The Los Angeles Kings Win the Stanley Cup: The Greatest Night of My Life 26 Years in the Making
The day has come for me to write the article that I never thought I’d have the chance to write.
The Los Angeles Kings are the Stanley Cup Champions.
I actually waited a full week after the historic night that Dustin Brown hoisted the Stanley Cup to even start writing this piece, and a month afterwards to finish and publish it. I wanted to give the universe a chance to correct itself, me a chance to wake up from the dream I was having. Certainly there was some kind of error, a “glitch in the Matrix”, if you will.
But one month later, it is still true. I can’t speak for alternate realities, timelines, or galaxies; but in this reality, this timeline, this galaxy… the Los Angeles Kings are the Stanley Cup Champions.
As I tear up trying to decide where to even start, I suppose the very beginning is as good of a place as any. Well, the beginning of my life anyway; starting at the Big Bang might be more just, but I get the feeling this thing is going to be long and rambling enough as is.
I mentioned on Twitter that the night that the Kings won the Stanley Cup would be the greatest night of my life. A friend of mine asked a legitimate question; “Really? The greatest night of your life?” A valid question, because to most people, the Los Angeles Kings winning the Stanley Cup meant absolutely nothing. To many others, even casual fans of the team, it was cool, but certainly not life-altering.
For me, it was life-altering. It meant everything to me. Are some of you rolling your eyes or thinking that’s pathetic? If you are, I completely understand! How can a bunch of professional athletes with a certain logo on the front of their sweater mean so much to someone that is just a face in the crowd to them?
I will attempt to explain that over the next few pages. How many of you will read this from start to finish I have no idea. But here it is; a story that took 26 years to find its happy ending.
Being a Kid and a Kings Fan
I know that I was born and raised a Kings fan (thanks Dad!), and have fleeting memories as a little tyke of cheering the team on before I really knew what was going on. But my first concrete Kings memory comes back in 1993 when I was seven years old and lived in Titusville, Florida. (I was born in Los Angeles; my family moved to Florida when I was four and moved back when I was seven.)
Now sure, all of you that are familiar with the Kings immediately think of 1993 as the year the Kings made their ill-fated Stanley Cup run which included the infamous Marty McSorley stick incident. To be honest, I barely remember much of that incredible run; as a seven-year-old on the East Coast, those games were a bit past my bed time. I remember bits and pieces, including Gretzky’s hat trick against Toronto and being really upset about the McSorley incident, but I was honestly too young to understand the gravity of the situation back then.
But while the Stanley Cup run was hazy, the night my Dad took me to see the Kings when they played the Tampa Bay Lightning isn’t. I’d been to games as a toddler, but this is the first one I remember. He drove nearly three hours both ways so we could see Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings play live, and they didn’t disappoint, thumping the Lightning 5-2; Gretzky had a goal and three assists with Granato (2), Donnelly, and Kurri also scoring. I’ll never forget the two of us cheering loudly as the three stars were announced and this little girl about my age at the time crying and giving us both two thumbs down.
My family and I moved back to Los Angeles in the summer of 1993, and I started the second grade that fall. On the first day of school, Mrs. Nelson (my teacher) told a young fellow by the name of Sam Saig to show me around the school. After a brief five minute tour around the elementary school, Sam suggested that we be best friends. I concurred. And to this day, we still are.
Sam, as it turned out, was a Kings fan as well. Hours and hours of our childhoods were poured into playing street hockey in his driveway together. Sometimes it was him as Wayne Gretzky versus me in net as Robb Stauber (Los Angeles’s backup goaltender who I liked better than Kelly Hrudey), other times it was us rotating as all of the Kings’ star players against a garbage can in goal.
My childhood is flooded with wonderful memories revolving around the Kings including these street hockey games with Sam and my brother Brian, hours of video gaming as the Kings throughout the years of NHL video games, and of course going to see games at the Great Western Forum.
I also got my first taste of true Kings heartbreak at the Forum, being there in the playoffs against St. Louis in 1998 when Geoff Courtnall ran Jamie Storr. The Kings had led 3-0 in an all around dominant game with just over 11 minutes to go when St. Louis’s Geoff Courtnall maliciously nailed our goaltender in the head, prompting Kings’ defenseman Sean O’Donnell to jump Courtnall in Storr’s defense. No penalty was called on the Courtnall hit and a five minute major was called on O’Donnell. St. Louis scored four goals on that five-minute power play to rally and win 4-3; as it turned out, the hit had given Storr a concussion, leading to the four-goal barrage.
It would be the first of many major heartbreaks I’d suffer supporting this team.
The Year 2000: Graduating Middle School and Becoming a Die-Hard
I’ve always been a Kings fan, but I was also just a kid. How passionate can you be about any one thing when you have the attention span of a gnat? The Los Angeles Kings and Oakland (or Los Angeles) Raiders were always consistent mainstays at the top of my list, but it was an ever-changing list with constant phases and trends. Pogs? Dragon Ball Z? Yo-Yos? Pro Wrestling? Girls? There was always something going on, especially in those weird middle school years when you are just starting to grow up and trying to figure out who the hell you really are.
Right around the 1999-2000 season, there was a perfect storm of events that helped shape me into the Los Angeles Kings die-hard fan that I am today.
On the hockey side of it, there was a lot of new excitement building around the Kings. Staples Center opened its doors in 1999, and the Kings made a trade to bring in Ziggy Palffy, an electrifying star player. With a new stadium, a new jersey, and a new star, it was the beginning of a new era of Kings hockey.
On the personal side, I was just finishing up middle school and was starting high school in the year 2000. As a perfectionist and a straight-A student in middle school, it’s fairly safe to say I was tightly wound; and knowing it was all going to start counting in high school made it worse. Dealing with self-imposed stress about school and issues with my weight and female rejection, like many kids around that age, I needed an escape from reality that I could count on.
For some, it might have been drugs or alcohol. For me, it was my teams, the Kings and the Raiders. As mentioned, I’d always been a fan of both teams for my whole life. But at this point I was all in; I became completely emotionally invested.
The Kings were soundly swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs to end the 1999-2000 season, making what would happen the following year even sweeter.
In 2000-01, previous fan favorite Rob Blake ripped the “C” off of his chest and demanded a trade, refusing to give the Kings any kind of discount in their attempts to sign him to a new contract. He was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Aaron Miller and feisty right winger Adam Deadmarsh. The Kings also made a trade with the Vancouver Canucks to bring in veteran goaltender Felix Potvin, who had been struggling badly as a Canuck with a 3.08 GAA and a .887 save percentage.
The trades invigorated the Kings. Felix “The Cat” Potvin found new life in Los Angeles, leading the Kings on an improbable run into the playoffs with a 13-5-5 record, a 1.96 GAA and a .919 save percentage. Adam Deadmarsh not only added scoring depth, but his tenacious play quickly made him a fan favorite and seemed to rub off on his teammates as well. The Kings entered the playoffs as a 7-seed, where they would once again face the Detroit Red Wings.
Detroit won Game 1 5-3 and Game 2 4-0 in Detroit. It looked like the Red Wings might be on their way to another sweep, but then a bit of magic happened. I was there when the largest crowd to ever watch a hockey game in California (at the time) assembled for Game 3. With seven minutes to go in regulation in a 1-1 game, Boston’s “More Than a Feeling” blared on the loud speakers as Jozef Stumpel entered the faceoff circle to take the faceoff. Soon afterwards, he’d be deflecting a Mathieu Schneider slapshot past Chris Osgood to give the Kings their first playoff win since 1993, breaking a 13-game postseason losing streak.
I wasn’t there for the “Frenzy on Figueroa” in Game 4, which is one of the greatest games in Los Angeles Kings history. Sure, it would have been great to be there; but hearing Bob Miller and Jim Fox on the call and watching it on the big screen at home with my family? Not a bad alternative. I remember saying to my dad as we headed to overtime, “well, at least now we didn’t embarrass ourselves”. Dad, usually the pessimist, said, “are you kidding Davo? We’re winning this thing!” Sure enough, on an Eric Belanger wrister in overtime, we did.
The Kings shocked the hockey world in stealing Game 5 in Detroit to bring the game back to Staples Center for Game 6; a night that would live on as one of the best of my life and certainly my top sports moment for memory for many years. Trailing 2-1 in the third period, Adam Deadmarsh potted the game-tying goal to send the game into overtime.
Everyone in the building was on the edge of their seats. And then it happened; Jozef Stumpel put a wrister on net that Chris Osgood kicked out into the slot, Adam Deadmarsh came flying in and he buried the rebound. Absolute pandemonium at Staples Center. It was the loudest I’d ever heard anything in my life, and that is coming from someone who grew up five minutes away from the Kennedy Space Center where NASA used to launch shuttles. Everyone was high-fiving and hugging everyone. The Detroit Red Wings had been eliminated.
If there was ever any chance for me to live a normal life that didn’t revolve around sports, it was lost that night. The Kings had won my heart fair and square. They had me hook, line and sinker. It was also this series that made me decide that I wanted to be a sports broadcaster and writer someday. Bob Miller’s perfect play-by-play every step of the way was an inspiration to me, and he became an idol of mine.
Life-changing. And that was just one series.
(The “Frenzy on Figueroa” in Game 4 and the Deadmarsh Game Winner in Game 6:)
With Being a Die-Hard Kings Fan Comes Much Heartbreak
In 2000-01, the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche were on top of the hockey world. The Kings had pulled off the tremendous upset over Detroit, and would look to carry that momentum into an upset over Colorado as well.
The stage was set for an epic series that was highlighted by the brilliant goaltending of Patrick Roy and Felix Potvin. The Kings won Game 1 in Colorado 4-3 in overtime before dropping each of the next three games to fall down 3-1 in the series. Game 5 in Colorado was a 1-0 Kings win, as was Game 6 in Los Angeles; a remarkable double-overtime game that I remember watching with Sam and his father over at their place. Coming off of the amazing comeback victory over Detroit and riding two straight shutouts into Game 7, the Kings looked 100% like the team of destiny in 2001.
But it wasn’t to be. Nelson Emerson scored a fluky goal near the end of the second period to tie the game up at 1-1 heading into the third period. Colorado pulled ahead 2-1 three minutes into the third period, and four minutes later it was 3-1. The final score read 5-1 Colorado, and that was it for the Los Angeles Kings. Gut-wrenching.
In 2001-02, the Los Angeles Kings would get their chance for revenge as an 8-seed going up against 1-seed Colorado. For the second straight year, the Kings fell down three games to one. For the second straight year, the Kings won Game 5 and Game 6 to head into Game 7 in Colorado with all the momentum. And for the second straight year, the Kings would lose Game 7 by four goals, this time 4-0. Not proud to say it, but I cried. Oh, the sweet familiar taste of heartbreak.
Injury-riddled seasons in 2002-03 and 2003-04 led to the Kings missing the playoffs both seasons. Injuries including a career-ending concussion to Adam Deadmarsh (arguably my favorite player) in 02-03 and a shoulder injury to Ziggy Palffy in 03-04 that would cut his season in half and end his Kings career as well. Those two made up two thirds of the LAPD line, along with Jason Allison, that was considered by many to be the league’s best line alongside Vancouver’s Naslund-Morrison-Bertuzzi line. Allison also suffered a concussion that ended his LA Kings career.
A labor dispute and a lockout loomed at the end of the 2003-04 season, and some suggested that it was so bad that the NHL might actually disband. I watched in horror as the Kings tail-spun down the stretch, losing 10 straight games (0-9-0-1) heading into their final game of the season. The idea of the last season of the Los Angeles Kings’ existence ending in 11 straight losses made me pretty sick to think about.
Fortunately, it didn’t look like I’d have to worry about that. Going up against the San Jose Sharks, the Kings took a 3-1 lead with less than seven minutes left. With under a minute to go, I found the smallest tinge of relief that the Kings were at least sending us out on a high note.
And then the San Jose Sharks scored a goal to make it 3-2 with 20 seconds left in the game. They scored another with three seconds left to tie the game, and another three minutes into overtime to win it 4-3. Three goals in roughly three minutes, 11 straight losses, what a fitting way to enter the 2004-05 lockout. Might have been a tear or two that day. There was definitely a broken remote control.
One of the biggest all-time heartbreaks I ever suffered as a Kings fan didn’t even involve the Kings. It came in 2006-07 when the Anaheim Ducks, the Kings’ Southern California rival based on a Disney movie, won the Stanley Cup. I could go on for hours on why this hurt me so badly, but I’ll try to be brief.
In a nutshell, it was basically my “life isn’t fair” moment. I think everyone inherently knows this, and any time you take a quick look around with the blinders off, it is abundantly clear. But we tend to go through our lives (especially when we are younger) living in our own little bubbles, and sometimes it takes a life event to shake this reality into you.
(Side Note; I feel that it is worth mentioning that I’m fully aware of the fact that in the grand scheme of things, pro sports are completely irrelevant. And that for someone who has a roof over his head and food to eat, “life isn’t fair” is a ridiculous thing to say. But keep in mind that this is my story, and this is about the personal effect that it had on me. At the end of the day, I don’t believe in comparing your happiness or sadness to that of others. We each live our lives through our own experiences and feelings, and every single one of them is valid no matter how they may compare to anything or anyone else.)
Getting back on point, the Anaheim Ducks winning the Stanley Cup came as a stark reminder that life isn’t fair. This had nothing to do with the players on the ice, as they totally deserved their championship after enduring the grueling NHL postseason to earn 16 wins. What bothered me so damn much was the fanbase.
There is a tiny, tiny group of Ducks fans that I’m happy for. These were the couple of hundred that weren’t hockey fans before, maybe got into the sport because of the movie or because it was a new local team, and they started watching and rooting in 1993 when the team was founded (or when they were born). Congrats to that group of legitimate Ducks fans.
As for the other 90% or so of Ducks fans? Either bandwagon fans from their first (failed) Stanley Cup run in 2003, ex-Kings fans, or in most cases, both. Fans of the Kings that lived in Orange County that ditched their team out of the convenience of having a slightly closer team. Fans of the Kings that couldn’t be bothered with any more losing seasons now that the other team in Southern California was a winner. THESE people get rewarded for abandoning their team with a Stanley Cup?!?
Los Angeles Kings fans that stayed loyal to their team through thick and thin are rewarded with losing season after losing season and failed rebuild after failed rebuild, but “fans” that jumped ship for easier waters are rewarded with a Stanley Cup. Where the hell is the justice in that? Some sports fans (the Chicago Cubs certainly come to mind) are just doomed from the get go, while others (including bandwagon fans) get to have all of the fun.
The Kings, established in 1967, had made only one trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in their 40-year existence and managed to win only one game in those Finals. The Ducks, established in 1993, made two trips to the Stanley Cup Finals within their first 15 seasons in the league and won the trophy the second time around. Something it looked like their “fans” would be able to hold over us Kings fans forever.
It was a pretty tough pill to swallow.
The “Consolazio Curse”
The Anaheim Ducks winning the Stanley Cup made it official; I was cursed. I’ve always said that I’m very lucky in the big picture to have a loving family, great friends, food and shelter, etc. But when it comes to anything blind luck related or my sports teams? I’m completely hopeless.
The Los Angeles Kings had never won a Stanley Cup and the Oakland Raiders had never won a Super Bowl in my lifetime (I was born in 1986, the Raiders’ last Super Bowl was in the 1983 season). The Raiders actually had a great team at the turn of the century with Rich Gannon, Tim Brown, and Jerry Rice leading a potent offense that made its way to the Super Bowl in the 2002 season. But the Raiders fell short (getting crushed 48-21 by Tampa Bay), leaving a big fat zero in my Championships column. They haven’t finished over .500 in nine seasons since.
The USC Trojans were the National Champions in 2003 and 2004. When I started going to school there and rooting the team on? Loss in the National Championship Game to Texas in 2005, three straight years of failing to make it back to the Championship, and then of course major and unprecedented sanctions against the school that haven’t been rivaled across the sport since despite other schools being involved in much more serious scandals.
Even if I’m not really a fan of your team and I’m just rooting for you, you are in bad shape. I’m pretty sure I’m the only person on earth that can claim that in every Super Bowl from 1997-2006, I was rooting for the side that lost. That’s 10 straight losses! I once used the Vegas spreads on each game to calculate winning percentages and determined that the odds of all 10 of those teams losing were approximately 1954 to 1. (To see that “study”, click here.) For a guy that loves the sport of football, having the teams I’ve rooted for in the Super Bowl go 2-14 over the last 16 years kind of sucks.
Can you blame me for feeling like I’d eventually die without ever seeing one of my favorite teams win a championship?
Dean Lombardi and the Rebuild of the Los Angeles Kings That Would Actually Work
While the 2006-07 season may forever be tainted by the Anaheim Ducks winning the Stanley Cup, it wasn’t all bad news. It was also the first season under new Los Angeles Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi.
From day one, I loved this guy. Always articulate and never short on words, Lombardi laid out a plan that revolved around a few key principles.
1. He was going to build the team from the net out, promising to develop a franchise goaltender (he drafted Jonathan Bernier to groom for that role, but Jonathan Quick had other plans) and put the pieces in place to be an elite defensive team.
2. He was going to put together a locker room full of guys with great character that would be hard workers and leaders. Guys that were the “right fit”.
3. None of this was going to happen overnight. He was going to do things the right way, through the draft and through letting players develop over time.
4. He was always going to look at the big picture and keep the salary cap in mind, so that when we became a winner, we’d be able to sustain it.
I agreed with Lombardi’s methodology and vision 110%. Over the course of my lifetime, the Kings had never had a great goaltender, and the only one in franchise history (Rogie Vachon) was brought in from the outside (from the Montreal Canadians); he wasn’t home grown. Growing up as a kid playing roller hockey as a goaltender and then playing goaltender for my high school ice hockey team as well, I loved the position, and it always bugged me to no end how hopeless the Kings were at finding a permanent answer there.
And part of the problem was bad development. Jamie Storr was selected with the seventh overall pick by the Kings in 1994 to be the goalie of the future, but inconsistent shuffling from the pros to the minors through the first four years of his career messed with his confidence and arguably prevented him from ever truly reaching his potential.
Lombardi understands the importance of letting talented young players develop in the minor leagues. Early on in his tenure, he signed bridge players (lousy veterans) to fill the roster out while letting young players develop into smart two-way players in the AHL. In doing this, he was also rostering a team that had no shot at making the playoffs the first couple of years, allowing the Kings to finish with two straight Top 5 picks that became franchise defenseman Drew Doughty and center Braden Schenn, who was the key piece in the deal that brought Mike Richards to town this past offseason.
The other piece in that Mike Richards trade was Wayne Simmonds (drafted in the second round 45th overall), one of the many excellent picks outside of the first round that Lombardi and his staff selected. Slava Voynov (32nd overall in 2008) made the Jack Johnson for Jeff Carter trade possible, and Alec Martinez (95th overall in 2007), Dwight King (109th overall in 2007) and Jordan Nolan (186th overall in 2009) all played integral parts in this year’s magical run. All four are also great examples of the benefits of letting players properly develop in the AHL.
You’d think that the lovely weather in Los Angeles as well as the ability to walk around in public virtually unnoticed would be a big draw for free agents, but as it turns out, it isn’t. Desire to win the Cup and/or to have a lighter travel schedule playing on the East Coast are much bigger draws; and up until now, the Kings couldn’t offer either. They couldn’t offer huge overpayments with the salary cap in mind either.
As a result, Lombardi has had to do most of his player acquiring the hard way; through trades. And he’s done a fantastic job with it. Not every trade he makes is perfect, but trades like Lubomir Visnovsky for Jarret Stoll and Matt Greene and Patrick O’Sullivan for Justin Williams are major reasons why the 2012 season was possible; Stoll, Greene, and Williams are the gritty veterans that play the game the right way and rub off on their teammates in the process.
Every step of the way, even before the Kings had ever won a playoff series under his watch, Dean Lombardi has been a huge favorite of mine. I’ll never forget the day I had a brief encounter with him at the Toyota Center (where the Kings practice) watching the rookie camp back in 2008. Our prospect pool was the healthiest it had looked in years. In between sessions, I stepped outside to get some air, and saw Dean Lombardi walking by, clearly on his way to a meeting or something.
“Dean, I don’t want to keep you, just want to let you know that I’m a big fan and love what you are building here.” He thanked me. “The kids are looking really good out there.”
“Yeah, they are, but, well, we’re still a long ways away,” he said without breaking stride. Then after he’d passed, he stopped, tuned back to me, and repeated himself; “a LONG ways away”.
Not anymore, Dean. Not anymore.
The 2011-12 Regular Season: Edging Into the Playoffs
Fast-forward to September of 2011. The Los Angeles Kings made a huge splash in the trade market over the offseason in acquiring former Philadelphia Flyers captain and star two-way center Mike Richards in exchange for Braden Schenn, giving the Kings an explosive 1-2 punch at center for years to come. Reports out of camp suggested that last season’s trade bust Dustin Penner had worked out hard over the offseason and was in much better shape. Talented veteran Simon Gagne was also added to help shore up the weak left side.
It all amounted to quite a bit of optimism heading into the season. The Kings had been knocked out in the first round in each of the last two years, but had seemingly gained valuable experience. Now, with the holes at left wing and second line center apparently patched up, the team looked ready for a step forward.
At our first home game of the year, I told Jason and Marina (my good friends who have sat next to me and my family up in Section 321 for years) that I was expecting a slow start to the season as new players got acclimated to the team and system, but after about 20 games we’d take off. I was right about the slow start, but it turned out I was a bit too optimistic on my 20-game turnaround mark.
After a 6-2-1 start, the wheels fell off. The 20-game mark came and went as the Kings continued to lose ground in the standings, going 7-10-4 over their next 21 games, leading to the firing of Head Coach Terry Murray. The team just simply couldn’t score; night after night they mustered up two or less goals. In fact, from November 23 to December 23, they managed to go an entire month (14 games) without scoring more than two goals in a game. That’s a pretty remarkable feat for a team with six previous 30-goal scorers on it.
Dean Lombardi’s good friend and previous coach in San Jose, Darryl Sutter, was brought on board to be the Kings’ new coach. I was fairly indifferent towards him at the time of the hire, but it didn’t take me long to jump on the Sutter bandwagon. His energy on the bench was a noticeable departure from Murray’s constant solemn stare, and his super dry humor hit my funny bone in every interview he gave.
The Kings went 5-0-3 in Sutter’s first eight games, but with the offense continuing to flounder, the shot in the arm didn’t last long. The Kings followed that nice eight game stretch up with a 7-8-5 record. If not for Jonathan Quick’s heroics, it would have been a lot worse.
Reality was starting to set in that if the Kings didn’t go on a miraculous run, they’d miss the playoffs. While that in and of itself bothered me, I was much more concerned about Dean Lombardi’s job security. After two straight first round playoff exits, a blockbuster trade during the offseason and a coaching change during the year, would AEG accept a step backwards? It wasn’t Lombardi’s fault that this seemingly excellent team on paper couldn’t score. Were we really going to fire him and start a whole new rebuild?
Fortunately, we’ll never know what AEG would have done.
AHL grinders Dwight King and Jordan Nolan were brought up to try to infuse some energy into the team. Everyone was having a down year offensively. Hope looked lost, but Lombardi reached deep into his bag of tricks and pulled out a trump card, trading defenseman Jack Johnson and a first round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jeff Carter.
It was a controversial move at the time; many complained about Carter’s character and how long-term his contract was. I, naturally, was 100% on board with what Lombardi was doing. When you have the chance to add an elite goal scorer in his prime for an overrated defenseman and one draft pick, you do it. I didn’t even care about this year, I thought it was a great trade for the future.
The trade was a home run. It gave the Kings the true sniper they’d sorely lacked, and it let just about everyone in the lineup slide down a spot or two into a position that they were better suited in. Ironically enough, it also made the defense better. I liked Jack Johnson a lot as a person, but as a player, he was always a project. His replacement, rookie Slava Voynov, was actually an upgrade.
Like a light switch turned on, the Kings were all of a sudden averaging three goals a game with Quick and the defense holding opponents at under two. The post-trade Kings would finish the regular season 13-5-3, earning a playoff spot in the process.
But it wouldn’t have been the 2012 regular season without one more speed bump. Heading into back-to-back games against the San Jose Sharks to finish the year, the Kings needed one regulation win to book a first round trip to St. Louis instead of Vancouver. San Jose won both games in overtime, helped along in one game by a (now) hilarious play; Ryan Clowe used his stick to break up a prime scoring chance for the Kings WHILE HE WAS ON THE BENCH. Somehow, all of the refs missed it.
So instead of playing against the Blues who I was very confident we could beat, we were going up against the only team in the Western Conference that truly scared me in the Vancouver Canucks.
Kings Over Vancouver In 5: Grilling Up Some Canuck Steaks
Before the series started, my head said Canucks in 7. My heart said Kings in 5.
I was scared of the Canucks, but they were without Daniel Sedin, Ryan Kesler wasn’t 100%, and the Kings had been playing some outstanding hockey, save those last two games against San Jose (both in which Carter was out with a minor leg injury). If ever there was a chance to beat them, it was now.
And like I told Sam before the series started, every year there is always a series or two that you expect to go six or seven games that just ends up being a sweep. Why the hell couldn’t that be us for a change?
I had three superstitions in place for the first round. One, of course, was that I was growing out my playoff beard. Two, I wanted to eat something that resembled a Canuck before each game. Since whales aren’t good for consumption, I chose salmon (both live in the sea?). Sam and my girlfriend Courtney came over before the game and I cooked us up a salmon dinner. Three, my 53” teddy bear Big Mo Kingsley would join the three of us downstairs to take in the action.
(Side Note; Yes, I am a 26 year old man with a huge teddy bear. No, it wasn’t a gift from Courtney, I bought him for myself. I thought the futon in my room would look infinitely cooler with a huge bear wearing a Kings shirt on it. I was right.)
Mike Richards reminded the world he was Mike Richards in Game 1. After scoring a goal in the first period, he set up the game winner with just 3:14 to go in the game, forcing a turnover and tossing the puck in Carter’s direction. Carter deflected the puck with his skate to Dustin Penner who put it home. A bone crushing hit and an empty netter later, and the Kings had stolen Game 1.
Same crew together Friday night for Game 2, salmon for dinner again, and the Kings win again.
Brought Courtney to her first playoff game in Game 3 (after cooking her some salmon, naturally). The Kings had lost five straight playoff games at Staples coming into this game; I should know, I was there for all five, including two elimination games. But a Dustin Brown goal in the third to end a scoreless tie and a magnificent performance from Jonathan Quick, and the Kings were up 3-0.
My eyes started to well up when Vancouver took a delay of game penalty to all but seal the game with under two minutes to go. The Stanley Cup was always going to go through Vancouver, and the Kings were now one game away from knocking them off. The Canucks were the best team in the league. The hardest part, theoretically, was over. Dare I start to believe?
Daniel Sedin returns, Vancouver wins Game 4. Suddenly, heading back to Vancouver, Game 5 feels like a must win. The idea of giving this Vancouver team life was very scary. Heading into our first overtime of the playoffs? Even scarier.
Sam, Courtney, Big Mo and I watched as Trevor Lewis stole the puck from Dan Hamhuis and Jarrett Stoll picked it up and left absolutely no doubt with a perfect wrist shot over Cory Schneider’s left shoulder. The Los Angeles Kings had eliminated the Vancouver Canucks in five games.
I fell to the floor and put my hands over my face. Sam ran off into the kitchen. Courtney started to cry. Big Mo looked on stoically. We soon all regrouped for handshakes hugs and high fives all around. The Kings were heading to St. Louis.
Los Angeles Kings Earn First Sweep in Franchise History over St. Louis Blues
Years and years of being trained for disappointment suggested I should enter the St. Louis series feeling nervous. Dominating the best team in the league in five games suggested otherwise. I entered the series with a healthy dose of respect for St. Louis, but actually felt like the Kings matched up quite well against them. I was thinking along the lines of Kings in 6 or 7.
The Kings didn’t plan on taking that long, taking care of the Blues 3-1 in an intense Game 1 in St. Louis. After watching Game 1 with Sam, Courtney, my mom and my dad, I found myself randomly alone for Game 2. Everyone had something going on that night. I turned the game on in my room, but was debating whether it would be better for me to assume the lucky position down on the couch or to stay upstairs and watch.
This debate came to a quick end when Mike Richards scored 31 seconds into the game. Later in the period, Anze Kopitar made it 2-0 on a shorthanded goal in which he made an absolutely disgusting juke that had me talking to myself for a good five minutes or so. Up 2-0 near the end of the first period, I felt like we couldn’t have asked for a better start. Then Jeff Carter scored with one minute and 23 seconds to go in the period… and Kopitar scored again with 17 seconds to go. I was screaming, punching things, saying “COME ON!”, and dancing around, completely alone. Apparently I don’t just do these things for show. It was at the end of this period that it started to sink in that this might actually be happening.
Generally I’m not a superstitious guy. But feeling like I didn’t have enough room to dance around in my bedroom, I brought Big Mo downstairs, plopped him in his chair, and got comfortable on the couch for the second period. St. Louis scored one minute and 38 seconds into the period. I turned the TV off, picked up my bear, and went back upstairs. I didn’t leave my room again until the final horn sounded.
Brian and I went to Game 3 together, and the Kings took care of business with another convincing 4-2 win. Fortunately in Game 4, my whole family got to be there in our seats up in 321. Remember when I said earlier that the night we beat Detroit was the loudest I’d ever heard anything ever? The end of Game 4 was louder. Absolutely deafening. Unlike that night in 2001, there were virtually no opposing team fans in the building. Unlike the Stanley Cup Finals, there were virtually no bandwagon fans yet. It was 18,118+ people that had waited a long, long time to be heading back to the Conference Finals. Who were feeling the magic of the moment. All of a sudden, the noise from one of my life’s fondest memories seemed like child’s play. Getting out of the first round?!? Try a trip to the conference finals!
Red-Hot on the Road in Phoenix; Figuratively and Literally
As the possibility of a Phoenix vs. Los Angeles Conference Final kept looking more and more likely, Jason and I started talking about taking a road trip out to Phoenix for a game. It was the first time in 19 years that the Kings were going to the Conference Finals, and it was within driving distance. How can you pass on an opportunity like that?
The night that the Coyotes finished up the Predators, I was on Ticketmaster ready to buy some tickets when they dropped. Remarkably, they were just $60 each. Figuring I’d sell the extras to Kings fans, I bought 10 tickets to Game 1, two four-packs and one pair. So now I had the tickets, and it was just a matter of whether or not we could make it work with our schedules.
Being the awesome trooper he is, Jason green-lighted the trip despite knowing he’d be exhausted at work the next day. We’d make the five hour drive in the morning, catch the game at 5 PM, and then drive back home that evening. And pray for no overtime, of course.
As fun as the trip would have been had just the two of us gone, it got even better when we got our mothers on board to join us. What better way to spend Mothers Day than road-tripping to a historic Los Angeles Kings Conference Finals opener with our moms?
The entire experience was a blast. Jason’s mom was awesome, Jason and I got to know each other a lot better (lots of time to chat on the road!), and the Kings did their part as well. Despite dominating play through the first two periods, the score was tied at 2-2 heading into the third period, putting all four of us on the edge of our seat. Fortunately, it only took about two minutes of the third period for Dustin Brown to put the Kings back into the lead at 3-2. Jonathan Quick and the defense held down the fort, and a Dwight King empty netter sent us into euphoria and finally allowed us to exhale. Incredible game, incredible atmosphere, incredible experience. One of many along this journey that I’ll never forget.
Back at home with Dad, Mom, Sam, Courtney, and Big Mo, I watched the Kings take a 2-0 series lead in Game 2. With a 3-0 lead at the end of the second period, the outcome of the game was never really in doubt; but it was a nasty game with cheap shots galore from Phoenix. We were happy to get out of the game without any injuries.
I took my seat at Staples Center for Game 3 over an hour before game time. Much like I’d gotten choked up near the end of Game 3 against Vancouver, I got teary eyed sitting in the nearly empty stadium as it sunk in just how big of a game this was. With seven straight wins and just one loss in the playoffs so far, the Kings were making it look so easy that it was difficult to really put into perspective what they were accomplishing.
They were two wins away from the Stanley Cup Finals. A win in Game 3 would give them an absolute stranglehold on the Conference Finals at three games to zero, while a loss would mean we had ourselves a series at 2-1. A win would mean the Cup Finals would be so close you could taste it, while a loss would mean a completely nerve-wracking Game 4. The anticipation was suddenly killing me.
As it was at in Game 1, the score was tied at the end of the second period, this time 1-1. And once again, the Kings didn’t take long to break the tie in the third period as Dwight King put the Kings ahead 2-1 under two minutes into the third. Try as they might, Phoenix couldn’t crack Jonathan Quick, and the Kings once again had a 3-0 series lead.
After watching a Game 4 loss with the crew, we once again gathered around the TV for Game 5 back in Phoenix. I had tickets to Game 6 at Staples Center, but I had absolutely no interest in going to that game. I was shivering with nervous energy before Game 3 with a 2-0 lead, a Game 6 might have given me a heart attack.
There would be no Game 6. The Kings and Coyotes were locked in an overtime that looked like it could go all night when Dustin Brown laid a huge hit on Michal Rozsival that forced him to leave the game with an injury. After watching tons of replays and hearing the announcers discuss the hit, no one even seemed to notice when play resumed, including the Coyotes. Jeff Carter zipped into the zone, made his way to the front of the net and put a shot on goal, the rebound made its way out to Dustin Penner, and Penner sent the Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals with a perfect wrist shot.
I just sunk to the ground in disbelief. Eventually, I got around to hugging and high-fiving everyone. Somehow, the Los Angeles Kings had just improved to 12-2 in the postseason and 8-0 on the road. Somehow, a guy who had been maligned for his entire tenure with the Kings had just scored one of the most important goals in franchise history.
Four more games.
(I went to the airport to welcome the team home that night. Here is my video log from that evening:)
The Los Angeles Kings Win the Stanley Cup
Vancouver didn’t have Daniel Sedin. St. Louis and Phoenix, for as good as they were, didn’t have playoff experience. New Jersey had everything: veteran leadership with multiple Stanley Cup rings in Patrick Elias and Martin Brodeur, team speed, confidence, and a tremendous playoff run of their own. Making this dream come true wouldn’t be easy. I knew the Kings were the favorites, and felt they matched up well against New Jersey, but had the Kings’ chance of winning the series at about 55/45.
Game 1 saw both teams feeling each other out. Neither team looked great as both exchanged blows and momentum swings before entering overtime tied at 1-1. Eight minutes into overtime, Drew Doughty chipped the puck along the boards to Justin Williams, who was swarmed by both Devils defenseman. Williams intuitively laid a perfect drop pass to Anze Kopitar, who had a clean breakway.
As a goalie growing up, Martin Brodeur was an idol of mine. He was my favorite non-King player, and since the Kings never had a franchise goalie when I was growing up, he was the guy I looked up to. I consider him to be the greatest goaltender of all time. On this night, the greatest goaltender of all time and my childhood idol was completely undressed by an Anze Kopitar deke. I thought Kopitar’s goal against St. Louis was the prettiest I’d ever seen, but he topped it in Game 1 of the Finals. Deke, shoot, score. Kings win Game 1.
I honestly felt like the Kings were dominated through most of Game 2. Holding on to a 1-0 lead they earned on a beautiful coast-to-coast play by Drew Doughty in the first period, all game long it felt like only a matter of time before the Devils eventually snuck a puck past Jonathan Quick. They finally did early in the third period, and they pushed hard for the second one to no avail. Heading into overtime, Sam and I were pretty adamant about the fact that we were going to lose this game. I pointed out that I was happy just to get the split.
But this ain’t the old roll-over-and-die Kings. They came out strong in overtime to play a pretty even game for the first time all night. With under seven minutes to go in the period, Jeff Carter came whizzing down the right side as he had against Phoenix, once again going to the front of the net and putting a shot on goal that would be kicked out. This time, he scooped up his own rebound, circled around to the top of the circle, and beat Brodeur with a wrist shot over the blocker. More euphoria, more hugs, more high fives. 2-0 Kings.
For just the second time this postseason, my whole family got to go to a game together up in our seats in Section 321 for Game 3. I didn’t mind at all that it wasn’t an elimination game. I was just happy to be able to take in a Cup Finals game; the fact that it was the first Stanley Cup Finals game ever played at Staples Center and the first Stanley Cup Finals home game in 19 years for the Kings was just icing on the cake.
It would also be the first Stanley Cup Finals home win in the team’s history. I’m not sure if it got louder than it did against St. Louis, but it was just as loud in the third period when the Kings went up 3-0 and then 4-0 to run away with the game. The fourth goal sent me over the top as I ran down my aisle high-fiving everyone and onto the stairs where I was high-fiving and hugging every random stranger I could get my hands on. What a night.
I wanted to celebrate the Kings winning the Stanley Cup with as many of my friends as possible. For Game 4, I invited over a few friends of mine over to join my parents, me and Sam. Courtney was out of town chaperoning some of her students in Washington D.C., but she’d be there in spirit and watching in a bar out there as she had been in Game 3.
The mood was right, but the New Jersey Devils weren’t going down without a fight. New Jersey broke a 0-0 tie in the third period, but the Kings quickly tied it back up. That tie wouldn’t last long though as Adam Henrique put the Devils ahead with a nice wrister with under five minutes left in the game. An Ilya Kovalchuk empty netter brought the series to 3-1 Kings.
Game 5 was, in my opinion, sort of a cosmic balancing out of the series. The Kings were outplayed in Game 2 but stole the win thanks in large part to Jonathan Quick. This time, it was the Kings outplaying the Devils (and playing one of their best games of the postseason in my opinion), but having the win stolen from them by Martin Brodeur as New Jersey forced a Game 6 at Staples Center.
Was this really happening? Could this really be another chapter in the Consolazio Curse? No, this wouldn’t be “just another chapter”. Going up 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals only to become just the fourth team in NHL history in that situation to lose four straight games and the series? That would be nothing short of a symphony. A masterpiece. A coup de grace. If the Ducks winning the Cup shook my foundation, this would blow it to bits.
But I tried to keep those thoughts out of my head. THIS year’s Kings team deserved better. THIS year’s Kings team had earned my respect and trust. They were going to finish it. They had to. “What if we don’t succeed?” Marty McFly asked. Doc Brown emphatically answered “we must succeed.”
I bought a St. Patty’s Day Kings jersey on sale a few years ago, and bought Sam one as a gift last Christmas. We got them signed this year (his is a Doughty, mine is a Kopitar) at a meet the players event, and I always figured we could pull them out as a slump buster if the situation ever presented itself. What better time than Game 6?
It was me, my parents, Courtney, and Big Mo to start the game; Sam was running a bit late fighting off traffic from President Obama’s Los Angeles visit on his way home from work. He arrived midway through the first period and tossed his jersey on. With our collective green jersey energy in place, Steve Bernier violently boarded Rob Scuderi and got a five minute major penalty and a game misconduct for it.
One theme throughout these playoffs, other than the Kings dominance, was how completely useless our power play was. It was actually a wonder that we were having so much success without it. I wasn’t even thinking about scoring on the power play; in fact, I was just happy that Steve Bernier, one third of New Jersey’s most effective line in the series, was out of the game. Was hoping for a goal, but really just wanted some sustained pressure to build some momentum for the rest of the game.
11:03 – Dustin Brown scores. 1-0 Kings.
The team that had scored the first goal had gone on to win each of the first five games of this series. Playing with the lead was so huge for the Kings, as was getting the crowd into it. What a great way to start this game off.
12:45 – Jeff Carter scores. 2-0 Kings.
It was still way too early to start celebrating, but wow, what a dream come true. A two goal lead? If the Kings could get out of the period with this lead intact, they could…
15:02 – Trevor Lewis scores. 3-0 Kings.
This couldn’t be real. In a series that had 13 regulation time goals in five games between both teams, the Kings were suddenly up 3-0. The Kings were going to win the Stanley Cup.
The Kings were going to win the Stanley Cup.
As the buzzer sounded at the end of the first period, none of us knew what to do with ourselves. In our wildest dreams, I don’t think any of us could have asked for a 3-0 lead. 40 minutes away. It couldn’t be, could it?
Keep in mind, just last year, I was there when the Kings took a 4-0 lead in the second period and gave up five goals in the second period to lose to the Sharks. Granted, this was a totally different team, but…
All I wanted was a clean start to the period. No quick New Jersey goal to wake them up, just a clean first three minutes. Instead…
1:30 – Jeff Carter scores. 4-0 Kings.
As Dustin Brown made his way into the zone, a clumsy linesman got in the way of Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov and the two collided. As is the rule in hockey, play on. The broken play led to the puck landing on Jeff Carter’s stick, and he beat Brodeur blocker side again to make it 4-0. New Jersey would break up the shutout near the end of the period, but it was 4-1 Kings with just 20 minutes to go.
Commence the longest 20 minutes of my life. The clock moved like molasses as each passing second brought the Kings closer to their first Stanley Cup and my lifelong dream seconds closer to becoming a reality. With less than four minutes left in the game,
16:15 – Trevor Lewis scores. 5-1 Kings.
We hadn’t even sat back down yet.
16:30 – Matt Greene scores. 6-1 Kings.
And so this was it. The Kings had won the Stanley Cup. The clock was just a formality at this point. We all just sat there in silence.
5. 4. 3. 2. 1.
Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick threw their gloves into the air and embraced. I buried my head on Courtney’s shoulder and cried. No more welling up or getting misty eyed, real tears. She’d taken the Kings on as her team early on in our five years together, and I was suddenly glad we’d lost in Game 4 because having her there meant the world.
I shook Sam’s hand and gave him a hug. My best friend for life. Couldn’t help but think back to us being eight years old and playing this moment out in his driveway. After years and years of rooting this team on together, having countless conversations about why we invested so much time and passion into sports, we finally had our payoff.
Hugged my Mom, who was also crying. Always the optimist, she was the only one who knew this day would come. While Dad, Brian and I often got into heated debates on all of the problems with this team, she was always the one stepping in to their defense. Her favorite player, Luc Robitaille, is well known for being a class act with a heart of gold that always has a smile on his face. Fitting, because that’s her, too.
When I hugged my Dad, he said “we did it Davo. We did it.” My Dad became a diehard Kings fan when he moved out to Los Angeles from New York years before I was born. He’d been waiting much longer than I had for this. Sure, he saw the New York Jets and Mets win championships back in the late 60’s, but the Kings have been the only team he’s been truly passionate about for the last three decades. 40+ years is a long time to go without a title. The Consolazio Curse was hereditary.
Neither of us thought this day would ever come. But it did, and we were both alive to see it together. Nothing will ever take that away from us.
The Stanley Cup was handed over to Dustin Brown in front of over 18,118 fans at Staples Center (including Brian, Jason, and Marina) and millions around the world as I poured five glasses of champagne. As Brown and the rest of the team skated around taking turns hoisting it, I was at complete peace with the universe. My favorite team had just won the Stanley Cup, and I was taking it in with my closest family and friends that I love so much.
For as much as I have touched on heartbreak and disappointment in this piece, it has always been a joy to be a Kings fan. I enjoyed watching Luc Robitaille become the franchise’s all-time leading goal scorer, ex-Kings like Wayne Gretzky and Adam Deadmarsh honored in ceremonies, young Kings grow from fresh-faced rookies to seasoned leaders right before my eyes. Spending valuable time in front of the TV or at Staples Center with my family and friends rooting the team on. This moment was the culmination of all of it, for all of us.
So yeah, it was the greatest night of my life, 26 years in the making.
The Aftermath – For the Los Angeles Kings
Thanks to Jason and Marina hooking me up with the presale password, I was able to score four tickets to the Stanley Cup parade and rally and go with Mom, Dad, and Sam. As a general rule, I hate big crowds and get a bit claustrophobic in them. But needless to say, this was a happy exception to that rule. There was lots of cheering and laughter, and a couple more tears.
In the Dean Lombardi section of this piece, I touched on salary cap awareness and sustainability as one of the keys to Lombardi’s grand plan. In the history of modern sports, I can’t think of an example of a team that has ever returned every single player on its roster. No one lost to retirement or free agency, no one new added. The exact same team, one year to the next.
In re-signing Jarret Stoll, Colin Fraser, and Dustin Penner, the Kings have done just that. They’ve retained everyone. Lombardi also signed Jonathan Quick to a 10-year contract extension, meaning the core of Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter all have contracts in place for years to come.
From top to bottom, the team that ended 45 years of futility in Los Angeles Kings history and finished the season on 25-6-3 run will all return for a true title defense.
How cool is that?
The window is just opening for the Los Angeles Kings, who are still one of the league’s youngest teams. Whether or not they’ll win another championship in the next 5-10 years remains to be seen, but the pieces are certainly in place to give it a good run or two.
The Aftermath – For Me
I left USC on a leave of absence back in 2007. This was based on a combination of personal reasons and a calculated guess that I could crack into the industry of sports journalism without a college degree and instead with good old fashioned hard work.
I’ve had mixed results in this department. I’ve held a sports content producing job that I moved to San Antonio for in 2009 (only to be laid off at seven months later) and I’ve been a somewhat successful sports ghostwriter for the last two years. Not exactly the most glamorous work, but I’ve gotten by.
But that’s about all I’ve done, get by. I’ve wanted to start my own business, but I can’t come up with any ideas good enough to follow through with. I’ve wanted to go back to school, but have put that off for a multitude of reasons, some valid and others not so much.
Sometimes it takes life giving you a kick in the ass to make you realize that getting by isn’t enough, and it is time for a change. I’d say more often than not, that kick in the ass is a negative one; maybe you lose a loved one or lose your job and fall on rough times. Knowing this, I’ve tried to get my life together many times before, but in this economy that’s easier said than done, and a fake kick doesn’t work quite as well as a real one.
Well, what better time to get things on track than in the wake of the Kings winning the Stanley Cup? I never really pieced it together before, but the whole “Consolazio Curse” and “I’m a loser” thing… I thought I was joking, but as they say, truth is said in jest. I know deep down that I’m capable of great things, but I’ve also always felt like a perennial loser, and my teams have always been a projection of that.
Not the 2012 Los Angeles Kings. They kicked ass. Not only did they win the Stanley Cup, they dominated everyone in doing so, taking four straight 3-0 series leads. They went into opposing teams’ home buildings and won 10 of 11 road games. You wouldn’t hear the 2012 Kings blaming the economy for not making more money. You wouldn’t see the 2012 Kings being content on just getting by.
Well, neither am I. Not anymore. If I don’t take the incredible journey that the Kings took me on for two and half months and turn it into something positive, what is the point?
Yes, at its core, this was just my favorite team winning the Championship.
But I’ve decided that it is going to be much more than that. It is going to be the catalyst to me taking the next step in my life, whatever that may be.
I look forward to sharing the progress I’ve made when the Kings win the Stanley Cup again.
2013 sound good to anyone else?
Thank you Davo, brought back great memories and a few more tears of joy. If no one else understands what you have been through I certainly do. Go Kings Go!!!
2013 sounds great to me.
this will be my fifth attempt writing a comment. hope my connection does not flatline. I am outside with these blood sucking mosquitoes biting me to no avail and yet, for the briefest of moments, pleasantly distracted. Thanks for writing so much.
this was a well written piece. I am not surprised by the acumen behind the thrills which is admirably illustrated to help anyone understand the psyche of a kings fan.
when i heard that this piece was being manifested, i knew that such a long piece would have to delve into stories and memories displaying sentimental value. I also would have bet all my money on a Felix Potvin tribute.
During the memories, my mind wandered a bit to two thoughts: the enchantment of a father taking his son to games and the ethics or lack thereof of fandom.
What i mean by that is that the former is such a beautiful tradition that should perhaps be more celebrated. the latter is a topic that convicts an opinion within me.
It should be noted that sentimental value and fandom have a correlation. this is where my issue lies. Whether because of association to memories, the region, etc. some fans will use that emotional connection to be fervent passionate fans. It is my belief that when a fan roots for the logo on the jersey, locale or the players.i am reminded of many memories year in and year out attending Dodger games. this is not grounds to subjecting myself in ‘blind’ support which can be foolish overall.
Personally i will always tell someone they should know what is taking place behind the scenes. Royals fans for example are, to be honest, stupid for their continued support despite the fact that their owner is dirt cheap and the braintrust will not welcome any input; only their stupidity.
while it is okay to like certain players that should not concede anyone to follow the regime. i hate the angels (who have bandwagoners like the ducks) but will always respect jered weaver, mike trout etc. Dipoto was a smart hire.
anyway, my journey to becoming a kings fan is interesting in its own way. i was a big Sharks fan but my ‘hate’ for the Kings never materialized. I loved many of their players as well. (yes! clapped a mosquito to death) I was extremely ecstatic upon hearing of Darryl Sutter’s hiring. He got the short end of the stick in Calgary. I feel as though Dean Lombardi is a GM unrivaled in all of professional sports. Maybe Presti (NBA Thunder) Maybe Mayhew (NFL Lions). Lombardi is a genius.
As for the Kings run, I was never detracted by having to face the Presidents Trophy winners in the first round since we had taken them to six games the last time around with less of a roster. You already brought up the fact that Daniel Sedin had been out for the majority of the series.
The Blues were the team i was most worried about. I enjoyed attending all the games at the Scottrade Center where it became apparent to each and every one of us that a Stanley Cup victory was within reach. Sure Pietrangelo was taken out of the equation like Sedin was but to me…this was a sign of lady luck completely on our side.As the old adage goes “clicking on all cylinders”.
I can say that i was in violation of my own principle when i used to be a trojan fan. i loved the trojans ever since i was born. my father attended, my sister got a full scholarship (she declined) and so did i. having said that, i guess i get a pass since i was a child and would say i prefer jim mora’s bruins over the Lane Kiffin’s trojans these days. There are many who wouldn’t remember that the year before the trojans first title, they were 3-8 and the boosters contemplated firing Carroll. In that capacity, i know how good you must be feeling. :)
I did not watch the Finals neither in Staples nor in California since i had been in D.C. On one of my breaks i went and saw Courtney since she was in the vicinity. a few yards away from the kids..just didnt say hello. story of my current life.
Incredible piece Dave! Brought back all the emotions and excitement. You are a true talent and I can’t wait to see the things you will achieve! Can’t wait for many more road trips to come!!!
Wow, that was and AMAZING article. So well written, so heart felt and a wonderful summery from a true fan! Thank you for sharing your gift for writing with the rest of us!!! And a shout out to section 321:)
Hey Dave, been a fan of your youtube picks for awhile. Just read this for the first time. A wonderfully written story. As a fellow capper, blogger and hockey fan, I wanna say congrats on your boys winning the cup, keep up the great writing and videos and let’s hope we have some hockey again soon!
Later
Alex B. Smith
Dave,
It’s now February 22nd, 2014 the night before Canada v Sweden for Olympic gold medal. I bounced into this site somehow and saw your LA Kings article and voila I was entranced. What a great story! And yes, I am a Kings fan who lives in Northern Ontario, Canada. Why? Because Charlie Simmer came from here…So, while all my friends are Toronto or Montreal (or name any other team) fans; I have long been the only Kings fan. I watched them clinch the Cup with friends of mine and felt great great contentment. Your article reminded me so thanks very much for that…now if only they can do it again this year…and Canada can beat Sweden.
All he best,
Mike Aylward