Forum answers VI

Still plenty of questions and answers to go. Here’s the sixth set…

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IceGuy asked: Was there any actual NHL reasoning about changing the home and away sweaters?
White was always “home” and the darker versions were always “away”.
I personally don’t like it. Why? Because what you get now on the ice at Staples is always the same.
We’re in black of some sort, and the other team is in white.
I remember the “old” days when home whites were the style, and the “colors” of the visiting team varied.
Detroit in RED. San Jose in TEAL. Dallas in GREEN and Toronto in classic BLUE.
The color just added to the action.
Any reason the Kings can’t go back to the way it was?

Answer: The NHL changed back to the “dark at home, white on road” theme in 2003. It’s league-mandated, so that’s the reason why the Kings couldn’t unilaterally decide to start wearing white at home. In reality, the move in 2003 was back to the way it originally was in the NHL. It was swapped, sometime in the 60s and 70s I believe, to have the home teams wear white.

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Jason4Kings asked: 1) Does anyone think the current video they show on the jumbotron before games is cool? It’s got like zombies, and then cuts to the players taping their sticks and stuff, and then exploding zombies, and then the spinning crown. I don’t get it. (okay, it’s a comment/question) 2) Don’t you think the ice girls look a little young and make a guy feel kinda creepy? 3) Does Marty McSorley live at ESPN Zone? 4) When you’re getting your fourth beer, or say a Diet Coke, during the period and watching the action on the TVs at Staples why are you hearing the Nick Nickson play by play and not Bob Miller? 5) Do you think we’ll ever again have a jersey that doesn’t have glitter on it? 6) Is this a sort of dream job for you, or was it just a good opportunity? 7) Do you hang out with Jim Fox? Is it awesome?

Answers: 1) Well, we’ll see what kind of reaction you get from fellow fans. I took note of it the first night, but after almost 30 viewings, I don’t pay that close of attention to it anymore. 2) The thought hadn’t occurred to me, no. 3) To the best of my knowledge, no. 4) I don’t know for sure, but I presume it’s because Nick and Daryl are calling the game for (presumably) people who aren’t watching TV, and that’s the position you’re in while standing in line. 5) The third jerseys and “vintage” jerseys don’t have glitter, if I recall correctly. 6) I don’t necessarily know if I’d call it a dream job. From early in my journalism career, I knew I wanted to cover hockey, so it would be more accurate to say that I’m very pleased with the way things have worked out. 7) Yes, and yes.

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2hitnik asked: (1) Oscar Moller looked pretty good in his last call up in December, why did he not get the call up instead of Loktionov? (2) Some users have avatars or icons with their posts, how do I get that?

Answers: 1) In general, it’s the Kings’ philosophy to call up players who are playing the best at the time of need. Loktionov, by all accounts, had been playing very well for the Monarchs of late. 2) I really don’t know, but I saw that you got some advice there so hopefully it works.

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DBKing asked: Has anyone ever told you that you’re a spitting image of the Geico Detective guy?

Answer: No. I’ve heard some, but never that one.

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King John asked: If Sturm and Parse get back and no other player is injured, will the Kings have to have a player removed from the roster? Is Loktionov the only possibility to be sent down in that case?

Answer: Are you asking about a week from now, or six weeks from now? Because Parse isn’t going to be back any time soon, and by the time he’s ready, we will almost certainly be at the point of the season at which there is no roster maximum (other than for salary-cap purposes). As for Sturm, yes, if no other players are injured when he returns, someone will have to go to Manchester. Loktionov and Lewis, I believe, are the only two players who could be moved without being exposed to waivers.

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Hockey G asked: My question is in regards to those annoying zerbras called referees. Before the start of the game they are in Center Ice, patting themselves, and then each other every game. Is this a ritual or a tradition? If either one, why?

Answer: I actually don’t recall seeing what you’re talking about, but yes, it’s likely some type of ritual/tradition. You see officials in all sports come together before the start of the game to wish each other well, etc. I’ll have to keep an eye out for this “patting.” Sounds kind of personal, though…

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Pobo asked: My question is directed towards the 3 stars selection. Recently I had to watch a game through the opposing teams feed and the three stars that they announced were different than the three stars that I later saw on FSW’s feed. I also noticed that Helene Elliott also tweeted something recently about how she doubted that the three stars were actually selected by the media. I know this is a very minuscule part of the game, but this has been in the back of my mind, and i was just hoping that you could shed some light.

Answer: This was asked and answered earlier. Nickson and Evans pick stars at home games. It varies greatly on the road.

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InFaN8 asked: What are the Kings more likely to do with their first round pick this year?
1) Trade it for a rental player with the possibility of signing him to an extension?
2) Try and trade it to New Jersey for Zach Parise’s negotiation rights?

Answer: The first is far, far more likely to happen. In all seriousness, if people are still holding on to a dream of Parise, it’s probably time to let that go.

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Klopotec asked: I was wondering if Kopitar has any special relationship to one of the rookies maybe – in a sense of being an unoffical mentor to that person……like Smyth and Schenn type of thing.

Answer: Not that I’m aware of. You’ll remember, of course, that Kopitar is only 23. In the case of Alec Martinez, he’s actually a month or so younger than a “rookie.” So, I think Kopitar is doing fine as a team leader, but I don’t think he fashions himself as a wise old mentor at age 23.

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MacSwede asked: Heres my question: The Kings have in my opinion a very delicate situation before the next season. They have the opportunity to choose which of Williams, Handzus, Sturm and/or Ponikarovksy they would like to resign. Everything depends on the cap hit on Doughty´s and Simmonds new contracts. Which player(s) do you think they should resign? I know that you said Handzus in a live chat, but do you still think so? I know that both Schenn and Loktionov may break out next season, but do you think it is wise to have two such inexperienced centers as 2nd and 3rd? In the future I would love to see a trio of Kopitar, Loktionov anc Schenn, but we are not there yet I think. Do you think we will ever get that top line scorer that we fans urge for? Do you think that Lombardi should try to trade for a “rental” player at the deadline in order to be able to resign him easier like NJ did with Kovalchuk?

Answers: 1) The question about resigning UFAs was asked earlier. My answer, in short, was that it depends greatly on the Kings’ thoughts as to whether Schenn and/or Loktionov are ready to fill spots. Given that Schenn is presumed to be ready, re-signing Williams probably becomes most likely in the short term. 2) Yes, I do think the Kings will acquire a top-six forward, but I don’t think it matters whether they trade for a rental, trade for a player with an existing contract or sign a player in the summer. Getting the correct player is by far the most important thing.

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Julian Kings Germany asked: Hey Rich,first of all i wanna tahnk ypou fort your awsome work, this page is a perfect source to get all kinda Kings infromations here in Germnay! well my question is: I heard some rumors latly that the NHL Premire 2011 will take place in Germany and that the Kings are asked to play one or two games in either Berlin or Hamburg or both, becuase the Eisbären Berlin and the Hamburg Freezers also belong to AEG! so do you ahve any furhter informations if this is going to happen and whne it will happen?

Answer: The NHL is still talking/negotiating with teams right now, so there hasn’t been any official announcement, but the Kings are one of the six teams that have been invited to open next season in Europe. Based on what I know, Germany is a good bet to be involved if that happens. Start saving your Euros!

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Badger57 asked: Are there any rumors about trading Harrold, Whiskey, or any of the other players that are here, but not playing much? Any rumors on ANY trades in the works?

Answer: I’m interested in a lot of things. Books, music, sports, food, drink, politics… I could list about 124 different things before I got to “Internet hockey rumors.”