Los Angeles Kings vs New Jersey Devils
June 11,2012
Staples Center
45 years…45 years!!! That is how long the Kings have been in the NHL, and in all that time they have never won the cup. When I was 4 years old I went to my first Kings game back when they were playing at the Fabulous Forum wearing the Forum blue (purple) and gold. Since then I have been to at least a hundred games and have watched/listened to thousands, each year ending in disappointment. We got close in 1993 but Montreal had three overtime wins and won it in five. But 2012 was a special year for my favorite team.
The Kings really did have a good team all year. With Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Mike Richards, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick I thought for sure the team would be able to make a serious run in the playoffs, but scoring was a huge problem all year long. They ended the season with the second lowest goals per game in the league, were the last team to make the western conference playoffs, and ended the year on a two game losing streak against the San Jose Sharks (if they won the last two the Kings would have been a third seed). But LA made a very smart late season move acquiring Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jack Johnson, that final piece to the puzzle made a huge difference in the playoffs.
As you can tell I am pretty excited about the Kings run. I probably could write a book about all the games I watched (went to the game four sweep of the Blues, game four loss to the Coyotes, and then game 4 and 6 of the Stanley Cup) but instead I will give just a couple highlights of the final two months of the season. As an eight seed, LA was assured to have no home ice advantage. That being said they took out the number one seed Vancouver Canucks (they also were the presidents cup winners for the best record during the regular season), the number two seed St. Louis Blues (in a 4 game sweep), and the number three seed Coyotes before heading to the cup finals. In all three series the Kings won every road game and went up 3-0 versus each team. This brought a serious hockey buzz to southern California and everyone was amped for the finals.
In the Eastern conference all the experts were convinced the New York Rangers were not only going to the Cup finals, but would take the world championship. They couldn’t be more wrong. Even though the Devils had a tough run with the Florida Panthers, the team ran through the Philadelphia Flyers before knocking out NY in 6 games. With arguably the best goalie ever in net, Marty Brodeur was going to make this series interesting…at least that was what everyone thought. The Kings won game one and two in New Jersey 2-1 taking both games in overtime. Game three, the first Stanley Cup game in LA in 19 years saw a complete route with a 4-0 win. Like I mentioned above, I attended the game four loss (1-3) and watched the game five loss that took place in New Jersey (luckily I was in Yosemite with Keli because my buddy Shannon Whalen traveled to the east coast too see the possible Cup win, I would have been with him if I was in town).
On to game six. Last time I was in LA, there was a party atmosphere outside Staples Center. Between the bands, the Kings Ice Crew, Jim Fox and Bob Miller out on the street, everyone was positive the Cup was going to be won. After game five and two losses in a row, the fans were much more subdued. I walked around for a bit before the game and you could cut the tension in the air with a knife. Prior to the game I went to the lower bowl to take pictures of the players and you could see the seriousness in their faces. No more chest bumping, no more laughing and telling jokes, you could tell they were there for business. For the first 10 minutes of the game the Kings were on the attack having several great chances to take the lead but Marty was a wall, but with 9:50 left in the period Steve Bernier slammed Rob Scuderi from behind into the wall behind Quick giving the Devils a 5 minute major penalty for boarding as well as a game misconduct for Bernier (and no matter what the Devils fans say, it deserved to be a major since Scuderi was laying bleeding on the ice with a broken nose and needed over 30 stitches to his mouth). That hit lit a fire under the Kings who quickly pounced on the opportunity that presented itself. Dustin Brown scored a tip in goal from Drew Doughty at 11:03, Jeff Carter tipped in Dustin Browns shot at 12:45 and to top it off Trevor Lewis powered in a backhand shot at the 15:01 mark. To say Staples Center was loud is a complete understatement. For ten minutes we were screaming our heads off, high fiving strangers, hugging those next to us. The hardest part at the end of the first was the knowledge that there were still 40 minutes left in the game.
In the second period Jeff Carter tallied the fourth goal for the Kings after only a minute and a half on the ice. From there the game slowed down a bit and the Devils tallied their first goal by Adam Henrique with assists from Sykora and former King Ponikarovsky at the 18:45 mark. But even with that blip on the radar the home team had a serious advantage going into the final 20 minutes where LA never looked back. In fact, when the desperate Devils pulled Brodeur with five minutes left in the game rookie Dwight King stole the puck and passed to Trevor Lewis who tuck the puck down the ice for an open net break away goal giving the Kings a 5-1 lead. The final blow came at the hands of defenseman Matt Greene at the 16:30 mark and at that point the arena was in complete pandemonium. Everyone was standing, cheering, and screaming there heads off leading to the 10 second countdown for the win. The Kings players went nuts charging the finals MVP (Conn Smyth trophy winner) Jonathan Quick throwing helmets, gloves, and sticks in all directions. Not until the Stanley Cup made its way around the ice did the arena finally quiet down. I think everyone was in complete awe, tears were flowing, and cameras were flashing. When Gary Bettman handed the cup to captain Dustin Brown it was unbelievable. Personally the emotions running through my body was almost overwhelming. I didn’t shed a tear, but I think that is because I was in such shock of the situation. I took several hundred pictures throughout the night highlighted but the team skating around the ice kissing Lord Stanley’s Cup and eventually passing it to Luc Robitaille and Bernie Nicholls.
I know there are still three championships I need to go see, but nothing will top this game and this moment. I have looked at my pictures no less than 20 times already and I can’t get the smile off my face. The only thing I am worried about now is the money I am going to be spending over the next couple of months buying all the championship gear. I can only hope to see this moment again in the future.
The final take away from the game is the friend I met sitting next to me. He was a Swiss exchange student studying English who just happened to be in LA for the historic playoff run (by the way, the Kings are the only number 8 seed to win the Cup). We were laughing and slapping high fives all game long. My only regret was that in all my excitement I forgot to get his email before I left. I know I will probably never see him again but I was glad to share that
moment with such a hockey lover as myself.
Los Angeles Kings vs New Jersey Devils
June 11,2012
Staples Center
45 years…45 years!!! That is how long the Kings have been in the NHL, and in all that time they have never won the cup. When I was 4 years old I went to my first Kings game back when they were playing at the Fabulous Forum wearing the Forum blue (purple) and gold. Since then I have been to at least a hundred games and have watched/listened to thousands, each year ending in disappointment. We got close in 1993 but Montreal had three overtime wins and won it in five. But 2012 was a special year for my favorite team.
The Kings really did have a good team all year. With Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Mike Richards, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick I thought for sure the team would be able to make a serious run in the playoffs, but scoring was a huge problem all year long. They ended the season with the second lowest goals per game in the league, were the last team to make the western conference playoffs, and ended the year on a two game losing streak against the San Jose Sharks (if they won the last two the Kings would have been a third seed). But LA made a very smart late season move acquiring Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jack Johnson, that final piece to the puzzle made a huge difference in the playoffs.
As you can tell I am pretty excited about the Kings run. I probably could write a book about all the games I watched (went to the game four sweep of the Blues, game four loss to the Coyotes, and then game 4 and 6 of the Stanley Cup) but instead I will give just a couple highlights of the final two months of the season. As an eight seed, LA was assured to have no home ice advantage. That being said they took out the number one seed Vancouver Canucks (they also were the presidents cup winners for the best record during the regular season), the number two seed St. Louis Blues (in a 4 game sweep), and the number three seed Coyotes before heading to the cup finals. In all three series the Kings won every road game and went up 3-0 versus each team. This brought a serious hockey buzz to southern California and everyone was amped for the finals.
In the Eastern conference all the experts were convinced the New York Rangers were not only going to the Cup finals, but would take the world championship. They couldn’t be more wrong. Even though the Devils had a tough run with the Florida Panthers, the team ran through the Philadelphia Flyers before knocking out NY in 6 games. With arguably the best goalie ever in net, Marty Brodeur was going to make this series interesting…at least that was what everyone thought. The Kings won game one and two in New Jersey 2-1 taking both games in overtime. Game three, the first Stanley Cup game in LA in 19 years saw a complete route with a 4-0 win. Like I mentioned above, I attended the game four loss (1-3) and watched the game five loss that took place in New Jersey (luckily I was in Yosemite with Keli because my buddy Shannon Whalen traveled to the east coast too see the possible Cup win, I would have been with him if I was in town).
On to game six. Last time I was in LA, there was a party atmosphere outside Staples Center. Between the bands, the Kings Ice Crew, Jim Fox and Bob Miller out on the street, everyone was positive the Cup was going to be won. After game five and two losses in a row, the fans were much more subdued. I walked around for a bit before the game and you could cut the tension in the air with a knife. Prior to the game I went to the lower bowl to take pictures of the players and you could see the seriousness in their faces. No more chest bumping, no more laughing and telling jokes, you could tell they were there for business. For the first 10 minutes of the game the Kings were on the attack having several great chances to take the lead but Marty was a wall, but with 9:50 left in the period Steve Bernier slammed Rob Scuderi from behind into the wall behind Quick giving the Devils a 5 minute major penalty for boarding as well as a game misconduct for Bernier (and no matter what the Devils fans say, it deserved to be a major since Scuderi was laying bleeding on the ice with a broken nose and needed over 30 stitches to his mouth). That hit lit a fire under the Kings who quickly pounced on the opportunity that presented itself. Dustin Brown scored a tip in goal from Drew Doughty at 11:03, Jeff Carter tipped in Dustin Browns shot at 12:45 and to top it off Trevor Lewis powered in a backhand shot at the 15:01 mark. To say Staples Center was loud is a complete understatement. For ten minutes we were screaming our heads off, high fiving strangers, hugging those next to us. The hardest part at the end of the first was the knowledge that there were still 40 minutes left in the game.
In the second period Jeff Carter tallied the fourth goal for the Kings after only a minute and a half on the ice. From there the game slowed down a bit and the Devils tallied their first goal by Adam Henrique with assists from Sykora and former King Ponikarovsky at the 18:45 mark. But even with that blip on the radar the home team had a serious advantage going into the final 20 minutes where LA never looked back. In fact, when the desperate Devils pulled Brodeur with five minutes left in the game rookie Dwight King stole the puck and passed to Trevor Lewis who tuck the puck down the ice for an open net break away goal giving the Kings a 5-1 lead. The final blow came at the hands of defenseman Matt Greene at the 16:30 mark and at that point the arena was in complete pandemonium. Everyone was standing, cheering, and screaming there heads off leading to the 10 second countdown for the win. The Kings players went nuts charging the finals MVP (Conn Smyth trophy winner) Jonathan Quick throwing helmets, gloves, and sticks in all directions. Not until the Stanley Cup made its way around the ice did the arena finally quiet down. I think everyone was in complete awe, tears were flowing, and cameras were flashing. When Gary Bettman handed the cup to captain Dustin Brown it was unbelievable. Personally the emotions running through my body was almost overwhelming. I didn’t shed a tear, but I think that is because I was in such shock of the situation. I took several hundred pictures throughout the night highlighted but the team skating around the ice kissing Lord Stanley’s Cup and eventually passing it to Luc Robitaille and Bernie Nicholls.
I know there are still three championships I need to go see, but nothing will top this game and this moment. I have looked at my pictures no less than 20 times already and I can’t get the smile off my face. The only thing I am worried about now is the money I am going to be spending over the next couple of months buying all the championship gear. I can only hope to see this moment again in the future.
The final take away from the game is the friend I met sitting next to me. He was a Swiss exchange student studying English who just happened to be in LA for the historic playoff run (by the way, the Kings are the only number 8 seed to win the Cup). We were laughing and slapping high fives all game long. My only regret was that in all my excitement I forgot to get his email before I left. I know I will probably never see him again but I was glad to share that moment with such a hockey lover as myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment