This has been a fun year at the KingsCast studios and we wanted to take the time to thank each and everyone of you who has been watching, listening and commenting on our shows. As passionate Los Angeles Kings fans, we’re thankful to have fans like you who tune in to hear our endless droning about our favorite hockey team. We truly appreciate your feedback and support.

And, while some of you will be watching football, causing a drunken scene at dinner or already passed out, we’ll be tuning in to see our Kings take on the Vancouver Canucks. Let’s hope they don’t amplify our Black Friday hangover.

So, on this Thanksgiving day, as a hockey fan, what are you most thankful for?

This season we’re looking for more participation from you. Have a question you want answered, leave it here and we’ll see if we can get it on the show.

We’ll have some new stuff going on at the podcast this season that you’re going to love. Stay tuned for an exciting year on the podcast. Don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes so you can get the podcast hot off the press.

So, what do you want to know about the Los Angeles Kings? Leave a comment here. Go Kings!

Join the cast of KingsCast on Saturday, September 26th in Las Vegas, Nevada for the first ever Frozen Fury KingsCast meetup! We’ll see you at the bar at Diego Restaurant in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino from 5:00PM-6:30PM, just before the Los Angeles Kings take on the Colorado Avalanche.

Get a chance to meet fellow LA Kings fans and the hosts of KingsCast before what is one of the most spirited games of the season. The first 25 people through the door will receive a grab bag featuring a Special Edition KingsCast DVD (with an exclusive bloopers reel), stickers and a t-shirt. The Los Angeles Kings have generously donated an autographed player photo for each bag.

There is no cost to attend this event. It’s simply a great way to party it up before Frozen Fury. Diego Restaurant is conveniently located right across from the arena. The MGM Grand is located at 3799 S. Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109. For more information about the MGM Grand, please call (877) 880-0880.

If you’re on Twitter, RSVP for the event here. If you’re not, that’s okay, we’ll let you in anyway!

The is the pre-party for Los Angeles Kings fans. Who’s coming?

Hockey Fest Day 3 – Staying on Target

Breaking Misconceptions – Blog on Day 2
Frozen Royalty: Hockey Fest 09 Looks Like a Hit

So, for the fans that have just joined us and the fans who have been with us since our first (and worst) season, it’s time for a refresher. And, with that, I give you my Top 5 favorite KingsCasts:

1. Luc Robitaille Special – (Season 1) It’s a rare thing to see a jersey retirement live but Chris and I got to see Luc Robitaille’s jersey retired in 2008 at Staples Center. Here we pay tribute to Lucky Luc, re-cap the games discuss the trade of Craig Conroy. Every time I hear our “Play Hard” chant in the beginning of the episode I just have to smile. There’s a few curse words in this one so, as much as you’d like to, don’t blast this at work!

2. 3rd Annual Season Finale – (Season 3) This is the episode where we started doing the show live. It was also the first time we had three of us on the show together. Here we talk about the ever-important off-season, conduct our end of season Awards show and debate whether or not we should keep the 5th overall pick in the draft.

3. Back in Black (and Purple – (Season 3) What’s really interesting here is that this episode was recorded in two places: Boca Raton, FL and Los Angeles, CA. That’s right, we did a few of these shows this way in Season 3 and it wasn’t easy. It’s painful to remember “the most important Kings off-season in recent history” resulted in us signing nobody. Rob Blake left the Los Angeles Kings for greener pastures in San Jose. Marc Crawford was fired. We were not anticipating a great season for Kings Hockey.

4. Season 2 Finale – (Season 2) It was then end of another terrible season of Kings Hockey under the Marc Crawford regime. Chris and I were a little upset that the Kings didn’t win the draft lottery. We believed that “Dean Lombardi was secretly hoping for us to lose the lottery”. Boy I’m glad we did. Where would we be without Drew Doughty? Also in this episode is one of our favorite segments entitled “See Ya”. Classic.

5. 1st Annual Christmas Special – (Season 1) You know we’re out for blood when we figure out a way to combine Eazy-E and Harry Connick, Jr. The Los Angeles Kings were playing some of their worst hockey ever. Dan Cloutier was in full effect, “manning” the goal crease for LA. By the sound of this episode, we could be Duck fans making fun of the Kings. Not so. Notice the terrible audio quality as we used to record the show in the kitchen. That said, this was a fun episode to make.

Which was your favorite?

Connie Kim here with my very first post on KingsCast!!  I’m really excited to begin interacting with everyone who already holds KingsCast near and dear to their hearts.  The summer is still in full swing even though the L.A. weather doesn’t exactly reflect that so I haven’t really been getting tanned these past few months; if anything, I’d call it “getting toasty.” I know everyone has been lazing about wondering what they should do on his or her nights without le hockey, so I thought I’d kick off my first post with a little Q&A to get the mental juices flowing.  The idea is for you, the reader, to ask me, the newest member, a question and I shall do my very best to give you a somewhat truthful answer.

As a gentle shove through the door, I’ll provide a few example questions (with real answers!):

Q: If you were to play a position on the ice, which would it be and why?
A: I would be a center, Zetterberg-style.  Having the ability to create something on the ice that could utilize my control-freak…ness would be highly beneficial to the likes of Dean Lombardi.  I would love to be given the freedom of executing the sickest moves under the highest of pressure.  Plus I absolutely love taking faceoffs!

If I couldn’t be a center, I’d be a right defenseman.  I’m a right-handed shot and feel more comfortable having the inside of my blade facing as much of the ice surface as possible.  And Sean O’Donnell’s backward skating absolutely mesmerizes me during warm ups.

Q: Would you trade for Dany Heatley?
A: And make the worst decision of my life? I’m okay.

Q: If you were playing in the KHL, what name would you go by?
A: According to Name Generator, I’d be Sofia Kolesnikov.

Now that you have an idea of what sorts of questions to throw my way, please make them as creative as possible (or not).  The goal here is to have fun while hopefully gaining a bit of insight into yours truly.  I wouldn’t mind a couple of “Would you rather’s” if that would pique the minds of some of you waiting diligently for the Kings to take the ice.  Hit me up!

Connie Kim is a co-host of KingsCast and the biggest Kings fan of the bunch.  Get some insight at Twitter!

While adding the female perspective to our show is a very good thing, don’t be mistaken: Connie knows her hockey. We look forward to reading about her unique perspective on the LA Kings for a very long time as well as listening to her on the show once we go back into production. Don’t hold it against her but Connie is a huge Rob Blake fan. I guess we can agree to disagree.

Listen to Connie on the latest episode of KingsCast. See Connie on Overtime by KingsCast

So, on behalf of Chris Kaliszewski and myself, welcome aboard, Connie! Take the time to welcome Connie to KingsCast. So now, what do you want her to talk about?

Keith Korneluk is a producer and co-host of the KingsCast Hockey Podcast. Follow him onTwitter

Advantage, Kings. Since things didn’t quite work out with Hossa, Gaborik or Havlat, Deano went ambulance chasing with teams needing to shred payroll and scored with the Colorado Avalanche. The LA Kings get a strong, Deano-approved “Character Guy” and leader who’ll help groom the kids and someone who  isn’t afraid to crash the net and get dirty in the corners.  At first glance the salary seems high, but he’s worth it. Gotta spend money to make money. He is exactly what this team needs in this situation. Smyth is a big piece to the puzzle that is the LA Kings, he will help establish that ‘culture’ that’s been missing and he will help in recruiting hockey talent in the near future.

Lost in the news of the earth shattering Scudari signing, Kevin Westgarth has been re-signed to a new 3-Year deal. It’s pretty sad that this is the 2nd biggest signing of the off-season for the Kings… but I’m somewhat satisfied with it. Sure, the 0 points in 9 games with 9 penalty minutes is nothing special and the core of his existence as “Ivanans Replacement” is a tad distracting, I feel the need to root for him. Good sign, now please improve dramatically.

The Kings have a pretty empty fictitious trophy case. Watching the NHL Awards Show last Thursday in Las Vegas had me thinking. When was the last time the Kings actually won one of these and why does it seem like we are still so far out of this echelon of elite players/teams? Not that the Kings haven’t won any trophies. Except for the Presidents, Vezina, Selke, Conn Smythe, Jennings, Jack Adams and that Stanley Cup one, the Kings have picked up some hardware at the top NHL Level. It’s just, it’s only happened 5 or fewer times in any category. For a team that’s been around for 43 years, frequently had top draft picks and in certain era’s of management, spent money for top talent…you’d expect a list of trophies won to look more extensive then a grocery list. It’s depressing actually. 1 Calder, 1 Hart, 1 Norris, 1 King Clancy, 1 Campbell Bowl. In 43 Years. Throw in 2 Lester B. Pearsons, 3 Mastertons, 3 Lester Patricks (Yes!), 4 Art Ross’,  with 5 Lady Byngs and there you go for the major awards and trophies. Again, that’s in 43 years. The last trophy for the Kings? 11 years ago in 97-98, Rob Blake won the Norris. Wow. Oh and special thanks to Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne, Butch Goring and Dave Taylor for receiving a majority of those.

The Kings need some trophies. At least a Calder Trophy. Come on, when you’re rebuilding there’s nothing more assuring than one of your Rookies winning a Calder. Maybe a Jack Adams trophy? The “Coach Who Leads the Young Team into Contention.” That’d be good. How about a Hart? Could you see a Kopitar, a Brown, maybe a Frolov walk up to the podium and receiving one of those big, heavy-looking, slightly strange Hart trophies? Ah, dare to dream. That era where the Kings are the team to beat, the Kings players are award winning studs and it’s the Kings having raging pool parties at former players mansions with a half submerged Stanley Cup. Someday, I hope. Right now this team doesn’t even feel like it’s playing in the same league as the Penguins, the Wings, and/or the Russian Superstars garnering world-wide attention. Someday. After 43 years…it’s time.

As for a reality check: with the Lakers raising yet another Championship banner up into the Staples Center rafters, does this mean they’re finally going to just go ahead and merge the Kings and Sparks sections? They’re at about the same relevancy: the Kings have their 1 Division Title, their 1 Conference Title and the 5 Retired Numbers. It kinda makes sense. However, the Sparks have actually won a couple Championships. Ouch.

Sites for Kings Fans

The Online Kingdom – The Online Kingdom has been around for a long time. The site started as an email list and became the site that it is through the hard work of many. Check out the Roundtable for intense debate year-round.

Inside the Kings – Started by Daily News reporter Rich Hammond, Inside the Kings is the source for up to the minute news and interviews on the LA Kings. No one has better access to the organization than Rich.

Frozen Royalty – Recently inducted into the Professional Hockey Writers Association, Gann Matsuda started this blog to expand his coverage of the LA Kings. Gann has been blogging for HockeyTalk.biz on a regular basis. It’s a great blog to read, particularly after home games. Gann has been posting post-game audio interviews with players and coaches after each game.

A Queen Among Kings – Connie Kim’s blog about the LA Kings is peppered with hilarious commentary about her favorite team. Connie likes to fixate her attention on one obscure player each season to gush about and frequently brings interesting signs to games. Connie is also a co-host with KingsCast (check her out on Overtime here).

Sites for Hockey Fans

Hockey’s Future – We’d be remiss not to mention Hockey’s Future as they are our first source for information on Kings prospects. If you’re looking for information on your favorite prospect, this is the source.

The Hockey Card Show – This show is about a fan’s love for hockey cards. But that’s not what makes this show so hilarious. The two hosts do a great job mixing booze, hockey and hilarity.

Hockey T Shirt.net – Another great find. This show takes a look at some of the cool hockey-related t-shirts out there. Again, the two hosts here are funny as hell Pittsburgh Penguins fans who loathe Alex Ovechkin. Check them out wearing a KingsCast shirt here.

The Hockey Zen – The Hockey Zen is a new hockey social networking site on the scene. While still new and building its member base, this is going to be a great site for the hockey fan. It’s not yet well represented by Kings fans, so point your browsers over and sign up. They also have a video blog called Hockey Zen TV that’s worth checking out.

Spector’s Hockey – Spector’s Hockey is the only place to go for the latest hockey rumors. Written by Lyle Richardson, he takes the rumors from all of the sources on-line and print and gives his color commentary on them. This is the one and only hockey rumor source I check daily.

Kukla’s Korner – Kukla’s Korner is a great blog network that gives you perspective on all teams league-wide. If you haven’t heard of Kukla’s Korner, you likely just joined the internet.

Got a site we missed? Add it to the comments section or tell us on Twitter. Yes, it’s highly possible we haven’t come across your hockey blog yet but we’d like to!