The final NHL games before the Olympic break are being played today, and teams will not be allowed to practice again until next Wednesday, Feb. 24. That’s when the Kings will return, with a 2 p.m. practice, and they will have up to six days of practice before their March 2 game at Dallas. Of course, players who are participating in the Olympics might be gone for a while. Given that the gold-medal game is on Feb. 28, if the Kings should have a player reach that game, he won’t really have any practice time, but he will certainly be fresh given that he’s been playing in the Olympics.
Also, given that Jonathan Quick is playing for Team USA, the Kings will be short one goalie. Terry Murray said the Kings would bring in a local goalie to get through practices. I asked if 43-year-old goalie coach Bill Ranford — who filled in for Quick when Quick had flu symptoms a couple days ago — had declined the chance…
“He kind of raised his hand halfway,” Murray said with a laugh. “He’s real good for a day, but it’s going to be hard, five days in a row.”
When I asked him, in passing, if any Kings would be sent to Manchester to play games during the break, Lombardi said no. I imagine we would find out today if he happened to change his mind on that.
if they need a goalie i would offer my services,but being in saskatchewan canada it maybe too far to commute. but one can dream eh
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Wanna build confidence for all the guys? Bring back Dan Cloutier…that would be great!
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no. because he would probably want to be payed 1 million for every practice.
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How about Mario Lessard or Bob Janecyk? Quick is equaling their records. Let ‘em steal one on him!
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brett, I thought I was the only Saskatchewanian on this blog!
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Because of some stupid rule. Parse isn’t able to play in Manchester until after the roster freeze. (rule is even a player has played more games in the NHL then the AHL this season. then can not play in the AHL during the break) VERY STUPID RULE! So i think the only player that could even play in Manchester is Clune. I’m gonna assume Moller has prob. played more games in LA this year.
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*rule is IF a player (not even.. not sure why i typed that)
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Oh my God! I don’t really care about the Olympics…. This is going to be worse than July- August!!!
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Count another Saskatchewanite here
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Would love to see Hextall put on the pads again too. Let’s see Ryan Smyth go to the crease then. Actually being that Smyth is one of Hextall’s assets I doubt he would get rough with him.
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Dan Cloutier would not be brought back because he would think that Dean Lombardi would make him pay for his own hotel, again.
Roman Checkmanek didn’t look like he knew how to play inbetween the pipes in the first place, so forget him.
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This is fun when there is no game on. Rich- I hope you took time for Valentines Day! (significant others seem to like that!)
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I know Ontario Canada is Leaf country (I have been a die hard King fan since 1976) but just curious are there any other King fans here from Ontario??
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I was going to say send Kopi to Manchester but nvm. Wait is DL still paying Cloutier? If he is where is he?
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Timbo- I am not from Ontario (either one), but have visited many times. But you bring up something I have thought about. Since we have a break, I was thinking of asking Rich, after he re-introduced himself to his family, to do a fun survey, and map out where all these Kings fans are located who partake of this blog on a daily basis. I believe the “Kings Nation” extends far beyond LA. It might even convince FSN to renew Bob and Jim’s passports!
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Hey timbo from canada,
I am from barrhaven just outside of ottawa. I have been a fan since Larry Robinson got traded from Montreal. It is great to see the kings kicking ass. I actually was at 2 games this year in LA. I went for my honeymoon and it was the best trip I have ever been on. GO KINGS
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I raise my hand for local goalie practice duties!!! That would be a dream come true.
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i would like to see a poll on the age group who reads this blog…..
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Hey guys, this is how we use to get our goalies the first 40 years, you all are about 5 years too late.
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barrhaven fan???
are you serious? I live in Westboro, Ottawa? I thought I was the only Kings fan in all of ottawa, wow that’s weird. Both my ex gfs are from Barrhaven hahahaha that’s too funnny
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If you don’t know where Westboro is, it’s near Island Park, btw
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This where vankingsfan comes in and says…Quick will be available cuz canada would have already knocked usa out. Then we’d all respond with what about the wjc!
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Neil, I just started reading and participating in this blog. I’m 64 and went to my first Kings game in 1967 shortly after I returned from Vietnam. I’ve been an addict ever since.
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Hey Timbo-
Born in Montreal, grew up in Ottawa, school in Toronto, here since ’83. Season tx since ’87. I’ll go in net in a heartbeat.
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Edwood…great idea!! Let’s get Rich to do a blog on where us “regulars” are from? And here I thought I was the only King fan in Ontario Canada. I have loved the Kings when Dionne played for them and it has stuck ever since the year they played the Leafs in a best of 3 (I believe it was either 1974 or 1975?). I have been to a lot of NHL rinks in my life and nothing compares to the Staples Center.
Barrhaven, do u live in LA now? The Robinson era was good times….I truly think we are going through them again
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Great idea Edwood. I amazes me how many Kings fans their are outside of the greater Los Angeles area. When you consider the Kings haven’t always been the greatest team. Its’ really neat. Anyways. I live in Connecticut now, any Kings fans in this area? (Fell in love with the King when i lived in LA I few weeks ago i went to the game vs. the Devils and was surprised how many Kings fans where there. Some where whole familys of Kings fans. I remember at the game walking through the halls and some devil fan see’s me in my Kings jersey and goes “Geez, you think the freakin Rangers where in town” (in reference to how many LA fans where there)
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I’m so surprised that there are so many canadien Kings fans. Did you follow Gretsky down to Los Angeles or what? Good on you for sticking it out through the lean years!
I’d love to see the poll, but also, Rich you might have a thread for Canadien fans to post their stories about how they became fans. Would love to hear them.
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quisp — a better +-stat, http://communities.canada.com/EDMONTONJOURNAL/blogs/hockey/archive/2010/02/15/oilers-lose-but-at-least-coach-quinn-avoids-making-same-boneheaded-mistake-with-his-powerplay.aspx
POS does not look good
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wow…this group’s gelling together is reflecting the way the kings team is gelling together. coincidence???
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groups’…not group’s
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POST OF THE YEAR
MIK3Ysfv says:
“Oh my God! I don’t really care about the Olympics…. This is going to be worse than July- August!!!”
P E R F E C T ! ! !
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Hey, I thought I was the lone Kings fan after I moved to Seattle and it turns out there are 5 other ones who post on this board!
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Am I the only Norwegian Kings fan living in China?
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@ Bret and Sasking… Add another saskatchewanie to the list…im in Saskatoon!
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oops, and Dsavy12. That’s pretty cool there’s 4 of us so far.
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I say they do like they did in Philly, Open tryouts for Anyone that want to play in Goal for those 5 days! Think of the Publicity, every freak in the city will show up! Ill be wearing the Rainbowhead wig, diaper, and cape!
“The Kings get Invincible”!
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hahaha Howie, I laughed for a good 30 seconds,
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McDonalds:
The funny things is its a fact! Shenzhen in Guangdong Province.
PS: Norway is going to batter Canada tomorrow!
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I have only been to LA the one time. I intentionally planned my trip when the kings had 2 home games. I got center ice just so I can watch the kings. The only game I missed was because it was not televised. I would have to agree that the Staples Center is the best rink around
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been a kings fan since the miracle, i hated the oil and living in saskatchewan it was all edmonton, calgary, or winipeg on tv. i was only 10 at the time but it was a moment that i will never forget as i was the ONLY person who was still jumping around and cheering.It does get a little lonely cheering for a U S based team when u cheer for a U S based team, as the rest of the lemmings cheer for their local team
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Timbo, I lived in Kingston for 3 years after moving from LA. It sucks going to bars and being screamed at for Gretzky in 93. The make-believe fans never let that one down. I feel your pain.
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Its a Kings addiction meeting…Iam 51 years old and became a Kings fan back in 1973…..
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Howie,
Are you one of the twins?
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I’m curious as to how many female fans we have posting on this site. Hopefully I’m not alone. I’m a newbie to this blog as many of you regulars would know, but I’ve been a Kings hockey fan since 1988. I fell in love with hockey from the first game I happened to find on TV while channel surfing. What a hoot it was trying to figure out what the rules were. Ah, memories. Anyway, I’m glad I found a way to interact with the rest of you.
Gosh, hockey withdrawl is setting in already.
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Hey Howie…How’s that air quality today in Shenzhen?
I was in Shenzhen last October for business. The air quality the day I was there makes LA’s air quality smell like Alaska.
All joking aside, I think it’s great there are so many fans outside of the U.S.
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Hmmmm at least I am not the only Kings Fan in WA state, I have followed the Kings since 70-71. I oved to WA in 99. This blog is fantastic
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Welcome KingsfaninIdaho, nice to have you here. We have lots of female posters, you will feel at home I am sure.
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Hey MrBrett, thanks again for taking the photo at the Insider night. Can we arrange for you to e-mail it to me? I will be checking back at various times, if you have a safe e-mail address you are willing to post here, I can send you my contact info there…Lemme know…
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Rob C. Representing the tricities here. Go WA fans!
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I have been a fan since Dave Tiger Williams came into the stands after a fan who threw a beer on him and he Tiger knocked me down a flight of stairs at the forum I was about 9 or 10 years old.
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Obviously, based upon my screen name, I’ve been a fan since the great season in 74-75, the King’s performance that year enticing me to finally go see a game in person. Been a die-hard fan ever since, even though I left Orange County in 1982. Know I’m not the only fan in Utah, but I think I’m the only one in this “neighborhood” (Bryce Canyon).
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Great reads! Having satellite in 1988, I started watching Prime Ticket with Bob and Nick. The Kings were one of the few teams broadcasting most games, which made it easy to become a fan (are you listening, FSN?). Probably one of the few here in Wyoming.
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Okay, this reading about you guys has been fun, so here’s my deal: born and raised in Boston, been a Kings fan since 1980. HATED the Bruins. (Yeah, long story.) Anyway, used to go to the Garden as a little kid when the Kings came to town. Wore my #16 jersey every time. Also watched us get our butts kicked every freaking time, too. To finally see my first win I had to go to Hartford haha (2-1 with the GW going to Dionne for those that care…)
Have fun watching the Olympics – see you all in a couple of weeks!
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God, being a Kings fan in a Canadian province has got to be like being a Kings fan in Orange County! I guess the only difference is that the Canadians actually know what the hell they’re talking about! The Ducks clones, not so much. I’ve yet to find one of their fans who can name more players on their roster than I can! Let’s hear it for the OC Kings fans!
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Hey PlayerX…I actually don’t have a safe one that I can post here…but if you do, I would/will be happy to email you there…I’ll check back myself as much as possible.
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Howie I think you win…
I’m a Kings fan who works in NYC (live in Jersey City) for the past 10yrs since undergrad….but my fam is still in Huntington Beach
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…also @edwood2, we happened to move into a house with cable the year Gretz came, so the combo of having him and being able to watch the games on Prime Ticket cemented my fandom…
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I may fall under the greater los angeles fan base, but I’ve ben a fan since 89-90, as a 5 year-old who had no idea what hockey was. I lucked out to find a game on TV some time later, and I was hooked.
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Hey KingsFaninIdaho, I don’t know how many other females are on the blog, but here I am!
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KingsFanSince74-75 –
Then I’m talking to a guy who understands.
The first Kings game I went to was a two-two tie (remember ties?) against the Flyers.
That was at the beginning of that lo-o-o-o-ong stretch when we couldn’t beat the Flyers to save our souls. We found more ways to lose than we’ve ever found ways to win.
I remember us going into the final three minutes leading three-to-one. Final score: Flyers-5, Kings-3.
Or the Flyers game at the Forum right after the U.S. team beat the Soviets at Lake Placid Olympics. We really thought there’d be another Miracle on Ice. Flyers-4 or 5, Kings-1 — or something like that, I try to repress that experience. It was also an ugly night in the stands. Fist fights were springing up all over the place and the cops had a busy night.
Or at Philly where we up three-to-one in the first period, while the Flyers were trying to match their longest undefeated string. Final score: Flyers-9, Kings-4 — and believe me, it wasn’t as close as that.
I still have a betamax tape of the game — in Philadelphia — where we broke the curse. Thank God Bobby Clarke and Paul Holmgren were still on the squad to taste defeat.
And I was likewise at the Forum when we beat Philly there for the first time since the string began. We headed into the third period up four-to-three. Everybody was saying, “The Flyers got us just where they want us.”
That 1974-75 season is the one where we notched the most points — 105 — in our history. Yet we still lost in the best-of-three opening playoff round to Toronto, who had the worst record of any team in the playoffs.
So Mr. KingsFanSince74-75, that was also the year I fell in love with and started hating this *&%#@ sport.
In a town with the Lakers and the Dodgers, I had to be a Kings fan.
I hate hockey! I hate it!
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I started watching LA Blades hockey as a 7 year old and have followed the Kings since the beginning. Grew up in SoCal but have been in Idaho for 28 years
This season with Rich’s Blog has been the most exciting in years.
GO Kings Go
USA USA
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Cup B4 I Die:
Been living here for 3 years now (Shekou) and we really enjoy it. The air here is like the air back in Norway compared to Shanghai, Beijing and so on, but we have some really bad days every now and then.
Crashin’ Da Net: Single child.
Enjoy the Olympics everyone!
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MrBrett-I tried this before but either it was never entered by me or it was deleted…Send pic from Insider suite night to t_oldberg@yahoo.com. If any moderator is deleting this please leave me a message as to why…
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the olympics over yet? Just hoping no Kings players get hurt over there…
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Been a Kings fan since the later part of their first year. Saw my first play off game where the Kings beat … get this … the Oakland Seals 5 – 2.
Notable games I was at:
Best game I’ve ever seen is first up. The 6th game against Bobby Orr’s Bruins. Kings score a couple in the third period late and Butch Goring scores in overtime.
The Kings did a herroic job just getting to the 6th game in that series and Boston was unbelievable.
Several minutes before the game started there was a standing ovation (longest in Kings History I’m told) before the game even started. When Butch scored the over time goal it was the loudest sporting event I’ve ever witnessed. You literially could not hear someone right next to you yelling. They carried Butch off the ice on their shoulders.
I was at the 7th game Gretzy’s first year when we closed out Edmonton. That was the crazyest parking lot after a game I’ve ever seen. Looked like the end of WW2 celebration. Everyojne hugging, yelling laughing. Cars doing donuts in the parking lot. Horns all the way to the Freeway from the Forum.
Was at the longest Kings home playoff game Vs Calgary and we closed them out.
Was at game 6 Vs Detroit when Deadmarsh closed out the Wings.
Most disappointing games.
Toronto closed us out after our best season in history in that stupid best of 3 format. Although cool fight at center ice before the game even started.
Rangers closed us out in another stupid best of 3.
Native to So Calif so no neat story about being an out of towner.
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Hey KC, I was also at the Calgary OT game, will never forget Krush with his helmet down over his eyes being tackled in the slot, or Vernon sitting there and then laying back trying to reach the puck as it floated over him into the net. Seemed as if the puck was on a string like a cat’s toy… And remember the non-goal where Crisp was about to explode? Great game, wish they would replay it…
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@Tuan Jim
It’s been a long road full of frustration. And hard for me when I was living in FL for 18 years where, even after Tampa & Florida came on the scene, hockey info was hard to come by.
Would have to say my most memorable game was the playoff game with Boston when Butch scored in OT – I was at the Fabulous Forum for that one!
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Alright Dutch..another fan from Idaho, I love it!
And great to meet ya levigirl.
Go Kings!
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oops, sorry Lexigirl..got your screen name wrong.
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Player X,
I was high behind that net. As you probably remember, if replay had been in effect we would of lost that game in regulation. Was a very exciting game.
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@ KingsFanSince74-75 –
I had to listen to the Butch Goring overtime goal on radio. They didn’t televise all the games in those days — not even when the Kings were in the playoffs.
Another game I wish I’d seen but didn’t — it was an untelevised road game at Nassau Stadium against the Islanders. Rogie was the only guy who showed up for us that night. He got us a scoreless tie. From the way Bob Miller called it, I thought the whole game was played in our zone.
But I was at the Forum for the Miracle on Manchester (and for the Meltdown on Manchester, as well). And I remember us fans walking down the center of Figueroa after we knocked Detroit outa the playoffs in 2001.
I was at the sixth game in that Boston series where we were down oh-to-three in games and down oh-to-three in the sixth game itself before we tied it. If that zombie goof Dave Hutchison hadn’t taken a third-period penalty we might’ve won that game and taken everything back to Boston Garden.
Ahhhhh . . . memories . . .
It’s about time we built up a store of fresh memories for the next generation of Kings fans.
Maybe all us old-timers have to die off, much like the slave generation of Hebrews had to die off during the forty-year sojourn in the desert, before we can have that “winning culture” that DL keeps talking about.
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I posted this yesterday and it got removed, so I’ll repost it in this thread as to be relevant to the mention of Lombardi.
Kings assigned Rich Clune to Manchester yesterday. There was an official announcement. Not sure why you removed my mention of it, and haven’t mentioned it as a post in itself.
I’ll be in Manchester for the games on 24, 26, 27. Looking forward to some in arena viewing
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Go Kings Go !!!
Je suis fan du club des Kings de L.A. depuis 1980 j’avais 10 ans….Mon Idole, Marcel Dionne !!!
La série en 82 contre Edmonton…s’étais incroyable…
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