As the Los Angeles Kings begin their 10 day, 6 game road trip that could conceivably dictate what moves they will make at the trading deadline... there is really only one big question that us fans have to answer at the start of this road trip:
Man, was that the craziest thing you've ever seen in a hockey game or what???
No... I see that crazy mug every hockey game.
No... I said "craziest" thing not "sexiest" thing.
Okay... I give you that. But I was talking about another crazy-looking thing that happened in this game.
Enough with your guesses. Obviously the craziest thing that happened in the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Staples Center Wednesday night was this:
Dustin Penner scored a goal!
Oh, right... and this happened too.
If you are having a hard time understanding what Jim Fox and Patrick O'Neal are saying to each other at the end, let me translate:
Seriously, though... how amazing is it that Fox Sports West HD even did this kind of analysis at the end of the game? If this were Fox Sports Pittsburgh, that video evidence would have been burned and then shredded immediately after the goal. Obviously the players knew that something was about to blow up because they were literally running out of Staples Center to catch their plane to St. Louis.
Drew Doughty didn't even have enough time to take his helmet off before putting headphones on for an interview. There is your season ticket money at work, fans.
After the game, Drew Doughty was able to slip into the head covering he is much more comfortable in.
Unfortunately what was lost in all the time-clock madness was the fact that the LA Kings played awful against the 30th ranked team that had lost the night before 6-0. That... and photos of Jon Quick at the All Star Game!!!
Here is Jon Quick looking awkward.
Here is Jon Quick trying to look like a gangster but instead just looking awkward.
"Hey there son, my name is Marc Crawford."
"Yeah, I know... I played for you."
"Right! You're the guy I started Jason LaBarbera and Erik Ersberg over. So... what's been happening. Still in the league?"
OMG... Luc Robitaille's youngest son is so freakin' cute!!! I'm sorry what? Jim Fox who?
And just when you thought this clock-stoppage issue couldn't get any nerdier.... this happens:
Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi said via email that the clock was correct and no extra time had been added.
“Those clocks are sophisticated instruments that calculate time by measuring electrical charges called coulombs,” he said. “Given the rapidity and volume of electrons that move through the measuring device the calibrator must adjust at certain points which was the delay you see. The delay is just recalibrating for the clock moving too quickly during the 10 – 10ths of a second before the delay.
“This insures that the actual playing time during a period is exactly 20 minutes. That is not an opinion. That is science. Amazing device quite frankly."
Goddamn, I love my GM.
Dean Lombardi is such a bad-ass that sometime it just makes me want to scream.
Look how fast Justin Williams is skating over to be the 1st to grab Drew Doughty's junk.
6 games in 10 days on the road. Where you are sitting for the 2011-2012 NHL playoffs is decided right here. Why do I feel like we've been here before?
Matt over at Life in Hockeywood has started a Kings Blogger Prediction Panel in the spirit of what the Ottawa Citizen likes to do in order to keep their season interesting. (Offer not valid during the 2011-2012 season apparently.) So, here are 7 LA Kings Blogger Predictions for tonight's exciting Kings-Blue Jackets contest.
The Royal Half Score: Blue Jackets 2, Kings 1, SO Reason: After watching the Columbus Blue Jackets lose 6-0 to the San Jose Sharks Monday night… I'm fully prepared for them to beat the LA Kings 2-1 in a shootout.
Jon Gillette from Rink Royalty Score: Kings 4, Blue Jackets 1 Reason: The Kings have had 9 days to reflect on their poor performance and have to be itching to get out there and show everyone that they're ready to kick some ass down the stretch and grab the Pacific Division.
Quisp from Jewels From the Crown Score: Kings 3, Blue Jackets 2, SO. Reason: it's a 3-2 league.
Bobby Scribe from Surly and Scribe Score: Kings 3, Blue Jackets 1 Reason: dun dun dun dundun dun dun dun dundun dun dun dun dundun dundundun JACKETS SUCK!
Meg Jarrell from Kings Court Score: Kings 3, Blue Jackets 1 Reason: The Kings play the day before Groundhog Day, and I'm convinced the boys didn't see their shadow during the All-Star break.
Paul Armbruster from Deep Inside the Kings Score: Kings 3, Jackets 1 Reason: Rust vs. Must: Kings struggle early, trying to find their legs, while the boys from Ohio play desperate 'must win' hockey after being embarrassed last night. In the end, the Kings do just enough to squeak out a win after scoring an empty netter with under a minute to go.
Matt Murray from Life In Hockeywood Score: Kings 2, Blue Jackets 1, SO Reason: All season, the Kings haven't been scoring. I doubt they will have solved that glaring issue over the past nine days... Quick will continue to shine, however.
What say you? Put your predictions in the comments, yo.
DUSTIN PENNER - OILERS GP 304 / GOALS 93 / ASSISTS 93 / POINTS 186 / POINTS PER GAME .61
And now... his stats once he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings.
DUSTIN PENNER - KINGS GP 47 / GOALS 5 / ASSISTS 12 / POINTS 17 / POINTS PER GAME .36
POINTS PER GAME DIFFERENTIAL - .25
In the span of almost 12 months, Dustin Penner has gone from a .61 points per game player... to a .36 points per game player. And that got me thinking... it couldn't just be Former Coach Terry Murray or Current Coach Darryl Sutter's offensive system that is causing this, can it? As a 20+ year Los Angeles Kings fan, I feel that since the Wayne Gretzky trade... every time this team has traded for a player that is supposed to come to Los Angeles and contribute offensively... it has only ended horribly. So, I decided to investigate.
I wish there was some way to visually represent how I felt seeing the Los Angeles Kings score 4 goals against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference in person.
Honestly, if it wasn't for this game... I wouldn't even know that the Ottawa Senators existed.
Seriously, when have you ever seen Jim Fox telestrate during a fight?
Since I know nothing about Ottawa, I turned to the two guys who do. DanyHeatleySpeedwagon is both an All-Star of blogging and tweeting. And he's going to be tweeting live from the All-Star game in Ottawa, so check him out this weekend. Here are his thoughts on the Senators season so far.. and what he knows about the LA Kings.
The Senators are tied for 4th in the Eastern conference with 60 points, nowhere near where anyone thought they would be at the start of the season. (Hint: where everyone thought they would be, including their fans, is the basement.) They've been rather impressive lately, winning 10 of their last 13. Less impressive is the fact 2 of their 3 losses came against the Thrashers Jets and the Ducks. (And we all know how much the Ducks suck, am I right?) Also noteworthy is the Senators just recently got their goal differential into positive territory. For a team in 5th place in the conference and near the top of the league in goals scored, that might have surprised you. (Go Eastern Conference!)
My impressions of the Kings this season are: I thought they were supposed to be better than 7th place. (Relax, I know they're getting better.) From what I understand, since they fired their coach and brought in Darryl Sutter the team has rebounded from a slow start and they are starting to pick up momentum in the West. Since they're currently in possession of a playoff spot, I'm sure they'll lose the game because the Senators only have trouble playing against teams that don't have to save themselves for spring time hockey.
BONUS THOUGHTS: I like the Kings black jerseys and despise that they play in the Western Time Zone since I'll be very tired for work on Tuesday morning.
Thanks DHSpeedwagon! And now, from uber-Senators fan and writer at Silver Seven Sens, here is RyanClassic's perspective on seeing a game live at Staples Center... which he did New Years Eve against the Vancouver Canucks!
So, have you ever wondered what it's like to be an Ottawa Senators fan? I'm being silly, of course you haven't. I mean, who wants to think about what it's like to be a fan of Canada's least-favourite franchise? Well, I do. Because I'm an Ottawa Senators fan. I don't actually live in Ottawa (I live in Vancouver). I haven't lived there in a good eight years. And that's just how I like it. I like my team. They're fun. They make more comebacks I love being a fan of a team that's nowhere near where I live. Except that I wear a Colorado Avalanche hat around town. I mean, who wants to be seen wearing THAT logo?
On New Year's Eve, I had the pleasure of attending a Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings game at the Staples Center, and I left with a few takeaways:
1. Staples Center is HUGE. You could get lost just walking on the concourse. Ever been to HP Pavilion? It's about a third the size of Staples. Sitting in the top row, I'm pretty sure I could see space.
2. Nobody likes the Los Angeles Clippers. Lakers banners? Check. Kings banners? Check. Sparks banners? Pretty sure I saw them. But Clippers? Nowhere to be found.
3. Gene Simmons was on the Kiss Cam. I can't say how much that amused me. Then this one guy in front of us was trying to mock Canadians by asking out loud "when's the last time Gene Simmons went to a Canucks home game?" Well, three weeks later...
4. You guys really don't like Drew Doughty anymore. Yikes.
5. If you're going to go to a game in Southern California, go to Staples. Have you ever been to the Honda Center? It's a black pit that sucks away souls. Staples is where it's at.
BONUS THOUGHTS: I once lived with an Oilers fan who printed this out and dedicated our fridge:
Well, there you have it. An informed primer on the Ottawa Senators direct from the fans of Canada's 7th favorite hockey team. Us Kings fans can laugh at the Ottawa Senators all we want... but they still have the same amount of Stanley Cup Final appearances as our favorite team does.
With a Goals Per Game average of 2.12 the Los Angeles Kings are on pace to score 173.84 goals this season which would be their lowest total goals scored since the 2008-2009 season with 202. You all remember that year, don't you?
I was really impressed with the maturity level I saw during Thursday night's broadcast of the Los Angeles Kings game against the Calgary Flames. Fox Sports West HD did not fill the entire broadcast with mindless chatter about Darryl Sutter and Brent Sutter coaching against each other for the 2nd time.
No, instead they focused on the Sons of the Sutter Brothers.
Anyone have photos of Darryl and Brent's wives? Because I'm pretty sure Brett and Brandon got their looks from their moms.
The broadcast also featured the Sutter Brothers who decided to rebel and not play hockey. Or maybe these are the Avett Brothers. I'm not sure.
Who are we kidding? Of course Fox Sports West HD couldn't help themselves.
I can't think of anything funnier to write than what is already in this picture.
"Hey Scuds... did you know that this is only the..."
"I swear to god, Drew. If you tell me one more time that this is only the 2nd time Darryl and Brent Sutter have coached against each other... I will punch you in the face."
Way to get Darryl's record with the Kings correct there, HNIC.
Hey, did you guys know that former LA King Mike Cammalleri got traded back to the Calgary Flames?
Hey, did you guys know that Dustin Penner likes pancakes?
So is Gene Principe the Carrot Top of Canada sideline reporters?
Hey, did you guys know that the boys at Kingscast are really, really funny?
I would have added "Boy, what a Stanley Cup parade, huh?"
Tonight is Darryl Sutter's 15th game as the Head Coach of the Los Angeles Kings. And this is why the fans are starting to love him. From Rich Hammond:
Sutter, known as a hard-nosed player during eight seasons as a forward for the Chicago Blackhawks, was asked about Hall’s accident and players going without helmets and came up with this gem…
SUTTER: “They can wear wigs and sunglasses. I don’t care, as long as they’re ready."
Obviously, Darryl Sutter doesn't know his LA Kings history.
