I was really hoping we could get him back in L.A.

Smart move by the Rags: NY Rangers Hire Jonathan Quick as Director of Goaltending Development.

 

I was sort of hoping we could have gotten Quick back here in L.A. to work with Kings goalies, but his trade by the Kings resulted in some bad blood between him and the front office, so it was probably a longshot. Add in that Quick is an east coast native and childhood Rangers fan and he seems to have a good relationship with NYR, so it was probably inevitable that he'd stay with that organization. And good on them for keeping him. Wish the Kings had been as smart.

 

So I'll have to settle for memorieeeeees!!!!

 

So basically, hockey

Brilliant idea from Chasing the Puck on FB:

 

Also, penalize the hell out of them for their over-exaggerated injury performances when someone barely touches them. That alone is a big turn-off. As a hockey fan, I find it comically pathetic. That would never fly in hockey.

Reflecting on the end of the 2012/2014 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings

Recently two of the most important and beloved Kings in the history of the team announced their retirements. Guys who were key members of the team Kings fans had always dreamed of, the team we'd waited decades for. The team that GM Dean Lombardi built and Coach Darryl Sutter finally whipped into shape. The team that finally made it fun to be a Kings fan.

 

Part of me wants to cry like a baby. Another part of me wants to graciously accept that all good things must come to an end. I'm leaning towards sobbing piteously.

 

With the retirement of Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty is the last remaining King from the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup champion teams still on the roster.

 

The captain, Dustin Brown, the first King to ever lift the Stanley Cup, retired without fanfare (his choice) in 2022. Now with both Kopi and Quickie wrapping it up, I started thinking about the rest of those rosters and some of those players we loved so much.

 

Trevor Lewis just announced his retirement from hockey. He left the Kings in 2019 as a free agent and returned to the Kings for two more seasons in 2023-2025.

 

Jeff Carter was traded to Pittsburgh in 2021 and retired at the end of the 2024 season.

 

Justin Williams won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the 2014 playoffs. He signed with Washington as a free agent in 2015, then with Carolina (with whom he had won his first Stanley Cup in 2006) in 2017 and retired in 2020.

 

Alec Martinez was traded to Vegas in 2020 and won a third Cup with them in 2023. He retired from hockey in 2025.

 

Willie Mitchell signed as a free agent with Florida in 2014 following the Kings' second Cup victory. He retired after two seasons with the Panthers.

 

Matt Greene retired in 2017 and stayed with the Kings in player development.

Jarret Stoll left the Kings in 2015 as a free agent and rejoined the team in 2016 in player development.

 

Kyle Clifford was traded to Toronto in 2020 and retired from hockey in 2025, taking a player development position with the Maple Leafs.

 

Star defenseman Slava Voynov was arrested in October 2014 on charges of domestic violence and was suspended by the NHL. He was convicted and following 90 days in jail was taken into custody by ICE. He opted to voluntarily return to his native Russia rather than going through deportation. He continued his hockey career with Russian teams.

 

Mike Richards's contract with the Kings was terminated in June 2015 following his arrest at the U.S./Canadian border for possession of oxycondone without a prescription. He last played 39 games for Washington in the 2015-2016 season.

 

Tyler Toffoli was traded to Vancouver in 2020. Since then he has played for Montreal, Calgary, New Jersey, Winnipeg, and is currently with the San Jose Sharks. 

 

Which makes Drew Doughty the last player remaining from those teams. 

 

Doughty, who debuted with the Kings at the age of 18, is now 36 and will turn 37 during the 2026-27 season. Part of me wants to beg him to play forever. Another part of me wants to graciously accept that all good things must come to an end.

 

But there was something so magical about those teams. I wish the 2012-2014 rosters could have lasted forever.

 

And while I'm wallowing in Kings nostalgia, how about this oldie but goodie that I posted umpteen times back in the day:

 

Build the time machine and send me back to SMOOCH THE GOALIE!!!

They were just so much damn fun.

 

So I'm trying to be graciously accepting for now. But when Doughty hangs up the skates...BUCKETS. I WILL CRY BUCKETS.

 

Damn, I hate the passage of time.

 

And now Jonathan Quick calls it a career

Turns out Anze Kopitar isn't the only King of Kings to retire at the end of this season - Jonathan Quick, who backstopped the Kings to their two Stanley Cups (2012, 2014) has announced his retirement. Now a New York Ranger, Quick will make his final start tonight against the Florida Panthers. In addition to his Stanley Cup successes, Quick is also the winningest American-born goaltender in NHL history.

 

So, the end of another era for Kings fans. I just wish he could have retired as a career King like Kopi. Enjoy your retirement, Quickie, and thanks for all the fantastic hockey memories!

 

Memorieeeees...

 

 

Updated 7:50pm: Classy move by the Panthers. RESPECT!!!

 

Updated 9:27pm: And here's the video. At the end you can see a couple of guys in Kings Quick jerseys, plus not only was his family there, so was Jeff Carter, who was also a huge part of the Kings' two cups. 

 

I hope Quickie enjoys the heck out of his retirement. I also wonder how he would feel about coaching the Kings' goalies. Just sayin'...

 

End of an era for Kings fans

This is a rough one.

 

Beloved team captain Anze Kopitar played his final regular season home game today, a 1-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Next week the Kings finish the season on the road with games in Seattle, Vancouver, and Calgary.

 

Kopi had announced at the beginning of the season that this would be his last year. He retires as the team's all-time leading points scorer. He also won two Stanley Cups (2012 and 2014) with the Kings. In addition to the point scoring, he also excels at faceoffs. His retirement is going to leave a number of gaping holes in this team.

 

The Kings have won four in a row, but since this was yet another That's So Kings season, they're still fighting to secure a playoff spot. But since the whole division seems to be sucking, they still have a legit shot at it if they don't screw up on the road. This means more Kopi for at least one round of playoffs.

 

Seriously, 90 points gets you 7th place in the Atlantic Division, tied for 6th in the Metropolitan, and tied for 4th in the Central. Point leaders in the other divisions have 106 points (Buffalo), 110 (Carolina), and 114 (Colorado). In fact, the top three teams in both the Atlantic and Central Divisions have over 100 points. The Kings are lucky they aren't in any other division or they'd already be planning their summer vacations.

 

 

I can't believe it's been twenty years. It isn't going to seem like the Kings without him. Now I'm going to watch this again and cry some more.

 

Top pic snicked from the LA Kings website. 

 

Updated 4/13/26: The Kings defeated Seattle 5-3 and have clinched a playoff spot. We haven't seen the last of Kopi at home.

 

Memorieeeeeeesss

L.A. Kings Captain Anze Kopitar announced at the beginning of the season that this would be his final year. Last night the Kings played (and beat) the Rangers in New York and after the game the Rags formed a handshake line to show their respect to the Kings' future Hall of Famer and two-time Stanley Cup champion. Pure class shown by both the Rangers and their fans.

And guess who was at the end of the line - Kopi's Stanley Cup teammate and goalie god Jonathan Quick.

I could watch this forever: 

Kopitar's retirement means Drew Doughty will be the last remaining King from our 2012 and 2014 Cup winning teams. The years, they just go by too fast. I miss Quick terribly and losing Kopi is going to leave such a hole in this team. Wish I could have watched that 2012 lineup forever.

 

That's so Kings

 

The Los Angeles Kings have been flailing and the fans have been begging for a coaching change for most of the season (and even last season). Last night the Kings smacked the Calgary Flames 2-0 for their first win since before the Olympics and what does the team do? They fire head coach Jim Hiller. After they finally won a game, in a shutout no less.

 

I know nothing about interim coach D.J. Smith other than he was previously bounced out of Ottawa and what little I've seen online this morning Sens fans have nothing good to say about him. But at this point the team had to do something, anything, and they finally did it. They're three points out of a playoff spot and even if they do squeak in, we're probably looking at yet another first round exit. Hopefully there will be at least one competent coach available this summer who can turn this team around.

 

The Kings have other issues. There's injuries (including the loss of Kevin Fiala, who suffered a season-ending injury in the Olympics) and next season they will be without retiring captain Anze Kopitar for the first time in twenty years. They did pull off a good move acquiring Artemi Panarin a few weeks ago, so at least we've got that going for us. But I have a feeling we're looking at a long rebuilding unless they find a head coach who can really light a fire under these guys. 

 

Solid Gold

HUGE congratulations to the men's and women's USA hockey teams on their gold medals at Milano Cortina! Hard earned and well-deserved. And because Blogger in their infinite wisdom has apparently just made it impossible to choose a video on YouTube to link to and now we have to choose from their suggestions (which, oddly, don't even begin to match up with what I'm looking for) I can't post the vids I want. So here are some lame links to the awesome game winners. 

 

First up - da ladeez: Megan Keller's game-winning goal.

 

And the gents: Jack Hughes pots it for the win. 

 

Props to Keller and Hughes for the winning goals we'll all be watching for years to come. 

 

Also kudos to the inclusion of Johnny Hockey and his kids. He probably would have been on the ice as a member of the team.

 

And because Blogger made this post boringly image-free, here's a thing of beauty to pretty things up:

 

Team USA, heading to the ice.

 CUE FREE BIRD!!!

No Kings! Bad Kings!

Seriously, will this team ever be good again? Just look at this abysmal start:

Click on the image to biggify and see how awful the Kings have been so far this season. And it probably isn't going to get any better on Saturday because that game is against the Carolina Hurricanes, a team that actually knows how to hockey:

Also, seriously:

 

 

Although I do think we have some career politicians, at both national and more local levels, that definitely think it's their divine right to lord it over us little people. 

 

Given the way the Kings are playing, it's too bad Saturday really isn't a "no Kings" day. In fact, if the Canes play to their ability it will be like the Kings don't exist, so same thing really. 

 

As for me I will be spending Saturday avoiding Los Angeles freeways and any other places where mostly peaceful protests are likely to occur, as I've seen enough of these to know how ugly they can get. 

 

Have a great weekend! Unless you're a Kings fan, and in that case best of luck to you.

Update: Called it.

 

Tied it up in the third only to lose in OT. That's so Kings.

 

This is going to be a sad but true season.

 

We have...no Kings.

 

Updated 11/16/25: A month later I'm eating these words. The Kings are currently on a brutally scheduled but so far undefeated road trip. They are 7-2-1 in their last ten games and have won four in a row. The result? First place in the division:

 

 

Not only that, they have one of the best records in the NHL all of a sudden. Only four teams have more points: Colorado (29), Dallas (27), New Jersey (27), and Carolina (25). Crazyness. But of course the Kings can't have good news without bad: Drew Doughty was injured in the latest win (ankle) and is probably out as much as six weeks.

 

That's so Kings

 

I take no pleasure in reporting that the Los Angeles Kings have been bounced out of the first round of the NHL playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers for the fourth consecutive year. Not joking. About either. Fourth consecutive year bounced out of the first round, fourth consecutive year at the hands of the Oilers.

 

It was really looking like this was going to be the year LAK broke the Oiler curse. They had the league-best home record and actually had a pretty good year, even with the absence of Drew Doughty for a chunk of the season. And with home ice advantage for the first time in decades, they slaughtered the Oilers in the first two games of the series. But Edmonton also enjoyed home ice, taking both games in Alberta. Then they won game five in L.A. And tonight they defeated the Kings for the fourth consecutive game, and just like that, LAK is eliminated from the playoffs. AGAIN.

Gotta give props to Edmonton. After two shellackings in L.A., they came back and won four straight games to advance to the second round, where they'll meet (and hopefully fall to) the Vegas Golden Knights. 

This is yet another massive fail by the Kings. The funny thing was that after the first two wins, I was hearing fans talking Rob Blake as GM of the year and praising the heck out of coach Jim Hiller. But it was a very temporary high pedestal, which Edmonton destroyed in just four games. 

Ownership needs to clean house now. Front office, coach, clear it out and start over. Get some new blood in there. Because as Dave Chappelle would say...

...and the same old isn't working for the Kings. It hasn't been working for years. Hopefully something will finally give.

This game also marked the final appearance of long-time Kings announcer/legend Nick Nickson, who has retired. What a way to go out. 

 

Updated 5/5/25: Blake is gone. Now do Hiller. Don't forget the rest of the front office.

 

Hockey Humor, Logo Division

The NHL playoffs are upon us. In other news, someone decided to categorize NHL team logos and it's actually pretty funny.

 

In addition to being entertaining, this also gives me a chance to air my grievances about the "Utah Hockey Club". The NHL and its teams are notorious for constantly introducing new and "special edition" jerseys and logo designs because they know fans will go out and buy them. Look, being a hockey fan is expensive. Tickets are an arm and a leg and jerseys are pricey. We're not talking a few extra t-shirts here. Even the replica jerseys are expensive and the pro-weights are hundreds of dollars. I've felt for years that the league takes advantage of the devotion of hockey fans to soak them financially every chance they get. 

 

Which leads me to the TOTALLY LAME Utah logo and the failure to establish a team logo/mascot in their first season. If you had time to relocate the team from Arizona on supposedly short notice, you had time to come up with a name for the team. But they knew the fans would buy up the first season "Utah Hockey Club" jerseys (and tons of other swag with this logo as well) and then they could soak them for all new team gear when they actually named the team going forward. Twice the cash flow at the expense of the fans. And make no mistake, Gary Bettman signed off on this. If the NHL had a proper commissioner Utah would have been required to establish who they were before a single one of their players touched the ice. Yet another example of why the NHL is often regarded as amateurish compared to other major sports leagues. *End of rant*

 

"Portrait of the Perfect Hockey Fan". Artist: Gary Bettman.

One of the commenters pointed out that the Nordiques and Whalers should have been included in the gone but not forgotten. Totally agree.

 

Also my reaction:

 

An awful day in the world of hockey

Johnny Gaudreau of the Columbus Blue Jackets and his brother Matthew were killed while cycling yesterday. Gaudreau, 31, leaves behind a wife and two young children. I read somewhere that Matthew, 29, leaves behind a pregnant wife.

As if all that wasn't enough, today - the day after their deaths - was supposed to be the wedding of their sister. Apparently the wedding was cancelled, understandably.

Oh, and it gets worse. Reports are that the vehicle that struck them as they biked was driven by a drunk driver. So this could have all been avoided.

 

Like many others horrified by the news, I can't help thinking of the utter devastation that has hit this family. It's Shakespearean in scope. Today and this weekend should have been a joyous family celebration, but instead they're planning the funerals of two young men senselessly lost. This family has lost two sons/brothers, two wives have been widowed, at least three children have been deprived of their fathers, and a young couple's marriage will always have the shadow of her brothers' deaths attached to it. I don't know how, as a family, you survive something like this.

Full report on NHL.com.

And this story got even more brutal: Johnny Gaudreau's wife is nine weeks pregnant.

Jonathan Quick is the winningest U.S. born goalie in history, but not in a Kings uniform

Congratulations to Jonathan Quick, who has now won more NHL games than any other U.S. born goaltender.

 

He should have retired a King. I know he was having issues when they traded him, but then he goes on to be yet another in a long, LONG line of ex-Kings who had issues with this team, only to magically thrive on another team. I'm beginning to think maybe the problem is with the Kings, and not former Kings.

And yes, that was sarcasm.

Love you Quickie. But seeing him in another uniform is painful.

My view from the expensive seats:

Old Kings are the best Kings

Jonathan Quick leads the New York Rangers to a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. I hope Rob Blake doesn't sleep a wink tonight. Hell of a defenseman back in the day, but no Dean Lombardi in the front office. Like many former Kings before him, Quick is having a career renaissance with a new team. He's 8-0-1 for the Rags this season after the Kings wrote him off as finished last season. Wonder what changed? Oh yeah, the team in front of him and the suits making decisions for said team!

Still the love of my hockey fan life. Smoochies Quickie. There will never be another like you. I love you so. Should have retired in this uniform.

Tony Granato diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. A great guy who always gave 1,000%. The personification of a tough, gritty hockey player. Get well soon Tony!

There's no crying in hockey. The NBA, on the other hand...

Man oh man, it's been a slow blogging month. Luckily, The Babylon Bee has come through with this hilarious headline: 

From the most excellent article:

LOS ANGELES, CA—With nothing to do during basketball playoffs, LeBron James turned on a hockey game and was shocked to see players somehow getting back to their feet after being knocked over.

"This makes no sense!" said a bewildered LeBron. "No tears, no waiting to be carried to a wheelchair, they just literally stand back up and keep playing. How is this possible??"

In case you don't know, LeBron is known for, uh, exaggerating physical contact on the court. Because, apparently there's crying in the NBA. 

 

Also, be sure to scroll down past the article and check out the Law & Order: Microaggression Victims Unit video. Spot on.

You Know Who strikes again, eh?

The Babylon Bee takes on the POS ruining our wonderful neighbors to the north.

Today in entertainment news...

First up, something fun: Steve Buscemi handed out Halloween candy dressed as his 30 Rock character that has become a popular meme.

 

*****

On a less savory note, did you know that there is now such a thing as "the cancellation scam"? Some writer for Jezebel does; apparently it's where a celeb intentionally provokes outrage for publicity. However, using what the writer perceives as Dave Chappelle's "fear of irrelevance" as an example of this is kind of a stretch. If there's one performer today who doesn't need to worry about being irrelevant, it's Chappelle, and that was the case well before The Closer. There are plenty of celebrities desperate to stay in the spotlight, but history has shown that Dave Chappelle isn't remotely close to being one of them, much less "dependent" on it. But in their desperation to rip Chappelle, apparently some people are able to make such ridiculous reaches that I wonder that they don't dislocate their shoulders reaching so hard.

This is the guy who walked away from a $50 million deal back in his Comedy Central days, and as a fan of his show it was a huge loss. But unlike a lot of other people in the entertainment industry, Chappelle has stayed on an even keel, living in Ohio with his first and only wife and their children, and without a lot of the gossip-worthy drama that afflicts other famous people. And another thing - I'd be willing to bet a lot of people griping about The Closer haven't watched it in its entirety. It makes me wonder if these aren't the same people who hounded Daphne, and if - like me - you've actually watched the show, you will know what that means.

*****

Tough news: Steve Carlson, who portrayed one of the hockey playing Hanson Brothers in the immortal Slap Shot is in need of help. He was recently diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic squamous cell carcinoma and needs financial assistance with costs related to his treatment. The good news is that you can help out. His Go Fund Me is here.

The Hanson Brothers make their insane debut as Charlestown Chiefs:

And how bonkers is it that I never knew until now that Steve Carlson spent some time as a Los Angeles King?

If you can, put on some foil for a brother.

Update 7/27/22: Great news from Steve!

Greatest news of NO CANCER!  I'm cancer free, gaining weight and healing.
Yesterday at my six month post chemo/radiation appointment the PET scan revealed Stage 4 Cancer is gone!
I cannot thank you for your support during these last 10 months.
We wouldn't have been able to make it without your help.
Now that I know the fight, I will continue to bring more awareness to the struggles of this disease.
Few of many struggles:
Isolation  
Financial
Emotional
Mental
It was the toughest fight of my life .
Thank you for your donations your cards your prayers and friendships.
If ever I can lift someone up in prayer or spirits please email us!  
Steve Carlson

*****

You guys, the wait is almost over! Dexter: New Blood debuts this coming Sunday. 

The return of our favorite sociopath/serial killer will go a long way towards easing the pain that the return to Pacific Standard Time (also next Sunday) always causes me. Dark at 5pm? That sucks so bad.

And now I have to get writing - today is the first day of NaNoWriMo. Have a great week everyone!

Guy mic's up his 4 year old during hockey practice and it's your weekly dose of adorbs

What I'm really hoping is that some day Mason is playing in the NHL and they show this on the jumbotron.

One two, one two, one two...

I hope he enjoyed his BaDonald's.

H/T to Life in Hockeywood on FB for the link.

Pretty much anything involving kids playing hockey is going to be ridiculously adorable or your feel good story of the day. This is one of them.

This is your feel good story of the day.

H/T to Mayor McSnark for seeing to it that this story popped up on my Twitter feed this morning. Great way to start the day!

MLB trolls the NFL

I'm not a Dodgers fan, so I didn't tune in for Game 7 (or any of the rest of them, for that matter). Based on the results I didn't miss much, but I did miss this:

"In a display that would inspire anyone..." Except, apparently, the Dodgers.

The national anthem was sung by four very talented members of the Los Angeles Police Department and everyone seemed to love it.

Some people consider the choice to be "a silent jab to the NFL" and if so, well played Major League Baseball. I wonder if the packed stadium is also trolling pro football, whose attendance has been plummeting all season due to the controversy generated by a lot of players refusing to stand for the national anthem prior to their games.

Too bad for Dodgers fans that this was the high point of the evening for them. More importantly, the Kings are 10-2-1 in their first 13 games and tied for second most points in the league at 21 as I type this (St. Louis also has 21, Tampa Bay has 22). So L.A. sports fans still have a great season to look forward to!

Seriously though, check out the whole interview. It's terrific and these officers are such wonderful representatives of LAPD and the City of Los Angeles. Just really impressive.