We’re ba-ack

Good morning, Insiders, and welcome back to real life after enjoying a long weekend (presumably!).

A few minor LAKI early morning tidbits:

-It’s moving day today. My wife and I are (finally) returning to The Valley and will be situated a short bike ride away from Bamboo; the bike, of course, is a necessity when trying to burn off the sweet and pungent shrimp. I’ll be posting stories from our new place today, but please bear with slight delays as I double as a lifter/mover/director/supervisor. I’m not expecting major news; I took a peek at the rookie camp roster last week, and there weren’t any surprises beyond the inclusion of Ty Comrie, which I had reported two weeks ago. Keep in mind that there’s an NHL media blitz in Toronto at the moment, and Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty will be taking part in a press conference tomorrow in support of the World Cup of Hockey, so there’s a good chance we’ll hear some interesting quotes about the upcoming season over the next 24 hours or so. LAKI ears: perked.

-I’m planning on writing a story today detailing particular nuances of the NHL schedule that (without giving too much away) many (some?) will find interesting. In addition to those stories and the press releases we’re expecting relatively soon (rookie camp roster, TV broadcast details, etc), I’ll also be working on my LAK-dot-com story – which should be finished over the next two days – as well as speaking with prospective Ontario Reign Insiders. In other words, there’s still some tidying up to do around these parts, and that work will complement the written pieces that will go up throughout the week.

-Speaking of the prospective Ontario Reign Insider, LAKI’s AHL coverage will be hosted on a separate “ONTARIO REIGN INSIDER” tab accessed at the top of LA Kings Insider, as overwhelmingly requested by those who responded to the question, “Would you like Reign coverage on the front page, or on a separate tab?” (We’ll still have the ability to promote certain Reign stories onto the front page of LAKI.) At around the time that ORI goes live, there will also be changes (some aesthetic, some that make better use of the page’s space) on the front page of LAKI. A more streamlined archive that includes posts well beyond the most recent four days/weeks/months/years will be easier to access, more tweets will appear on the front page, and there will be links to player tabs, so if you’re looking news on Trevor Lewis, you’ll be able to click on his name and be directed to all stories that have been written about him. The ORI will also have skins featuring current Reign players (and not the default Kopitar / Doughty images).

Camp/Preseason Dates:
September 11: Rookie Camp opens
September 15: Rookie game vs Coyotes (6:00 p.m.)
September 16: Rookie game vs Coyotes (2:00 p.m.)
September 18: Training Camp opens
September 21: First preseason game (vs Coyotes; in Bakersfield; 7:00 p.m.)
September 22: First STAPLES Center preseason game (vs Coyotes; 7:30 p.m.)
October 3: Frozen Fury game vs Avalanche (7:00 p.m.)
October 7: Season opener vs Sharks (7:30 p.m.)

Single-game regular season tickets go on sale on Monday, September 14.

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