Kings Alumni Score and Support Local Hockey

Every hockey player remembers the place they first fell in love with the sport - their local rink.  Those young players who grow up and enjoy the ultimate success of a professional career in the NHL always remember where they began, and many return to give back to the communities that gave them a start.  Tonight, a group of LA Kings Alumni supported that very idea with a charity event at Ice Station in Valencia, CA.

 

The Kings Alumni entertained a capacity crowd, playing a high scoring contest against the Ice Station All-Stars and raising money to benefit the Valencia Flyers Junior A squad.   

The Alumni proved they still have moves to spare, led by Kings Player Development staffer Nelson Emerson who scored a hat trick en route to a 14-9 win.  But the best parts of the game were the less serious ones, including a goalie swap, a brief scrap on the Kings bench, and one tossed stick sliding half way down the ice courtesy of Ian Turnbull.


And then there was Marty McSorley.  Say what you want about Marty, but he knows how to have fun AND he makes sure everyone else has a great time too.  Before the game, he flashed a huge smile for fans looking down from the bleachers hoping to get his photo.  On the ice, he was like a stage director, coordinating group photos and generally organizing everyone and everything.  But his finest moment was in the shoot-out.

During the first intermission, the Kings staged a shoot out skill event against players from the Valencia Express Youth Hockey Club.   I'm pretty sure our Alumni were getting a little tired already, because not too many shots went in.   The kids in goal may have been a little on the small side, but they sure had focus!  Especially the kid that went up against Marty.   Check out the video!

So nice to see a hockey legend provide such a memorable moment for a kid learning to love the sport!  

That was exactly the point of the evening.  Work hard, compete, but above all have fun.  And when you grow up to be a famous hockey player, remember to give back to the place that got you started.

GO KINGS GO!

P.S. - You can check out more shoot-out videos and event photos on the Kings Court Facebook page!