TSN.ca did a Q&A with Edmonton forward Patrick O’Sullivan, mostly to help promote the “Movember” charity event for men’s health, but later in the interview, O’Sullivan was asked what he felt was the most surprising thing about playing for a Canadian team. Not exactly complimentary toward L.A.
O’Sullivan said, “It’s definitely different coming from L.A. where nobody cared and after the game we’d have two people in the room waiting to talk to us. I didn’t know what to expect when I was traded and I didn’t know how I was going to like it. But to me, I think it’s great. You want to play somewhere where hockey is important. It’s everything and more that I thought it would be. The games are sold out and it’s a fun building to play in. Outside of the weather, it’s a great city. In my opinion if you want to live somewhere warm, you can do it when you’re done playing.”
Is anyone really surprised? He’s not the only player in the league that says something like that after getting traded to a Canadian market.
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Or you can live somewhere warm WHILE you playing…….and winning. Hater in the house!
Grind up those grapes son and then go pound sand.
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My first comment would be: Don’t lie, I’ve lived in Edmondump for a month, it is not a great city to live in, especially in the winter.
I will concede his point however, not that there are no fans who care in LA, but the level of interest in the hockey team in Edmonton is about 1,000,000,000 times higher than it is in LA. I have never been to LA so I can’t talk firsthand but how many times has the LA times featured their first 5 or 6 sport pages on the Kings. My guess is zero; and in Canadian cities this happens on an almost daily basis
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Wow, that just sounds like a ton of bitter and its obviously untrue. He’s right in regards to coverages, there’s less of it in LA than there is in Edmonton. That’s both good and bad as he’ll find out if the Oilers stink it up for a month. Right now its just different so he’s enamored with it but it gets claustrophobic quick. Fact is, O’Sullivan was traded because he played poorly. He was a shooter who wouldn’t shoot and that’s carried over in Edmonton from what their announcers were saying. By all means O’Sullivan has a better shot than Anze but yet Anze leads the league in goals. Until he develops a shot mentality and tries to get 5-7 SOGs per game he’ll just be a mediocre second line player.
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Sam:
I disagree with your assessment of POS. IMO he shot too much! He used to skate over the blue line on throw wristers into the goalies tummy. He had 220 shots 2 years ago, 259 shots last season, and he is already up to 56 shots this year (one more than Anze). His problem is not taking enough ‘quality’ shots.
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Could it be that there is nothing else to do in Edmonton (except root for the Eskimos). They love hockey in NY. Does not mean they dedicate five pages to them.
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There is NOTHING TO DO in Edmonton that you can’t do visiting for about a week.
You could spend YEARS in LA and the surrounding area and STILL not do exerything. I’ve lived in SoCAl all my life and can attest to that.
What kind of sports are there in EDM? The Eskimos of the Canadian Football League? OF COURSE Hockey is bigger there! That and it’s their national sport.
Patty O just stated the obvious ‘Lack of attention’ the Kings get because of this, but did it in a completely classless, bitter way. Good for him. Williams is still better.
Enjoy the weather. Welp, back to winning without you.
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Bitter??? Bitter, Party of One???
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Cynic:
Edmonton has a minor league hockey team that is pretty huge too, the Oil Kings.
And I am glad you remembered the Eskies, they are HUGE in Edmonton and the CFL is an incredibly exciting football league (waits for the Americans to stop laughing).
They also have the Edmonton Rush, a lax team in the NLL.
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Hey Rich…I guess all those interviews we did with him and all the stories we wrote about him or including him were figments of our imagination, eh?
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Typical Canadian resident talk! He is trying to say Hockey is not Great in LA……. Well, come on dude, you are now living in Canada…Would he have said that if he moved to Boston, or Phoenix?
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No kidding, Gann. For me, he was almost always good to talk to, but I guess he wanted us to talk to him more often!
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Giving the local press what they want to hear… As always.
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Patrick who?
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He is entitled to his opinion, but I think this has more to do with patty trying to endear himself to the Edmonton fans, where the honeymoon is kind of over. He has been playing better of late, but if he cant be a legit 1st liner for them, he will be toss out of the city he “loves” faster than he will know.
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So he wasn’t lying then. The 2 people waiting for him were Gann Matsuda and Rich.
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I care!
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Did this guy play for the kings or something I just looked at some videos from a few years back and I couldn’t find him anywhere looked for him backchecking nothing and I looked for him in and around the opposing teams net and still could not find him.
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The funny thing is, I don’t think POS is really thinking about what he’s saying. It’s a form of racism, really… He’s simply a prejudiced Canadian dissing L.A. in that casual, “Don’t we all feel this way deep down inside?” kind of way. He doesn’t really let his brain reflect on the meaning of his words, and probably would take it all back if he really thought about it.
The sad part of it is how he’s dissed the L.A. media, people like you, Rich, who took him seriously and gave him the kind of attention he apparently needed in spades.
Funny, POS will be on the U.S. team this Olympics, probably. What would (or should) his teammates think? Would POS talk that way about St. Paul, or Ann Arbor? Should POS be kept off the U.S. Olympic team for his words?
Bet POS will eat his words, real soon… Remember them:
“It’s definitely different coming from L.A. where nobody cared and after the game we’d have two people in the room waiting to talk to us. ”
WhatdoyathinkNOW, Anthonyy?
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Patrick O’Sullivan is far from theonly hockey player to think that, and he’s not entirely wrong. Hockey is way more imporatnt to a lot more people up there than it is in southern California, and I can imagine that it’s nicer to play somewhere where the focus is more on hockey in the winter than on kayaking in the Pacific Ocean.
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Go buy a few bottles of POS Blanc 2009. This vintage comes from only the bitterest grapes in the vinyard, grapes that most vinyards just throw away. It only gets worse when sent to colder climates.
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if so happy to be out of LA and so comfortable in a real hockey town, why are you playing like a 4th liner? Shut up and play Patty-O. You’re better than that.
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Rich…yeah, O’Sullivan was nice, always accomodating, always had something good to say. He wasn’t overly effusive or prolific, but he never shied away. Grass is always greener, I guess.
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kingme00: LOL. For the record, there was more than just Rich and myself.
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The Kings are clearly better off for having traded him to get Williams.
Regarding O’Sullivan, I for one have not only turned the page, I’ve closed the book.
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I would think with Patrick’s childhood, approval and positive attention are probably something that he really can feed off of.
That was an absolutely classless statement Sean.
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Sorry Gann, Sorry Rich… he’s right in the broad sense as it relates to the media. When you put it in the context of your blog item, you make it sound like he said “NOBODY” cared (meaning fans, teammates, etc. — and we know from his friendships with Quincey, Brown, et al, that was FAR from the truth. Living in LA and adapting to what hockey coverage is like in this city, compared to other places I have lived and spent reasonable amounts of time working in, it’s true… “Nobody” cares (save for Rich, Gann and Helene.)
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Gotta say, there is some truth to Patty’s statements. The Lakers and Dodgers get most of the attention in the papers, news, etc. Then again the Kings were sucking big time when Patty O was here, Im sure theres a lot more interest in a winning team than a losing one.
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Again, it’s not that he’s not a nice guy. He’s a wannabee, like Cammilleri, out of the hockey hinterlands now on the Canadiens.
My father was in the Army for four years, and during that time counted the minutes until he could be free and ply his trade elsewhere. He knew what he had the talent to do, but felt constrained. But he honored his commitment (it paid his way through college and Medical School), served with honor, then found his fortunes elsewhere.
POS ‘knows’ what he has the talent to do, but felt constrained by L.A., hockey’s lack of pervasiveness and his lack of local stardom. POS ‘knows’ he’s a star, and wonders why here in L.A. we didn’t all see it with him. Perhaps that’s why he hasn’t progressed to the level many of us hoped he’d achieve.
There has to be a ‘buy-in’, as Ken Hitchcock said last night about his Blue Jackets being waxed by Detroit. Buy in, POS, buy in! Then, perhaps, you can appreciate the honest faith people like me and Anthonyy and all those here on this blog had in you while you were a King…
…A faith some of us still have.
It’s not that POS doesn’t know he’s American. It’s that he wants to be something he isn’t quite yet… And, somehow, being an Angeleno for awhile kept him from reaching that goal.
So sad.
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Gann & Rich: I think his point, as has been pointed out above, is that it’s not disparaging us but the fact is hockey is just a bigger deal up there. Just watch Hockey Night in Canada and you can see the difference. They’ve got nightly panels w/ reporters talking about the NHLPA drama. I don’t think I’ve seen one item locally.
Rich- Have you even asked all the players what their feelings are on the Kelly firing? I’m sure POS has been asked multiple times.
Not to say that is good or coverage I want. Just shows the difference.
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What an idiot….You think he would be a little smarter and just say good things about both places..why burn a bridge?
Rich..I always wondered do teams teach rookies how to deal with the media and what to say?
If they did, I guess Sully called in sick that day.
He’s gone to Edmonton. Whichever King has him lined up, please put him thru the boards so he can get closer to those he dissed. Or perhaps he can find a nice, soft landing spot in the lap of those who are still pissed that he got traded.
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Jeeze, you guys sound like spurned lovers. For the most part, local coverage of hockey IS lacking. And as far as the general public, not many people in LA care about the Kings since the Gretzky era ended. It hasn’t helped that for many years now the team’s performance has been mediocre or poor.
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Marc…yeah, I know what he meant. He just didn’t say it very well.
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JB…just to comment on the PA stuff. When you see it on HNiC, and similar shows…those are national (and international) shows that are appealing to a wide audience, not just one city/team, so those topics fit well. Same with the head hits/helmets/etc. When you spend 10 minutes talking about the PA or head hits, it’s something that plays equally well in Vancouver and New York. Matt Greene, the Kings’ player rep, hasn’t had a strong reaction to the PA stuff and I don’t get the sense that any Kings players really have, but it’s a fair statement and I’ll continue to ask around.
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Sounds like all you POS haters are the bitter ones. Any professional athelete wants to play where the local fans are 99% of the city. There’s nothing bitter about that at all.
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There were two people? Rich and who else?
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Oh…
…JB, good point.
So Rich, what DID all the players say when you asked them about the Kelly firing?
I’m certain you asked; not telling us what they said was the crime.
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As a player, it has to be disheartening when you play at home against a team like the Wings or the Leafs or the Habs or the B’s or the Rangers and half the building is rooting for the other side!
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I like POS and wish him well. Having said that he’s a self centered prick and was/is going to give every GM he plays for headaches when contract time comes.
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I’ll be honest — and I certainly don’t mean this as a knock on Greene — but I don’t even recall his complete answer, because it wasn’t one that anyone would find particularly strong. I know he said that he had been participating in all the conference calls and keeping tabs on the situation, etc. The national reporters do a good job of covering the story, but I’ll remember to keep an eye on it from the Kings’ perspective.
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There’s one way to fix the lack of hockey coverage in LA…
WIN! Just win. We are. As we win more, our coverage will increase. Simple as that.
Patty O didn’t help us do that. He’s gone, now we’re winning. I guess in a sense, he DID help us.
VAN- I love the CFL and watch it all the time on those things we’re not supposed to talk about here. I like Lacrosse too, but it’s just not around SoCal or on TV. Curling is the Canadian version of Bowling and GREAT when embibing (Drinking). Duckpins & 5-pin are rather boring, but a timekiller. The OilKings are big because it’s hockey and it’s Edmonton. I was speaking of Major Professional sports teams. Plenty of sports in Edmonton, but not many major professional teams, like SoCal.
Gann: For the record, was there more than just you and Rich…AT ONE TIME?
Maybe you guys made fun of his Ping-Pong skills or something. He was awfully bitter about Army’s ablilties. LOL
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NOT IMPRESSED:
You best believe I’m bitter! I expected more of POS. He has the talent, but talent isn’t everything. He was traded in part because he was disappointing to the Kings’ brass. He HASN’T emerged as the star he could be, in Edmonton.
Give Cammilleri as an example. Who would you consider the better player, POS or Cammilleri? I know one thing: POS would give his left bean to be where Cammilleri is now. But the thing holding POS back is POS. And with that comment, it’s partially understandable why that’s true.
He can talk the talk; can he walk the walk?
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Rich,
Do you think that the relative youth of the Kings has something to do with their apathy to the Kelly story?
Certainly, none of them have the emotional baggage that a Chelios would…
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Excellent point, Bako. I think you hit on something there. I don’t know that I have asked O’Donnell. He might have some thoughts, as a guy who has been around, so I’ll try that.
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He also said he hated Canada. Rich even included that quote on his blog. But he might’ve been referring to Team Canada.
Anyway, hockey in California doesn’t compare to hockey in Canada. Canada is far superior. Same way Justin Williams’ play this year is far superior to anything Patrick O’Sullivan did in his time here or doing this year in Edmonton.
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What is the big deal? He didn’t say he hated L.A. Just stated the obvious. It is disheartening when a large amount of the Staples Center is wearing the other team’s jersey. I wish the atmosphere was different here but I love hockey and I am here…recruiting fans one at a time
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I will admit that when I heard O’Sullivan was traded, I was very bummed out. He was my favorite player on the team at the time. Then I heard we got Justin Williams for the trade, a guy that is injury prone, and I really became upset. Then you have to realize its part of hockey and accept it and see what happens. Williams started to play strong at the end of last season and I was thinking this may work.
Now, if you look at the stats of both players it is even more entertaining and the trade looks very good on paper thus far into the season.
O’Sullivan 19 gms 3 Goals 9 Assists 12 points +/- of -6
Williams 14 gms 5 Goals 10 Assists 15 points +/- of +5
Like I said, so far so good. Lets see where they are after the season is over and if it still looks just as good.
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Bako…someone may want to point this out to you…O’Sullivan is an American, born in North Carolina…he’s not a Canadian rascist…just sayin’.
The difference in media attention in LA compared to that in Edmonton, or Toronto, or any other Canadian city is really this…WHO CARES????
Really…so this prima donna wants more attention? How about you score a few goals, make a name for yourself instead of riding on other’s efforts…or better yet, GO TO THE DAMN NET!!!!
Seriously, this obession with a 2nd/3rd line tweener who showed a little promise, and who still isn’t showing anything elsewhere is boarding on craziness.
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If you think about it, Williams still hasn’t had very many games since his injury. It’s still early to tell who got the better of the deal. But from what I’ve seen, Williams is a better fit with the Kings than O’Sullivan. He’s made a few spectacular plays this season that I don’t think O’Sullivan could have made. I was particularly impressed by his effort against Pittsburgh. I’m happy the way it’s turned out so far. Williams has been a nice playmaker and has given nice effort when he’s been in the lineup.
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For what it is worth, one of the hosts on XM NHL Home Ice (I do not recall which one) said he does not bring up the PA stuff (unless a caller mentions it) because he does not think most fans care about it.
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Sully: Tell me about the Canadian fans and media this April when you’re golfing and the apathetic Kings fans are filling the Staples Center for playoff hockey…
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I personally think this is getting blown way out of proportion and I really don’t think it was a dig against LA.
If he had come out and initiated this himself as soon as he moved there then I’d see it as sour grapes.
But he never. He was asked a question and he answered it truthfully. In Canada, hockey players are at the top of the food chain. They play to sold out houses every night. I remember watching the Gold Medal game from the Salt Lake games and CBC showed a camera shot of downtown Yonge Street (probably Canada’s busiest street). It was completely empty. Like a ghost town. Every man, woman and child was inside watching the game.
Do you have any idea how big Luongo is in Vancouver. He’s 10 times as big as Kobe, Manny and Tom Cable……combined.
I go to Montreal every SuperBowl weekend. This is the only weekend they play two afternoon games (got to see the Kings last year). Each year I have to pay between $400 and $500 for a good seat. And that’s per game. Crazy, isn’t it. But thats how much in demand the game is in Canada.
It’s just different up here, that’s all.
It’s no different than someone leaving the Toronto Blue Jays and going to the Dodgers, Yankees or Red Sox.
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Rich- I don’t expect you to fill all roles (local and National) nor am I all that interested in the PA stuff. When I watched the last couple HNiC it was just all they talked about. I think you agreed w/ my point. The number of different levels interested up north blows away what we have but then I assume the Lakers have got local guys and national guys all over every move they make. I think that was what POS was saying.
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As someone who supported this guy and CARED about where he played, when he played, and the chances I thought he didn’t get…he can go to hell.
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Hmmm…checkiny my schedule…Kings vs. Oilers at Staples…
I’ll be the one with the sign that says:
“Guess I should be bothered by your LA diss, Sully,
But I Just Don’t Care!”
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He’s a bitterman. He played like he thought we didn’t care. That explains a lot.
Look. NFL people say the same thing about LA…no one cares. The deal is, in LA, most people aren’t living the life of the team. There’s “a lot to do,” as I can hear some LA radio men saying, and the average angelino really just doesn’t pay much attention, unless it’s the playoffs and the team is hot…and even then. The Raiders won a Super Bowl and came here, and couldn’t fill the stands. They won another one here, and still couldn’t fill the stands. There is a nugget of truth there.
The thing is, when you say that “NO ONE CARES”, you disrespect the fans who DO care, and you sound like an ingrate.
Also, one of the things players say about the fans when they’re new to the Kings or visiting is how remarkable the fans are–not the community–the fans. Players notice that even though the media aren’t frenzied about the Kings, and they can walk down the street without being recognized, there is a “real” fanbase, and that seems to surprise them.
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Phil Kessel basically said the same thing when he moved to Toronto. He couldn’t wait to play in a city where Hockey was “it”.
He better hope he keeps up his good play. The minute he slacks up he might as well pack his bags. Those fans will crucify him a la Bryan McCabe.
Sure, it’s nice to play to a sold out house every night but there’s something to be said for making millions of dollars, living in warm weather year round, rubbing elbows with a few celebs while not living under a microscope. For every POS who likes the attention, there’s at least one really, really rich Leaf who’s loving life in South Beach where no one has a clue who he is.
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Would that rock if POS got traded to, say, Phoenix or Nashville?
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Rich can you start a “Who gives a SH!T page and put this in it. Thanks
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Apparently a lot of people do, because Rich gave enough to post it, and several gave enough to comment.
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“Apparently a lot of people do, because Rich gave enough to post it, and several gave enough to comment”
I am not knocking Rich or the people posting a comment as I am one of them. I just personally don’t care what Patty thinks about LA. Just my opinion nothing else.
Sorry Rich, I may have violated rule # 1. on my original post. Will not happen again.
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O’Sullivan is right in comparing the two cities. The Kings haven’t been to the playoffs in years and when you consider all of the other activities, not to mention sports with their local teams to follow, that Angelinos have around them, why would the Kings have a huge following? Not many cities have what we have as far as variety in entertainment and Edmonton is a hockey town. If a player wants to be scrutinized and live and breath hockey every single day in ice cold weather… have fun Patty. Yay.
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I’m sure if the Kings let us, all us fans would love to go into the locker room after a game and talk to the players. The media goes for the hot popular teams like the Lakers and Dodgers, teams that make the playoffs and succeed. We’re just getting there. Just wait till we make the playoffs. There will be plenty of media attention.
Come on, if the Ducks can make the evening news, then certainly we can.
GO KINGS GO!! Kings Cup 2010!
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I think Rich should ask him next time he interviews him if he got the satisfaction he thought he would by dissing Kings fans and LA media.
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O’Sullivan- 19 games- 3 goals- 9 assists- 12 points- minus 5
Eric Cole- 7 games- 1 goal- 0 assists- 1 point- minus 4
Williams- 14 games- 5 goals- 10 assists- 15 points- plus 6
Carolina loses this trade hands down. L.A. wins, getting a much better but oft. injured player and losing a mentally unhealthy O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan’s measly 6 points and minus 7 in 19 games just after the trade and his pretty low scoring start to this season shows most Kings fans that, at least for the moment, Lombardi made a good trade.
As for LA fans not being into Hockey, that’s not quite true. Yes, Edmonton has a much bigger fan base and people are totally into hockey. LA fans love their team, but are not just hockeycentric. What else is there to do in LA that there isn’t in Edmonton? Everything! Surf, ski, golf, baseball, basketball, tennis, college sports galore, going outside in January in shorts and a t-shirt, thinking 58º is winter is freakin freezing so we wear semi-winter jackets, flip-flops for at least 9 months out of the year, and too much more to name. We’d live and die by the Kings, too, if we had nothing else to do but drink Molson and… um, listen to Rush… and… go to work.
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First, Patrick O’Sullivan has ZERO chance of making the Olympic team. There are better guys out there.
Second, Patrick could have worded his statement much different to get the same effect. Using the “nobody cared” kind of lumps everyone into one pile, which we all know isn’t true.
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mr brett:
Canadian he is not. Canadian he wishes be.
Check what I wrote.
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He keeps talking like that, POS will have a different meaning…… Honestly, what was he supposed to say? Of course he will make light of LA because he was traded. I just thought he was a lot classier than that….
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So let me get this straight… POS wants as many people as possible be able to watch him suck and generally float around for a while before shooting the puck into the goalie’s chest.
Good luck with that. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!
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By the way, whoever said he was playing like he thought nobody cared, is absolutely right.
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Kinda funny he says this because I often thought watching him play here that he didn’t even care.
A lot different playing in a city where the fans have so many choices of things to do and one where they pretty much have one choice. LA is never going to be known as a hardcore fan city, but the players that play their careers here know better than players like Patrick IMO. And know the fan here are very passionate even if it isn’t life and death as it is in canada. So to me for a player that can be good and bad, probably more good when it gets down to it I would think.
Either way so far the trade wa sa great one for LA, Williams has been great this season. He was great against the canes even before he scored, he really gets after the puck.
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If only POS knew how many people were white-knighting him on this board since the trade….
In order to get more media and man-on-the-street attention in LA, not only do the Kings need to 1) make the playoffs, and 2) win in the playoffs, but they also need to 3) hope for a bad Lakers’ season, or the Kings will be overshadowed anyways; and number 3 doesn’t look like it’s going to happen anytime soon.
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Nothing that hasn’t been said since the Kings came into the league in 1967….and he’s right, nobody cares about you in LA unless you win. Hopefully the foundation has been laid and this year’s team will begin a tradition of sustained success. However, even if the team wins, they’ll never be match the obsession with hockey in the Canadian cities; let’s face it, hockey is pretty much all they have, except in Toronto.
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One other thought – there seems to be a lot of agreement with what POS says among the posters, but the main objection seems to be that he isn’t a good enough player to say it. I think he played ok in LA, but the coaches (correctly) realized that despite his skills he was unlikely to become a consistent first or second line forward, which was how he was being paid.
However, POS had better be careful in what he wishes for; there is no doubt that Edmonton fans are more knowledgeble than those in LA, and they won’t tolerate him for long if he continues to underachieve. Since the team tanked as soon as he got there last year, and has been so-so this year…..he could be on the road again soon.
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Here is our take on it. Click on the link. http://www.lakingsnews.com
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Where’s anthonyy?
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Being a 35 year King fan I could say I have seen it all. One thing DL has convinced me of is he is serious about building a winner here. Took me three years to finally accept it that he wasn’t going to cut and run. What does this have to do with Sully? Just as it was certain that Camallari was gone when he went to arbitration (DL opted for the two year deal so he could get a year while shopping him), Sully’s hold-out and ego after a somewhat good year in 2008 convinced management he was not a King first. They took their best deal. (Which by the way, seems to be a good one).
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Ok Patrick O’SUCKivan, no one cared here in LA when the kings lose????? Ok I just have a kings tattoo on my arm, but i guess its just for show huh? Man I would love for that piece of trash say something to me like that I would pop him in the face!!!! I get so pissed everytime the kings blow a game of even play a bad one and win!!! My whole family have been kings fans my whole life and I was raised at the forum and will bleed black and purple my whole life, EFF O’SUCKivan and his bitter ass comments. Time to go up Patty play your game and be boring and try to do to much everytime you touch the puck…Williams is 1000000000000 time better than you will ever dream of being.
GO KINGS GO
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A couple of thoughts. First of all, Patrick O’Sullivan played a couple of seasons here. Which means he spent about half of September to April going to and from Staples and El Segundo and Manhattan Beach, and spent the rest of the time on the road. He didn’t spend summers here (remember he was in Toronto the summer he was not exactly “holding out”). His idea of LA is probably Manhattan Beach, El Segundo and downtown LA at Staples. Those are three far-flung neighborhoods that frankly many Angelinos don’t visit for more than a couple of hours a year. I’ve lived here for thirty years, and I don’t go to those places except to watch or play hockey. On top of which, he’s basically a kid; he would be fresh out of college if he went to college. His experience of Los Angeles is essentially nil. About on a par with someone who went to college on the outskirts (say, Pepperdine) and then moved away after graduation. His opinion about Los Angeles interests me not at all.
Second, this point about the hockey coverage in LA lacking:
That would be true. If you’re talking about newspapers. But who reads newspapers? Maybe you guys do. I don’t. I actually bought the LA Times today because I needed to buy something to use the bathroom at the Mobil Station. I threw it in the back of my car and forgot about it. Tonight, I saw it there in the backseat and suddenly flashed back to when I used to always have newspapers in the car. I haven’t bought one in maybe ten years.
I don’t get my hockey coverage from newspapers. I get my Kings coverage from Rich, Gann, and a half dozen other blogs. I get my hockey coverage from all over the continent, since it’s all delivered to us free of charge by the internets. It’s simply the best hockey coverage I’ve experienced in my entire life.
By comparison: I grew up in Michigan. The Red Wings were not televised in my home town, which was an hour away. After the advent of cable, we got the HNiC feed once a week on channel 9 (Windsor). The Detroit Free Press had box scores of the games, and there were little AP write-ups. Who scored, who won, maybe 100 words per game for about half the games. And this was a big hockey market supposedly.
It’s infinitely better now.
POS is literally talking only about the number of microphones stuck in his face. What does it matter if there are fifteen mics stuck in his face instead of L.A.’s two? Why do fifteen guys have to have the same stupid quote about “god willing we’ll win the big game”? Answer: they don’t. Thus, the death of newspapers and the superiority of web-based instantaneous reporting of everything 24/7, right down to players twittering about trades and agents bitching about the rivals of their clients, etc.. The hockey hive mind is so much smarter and funnier and more thorough than any newspaper could ever be.
Which I imagine is why Rich now works for the Kings.
And I happen to know for a fact that the reporting done by Rich has been pivotal in getting several of my Michigan relatives to support the Kings. It’s just more fun to follow a team if you can get relevant real-time reporting and commentary. Not trying to blow smoke up anyone’s ****; I just think it’s funny that from POS’s point of view, no one cares because three dozen people don’t want to listen to a hockey player say “take away their time and space.”
One mic is enough.
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I loved O’Sullivan as a Los Angles King! He was never put in a position to succeed. As a matter of fact, from what I can tell, the Oilers are not putting him in a position to succeed either. O’Sullivan needs to center a second line! As matter of fact, O’Sullivan can pass the puck much better than Kopitar.
O’Sullivan would have succeeded in Los Angeles had he centered a line with Matt Moulson as the right wing and Alexander Frolov as the left wing.
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a canned answer. He said what he was suppose to say. Sounds like he is running for office. When you suck you have to say the “Right” things to your people. If he was better he could afford to open up and say something that matters. But he sucks
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Of course hockey is important in canuckville, what other sports venues do they have? And he likes it better than living near the beach? RIGHT!
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“Where’s anthonyy?”
Sitting right next to Patty O, telling him that he cares and that Williams isn’t half the player he is.
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Quisp,
You forgot to mention:
http://kwisp.wordpress.com/
Another great place where some guy puts his seemingly random thoughts down about his beloved team. Where is your tape recorder after the game?
-Dave
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Thanks. But really. Reporters are in the front seat driving. People like me are in the back seat occasionally shouting out “are we there yet?”
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just my 2 cents…Power 106 sports guy still doesn’t talk about the Kings when he’s doing his thing every morning.
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Damn, take it easy on Sully. So you all think hockey is important in So. Cal? To us, sure! But to pretend that hockey (kings/ducks) doesn’t finish dead last (behind lakers, dodgers, angels, ucla, usc) is stupid. Even the Radiers get more love than the Kings, and they haven’t played in LA since 1994. If they continue to win, maybe they’ll get more love than the clips.
What kinda coverage has the Daily News provided on the Kings since Rich left? How bout the Times and Reg?
Am I glad that we ended up with Willy over Sully? YES! I don’t think that he really ever fit well on the Kings. But, I wish him the best of luck, and would like to see him do well (just not against us). Its stupid to freak out when people simply speaks the truth. Thats the reality of the situation, get over it.
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Anthony?
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Hey Quisp,
Are you trying to tell me that the Kings draw comparable local television ratings to the lakers, or any of the above teams mentioned? Yes the Kings obviously have a loyal fan base…us. But come on guy. Look I’m familiar with your tag line, and you usually have something reasonable to say. This time you and many others are too quick to jump on the hater wagon.
Hockey is the national sport of Canada. Thats all Sully was trying to say. When you walk in to any bar anywhere in Canada, everyone wants to buy you a drink. People talk about hockey at the water cooler. Its not a knock on LA, its just the reality. Why be offended?
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Nobody cared?
Guess who else doesn’t care?
This guy.
Oh, he meant the team, not him.
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Quisp,
you own. Just a great great post. Thanks
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The thing about L.A. is that everyone in the USA and Canada wants to live here, because of the weather. When a Canadian team comes into town you have some fans come out and some bandwagon fans also. I was born and raised in L.A. and I am a Die Hard Kings fan however, if I had to move to another city, I would still go out and enjoy the hockey games. We do not get that in L.A. With the Kings winning, hopefully we can get TRUE hockey fans out to the games and sell out.
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uknojata -
I didn’t say anything about ratings or about the Lakers. I actually don’t care about ratings at all. Because I don’t work for Fox.
I don’t know where you’re getting the “hater” thing from. It does seem to be the label du jour for anyone who doesn’t agree with you (by you, I mean the person who is using the term “hater”).
I don’t hate POS. I always liked him. I think negative comments about your old team lack class. Why? Because you’re going to move on from your current team eventually, and then it’s their turn for the snide comments. I think many commenters are right to point out that he’s simply stating an accepted “fact.”
My point is two-fold:
(1) his experience of LA is extremely limited and not representative or interesting. Mostly he’s talking about how many reporters put mics in his face after the game (and, as others have mentioned, how many people recognize him on the street — p.s. I know what he looks like and I had trouble recognizing him in his own picture — see the NHL.com pic; is that really him?).
(2) I don’t think the media coverage is lacking. Because I don’t read newspapers or watch local news or even national news like ESPN. Why not? Because that’s not where the coverage is. I have no doubt that the Lakers have a bigger following, get higher ratings, make more money, etc.. So what? Is the coverage of the Lakers more thorough than the Kings? I doubt it. If you limit yourself to newspapers and Stu Nahan (if he is even still alive, which I don’t think he is). I don’t think that coverage (big outlets, papers, TV) is in any way preferable to what we have right here and elsewhere on the web. You have to go where the coverage is. And where the coverage is, I find it hard to imagine better.
(is the lakers coverage “better” because it gets more national attention? I would be surprised. network announcers and national writers never know a team the way the locals do, do they? and where is the knowledgeable coverage of the Kings? It’s right here.)
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POS is lacking in maturity. Even if he got a raw deal here from being misused, he should just appreciate his blessing of having the talent to play in the NHL.
I can’t blame him for taking a swipe at LA Hockey after his experience here (with management/coaching), but DL and TM aren’t “obliged” to helping him work out his personal issue/demons.
I wish they had, because he’s got a ton of natural talent that LA Hockey has been missing for a long time, but he also needs to realize that they will follow him until he faces them, or someone helps him face them.
Hopefully, Pat Quinn is a more nurturing guy and will help POS reach his potential.
Not exactly Mike Tyson, but their are parallels.
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Hockey is bigger in Edmonton than Los Angeles?
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“I don’t think the media coverage is lacking. Because I don’t read newspapers or watch local news or even national news like ESPN.”
-Quisp
So you didn’t follow Rich’s blog 2 months ago when he was working for the Daily News? Get off your alternative hockey high horse guy.
Please tell me where Sully said something negative about his old team as you claim. You can’t because he didn’t, and I’m trying to figure out why you choose to take it that way. If anything he was talking smack on LA as a hockey market and how it compares to Edmonton. What can you do in Edmonton during the winter? Drink, screw and watch/play hockey.
HOCKEY IS BIGGER IN CANADA. Not sure what point your trying to make.
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I think O’Sullivan made one statement that was an attempt to ingratiate himself to the Edmonton fans, and seek a positive of where he was at. LA has some very attentive, passionate media writers, interviewers and bloggers. As some have said I just don’t see that it was a direct criticism of those people at all.
I don’t see all the need for the negativity toward O’Sullivan. Williams has been a good outcome of the trade so far, and likewise O’Sullivan has similar point production in Edmonton, doing that on a team that has been seriously flu ridden, and consistently injured, and playing on make shift lines sometimes game to game. He will suffer much more intense scrutiny, and time will tell how that boy manages, but i truly hope he realizes his potential.
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