In the sport of ice hockey, the captain of the team is the person who speaks for the franchise... the person who meets with the press, who motivates the team in between periods and who tweets about the game from his smartphone while riding the bus back to the hotel to play video games with his teammates. 

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Kings 4, Bruins 3

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Another day, another Left Winger for the Los Angeles Kings top line. If it wasn't for the horrific problem of finding a franchise goaltender that has plagued this team for the past 20 years... the search for a top line left winger would be all the rage. (Oh, yeah, right. That happened.) Well, we've done something similar to this before here at TRH... but today, we present the latest board game craze ... Los Angeles Kings Left Wingo!

That's right! When the Los Angeles Kings take on the Buffalo Sabres today, you can play along at home with who is playing left wing... and try to win Los Angeles Kings Left Wingo! For a big ass version to play along at home, just click here!

Sometimes in Mid-November, your favorite hockey team drops 2 games in a row to NHL teams that have funny colored uniforms. But also, your favorite hockey team holds a fan event that allows this screengrab to now live on the internet.

Last night really ends up as a win in my opinion.

Blue Jackets 5, Kings 3

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Well, even if last night's broadcast of the Pacific Division battle between the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks didn't bring the confirmation that this team is ready to be an elite NHL team and actually show up for important games that could help define it as an elite NHL team... at least it brought us this...

My new fantasy team name is "Dean Lombardi's Mullet"

... and this...

"Hello, my name is Drew. The City of Los Angeles has required
me to tell you that I've recently moved into this neighborhood." 

Sharks 6, Kings 3, Mullets and Mustaches 447,270,970,732

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Now, I just may be a simple hockey loving fan from Los Angeles, California who some folks up north may think has no idea what icing is or just truly what Paul Henderson's goal meant to the country in 1972… but I think I know one thing… and it's that the word "undercover" is pronounced nothing like this:

Well, maybe with a Canadian accent it is. 

Click here to check out the best and worst NHL.com pun headlines from the past week!!!

Sometimes, words just can do justice. Instead... we use polls!

Obviously, it's Kyle Clifford's mean streak. 

"I like winning... a lot." 

Kings 5, Islanders 1

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I haven't been able to keep up with NHL.com's pun-filled headlines during the last two weeks… mainly because I've been busy watching my favorite long-suffering professional ice hockey team vault its way to the top of the NHL standings. And while it may have not been a clever pun… the Los Angeles Kings are making the front page of NHL.com… for all the right reasons… being a potential Stanley Cup team.

Also, one of Woody Allen's worst films.

Click here to check out the best and worst NHL.com pun headlines from the past week!!!

Fake Chris Kontos here. While I'm on my 1 week East Coast road trip, I unfortunately don't have the time to update you on all the Los Angeles Kings happenings. Even more unfortunately... Indiana Matt does. So, while I would have preferred that Half Season Ticket Holder Buddy would have been blogging in my absence... I'll give you the 3rd best option... presenting, "Indiana Matt's First Royal Half Recap"... or as I like to call it... "The Royal Half's Sloppy Seconds!" Take it away, Indiana Matt!

It’s Good To Be King

Thursday nights game had everything you would expect from two incredibly well matched teams, big hits, nearly paralyzed captains, frustration for fans of both teams, great goaltending, one team ending up really pissed off at the end and the other sitting atop the NHL.

I make no assumptions that my 10 months as a Los Angeles Kings fan makes me a “life long hockey fan”. That being said, I feel that Thursday night’s game was just another step in my quest to becoming a “rest of my life hockey fan”.

Kings 1, Lightning 0, Frustrated and Embarrassed Steve Downie’s 1

Check out more of Indiana Matt's first ever blog post after the jump!

When the NHL 2010-2011 Schedule was released over the summer, Half Season Ticket Holder Buddy and I did what we always do when a new schedule comes out... we print it out in large, oversize pieces and plaster a wall in his house with the schedule and circle what we think are the most important games.

This was from last season.
Mrs. Half Season Ticket Holder Buddy was not happy with what we did to her living room.

So this summer, there was only one game to circle as the most important. It was obviously the 12th game of the Los Angeles Kings season, an early November matchup with Tampa Bay that would no doubt be a battle between the top 2 teams in the NHL, right? Right?! RIGHT???!!?!??!

Holy fucking shit.

So of course, I'll be heading out of town today for about a week and I'll miss this SUPER important early November game against Tampa Bay. I'll also miss Saturday's game against the Nashville Predators... but let's be honest, I probably would have ditched that game anyways... since A) It's Nashville and B) They always beat the Kings. Always.

Okay, fine. We beat them once.

Luckily, FOB (Friend of the Blog) and Brian Willsie Invitational Superstar, Daneyko's Darlings, will be stepping in for the Tampa Bay game in my place. Oh, and that front-runner Indiana Matt will be going as well. I'll be stuck on the east coast trying to find some internet stream somewhere so that I can join along in the fun too. For really great coverage of the hockey machine that are the Tampa Bay Lighting, be sure to check out Don't Trade Vinny.

Monday should bring an all new Pundays, catching up on 2 weeks of AMAZING NHL.com pun headlines. But for the time being... I leave you with this.

NHL.com... you had me at hello.