Back In The States!

Happy Monday, Insiders!

Checking in for the first time in two weeks.

I’ll be honest, this is the longest I’ve gone in my entire professional life without really checking in on work. Since I started working in hockey back in 2013, I can’t say I’ve had a time like this to step back.

Off on a European adventure ✌️

Follow @ShafReign for any @LAKings news over the next couple weeks! pic.twitter.com/jXd5spkeTC

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) August 6, 2024

For me, it was much needed.

Haven’t really had a breather since the season ended, actually. From that Game 5 in Edmonton, it was a week of exit interviews and then the news seemed to slowly and steadily continue. First it was the Ontario Reign’s playoff run. Then came the Jim Hiller announcement as the team’s Head Coach. Couple signings sprinkled in between. Then came the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade, which kicked off a frantic three weeks, including the NHL Draft, Free Agency and Development Camp. Before you know it, it’s July and you haven’t taken a breath since the previous August. So, for me, this trip was incredible to do exactly that.

My wife and I spent a week in Europe exploring England, Scotland and France, before my family joined us for another week in Ireland. It was my first time in Europe – never would have ever said I’d visit Australia before visiting Europe – but thanks to the NHL Global Series, that’s exactly how it played out. We spent time in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Paris, as well as numerous parts of Ireland. I’ve probably never had a faster moving trip, but as exhausting as the travel may seem, it was actually incredibly energizing. Between the castles of Edinburgh, the soccer pitches of Glasgow, the landmarks of London and the history of Paris, combined with the natural beauty of Ireland, and it was one heck of a trip. It’s nice to be back, but it was really, really nice to be away.

Now that I am back, though, eyes are forward towards the season. Didn’t miss all that much, with Jordan Spence signing right at the start of my trip and the formal announcement of the worst-kept secret around, with the Kings hosting the 2024 Rookie Faceoff in El Segundo. All handled gracefully by Jared Shafran, who I thank for handling coverage with those over the last couple of weeks. One thing I did not show him how to do was moderate the comments…..so hopefully nothing was too off the rails. Will keep that in mind for next time :).

All this to say, I’m back in action here for the remainder of the summer! Not necessarily a Q&A here until I can get back up to speed – not even sure I’d have a ton of answers for you right now! – but will poke around the comments for the rest of the day. Should have a couple of additional articles here this week to get us back up and running.