Angeles Analysis – The Emotional Side Of The Game

There are a lot of stories to write about from this road trip. The fact that the Kings went into a trip against four of the NHL’s top seven teams in terms of points and came away with a 2-1-1 record. The fact that they did it without Drew Doughty for three of those four games. The fact that they overcame injuries, illness and protocols in each game, as they found a way to get three results.

Those feel less significant though, when you think about how the road trip ended, and maybe more importantly, what was said after the win over Washington. Yesterday’s game was an emotional win in a lot of ways, and that’s what this article is going to be about. The emotional side of a long week, far away from home.

After the game at Capital One Arena, Todd McLellan talked about how the win over Washington was like a book, and how Garret Sparks and Christian Wolanin would both have their own chapters. Two different individuals, two different paths, two different personalities, but one common goal.

Before last night’s win, the last time Christian Wolanin scored a goal in an NHL game was March 14, 2019. The last time that Garret Sparks won an NHL game was March 20, 2019. Each three seasons ago, less than a week apart. Yesterday, both men achieved the feat yet again, contributing to a huge, comeback victory to help the Kings earn two points.

This story here is about the emotional side of those moments.

On Saturday in Carolina, Wolanin shared that the beginning of this season had been challenging for him. When he was placed on waivers in October, and subsequently claimed by Buffalo, it certainly shocked him a bit. This is a player who has expressed a lot of love for being an LA King, even at the minor-league level, and signed here this offseason to be a part of an organization in which he felt comfortable. When he left, he put his focus on his new destination, as he stayed on an NHL roster but didn’t play in many NHL games, and the process was tiring and challenging for Wolanin.

The process, however, led him back to Southern California, as he was reacquired via waivers. Just in time too – the Kings lost defensemen Alex Edler, to a long-term injury, Drew Doughty, to COVID Protocol, and Mikey Anderson for one game due to illness. All in short order. Opportunity presented itself, for a man who called Luc Robitaille his favorite player growing up, and he stepped in and scored a huge goal. You root for a guy like that.

Behind him on Sunday was Garret Sparks, who 27 hours earlier was preparing himself to play a game on Saturday evening for the Ontario Reign. It was Teddy Bear Toss night in Ontario, though his goal would not have been to keep the bears in the stands. Sparks said that he was notified around 1 PM Pacific that he was headed up to the NHL and knew by the time he landed that he was going to start the game in Washington.

With a group he had only been with during the preseason, Sparks stepped in behind a team that had a tough go of it the night before. He stepped in behind a team that was tired, down several players, on the second half of a back-to-back and with several additional players battling it on the health side. Sparks also stepped behind a team, though, that left everything it had in Washington to come away with a victory. Like Wolanin, he achieved something he hadn’t in more than two years. That’s a guy you root for.

Sparks’ post-game interview is the one you’ll watch over and over, seeing the raw emotion rarely seen from an NHL player. And rightfully so. Sparks achieved something great last night and wasn’t afraid to show everyone what that something meant to him. It’s been a long road back for a player who told us he was making $600 a week last season, playing games for the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears. Last night, the paycheck was larger, the stage was larger and the reward was larger. And very well deserved.

But there’s value in what both players said. Wolanin spoke openly, and emotionally, on Saturday morning, about why he loves being a part of the Kings. Then, when speaking with Carrlyn Bathe of Bally Sports West after the game, he spoke on contributing with a goal the way he did, specifically for THIS team, and THIS group of guys. It was meaningful to him. Wolanin has moved around more than most this season and he’s played less games than most. Players want a home, where they can get comfortable, establish routine and be a part of a group. Now, back with the Kings, Wolanin has found that, and it’s a great thing to see.

If Sparks and Wolanin were the first two chapters of the book, then the third – and final – chapter for the purposes of this article is the emotional impact this week had on the Kings as a whole.

It’s been a challenging time to be on the road with an NHL team. The word “uneasy” has been thrown around now by McLellan on a few occasions. As he spoke after last night’s game, the Kings right now have seemingly healthy players who are unable to play, by the NHL’s Protocols, and ones who are battling something but can play without problem. And, while everyone here understands the protocols in place and the process we’re undertaking, it’s still hard to fully grasp that side of it sometimes.

What’s perhaps even harder to grasp is the uncertainty that the group faces on a daily basis. Waking up in the morning, getting your nose swabbed and not knowing whether or not you’re playing an NHL game that night, or being forced to isolate in whatever hotel you happened to be in that day. That’s tough. When you factor in that we’re four days away from the league’s holiday break, a time for rest, recovery and most importantly, family, that’s a difficult proposition.

McLellan said after the game that the Kings will do everything they can to get the individuals who had positive tests home and I’d be certain that is the case. It still doesn’t help with the uneasiness in the moment, and in the moment right now, things can be challenging. While everyone involved understands the risks and sacrifices of the job, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s far from the most level-footed we’ve felt in and around the game.

After the win yesterday, McLellan referenced “a bunch of really happy players” getting on the plane to return to Los Angeles. That’s the case after most wins, but last night would have been that way regardless of the outcome. Things drastically changed around the NHL between the time we left California last Sunday and where we stand today. There was little worry when we boarded the plane, but that changed throughout the week as circumstances dictated. Getting the majority of the travel party back home, to be in comfortable confines, to be around family, and to not consider the possibility of spending the holidays alone in a hotel room……that’s a damn good feeling.

It’s good to be home, Insiders. Talk soon.