Before you sit down to watch the Los Angeles Kings take on the Vancouver Canucks in the 1st game of their Playoff Series... kick back, open up a Coors Light Iced Tea and listen to a bunch of awesome people talk about the Kings and Canucks. 

Nothing screams playoff hockey like Coors Light Iced Tea.

First off... a few brand-new episodes of All The Kings Men Podcast. On the 1st Playoff Mega Pod... Jim Fox, Helene Elliott, Keith Korneluk of KingsCast and Greg Wyshynski from the Puck Daddy blog on Yahoo! Listen below or here.

On the 2nd Playoff Mega Pod... Daryl Evans, Missak Tokhmanian, Dennis Bernstein, Dave Joseph, The Mayor and Matt from Life in Hockeywood. Listen below or here.

And the final All The Kings Men Podcast Preview is with Celebrity Kings Fan John Ondrasik from 5 For Fighting and Celebrity Vancouver Canucks Bloggers Harrison Mooney and Daniel Wagner from Pass It To Bulis. Listen below or here.

As always, you can subscribe to All The Kings Men on iTunes. Well thank god that is all right? WELL WAIT.. THERE'S ONE MORE!!! I was honored to be asked by the fellows over at The Pensblog to be on their Playoff Preview Podcast since the Penguins are pretty much matched up against the best former LA Kings players in their 1st Round Series against the Philadelphia Flyers. You can listen to me kick off the action here or listen to it below.

And I have to say... this is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me... especially considering it's coming from the amazing Pensblog commentors known as the "C-Blog."

You like me. You really, really like me.

Even though she's played less games than Jeff Carter, Brigitte from One Girl, One Puck has been voted best newcomer at The Royal Half... finishing a few points ahead of Dustin Penner's Sad Face. You can check out her in-depth "Know Your Opponent" series here and here. You see, Brigitte is a young woman who can't afford a therapist to work out her issues with hockey players. So instead, she tackles her deep psychological issues by taking a look at the Los Angeles Kings opponent for this 1st Round Playoff Series... the incredibly good-looking Vancouver Canucks. I like to refer to her as the Dr. Ruth of The Royal Half... but you just might think she's crazy. Either way... enjoy reading Brigitte's thoughts on the Kings taking on the Canucks starting tonight in Vancouver.

Click Here to Check Out "Know Your Opponent" for the Kings vs Canucks 1st Round Series!!!

Because it's been nearly 2 years since the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks have met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs I thought it would be best to show the fans in Vancouver how much this Kings team has changed since April of 2010. In fact, a lot of players from that LA Kings team that finished with 101 points and was the 6th seed in West have come and gone. So I thought it would be helpful to the influx of Canucks fans who are suddenly taking an interest in the current Kings team to identify the players who are no longer with the team and those players that have replaced them on the roster. Especially because I'm not sure if they have the internet or NHL.com in Canada.

2010 PLAYER - JACK JOHNSON

6 Playoff Games
0 Goals, 7 Assists, -5

Jack Johnson was a Top 3 Draft Pick who seemed to struggle to fulfill his potential on the LA Kings blueline. He would show flashes of brilliance in one instance and then have complete defensive breakdowns the other. The player from the current LA Kings roster that best represents 2010 Jack Johnson is...

2010 JACK JOHNSON = 2012 DREW DOUGHTY

Click Here to See the Rest of the 2010 LA Kings and their 2012 Counterparts!!!

Earlier today, I appeared on the The Bill Good Show which airs on CKNW AM 980 in Vancouver. Bill Good was on assignment (or he smartly refused to talk to hockey bloggers) so instead Mike Smyth chatted with myself and JJ Guerrero from Canucks Hockey Blog as we previewed the upcoming Canucks-Kings series. And since I predicted a Canucks win in 7... I'm apparently now a Canadian Folk Hero.

props to @theroyalhalf for picking the Canucks to beat the Kings.even if it was only because he was on canadian radio

— big ticket (@Crookswood) April 9, 2012

So the Los Angeles Kings tanked the last 2 games of the regular season so that they may play against the one opponent they match up best against... the Presidents Trophy winner and last year's Stanley Cup Finalist, Vancouver Canucks??? Man... the LA Kings can't even lose right!

We are busy here at The Royal Half getting our Playoff Preview ready... and we better make it quick since this series is going to go by fast. Except for the 3 days between Game 3 and 4. So expect some fun stuff from myself, Indiana Matt and Brigitte from One Girl, One Puck... especially because we love making fun of the Vancouver Canucks and their fans.

I guess this is now Season 2.

In the meantime... check out one of the greatest TRH posts of all time... my trip up to Vancouver where I watched the Los Angeles Kings win Game 3 of the 2010 1st Round with my blogger buddy Benched Whale.

Maybe I'm crazy... but somehow I don't equate missing the call on an accidental high stick or the malfunction of an electronic device as on the same level as a player who is sitting on the bench, reaching over with his stick and interfering with a live puck that is part of a developing 3 on 2 with less than 3 minutes left in a 5-5 game that just happens to be the 81st of the season. In case you missed it, here are a couple other angles of Ryane Clowe's poke check from the bench tonight.

In fact, I'm starting to think that maybe the Los Angeles Kings should just stay away from all stick-related incidents late in important games.

But hey... the Los Angeles Kings are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 3rd consecutive season for the 1st time since 1999-2002. And you know what that means...

Threat Level WEBSTER, bitches.

Speaking of former LA Kings Head Coach Tom Webster and stick-related incidents...

#1 with a bullet... er... javelin.

The final All The Kings Men Podcast of the 2011-2012 Regular Season comes in 3... count them 3 different flavors!

There is the Full Length version which includes a Sharks-Kings preview with Jason Plank from Fear The Fin and a conversation with Meg Jarrell from Kings Court. There is the Abridged Version which does not feature the conversation with Fear the Fin... so screw those guys from Northern California.  Or, if you love Northern California you can listen to "The Other Half - Sharks" for the conversation with Fear the Fin by itself.

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

Game #81

LA KINGS
40-27-13
93 pts, 3rd in Western Conference
vs
SAN JOSE SHARKS
41-29-10
92 pts, 8th in Western Conference

Season Series Tied 2-2

7:30pm, Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA
PRIME TICKET

BEST PLAYERS FROM THE 1991 SMYTHE DIVISION CHAMPION TEAM TO WEAR BOTH COLORS:

BEST OPPOSITION BLOGS:
Fear the Fin
Battle of California

ARE THE LA KINGS IN THE PLAYOFFS?
YES.

Holy shit... Game 81. The last regular season home game for the Los Angeles Kings. Let's be honest, if the Kings lose both of their games against the San Jose Sharks Thursday and Saturday... it could be their last home game of the 2011-2012 NHL Season. I can't stand Northern California and that means I can't stand the Grateful Dead... but wow... what a long, strange trip this season's been. And now the LA Kings only need 1 point to make the playoffs and if they win both these games against the Sharks they'll probably win their 1st Division Title since 1991. You all remember 1991, right?

"They watched together Friday night: Bruce McNall, the man who brought Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles, and Gretzky, the man who was the key to bringing the Kings the first division title in their 24-year history.

And when it was over, when the Edmonton Oilers had beaten the Calgary Flames, 6-5, in overtime, to eliminate the Flames from the division race and hand the Smythe title to the Kings, they both spoke from McNall's home.

"I'm excited to bring the first Smythe Division championship to Los Angeles," McNall said "This is the first step toward the ultimate goal, to bring a Stanley Cup to the many fans. I'm proud of all the players, coaches and staff for what they have done to provide a championship."

Gretzky said he was "extremely excited to finish first. We worked hard all year to achieve this goal. Whether we play Edmonton or Vancouver in the first round is not the biggest reason for finishing first. It was to get pride, tradition and history started for this organization. That was the most important reason. Eventually, you've got to play the best team to win the Cup anyway."

Dave Taylor, finishing his 14th season as a King, dedicated this first title to "all of the players who have worn Kings colors over the years."

Oh hello, my youth.

So what were the current LA Kings players doing in 1991 while the LA Kings were clinching the Smythe Division?

1 year-old Drew Doughty was wearing out his tape player listening to Ten.

4 month-old Kyle Clifford was getting the inspiration for the man he'd become today.

Dean Lombardi was getting on-the-job training as the assistant general manager
to Jack Ferreira for the expansion San Jose Sharks.

8 year-old Dustin Penner was jerking off to Blossom.

And two 6 year-old boys learned what it means to be best friends.

Just get a point tonight, Kings. And try not to have to play Vancouver in the 1st Round. Or St. Louis.

It's a brand-new episode of All The Kings Men where Podmaster General Jesse Cohen and myself take a look at tonight's big match-up between the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers with Scott Reynolds from the notorious Jack Johnson Hating Blog, The Copper & Blue.

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

Game #80

LA KINGS
39-27-13
91 pts, 3rd in Western Conference
vs
EDMONTON OILERS
32-38-9
73 pts, 14th in Western Conference

Oilers lead Season Series 2-1

7:30pm, Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA
PRIME TICKET

BEST PLAYER TO WEAR BOTH COLORS THAT IF HE HAD STAYED WITH THE KINGS
THIS SEASON HE WOULD BE THE KINGS 4TH OVERALL SCORER AND TIED FOR 3RD IN GOALS:

BEST OPPOSITION BLOGS:
JeanShorts and BaggedMilk
Oilers Nation
Oilers Jambalaya
Lowetide

ARE THE LA KINGS IN THE PLAYOFFS?
YES.

It's another Monday night game for the Los Angeles Kings... and I'm totally unprepared for a Gameday Thread. Thankfully, Brigitte over at One Girl, One Puck has a brand-new edition of her column that is sweeping Kings Nation... "Know Your Opponent." And with this weeks post, we now know that Brigitte is a perfect fit for The Royal Half... because she makes fun of Indiana Matt!!!

Click Here to Check Out "Know Your Opponent" for the Kings vs Oilers Game on Monday, April 2nd!!!