Which one these following Los Angeles Kings Olympians acted like they'd been there before?

"Oh boy, Lombardi's gonna have a field day with this one."

 

"Gold sure is more purdy than silver."

 

"Big boy handshake. Strong hands, look 'em in the eye."

 

Your NHL leader in wins.

That's right. Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jon Quick made it onto the ice for the Olympic Medal presentation looking like Waldo had slept over at Freddy Krueger's house and needed to borrow something to wear the next morning. I'm sure Quick will look much better with that Silver Medal around his neck.

Somewhere in Milford, Connecticut... Jon Quick's mother sheds a tear.

Congrats to all the Los Angeles Kings who brought home medals and to Canada and the USA for putting on a Gold Medal game for the ages. Only 2 hours until the NHL Trade Deadline un-freezes... and all hell breaks loose.

As sports fans in Los Angeles, we all have shared experiences that we can never forget. For me, it's been Wayne Gretzky's Game 7 hat trick that sent the Kings to the Finals. Or Kirk Gibson limping to home plate to win Game 1 of the World Series. I wish I could have a Laker analogy to finish this (rule of 3's, people) but I don't really like basketball. But the big game today isn't just about a bunch of rabid sports fans watching their favorite local sports team... this is the Olympics. This is the world stage. And for all of our sarcasm and cynicism in regards to what's going on in the world today... for a few hours... it all goes away as people across North America and the world will get together to watch a game. 1 single game, winner takes all. People who have never seen a hockey game will turn on their tv's to watch... or be at a bar, hugging strangers when their country scores. And for one glorious Sunday in February... hockey will have the attention of the world. And then tomorrow... it's back to being below Nascar.

 

 

To celebrate this momentous occasion, I've put together an Olympic round-table discussion over at The Olympic Hockey Blog. It's filled with sarcasm and cynicism and you can see it here. To watch the game, I'll be venturing out of The Royal Half Headquarters to Capital City Sports Bar in Hollywood. If you are there, come by and say hi. I'll be the one on stilts wearing an Uncle Sam outfit.

Nailed it!

 

For the last few seasons, I've been an active participant in the NHL's Fan Face Off, which advertises itself as "a place where you can have your voice heard on the latest NHL player trade, the rules of the game or your favorite team's schedule." Or as I like to call it... "a free focus group for the NHL." But I take my role as free focus group member very seriously... and I always take the time to fill out their surveys and make sure that I'm constantly writing in "Anze Kopitar" as the best current player in the NHL. (If I didn't take it so seriously I would write in Teddy Purcell.) So imagine my surprise last week when I get the NHL Fan Face Off Olympic-themed survey and saw this:

 

49 names. And nere nary 1 of them a Los Angeles King.

Look, I'm realistic. I understand that the Los Angeles Kings aren't exactly household names across the NHL and with its fans. Maybe making it to the playoffs once in the last 6 seasons would change that. And I honestly would have been surprised to see Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson or Jon Quick listed here as a player that someone would be following during the Olympics. But with the media orgy that has been 20-Year-Old Drew Doughty this NHL season... you would have thought he'd make it on this list before... well, I don't know... Miroslav Satan or Marco Sturm?

 

 

Heck, you'd think Michal Handzus would make it on the list before Kimmo Timonen. (EDITOR NOTE: Did you know that Kimmo Timonen was actually drafted by the Kings in 1993 in the 10th round and was traded to the expansion Nashville Predators in 1998 for the guarantee that the Predators wouldn't draft Garry Galley in the Expansion Draft?) So who did I write in for the "Other Player" option? Why Anze Kopitar of course.

I guess the NHL Fan Face Off was just having an off survey this time around. Check out what showed up a few questions later...

Hmm, I'd have to go with "Not Applicable."

So, in the immortal words of Kanye West... the NHL doesn't care about the Kings.

During the last week and a half here in Southern California, most of the focus has been on the various professional hockey players that are in Vancouver representing their respective countries in the 2010 Winter Olympics. But what about those hockey players that aren't so Olympian in their skill level? Well, The Royal Half Investigative Team set out to discover... what do non-Olympic hockey players do during the Olympics?

This is a TRH Investigative Team report.

Find out... after the jump!

 

...one of the greatest hockey films of all time was released. And 30 years ago today, Herb Brooks led a team of nobodys to the greatest Olympic upset of all time.

I still say there has been no better acting in an American film than the best friend from Truman Show hesitating to blow that whistle.

(I know Miracle wasn't released exactly 6 years ago today... but you get the drift.)

Apparently, there is some sort of international tournament going on overseas in Canada featuring some of the best and brightest professional hockey players in the world. The Royal Half took some time to screengrab tonight's exciting Team USA vs Team Canada game on MSNBC. Bloguin has put together an awesome Olympic Hockey Blog to cover all the going-on's during the games and you can read my article here.

This pretty much tells you everything you need to know.

In terms of Los Angeles Kings news... it's been nice to have a week off. But this upcoming week we'll have a couple features that look back at the Kings during this current season. And in the mail on Saturday... I got my Half Season Ticket Package Renewal and Playoff Priority Informational Packet. It feels pretty good to actually have the playoffs be a possibility... and not have my playoff deposit roll into next years' season seats.

So the good folks at Bloguin have created a "smart phone" app for all of the blogs on their site. So if you haven't already added The Royal Half to your internet bookmarks, or subscribed to our RSS feed in your reader, or added us on Twitter... then this is the app for you... ? But honestly, you might just want to walk away from The Royal Half for a few hours each day and stop staring at Heidi Androl screengrabs. You sicko.

You can download the apps in iPhone and Android flavors here. (Or click on the giant Royal Half logo on the side bar) Sorry, Half Season Ticket Holder Buddy, no Katana II version!

---

In other, non-phone related, but just as lame news... the Fabulous Forum blog over at something called the Los Angeles Times (I think it's an internet news site of some sort) is having a contest where readers get to choose which Los Angeles based sports team they would want kicked out of Los Angeles. Not quite sure what the point is here... especially when cities have to deal with this issue every single day. Here is the voting as of 8:30pm Monday night.

Really, Los Angeles? 1552 votes for the Kings? And only 205 votes for the Sparks? Is it because the Sparks have more championship banners at Staples Center than the Kings do? Look, if I'm flying off the island on Lost, and I need to drop one sports team off the helicopter so we can make it to the ship... then I'm looking your way Sparks or Chivas USA! (Let's not even discuss the fact that the Angels are based in a different city.) So what do you say... readers of The Royal Half... let's head over to this site and cast a vote for a non-hockey sports franchise. I think the 13 votes will definitely swing the momentum.

It twas the night before Valentine's Day at Staples Center and there was love flowing all throughout the arena. There was Half Season Ticket Holder Buddy bringing his wife to the game to cap off a day of Valentine Celebrations... there was a solid 60 minute effort from the Los Angeles Kings that their fans couldn't do anything else but be in love with... and I saw just about the most perfect a couple I've ever seen at a Kings game...

Sakic and Forsberg. Now that's love. 
I guess the Kings equivalent would be a couple wearing Simmonds and Moller jerseys.

 

Kings 3, Av's 0

Sure the Colorado Avalanche were tired. They had played at home the night before.. and they looked like. So this time, the Kings came out strong against a team that it should be strong against and pretty much controlled the game the entire night. The only real revelation to come out of the game Saturday night was the solid effort of new Kings agitator, Dick Clune. Clune was the Kings payment for the failed #1 draft pick that was Lauri Tukonen and he's had a difficult road to the NHL the past 2 seasons. Clune looked like Sean Avery-lite out there... but as I overheard from a respected hockey source... "without the turtle power."

The Richardson-Simmonds-Clune line.
Now with 100% less Parse.

It's always fun when the Av's and Kings get together, mainly because of the history between these 2 teams.

Kyle Quincey gets a brief remembrance of what it was like to work under the lights of Hollywood.

There have also been quite a few amazing players traded back and forth between Denver and Los Angeles.

Boy, this guy is going to be disappointed when he sees the Av's starting lineup.

And of course, the biggest connection between Denver and Los Angeles... recording artist Deborah Gibson.

I'll have my bombs burst in her air anytime.

So not only was Deborah Gibson rocking a 3rd jersey handkerchief around her midsection, but the Kings 3rd Jersey Logo was featured prominently in the giveaway for the night... the Kings Olympic Poster!

I think it's time that Kings fans start to realize that the 3rd Jersey will become the primary jersey for the team next season. It's been slowly creeping it's way into the Kings ecosystem... the Olympic Poster... the Team LA store was featuring a brand new foam finger with the 3rd Jersey Logo on it... and last Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks, Fox Sports Prime Ticket HD featured the logo as a graphic wipe within its telecast.

At the end of the day. I don't care what jersey this team is wearing... as long as they are winning in it. But let's be honest... I really wish they were playing in this one:

{youtube}9Wdb9l7AOcQ{/youtube}

 

Check out youtube user, Disengage, for some of the most amazing hockey videos I've ever seen... some are even non-Kings 3rd Jersey related!

So here starts the NHL Olympic Break. Apparently, any wins that Jon Quick gets as a member of Team USA do not count towards his LA Kings totals. I think that's bullshit. Even if it's against Latvia. So you'll have to wait until March 2nd to see if Quick can best Mario Lessards team record of 34 wins. I'm thinking there is a pretty, pretty, pretty good chance he beats that.

For all things Av's related, check out the amazing Jibblescribbits and of course, the star of the last episode of Upper Body Injury, Anyone But Detroit.

 

Considering that the Colorado Avalanche have only been in existence 15 years, there is a good amount of history between the Av's and the Los Angeles Kings. These teams meet each pre-season in Las Vegas for a rip-roaring good time... one of the biggest trades in Kings history went down between these two teams (yes, I'm talking about Brad Richardson for a 2008 2nd Rounder)... they've shared the same well-coiffed coach... and not many people realize that back when the Kings still made the playoffs (over 6 years ago and counting!) they played two excellent 7 game series back to back against the Av's.

This is what pretty much most of the 00's looked like when playing the Av's.
Except without Peter Harrold and Kyle Quincey.

I've kind of always had a soft spot in my hockey heart for the Avalanche. I think it's because one of my closest friends went to Denver University and called me one night saying "Dude... I'm at a frat party... and Forsberg, Deadmarsh and Foote just walked in." This was during their first season in Denver. I've even said that Peter Forsberg was the best center of the past decade. (But taking his spleen from him in 2001 is definitely one of my highlights as a Kings fan) The Avalanche have been a superior NHL franchise... so it's no surprise that their re-build only took 1 year. Thought to be one of the bottom-dwellers in the Western Conference at the start of this season, the Av's currently sit tied with the Kings for 5th in the Western Conference. And it's really surprising that Saturday night at Staples Center will be the first time these 2 teams have met all season. A few weeks ago over at The Olympic Hockey Blog, I co-blogged (?) an article about Jon Quick and Craig Anderson with Sean from Anyone but Detroit. To find out what Sean thinks of Brian Willsie's ability to play in the NHL again or the Av's in-ability to market their young team... check out the latest installment of "Upper Body Injury" (you can see past installments here, here and here) after the jump!

 

Hey, Los Angeles Kings organization... if you are going to send something like this out in mid-February:

You better make sure you don't lose a game to the NHL's worst team the same night.

 

 

Sure the Kings were able to rally with 5 minutes left and at least salvage a point, but wow, was this a stinker of a game. The Kings just didn't look interested until halfway through the 3rd period. And you know what? Don't give me this crap about facing a 6'4", left-handed goaltender and how hard it is to score against him. Jeff Deslauriers had only won 4 of his last 15 games... so some NHL teams have been able to figure out how to score against him!

Duh... just go 5-hole.

So the Kings lost on Wayne Simmonds bobblehead night which was a slap in the face to the Kings' Black History Month celebration that was going on during the broadcast last night. So let me get this straight... the dude who has been a reporter at Fox Sports for a few years gets to interview Wayne Simmonds...

...while the contestant from The Apprentice gets to interview Willie O'Ree, the NHL's first Black player?

Heidi ended the interview by saying "You've touched over 45,000 boys and girls."
Might want to add "the lives of" in there next time, Heidi.

The Kings were also showcasing their "Hockey is For Everyone" community efforts throughout the game last night.

If a 5'8" dude can score 30 goals in the NHL, then yes, hockey IS for everyone.

And to show that the Kings are totally inclusive as a franchise... they even allowed the maniac commenters over at Kings Insider to be let into the building.

Worst episode of Romper Room ever!

But the biggest thing to come out of last nights game against the Oilers was a new motivational technique from Coach Terry Murray. With a young team, Coach Murray has to make sure his players stay focused and learn from their mistakes. So last night he set up a test... if you committed a penalty during the game, you had to sit in the penalty box and stare at a Davis Drewiske player card... until you felt shame.

Davis is purty.

I will not become Drewiske. I will not become Drewiske. 
I will NOT become Drewiske.

I don't give a fuck I'm not staring at that thing.

And as legend has it... for the chosen one... the Drewiske will disappear.

For all the Oilers news and notes (and to hear to faint sound of cheering coming from Alberta) check out Low on Oil and JeanShortsAndBaggedMilk. For a graphic representation of how the 10 round shootout ended... check out below.

The Kings finish up on Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche before heading into the 2 week NHL shutdown caused by some international tournament in Europe or something. The Royal Half will be there to wish our boys good luck before heading overseas.