Jesse and I were invited to appear on the Jets HockeyPodcast over at Winnipeg Whiteout. Which just proves my theory that EVERYONE is rooting for the Los Angeles Kings right now. Give it a listen by clicking here.