Oh man, oh man... even 2 days later it's still hard to believe that the Los Angeles Kings are in the Stanley Cup Finals Final. And if you've been a frequent listener of the All The Kings Men Podcast... you know that Podmaster General Jesse Cohen and I still can't believe it... and that John Hoven from Mayor's Manor knew it all along. Take a ride with the 3 of us as we breakdown the Game 5 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes that has earned the LA Kings an enormous amount of respect from all of the hockey world.

I love that it says "Alex Kopitar" not only in the body of the page but also on the header at the top.

Check the latest All The Kings Men here, subscribe to it on iTunes or listen below.

And also be sure to check out Jesse Cohen's exclusive chat with Jim Fox about the Kings improbable Stanley Cup run.

I wish there was some way to visually describe how I'm feeling right now...

Nope.

Closer.

Nailed it.

The Los Angeles Kings are Stanley Cup Finalists. Man... let that soak in for a while. Or at least long enough for Jesse Cohen and I to talk about it one hour after it happened. Listen below.

GAME #5

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 3-1

6:00pm, Jobing.Com Arena
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!

Man... I feel really guilty saying this... but I totally didn't expect to write a Gameday Post for a Game 5. Thank god for Indiana Matt, huh?

No matter when you started following this team... we can all agree on one thing...
GO KINGS GO!!! 

Sure, it was a classy move by the Los Angeles Kings organization to invite the Alumni of the 2011-2012 Regular Season team to Staples Center for Game 4... but honestly... who cares? I got to take my Dad to Round 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. And that's pretty cool.

Honestly... this photo above is the second most awesome photo that involves my Dad and hockey...

This is the first.

Seriously... there are SO MANY amazing things going on in this photo.

UPDATE: The LA Kings have responded.

@theroyalhalf We're 0-1 when you bring your dad.

— LA Kings (@LAKings) May 22, 2012

A little behind on these... but here are the All The Kings Men Podcast Game 2 and Game 3 recaps in which you can hear myself, Podmaster General Jesse Cohen and John Hoven from Mayor's Manor do the radio equivalent of shitting ourselves.

Game 2 Recap:

Game 3 Recap:

As always, check All The Kings Men here or subscribe to it on iTunes.

GAME #4

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 3-0

12:00pm, Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA
NBC

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!

What happens when there is a noon start for Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals and you want to write a detailed Gameday Post but you are constantly told by the Los Angeles Kings to arrive at 7am in an effort to avoid traffic? 

This is what happens.

I gotta leave for the game, folks. So here are a bunch of awesome photoshops from Indiana Matt celebrating Brad Doty's Drew Doughty's takedown of Shane Doan.

And a brand new Ironsight Design/Indiana Matt TRH T-Shirt has been unveiled celebrating the latest playoff rookie sensation!

Buy your Dwight King shirt here.

In creating the Dwight King t-shirt, we here at TRH noticed one peculiar thing.

Dwight King makes crazy faces.

I'm taking my Dad to the game today so I may not be Tweeting as much during the game because he'll keep asking me why I am constantly checking my email on my phone. The last Playoff game we went to together was in 1992 when the Los Angeles Kings lost their 1st Round series against the Edmonton Oilers 4-2. I'm pretty sure he won't think the game has changed one bit.

GO KINGS GO!

GAME #3

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 2-0

6:00pm, Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA
NBC SN

BEST SLASH BY A GOALIE IN THE ORGANIZATION:

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!

I wish there was some way to visually represent how Los Angeles Kings fans are feeling right now, up 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals and 10-1 overall in the 2012 Playoffs...

Nope.

Close.

Closer.

Really, really close.

Nailed it.

That's right... the only thing more rare than a Los Angeles King playoff victory... is a smile from Darryl Sutter. But lo and behold... after Jeff Carter scored his 3rd goal of the night in the 4-0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes in Game 2... the closest thing to a unicorn riding the White Whale was seen on national television. Now that the Kings are the talk of the town, I'm just glad that the local NBC affiliate issued a public apology for its embarrassing mix-up of the LA Kings logo.

Whoops.

Thanks to Tim at Ironsight Design... I have a feeling that the LA Kings are going to be changing their logo yet again.

Boy... this series has been quite the goalie matchup, hasn't it?

How stoned does Jon Quick look in that photo?

I would like the NHL to institute a policy that a goalie must have 
2 good seasons before being labeled an "Elite Goaltender."

Seriously, you could literally could fit a beachball in there.

Is it me... or did Jarret Stoll get a tan during the 1st two games in Phoenix?

Oh.. I'm sorry... I was confusing him with Dwight King. Speaking of Dwight King...

Suck it, Shuchuk.
awesomeness via Tim at Ironsight Design

Listen to myself, Podcaster General Jesse Cohen and John Hoven from Mayor's Manor wax philosophically about Dwight King being The Right King and all things related to the recap of Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. Check it out here, subscribe to it on iTunes or you can listen below.

It's the All-Star team of Los Angeles Kings pundits! A brand-new All The Kings Men Podcast with myself, Podmaster General Jesse Cohen, The Mayor, Keith Korneluk from KingsCast and Matt from Life in Hockeywood talking about the Kings 3-2 victory in Game 1 and a preview of Game 2. Check it out here, subscribe to it on iTunes or you can listen below.

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.