The Los Angeles Kings and KingsCast are back! In this better-late-than-never season opener episode we discuss the raising of the Stanley Cup Championship banner, breakdown the Kings vs. Chicago Blackhawks game and give our predictions for the Pacific Division and Western Conference. Buckle up for what should be a wild ride of a season!
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Kopitar is down, the NHL isn’t. How about these last-minute circumstances.
Anze Kopitar has probably seen the last of Sweden for some time now.
The single-most shuttering danger and risk that ties to sending a player off to another club — be it the Olympics, All-Star Game, and in this case, an NHL lockout — is injury. Kopitar is ‘red-cross’ status as of Saturday, suffering an injury to his right knee early in a contest with Mora IK.
Few specifics were offered about Kopitar’s injury, but a timetable of two to three weeks was estimated for full recovery by his agent Pat Brisson. This is instantly great news, and means there is no structural damage. Kopitar is expected to get a full evaluation in the next couple of days.
Kopitar suffered his injury in a contest against Leksands IF at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden – the same arena in which the Kings opened last year’s season against the New York Rangers. It is believed Kopitar exited mid-way through the first period after an odd ‘tweak’ felt during a play along the boards.
At least he didn’t tear his ankle to shreds, a la March 2011.
Colorado Down
Kudos to The Royal Half on being spot-on regarding the whole “next year” thing.
L.A. so I can play
Fashionably Late: The best thing about Kopitar’s injury is not if he’ll come back this year, but when. And all signs are pointing at a short recess for the Kings’ centerman in order to recover. When he does return to full health, chances are he’ll be playing in a Kings jersey for the affair.
The way recent talks have been going regarding the NHL‘s CBA negotiations, the league could very well be back to business before Kopitar is on the ice again. This means, and it sounds as good as it reads, that I truly believe Anze Kopitar has played his final game in Sweden with Mora IK.
According to solid sources, an opening contest for the Kings, which would include the pregame Stanley Cup ceremony and banner raising, is being slated to be hosted at Staples Center on either January 16th, or January 19th.
If these talks prove to have substance — and the vibes are strong, then Anze Kopitar won’t just be back on home soil for recovery, but for anticipation of his next contest in a Kings uniform.
See you at Staples Center soon.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch.
What if I said the season was coming back?
Like Whaaat
Heya, Strollsy!
Episode 176: KingsCast Holiday Compilation – HERE
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Holiday homecomings are sweet. And Trevor Lewis spells hockey in the state of Utah.
A gift on both ends this is. Hockey’s biggest icon in the Beehive State saddles up locally, with one of minor league hockey’s most successful and tenured franchises.
The Kings’ developing back-end forward has inked a deal with the ECHL‘s Utah Grizzlies, and all will be confirmed at a press conference Thursday afternoon. These are familiar confines for Lewis, who’s home lies in Salt Lake City, and is the only Utah native to have his name engraved on the NHL‘s Stanley Cup trophy.
In fact, on his day with the Stanley Cup on August 30th, Trevor Lewis presented the trophy to 6,000 friends, fans, and family at Maverik Center in West Valley City, UT. And low and behold, the Maverik Center is also the host arena for Lewis’ new club, the Utah Grizzlies.
It all comes full-circle, no? Let’s silver-line this ECHL stuff.
Lewy in the News
Depth to death: If Trevor Lewis‘ nine points during the postseason didn’t tell you things were clicking on all cylinders for the Kings, then the club’s results did. Lewis dropped three goals and six assists during the 20-game Stanley Cup run.
This was a spectacular ending to a rather mediocre season for the young forward, who potted a lowly seven-points in 72 regular season games in the form of three goals and four assists.
Lewis, who hasn’t been known to have the best hands, or the greatest scoring touch, has consistently been a smart player for the Kings, and an extremely comfortable option when looking to fill a 3rd or 4th line Centerman role. Lewis has also been a staple on the penalty-kill, and his defensive mindset is usually spot-on.
The things fans may be missing from Trevor Lewis is a little more offensive touch, a little more output. The ECHL won’t just give Lewis a chance to stay in shape during the NHL lockout, but also an opportunity to gain a little more confidence and loosen up his offensive game – which he can carry over into his return to the NHL.
Hell, Kyle Clifford has six points in five ECHL games — Trevor Lewis should be able to dabble with the score sheet a bit.
Catch 22
Utahlkin’ hockey?
Meet me in Utah: And to bring yet another connection onto the scene, Trevor Lewis will see Kings teammate Kyle Clifford in his debut contest with the Utah Grizzlies. Clifford’s Ontario Reign are scheduled to be in Utah for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday night.
So, if you’re itching to watch some underwhelming hockey with some underwhelming hands, you know where to go. Clifford, who has played in just five games for the Ontario Reign, carries six points into Friday’s contest against the Utah Grizzlies, with three goals and three assists to the name. Clifford is scheduled to play in both contests in Utah this weekend.
Give us a Jump: The Utah Grizzlies are sitting at a less than impressive .500 record as Trevor Lewis arrives to their roster. This currently places them at 7th in the ECHL‘s Western Conference, which totals nine teams. NHL additions are a big deal to ECHL teams and their fans, as this is a dramatic demotion in skill and competition for Lewis.
If Lewis’ addition doesn’t completely pay itself off on the ice, it will with tickets sales and merchandise. We’re talking about the town’s most successful hockey name, and the only one to represent Utah on the Stanley Cup trophy. This, in regards to the current NHL situation, is quite a perfect fit for both Lewis and the Grizzlies organization.
Too bad Utah doesn’t still sport these awesome jerseys. Such beauties.
This will be Trevor Lewis‘ first taste of ECHL play. After being drafted #17 overall by the Kings in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Lewis jumped straight from the OHL to join the Manchester Monarchs for three seasons in the AHL.
And, maybe for old times’ sake, Lewy and Cliff can grab some dinner this weekend.
Save my number: Lewis gets to keep his digits to compliment the momentary move back home. He’ll be in the familiar #22 sweater, this time in Utah’s green and copper scheme. Lewis will practice with the Grizzlies Thursday, and dress for puck-drop Friday night against the Ontario Reign.
Episode 176: KingsCast Holiday Compilation – HERE
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The 2012 NHL Lockout continues but not without your bi-monthly KingsCast episode. In this brand new pre-Holiday edition we discuss the current state of the NHL lockout, give our thoughts on LA Kings public address announcer David Courtney, present the Top 10 things we like more than NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and take your questions from Facebook & Twitter. A Kardashian or Tebow may or may not be mentioned in this installment.
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The red light’s on.
This time, there’s no goal to be celebrated en signal of that red glow. We’re five days from a pending lockout.
In fact, the only goal worth celebrating at this point would be an agreement between Gary Bettman, the NHL owners, and the NHLPA. That goal needs to be attained by September 15th, a mere five days away, a day that could impact the sport in a presumptuously most definite negative fashion.
Unbelievably, and astonishingly so, we’re headed in that direction.
This isn’t to say I expected the owners and the players to come to terms in time, it’s just sad that the NHL will likely be seeing a delay, or to stretch it, an entire season cancelled for the second time in eight years. It’s pathetic.
And I know it’s easy for me to say; but it’s all for greed. You can’t argue it.
There are both pros and cons here when it comes to the Kings dealing with an NHL lockout, and it’s a much better set of cards to have than most, if not all of the other clubs in the league. This Kings roster could use the extra rest a delay to the season would bring. They’re coming off of a year which saw them play the most games in the NHL, a season that stretched to June 11, and with Jonathan Quick coming off of back surgery.
Extra time is something I can accept from the labor negotiations this year, but that’s as far as I’ll go. The Kings could benefit from a season delay, and it’s certainly better than axing the entire season.
Regardless of any outcome, the Kings will likely have to put their Stanley Cup celebration on hold. The only question is, for how long.
Up in the Rafters
Leave us hanging: There was an interesting note brought up by Rich Hammond a few days ago, one that regards to the Kings’ scheduled season opener on October 12th against the New York Rangers, a date that is now seriously threatened by the stalemate in NHL labor negotiations.
The home opener is going to host the final celebration of the Kings’ Stanley Cup victory, presenting the players’ rings and the raising of the championship banners. Key word here – ‘raising’.
For the first time in franchise history, the Kings plan to hang their banners from the rafters of Staples Center, as opposed to posting them on an upper-deck wall, a tradition started by the Kings and Lakers that dates back to the days of the Great Western Forum.
As well as this year’s Stanley Cup and Western Conference championship banners, the Kings plan to hang both the Smyth Division banner from 1990-’91 and the Campbell Conference banner from 1993-’94.
Hammond also hinted at the chance to see the Kings also move their retired player banners to the rafters as well, but we’ll just have to wait and see if that comes to fruition, and maybe a bit longer than we expected to.
The Vegas Strip
Danger Zone: The Kings nixed their plans to host their annual preseason Hockey Fest fan celebration this year with the league’s stability in such limbo. If the NHL fails to restructure itself appropriately between the owners and the players by September 15, then real events start to get pushed to the side.
Kings players are expected to report to El Segundo on September 17, just two days after the bargaining deadline. The day after, September 18, is the Kings’ first scheduled practice.
Then the preseason games hit the club on September 24, the Kings scheduled for their annual split-squad simultaneous two-game tilt with the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, AZ, and at Staples Center.
There are five other preseason games scheduled for the Kings after the opening series with the Phoenix Coyotes, most notably the 15th annual Frozen Fury matchup with the Colorado Avalanche at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
If you’ve purchased your plane ticket to Las Vegas for Frozen Fury XV on September 29, you may want to consider making different plans for your trip.
There’s always gambling, but don’t place any bets on this NHL season starting on time.
You hope they’re bluffing, we’ve got five days.
Get something done.
When you cancel preseason hockey in Vegas, you cancel that.
Let’s balance our priorities here.
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The third and final installment of the “Segment Trilogy” is here. In this video, we highlight the rest of the best KingsCast segments including How’s That One Guy Doing?, Giving Thanks, Anatomy of a Fan, Words to Describe the LA Kings Season, Holiday Gift Giving and so much more! Cure your Los Angeles Stanley Cup hangover with more KingsCast.
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It’s looking anything but up. For the NHL, that is.
You want to see the Stanley Cup banner raised at Staples Center on October 12th.
On that night, you want to see the final label to mark the Kings’ most prolific season, which was headlined by the NHL‘s most historic playoff run in it’s history. You want to see it put in writing to hang in the arena’s rafters for as long as time will allow. For that, you’re going need more than a rather pricey ticket.
You’ll need some luck.
And by the looks of it, any stroke of that luck for an on-time start to the NHL‘s 2012-2013 regular season campaign will be stumped by the ongoing dispute between the owners and the player’s association to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.
Although, “dispute” makes it sound like a 50/50 disagreement kind of ordeal. It’s anything but.
Let’s call it, or say, Gary Bettman and the NHL owners attempting to royally screw over the NHLPA. If there’s any adjustments made to make this bargaining successful, the deal-breaker type changes are going to have to come from the owners and the commissioner, not the players.
Good from the bad
The ironic thing here is that a delay to the start of the season could actually be quite helpful to the Kings. For the league, a delay is the worst I see this situation getting.
I really don’t see a repeat of the 2004-2005 season coming, in which the entire NHL campaign was cancelled due to a failure to come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement. That doesn’t necessarily mean the issues disputed this summer aren’t likely to cause a cancellation, but at the end of the day, a second cancelled season in eight years would be terribly detrimental to the league.
If I could picture a worst-case scenario, it would be what the NBA went through last season, which saw them lockout and start at the season’s midway point in December.
Considering what seems to be the inevitable – the season being delayed, but not cancelled, the Kings could very much pay off from such a situation.
We’re talking about a Kings roster that played 102 games this past season, the same roster that is 100% intact heading into this season. We’re talking about a roster that played up until the evening of June 11, which is shy of 10 weeks ago. Also, a roster that played 20 more games than 16 teams in the NHL last season, and more than a total of 28 teams.
But you may be missing something here. Not only are we talking an extremely short off-season for this Kings club, we’re talking an off-season that has involved a major amount of time dedicated to celebration. And what would you do after you won the Stanley Cup? That’s how it works.
If you were a part of the coaching staff and/or front office, this summer would not be the ideal offseason for your club. However, the success and bliss of victory overcome that feeling for the most part. The Kings may have an underlying gift brewing here.
That’s extra time, and time that quite frankly, is well-needed.
I’d be crazy to say I’d prefer a lockout over an on-time start to the season. I’d be insane.
But, it’s about taking the positive from the negative, no?
Health & stealth
Health is something that is often taken for granted until it is threatened, or taken from you. For the Kings, health was very arguably the biggest factor in the Kings’ dominant postseason run to the Stanley Cup. Only Kyle Clifford, who played in just two games in the playoffs, was the only player lost due to injury.
There have been some talks regarding Jonathan Quick‘s back surgery this summer. Quick’s operation was listed as a ‘minor procedure’, but the history of the aforementioned surgery doesn’t have a good reputation, especially for goaltenders.
Back surgery, on top of playing 89 games last season, is going to demand a little extra rest than the body may expect. Even if you’re Jonathan Quick.
This feeds into the Jonathan Bernier situation, and almost guarantees the Kings will not be trading Bernier before the February 2013 trade deadline. Bernier is much more than a tradeable asset now, there’s a very good chance he’s needed in a big way this upcoming season; whether it be long or short.
Fatigue hits the best of us, and it’s not just Quick, but the entire Kings roster, that is battling this right now.
As I’m sure you will be, I will be truly infuriated if the NHL season is delayed. Not just for a lack of hockey, but for the greed of the owners. It would be truly sad to see the league go through a second lockout in an eight-year span.
However, it couldn’t come at a better time for the Kings. It comes during a summer full of distractions filled with the bliss of victory, and to a roster that could use the extra rest – and more so than any other team in the league.
Winning on human-error
Losing on human-error
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Listen up for a second, because he turned this thing around.
Airwaves out of Kings camp have been quiet as of late, but the celebrations with the Stanley Cup continue to pass through the organization – and recently, to some of the biggest assets that attributed to the Kings’ unprecedented success this past season.
There’s been some business, too.
The only void left for the Kings to fill (at the moment) this offseason, came in the hiring of a new assistant coach to replace Jamie Kompon on Friday. If it’s too early to be impressed with Darryl Sutter‘s selection, you can certainly say it’s an upgrade – on paper, at least.
Like you just don’t care
Frequent flyer: The Stanley Cup has made it’s personal rounds with four more Kings staff personnel and two more players since we last touched base. There’s a very notable bunch in this group of visits, including the three names that were arguably the true foundation to the Kings’ playoff success.
Darryl Sutter
July 20, 21, 22 – Red Deer & Viking, Alberta
Sutter was granted three days with the Stanley Cup, and if that’s not deserving enough for the coach who revamped a lost roster into the best in the NHL, it is for his family. The Sutter family has produced six NHL players, yet last week was the first time anyone in one of hockey’s most historic families brought the Stanley Cup home to celebrate. After an appearance at a golf tournament in Red Deer, the Cup spent two days on the family farm in Viking, Alberta.
Sutter tenacity
Jonathan Quick
July 27 – Greenwich, Connecticut
Quick, who held his goaltending camp in Stamford, CT for the third consecutive summer, graced the attendees with a Stanley Cup visit to start the day. Quick showcased the trophy at a number of private events throughout the day, ending the celebration at a local beach in Greenwich, CT. Quick didn’t just present the Stanley Cup, but the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl and Conn Smythe Trophy as well.
Addition to the family
Dustin Brown
July 28 – Ithaca, New York
Brown showed the same leadership in his celebration with the Cup as he did in winning it. The Kings’ Captain presented the Cup at his local school, Ithaca High School, allowing all in attendance to take a picture with the trophy. Brown’s wife, who’s cousin died while serving in Afghanistan, was at the forefront of Brown’s priorities on his day of celebration. All proceeds that went to over the 1,000 people to purchase photos with the Cup, and other various raffles, went to the Semper Fi Fund.
Downtown Brown
The Payne train
All aboard
Assistance: The attributes Darryl Sutter demanded for his new assistant coach were made clear, and if you look at the resume Davis Payne beholds, it’s difficult to not see this as an extremely fitting hire.
Sutter was blunt in his need for his new assistant to have familiarity with the Western Conference. Davis Payne spent the better of the past three seasons as head coach of the St. Louis Blues, coaching in 137 games with a 67-55-15 record. Payne instantly brings Western Conference experience, with some decent success to go along with it.
Sutter wanted someone with NHL head coaching experience, we’ve hit two birds with one stone.
Sutter wanted someone younger. We’ve got a trifecta going for Davis Payne here.
Good start, no?
At the end of the day, it’s not Jamie Kompon. It has the makings to be much, much better.
Something good, something like this
Remember when?
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And there’s a decent chance it’s added a dash of bliss to your world.
How’s your month been?
Just over a month it’s been, just over a month since the Kings brought home professional sports’ most styled and prized trophy, signaling for some touch-up engravement detail on the Stanley Cup on the evening of June 11.
If the Kings’ shuttering 6-1 victory in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the New Jersey Devils wasn’t convincing enough for your psyche, the first-hand tour the Cup is taking with this roster should help.
And it ain’t Wheaties
Look what I got: The Cup started it’s personal rounds with Kings players and staff on July 3, gracing the European roots of the roster first. So far, four players and four staff members have had their days with the Stanley Cup, here’s how the tour’s looked on the players end:
Vyacheslav Voynov
July 3 – Chelyabinsk, Russia
Voynov, the first Kings player to get a personal day with the Cup, celebrated with an appearance at Traktor Arena, the home building to Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL, the club in which Voynov played for when drafted 32nd overall by the Kings in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
Voynov of the year
Andrei Loktionov
July 4 – Voskresensk, Russia
Even though Loktionov appeared in just 39 regular season and two postseason games for the Kings this season, he still got his spotlight day with the Stanley Cup. Loktionov showcased the Cup at a community building in his hometown of Voskresensk.
Andrei on his toes
Anze Kopitar
July 6 – Jesenice, Slovenia
Kopitar is only the second Slovenian-born player to ever play in the NHL, and the first to bring the Stanley Cup to home turf, adding to the trophy’s resume – Slovenia now the 24th country the Cup has traveled to. Let’s make it short: Anze Kopitar is god in Slovenia, I’m sure everyone had a f*cking blast.
Jesenice junction, what’s your function
Jonathan Bernier
July 12 – Laval, Quebec
Bernier’s personal day with the Cup brought more tension than celebration, to those outside the city of Laval, QC at least. The Cup was presented at a local ice rink in Bernier’s hometown, meanwhile rumors that were seeded two weeks ago about the goaltender’s frustrations, caught fire today.
What’s the scoop?
Berning tension
Personal needs: The Kings’ former #1 draft selection in 2006 wants to part ways. The rumors were floating as of late, but Jonathan Bernier just about confirmed them today, and did so with a vengeance to Canadian Media.
“I asked the Kings to trade me before the trade deadline, but they refused,” Bernier said. “Now that Jonathan Quick signed a long-term deal, I expect to be traded before training camp starts.” – Jonathan Bernier via TVA Sports
There is absolutely no second thought, or vibe, coming from the statement handed down by Bernier. The guy wants out; because for personal reasons, it just doesn’t make sense to sit on the bench for another season. And really, you can’t blame the guy – it’s quite difficult to.
Like hockey is a business among team management and the front offices, it is with the players as well. Bernier, who will be 24 at the start of the 2012-2013 campaign, has appeared in just 41 games for the Kings the previous two seasons.
As one of the most highly-touted goalie prospects in the NHL, Bernier is struggling to showcase those talents in a Kings uniform.
And that’s because of Jonathan Quick, whose stellar play the past two seasons has given very little leeway to the Kings signaling for Bernier.
Now that Quick has signed a long-term 10-year contract, Jonathan Bernier wants a fresh start — and an actual opportunity to start, elsewhere.
What I’m hoping for, and what I’m sure the team is hoping for, is that this settles after a few deep breaths, and Bernier spends his final season in Los Angeles by honoring the final year of his entry-level contract. He is a much bigger asset than I think many realize, playing shuffle with your goaltending depth chart is no easy game, the Kings have avoided that situation with Jonathan Quick’s iron-man like perseverance.
One more year would be smart for both sides. Quick will undoubtedly need more rest next season, this will open up more time for Bernier. This, in turn, gives Bernier the opportunity to showcase himself for his next club.
Realize this: The Kings have never truly been without Jonathan Quick for the past three seasons, everything’s great until there’s a hiatus for an unsaid reason. With Bernier, the Kings couldn’t have a better safety-blanket for a goalie emergency.
Do you trust Martin Jones yet?
If everything goes perfect, Bernier is dealt at the trade-deadline in late February. By that time, both Bernier and the Kings will have a much better idea of themselves, and both sides will still benefit from a move.
Bottom line: You don’t let Bernier walk after next season with nothing to pay off for the loss. Let’s hold on to this for a bit, please.
Rookie, Reward, Deal for Doan?
Bodnarchuk signed: Old news, but the Kings have agreed to a one-year deal with Boston Bruins‘ prospect Andrew Bodnarchuk. There isn’t much NHL experience on his resume, appearing in six games for the Bruins two seasons ago. Even though he’s been traded from Boston to Los Angeles, he won’t be leaving New England. He’ll remain in the AHL, jumping from Boston affiliate Providence Bruins to Kings affiliate Manchester Monarchs.
Trophy case: As this glorious summer continues to evolve, the Kings have added yet another piece of hardware to their Championship-season collection. This time, at ESPN‘s annual award show, the Kings taking home the award for ‘Best Upset’. No reason to analyze this, because it’s right.
Dean for Doan?: For whatever reasons, some are shunning the thought of Shane Doan in a Kings uniform. Oh that’s right, it’s because he showed negative emotion toward the Kings in the Western Conference Finals. Oops, I forgot that we should be only looking for ‘nice’ players, and ones that bow down to us when they are the opposition – especially in the postseason, especially when it’s the Western Conference Finals. Please.
Bad locker-room presence? No, that’s crazy talk. For a professional such as Shane Doan, petty things such as a postseason rift don’t carry over, and all bad-blood shown in the playoffs is now completely, and utterly irrelevant.
If it happens, well then we’ve got ourselves a better team – inside and out, on and off the ice.
Not so Quick, Bernie
Boating, gloating
And since it’s happened, we’re floating.
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For an accomplishment you’ll celebrate for a lifetime, the first week’s been quite the thrill.
The Kings’ first Stanley Cup in the franchise’s 45-year existence has called for a slew of celebrations the past seven nights, and that still doesn’t do the award justice – not even close.
And talk about the spotlight, they own it. Stemming from the parade celebration, to the appearances on numerous TV shows and dialogue with the President, the attention and respect has never been higher.
Many more perks in between. Like getting drunk, getting sh*tfaced, and also getting real f*cked up. This, on the regular. This, much deserved.
The majority of the team has taken some time with the Cup in Las Vegas, having top run of any night-club of their choosing straight up to tomorrow’s NHL Awards Show.
Because it feels like this
You’re talking about the Draft?: And it hits Kings fans in the face this time around, the 2012 NHL Draft slated for this weekend in Pittsburgh. Usually, well most of the time, the NHL Draft was something to look forward to for this franchise, another glimmer of hope in drafting the next prospect to push the Kings to the top.
Now that it’s happened, and it’s still so damn fresh, this annual commencement of the NHL‘s new youth will be in the back of most Kings fans’ minds.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t important, however. The Kings truly built the core of this season’s club through the draft, twelve players to be exact. Don’t expect this year’s draft to be too exciting anyway, the Kings have seven picks, with only one in the first round – that being the last selection.
At least draft analysis hasn’t been the centerpiece to writing this time around. There’s something new, one of the perks.
To say the least, I don’t even see Dean Lombardi acting on a draft-day trade, unless it’s in the later rounds, and very favorable to the Kings. Highly unlikely all together.
Got the Cup
But where’s the puck?: It’s always nice to keep a few artifacts from such a great moment, such as the puck used up to the final horn in the Kings’ Cup-clinching Game 6 affair. It’s bears little value in comparison to the Kings victory, but still makes for an intriguing mystery.
Is this Chris Pronger -esque?
The extremely mild issue of the lost puck has been studied quite well, honing in on Patrick Elias as being the biggest, and only suspect in the “puck-gate”. Elias, who has a very good reputation in the league, and could even be considered one of the classiest players in the game, is a surprising player to see do this.
Who knows, and that puck has no forgiven owner – it’s fair game. It’s just unfortunate for it not to be in the right hands. Whatever the reason Elias took it for, and what he did with it, I’m betting it wasn’t solely for spite, if at all. He’s been there before, he’s lost there before.
It’s somewhere.
Three cents for a priceless moment
Copper charm: Back in August, hockey caught the attention of Staples Center for another year of NHL play. In preparation for what would be the most magical season in franchise history, a little luck was thrown into the mix as the Stape’s floor was given a coat of paint and a few layers of frozen water.
No one knew it would happen, but at the time, some charm was given to the Stanley Cup dream.
Three pennies were buried underneath the ice-sheet, directly under the center-ice dot.
Luc Robitaille, who spent 14 of his 19 seasons in the NHL in a Kings uniform, placed a penny dated from 2002, the year he won his only Stanley Cup Championship, albeit with the Detroit Red Wings.
Bailey, who is known to be a dedicated Indianapolis Colts fan, placed a penny dated from 2006, the year the Colts won the Super Bowl.
There was one more copper disc added to the mix before the floor was frozen over. This, a penny from 1893, the year in which the Stanley Cup was first awarded.
I’m not one for superstition, but this time around, the effort to grace this historically struggling franchise with some luck certainly paid off. And it was pretty cheap, too.
The heart of it
The celebration of it
The real taste of it
The ‘hats-off’ to it
The times with it
For that historic run, the top moment of it
The ‘f*ck yeah’ of it
The holding of it
The local call of it
The beauty of it.
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