Things That AREN'T Fun About The Playoffs

The playoffs are generally a fantastic time as a hockey fan. After a long season suffering through the inevitable ups and downs of your team's season, you finally have reason to celebrate! But like many things in life, you have to take the good with the bad, and there are some really annoying things you have to put with during the playoffs.

I was reminded of my favorite playoff pet peeves on Sunday and thought it might be fun to share. Do any of these sound familiar to you?

• Season ticket holders that sell their seats to opposing team fans -- especially ones that look like THIS.

• Silly games with kiddie castle themes at "Fan Fest" outside the arena. Didn't the Kings swear off cartoonish castles early in the season?

• Long lines at the beer tent. A thirsty hockey fan is an angry hockey fan. This is how riots begin.

• Fans that wear jerseys that don't belong to either team playing. Kudos to you for being a hockey fan and all, but get with the program. If you don't root for one of the teams playing, wear street clothes.

• Mob scene in the Team LA store. I still don't have my playoff t-shirt and I'm kind of bitter about it.

• The Lakers. And the Clippers. And anything else that requires flooring to be placed over the ice surface more than 24 hours prior to puck drop. We've got enough to worry about without dealing with jacked up ice!

• Idiots that don't know not to come into my row while the puck is in play.

• Opposing team fans that climb on the Gretzky Statue.  And if I see a Canuck fan even THINK about dressing him in different colors, I'm getting the red jackets after you.

GO KINGS GO!

Kings Round One Playoffs: I Didn't See This Coming!

When I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I'm secure enough to admit it. And boy have I been wrong about the Kings so far in this playoff series.

Most Kings fans, myself included, would have been happy steal ONE win in Vancouver. Grabbing two was the stuff of dreams. After dropping two games at home, no one expected the Vancouver Canucks to come in to Staples Center and just roll over. Their goal would be to turn the tables and do the same thing to the Kings on their own home ice.

On the Kings side of the equation, Staples Center has not been a guaranteed advantage during the regular season. The playoffs haven't been much better in recent memory, so there was no question Game 3 would be critical to proving the first two wins weren't some kind of fluke. Is this Kings team for real? Really for real?

Tonight proved the wisdom of taking one game at a time and not getting too enamored with your own success. The Kings, quite frankly, were NOT good tonight. They spent way too much time in their own zone, took some early penalties and generally had problems sustaining puck possession. The Canucks continued to bring plenty of physicality, and while the Kings didn't lose their composure they had to spend more time and energy than they probably wanted defending themselves.

Alex Burrows is now public enemy number one. Going after Kopitar was shameful.

But successful playoff teams find a way to win in spite of those challenges, and the Kings found a way. Six minutes into the third period, Dustin Brown -- arguably playing the best hockey of his career this season -- did the grunt work in front of the net and scored on a rebound to give the Kings a 1-0 lead. That and 41 stops from a rock solid Jonathan Quick was all it would take to secure the win and put the Kings ahead 3-0 in the series.

Other thoughts from The Queen:

• Hearing Tim Leiweke's voice talking to a guy behind me and saying, "Hey, have you met Mr. Anschutz?" and turning around to see THE MAN himself was REALLY cool. 

• The pre-game show was interesting. The fire was neat, although it felt a little New Jersey Devils to me, which isn't necessarily a good thing. I also thought it was odd pulling out an American flag given the majority of our players are Canadian. Why can't the NHL find a way to get rid of the US team vs Canadian team thing? Let's come up with one NHL flag and maybe  everyone will be happy.

• I hope Surly Jacob survived the game in spite of Pia Toscano singing The National Anthem. She's no Davis Gaines but she was good.

• Will Farrell is sexy and he knows it. So is David Beckham.

• Kobe Bryant wins the "Awesome Dad of the Year" award. He was absolutely adorable on the Kiss Cam with his daughter. Nice to see Richards followed through and got him those tickets.

• Yes, Canada really hates the Canucks that much.

• To everyone that brought a Canucks diving team sign tonight, The Royal Half loves you.

• It's always fun to chat in Starbucks after the game with a Canucks fan that opens the conversation with "Didn't Dan Cloutier play for you guys too?"

• Kyle Clifford's playoff beard has a Twitter. My life is now complete.

• Tanner, thanks for being here in spirit. The playoffs wouldn't be the same without you.

Wednesday is going to be absolutely HUGE! If you can make it to the game, do whatever it takes. This year feels different -- in a VERY good way. The Kings just might make some history and you'll want to be there.

GO KINGS GO!

The Evolution Of Drew Doughty

If you weren't hanging around the Internet yesterday, you might have missed Drew Doughty's smiling face. Then again, chances are he caught up with you somehow, because Drew Doughty was literally EVERYWHERE I looked online yesterday -- more precisely a Drew Doughty meme spawned by this photo from Getty Images.

Yeah, it's entertaining to photoshop Drew's smiling mug in hilarious -- and not so funny --- ways but that's not the real reason this photo is such a big deal. This image is more important because it captures the new face of the Los Angeles Kings under pressure -- loose, focused on playing their game and undeterred by between the whistles nonsense the Canucks have been using to try to gain momentum in this playoff series.

This photo is important because Drew Doughty, like the rest of the Kings, hasn't always handled pressure this well. Remember him in the Kings-Canucks 2010 first round series? Here's a little refresher.

 

You get the picture.

Much as been made of Drew Doughty's drop off in performance the past two seasons, especially compared to his stellar 2009-2010 season which ended with a Norris Trophy nomination. The numbers don't lie, and from purely a statistical point of view Doughty still has plenty of work to do to develop from a mass of raw talent into the complete defensive tour de force many believe he can become. 

It's great to see the mental part of that evolution is already happening. I know the stats will be coming soon -- delivered with that signature smile.

GO KINGS GO!

 

Kings vs Canucks: Second Chances?

It's been a long and bumpy road for the Kings this season, yet they managed to squeak into the playoffs for the third season in a row and tonight they begin their postseason journey against the Vancouver Canucks. I've spent a lot of time the past few days informally discussing what I think will happen in the post season, but I decided it was time to pull the trigger and commit to a prediction. For better or worse, here goes. If I'm right, I'll give myself a little pat on the back for knowing a thing or two about this team. If I'm wrong, feel free to rub my nose in it.

I have to preface what I'm about to write by saying I love the Kings (sometimes to unhealthy levels) and want nothing more than to see them raise the Stanley Cup. I think anyone who has watched this team all season knows this a not Cup team yet, but I'm betting most of you still hold out hope for the Kings to take that most desired "next step" by getting past the first round and going deeper into the playoffs.

I don't think it's the Kings year to do THAT either.

Before I explain why, let me get one thing out of the way. This is NOT about the Canucks. I am not afraid of the Canucks and neither are the Kings. Yes, they've won the President's Trophy two years running and you have to be a pretty damn good team to do that. But the Canucks are not invincible -- they are beatable. The Kings have proved that during the regular season. 

The Kings have also proved time and time again during the season that they have a talent for beating themselves. Most importantly, they still haven't shown the discipline to play 60 consistent minutes of hockey. And they have difficulty closing the deal when an opportunity presents itself -- like the last two games of the regular season against the San Jose Sharks. I know it's a commonly held belief that the regular season doesn't mean anything as long as you make it in to the playoffs, but I respectfully disagree with that notion. The regular season is the time to build the habits to make a team successful. If those habits become ingrained enough during the season, they have a better chance of being executed in the playoffs as well.

So why are habits so important? Because of pressure. Under pressure, even people who can normally execute a task correctly see a reduction in their ability to do so when pressure is applied. This is the case whether your job is playing hockey or hand crafting widgets. The fact that the Kings haven't developed more consistent habits -- most notably in scoring at critical moments -- will be the factor that keeps them from getting into the second round REGARDLESS OF WHO THE OPPONENT IS.

When the Kings and Canucks last met in 2010, it was the first time in 8 long years the Kings had even been to the playoffs. Two seasons later, the Kings have a stronger roster and more playoff experience -- but some of the same old emotional demons. It will be a hard fought series and the Kings will give everything they have. In the end, it just won't be quite enough. That's a habit this team has to break to get to the next level.

Canucks in 6.

Jonathan Quick Cleans Up -- And Gives Back

Jonathan Quick's stellar play in goal for the Kings made him a pretty popular guy this season. When team awards were announced during Fan Appreciation Day (the Kings final home game on April 5th), he was not only lauded by his teammates, the media but the Kings fans as well.

Quick's teammates voted him Most Inspirational Player ("Ace Bailey Memorial Award"). The media named him Most Valuable Player ("Bill Libby Memorial Award"). He was also the clear fan favorite, which earned him a special "Most Popular Player" award from the Kings Booster Club.

If you've stopped by the Kings Booster Club table near section 102 at any point during the season, you've seen a little clear plastic box with a sign asking you to vote for your favorite King. Based on those votes, the Booster Club presents the Most Popular Player award. And if you've ever wondered, the Most Popular Player award isn't just recognition in name only -- it actually has it's own trophy.

But the Booster Club does something even more cool than just give out a trophy to the winner -- they throw in some cash too. They also use the money collected from "Puck for a Buck" sales during the season to make a donation to the players charity, which in Jonathan Quick's case is the 326 Foundation.

Exactly what is the 326 Foundation? It was started by Quick and his brother-in-law Matt Moulson, former King and current member of the New York Islanders. Back in February, prior to the Kings-Islanders game at Nassau Coliseum, the Kings website ran a great article about Quick and Moulson's unique combination of friendship and family ties, where I learned more about the 326 Foundation.

"A combination of Jonathan’s number 32 and Matt’s number 26, The 326 Foundation’s mission is to assist the Kings Care Foundation and the Islanders Children’s Foundation, benefiting non-profit organizations in Los Angeles and New York respectively. For every one of Jonathan’s wins, the Quicks donate $500 to the foundation, and the Moulson’s do the same for each one of Matt’s goals."

Then I found an article in a Kings game program from February 16th that gave some more information on exactly where the money goes. Quick's foundation basically contributes money to charities through the Kings Care Foundation, specifically to organizations like Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the Make a Wish Foundation, LA Unified School District's Beyond the Bell programs and other local causes. As of January 17th, Quick's 20 wins and 6 shut outs had already amassed a $10,000 donation.

Congrats to Jonathan Quick on doing great things not only on the ice, but off it. Kudos to the Kings Booster Club for supporting his efforts. And for you fans -- keep buying those "Puck for a Buck" chances. Your dollar makes a difference!

GO KINGS GO!

KBPP Preview: Kings vs Sharks - Part 2

Rivalries are part of the fun of sports, whether amateur or professional. When you participate in sports, you accept there will be good-natured trash talk as well as physical battle with your opponent. You learn to win humbly and accept defeat gracefully. That's what good sportsmanship is about, and MOST teams -- like the Kings -- honor that idea.

But not all of them.

What Ryane Clowe and the Sharks pulled Thursday night was a disgrace to themselves and the sport of hockey AND it was completely unfair to the Kings. And their transgressions have gone unpunished as well -- at least until now.

Tonight, we exact our vengeance. Tonight, we take what is ours. Tonight, WE MAKE THEM PAY.

This is the final Kings Blogger Prediction Panel entry of the regular season and I must give a HUGE thanks to Matt Murray of Life In Hockeywood for coming up with this idea. I believe I speak for all the bloggers in saying it's been a blast and we can't wait to do it again next season.

Of course, some of us will be predicting into the playoffs, and our final seeds hang on the accuracy of our guesses tonight. Placement be damned, I have faith in my Kings and my prognostication reflects that fact. But what do the rest of the Kings bloggers think? Here's your last look of the season.

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The Royal Half from The Royal Half
@theroyalhalf
http://theroyalhalf.com/

• Score: Kings 4, Sharks 3 (SO)
• Reason:  Because it's the Cup. Or at least time for the 1st round.
• Record:19-12

Jon Gillette from Rink Royalty 
@RinkRoyaltyJon
http://rinkroyalty.com/

• Score: Kings 4, Sharks 2
• Reason: Someone from the Sharks actually scores a goal from the bench.
• Record: 17-14

Meg Jarrell from Kings Court
@LAKingsCourt
(That's me so you don't need no stinking link --- you're already here!)

• Score: Kings 3, Sharks 2
• Reason: The Sharks are comfortable back in their Tank, but the Kings are on a mission to avenge Thursday's loss and finish the race for the division title for once and for all! Plan to see Ryane Clowe's stick headed where the sun doesn't shine! GO KINGS GO!
• Record: 17-14

Hipcheck from LA Kings Road Talk Radio
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/letsgokings

• Score: Kings 5, Sharks 2
• Reason: Kings offense continues to pour it on and Quick brings his  A game. A fight filled affair ends with 20 Ryan Clowe stick references and 10 references to the NHL rulebook. For the record, my show will broadcast immediately following the game and anyone who wants to call in and talk about the game you all have the green light. Go Kings.
• Record: 15-16

Paul Armbruster from Kings Daily News (formerly Wavesinair from Deep Inside the Kings@deepinsidekings)
http://deepinsidethekings.com/

• Score: Kings 3, Sharks 2, shootout
• Reason: I have a bad feeling the Kings aren't going to get the job done. Their window was the last game and they didn't do it. That said, I'm picking the Kings because I'm sure as shit not taking the sharks the last game of the season!
• Record: 18-13

Matt Murray from Life In Hockeywood
@Hockeywood
http://www.lifeinhockeywood.com

• Score:  Sharks 3, Kings 1
• Reason: The road to the Pacific crown goes through San Jose, as it has from 2007-08. The Kings will need to slay the Sharks in their own home waters if they hope to claim their first division crown in 21 years. But I think San Jose still has more experience in games like this, but the Kings will put up a fighter's chance. My guess is the Kings will score first but give up two goals late in the game. Hey, the Kings are in the playoffs, so it ain't so bad.
• Record: 18-13

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Got a prediction of your own? Leave it in the comments and see how you stack up against the KBPP!

GO KINGS GO!

KBPP Preview: Kings vs Sharks

When the Kings and Sharks last met at Staples Center in March, both teams were outside the playoff picture looking in. Amazing what a difference a couple of weeks can make in a crowded Western Conference. Tonight, the Kings look to not only clinch a playoff spot but secure their place at the top of the Pacific Division -- and gain playoff home ice in the process.

"Wonder Kings powers -- ACTIVATE!"

Will the Kings continue their smooth sailing ways? Or will the Sharks send some rough waters into the Pacific once again? Let's see what your favorite Kings bloggers are predicting will happen.

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The Royal Half from The Royal Half
@theroyalhalf
http://theroyalhalf.com/

• Score: Sharks 2, Kings 1 (SO)
• Reason: Because by getting 1 point the Kings can both exhilarate and disappoint at the same time!
• Record: 18-12

Jon Gillette from Rink Royalty 
@RinkRoyaltyJon
http://rinkroyalty.com/

• Score: Kings 4, Sharks 2
• Reason:  That's right mofo's! We're taking this bitch!
• Record: 17-13

Meg Jarrell from Kings Court
@LAKingsCourt
(That's me so you don't need no stinking link --- you're already here!)

• Score: Kings 3, Sharks 1
• Reason: The Kings only need a point and nothing is going to stop them from getting it. Especially a little San Jose Shark.
• Record: 17-13

Hipcheck from LA Kings Road Talk Radio
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/letsgokings

• Score: Kings 3, Sharks 2
• Reason: Kings refuse to lose and get goals from each of the top 3 lines with Clifford, Kopi, and King lighting the lamp. And there was much rejoicing.....
• Record: 15-15

Paul Armbruster from Kings Daily News (formerly Wavesinair from Deep Inside the Kings@deepinsidekings) 
http://kingsnewsdaily.com

• Score: Kings 4, Sharks 3
• Reason: My god, what a game tonight! I have no idea how to call this one. It transcends all the other predictions we’ve done so far. In effect, it is a possible history-making ‘changing of the guard’ game. Will it be a tight, nervous defensive battle? Will it open up in to a goal-scoring frenzy? The 4 games so far have been split with the Kings winning the high scoring games and the Sharks winning the defensive battles. Tonight? Hmm… Kings win a 6-goal game and make the statement we have all been waiting for. Tonight, we make history.
• Record: 18-12

Matt Murray from Life In Hockeywood
@Hockeywood
http://www.lifeinhockeywood.com

• Score: Sharks 2, Kings 1
• Reason: The Kings are riding a high, thanks to Jonathan Quick's 10th shutout. But Drew Doughty didn't help matters when he was quoted by CSNBayArea.com that the team "We definitely want to do whatever we can to knock them out of the playoff picture." Drew, I love you, but you just gave them locker room fodder. He will learn tonight it's not wise to provoke a hungry Shark.
• Record: 17-13

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Got a prediction of your own? Leave it in the comments and see how you stack up against the KBPP!

GO KINGS GO!