So just to confirm this, we’ve all slept at least a few hours since Tuesday right? This wasn’t all a mass collective dream on our part? That’s awesome. I guess we’re really headed to the Stanley Cup Finals then.
We know the date. We know the place give-or-take a few miles. What we don’t know is the opponent. Of course, we might find that out after tonight. Personally I’m rooting for the Rangers to win and extend the series to a Game 7, just so whoever comes out of the East only gets two days off (and wouldn’t mind a few OTs in that game either, or twelve). The Kings, meanwhile, have had so many days off that it’s inspiring semi-hilarious memes on Twitter, but we’ll get back to that in a second.
Links and such after the jump!
Kings News
- Would you like a look back at various turning points in the season, complete with quotes from Wayne friggin’ Gretzky? Helene’s got you covered. [LA Times]
- Sticking with the Times, Lisa Dillman has a rather heart-warming piece on Willie Mitchell finally playing in his first Cup final. Also some stuff about Dustin Penner’s future career as a comedian, should he survive the inevitable clubbing coming his way for being a hockey player with an actual personality. [LA Times]
- Wanna feel really dirty? Earl Sleek has a post on the parallels between this year’s Kings and the 02-03 Anaheim Ducks team that went to the Cup finals. There’s a whole bunch, unfortunately. [Battle of Cali]
- Rich Hammond’s got some random quotes about the Kings finally getting their turn in the spotlight. Hopefully this spotlight isn’t shining on a logo of a basketball team from Sacramento. [Kings Insider]
- So what do you blog about when there’s no NHL games on last night? Why, a breakdown of what cars each member of the Kings roster were driving home from the airport, of course. May or may not have spent an uncomfortable amount of time staring at this sweet picture of Jeff Carter’s ass at the end. [Royal Half]
- Blog posts that are mostly just pictures still too much reading for you? Then listen to stuff, duh. All the Kings Men has not one, but TWO podcasts since last time; first, the Mayor from Mayor’s Manor checks in to discuss the Phoenix series some more, and in the second podcast, our pal Jim Fox has a chat about the Kings playing in the Stanley Cup Finals. [AtKM] [AtKM w/ Fox]
- Sticking with the Mayor and our theme of wacky “we have 7 off-days” stories, what’s the deal with Drew Doughty and the Blue Jays caps that are spreading in the Kings locker room like a plague (of awesome)? THE MAYOR’S ON THE CASE! [MM]
- Somehow forgot to include this on first go: in case you’re a newer fan, here’s a breakdown from James Mirtle of exactly how every player on this current Kings roster was acquired. The quickie version: ton of draft picks, ton of trades, only two UFAs. [Globe & Mail]
Other NHL News
- So the Coyotes all lost their minds following Game 5, as has been well-documented. Turns out Rozsival’s “blown-out knee” (thanks Dr. Doan!) was just a bruise. Hasn’t stopped Five for Howling from continuing to whine about the supposedly late hit, but you know, whatever. Here’s some fun news: the NHL is actually investigating the Yotes’ comments. Suspensions are apparently a possibility, which would be so awesome. They’ll probably just hand out those silly $2500 fines, but hey, we can dream. [Globe & Mail]
- Sticking with those Yotes for a second, our friend Gann Matsuda over at Frozen Royalty has a wonderful commentary on just how immature and classless their reactions were, in blow-by-blow detail. Fantastic stuff. [FR]
- Following weeks of speculation, the Montreal Canadiens did indeed hire Rick Dudley as their new assistant GM. Apparently this comes with the hilarious stipulation that Dudley is not allowed to be involved in the draft. Yeah, okay. [Globe & Mail]
- TONIGHT: the #1 seeded New York Rangers try to keep their season alive as they head to Newark for a crucial Game 6 against the #6 seeded New Jersey Devils (5:00 pm PST/NBC Sports Network). LET’S GO GAME 7! Then I honestly don’t care who wins, although our own Robert made a great case for the Rangers with their amazingly awful zone-adjusted Corsi numbers. If we do indeed get a LA-NYR series, I imagine he’s going to make the most unintentionally funny post in Jewels history just putting those numbers side-by-side with LA’s. Serious hilarity.
Okay so that’s all the links I’ve got for you today.
BUT WAIT!
How about we take a trip down Twitter avenue? Does that sound like fun? No? Well we’re doing it anyway, too bad.
So what have the LA Kings been doing with all this downtime before the biggest games of their collective lives? I bring you, fair readers, select highlights from #StuffTheKingsHaveDoneSinceLastPlaying.
Shave and Regrow Their Playoff Beards #StuffTheKingsHaveDoneSinceLastPlaying
— The Royal Half (@theroyalhalf) May 25, 2012
Win the Stanley Cup in NHL12…… Twice. #StuffTheKingsHaveDoneSinceLastPlaying
— Tyler (@ProjectPsion) May 25, 2012
Wash, rinse and repeat.One thousand times.#StuffTheKingsHaveDoneSinceLastPlaying
— Dark Blue Jacket (@DarkBlueJacket) May 25, 2012
Videotaped Keith Yandle freaking out because the dudes at Foot Locker wear Kings colors. #StuffTheKingsHaveDoneSinceLastPlaying
— John Carroll (@kinghawkranger) May 25, 2012
#StuffTheKingsHaveDoneSinceLastPlaying Blow air horns while the Anaheim Ducks are trying to play golf @theroyalhalf
— Michael Fernandez (@ReignMaker19) May 25, 2012
Rebuilt the Toronto Maple Leafs#StuffTheKingsHaveDoneSinceLastPlaying
— The Royal Half (@theroyalhalf) May 25, 2012
Sent Mike Smith psychologist referrals in the Glendale area. #StuffTheKingsHaveDoneSinceLastPlaying
— This Is LA Ryan (@ThisIsLARyan) May 25, 2012
And finally, in case you’re wondering why this post is up a little later than my last one…
Inspired semi-funny memes that distracted blogger from doing his non-paying job. #StuffTheKingsHaveDoneSinceLastPlaying
— John Carroll (@kinghawkranger) May 25, 2012
Yup.
See ya later folks.