Below are the 8 most recent journal entries recorded in kingshauser's LiveJournal:

Monday, January 29th, 2007
6:55 pm	12/14 los angeles 4, SHARKS 2 I would have posted earlier today but I was too busy buying my Barry Brust jersey (obvious sarcasm that must not be obvious, cause here I am explaining myself). The rookie, playing in just his second NHL game, had only a few minutes to prepare for what turned out to be 60 solid minutes for the struggling Los Angeles Kings against the Teal, making 34 saves for his first career win. Fellow rookie Anze Kopitar notched a pair of goals and Mike Cammalleri and Derek Armstrong also scored for the Kings, who avenged their loss at the hands of the Sharks on Tuesday at Staples. In the Sharks defense, they made Brust and the Kings look pretty good by coming out flat. Possibly looking past the Kings, as they did control the game on Tuesday, the Sharks and the fans couldn't help but eye that bigtime match-up with "those friggin' Ducks" comin up Saturday night in the Tank. Going scoreless on 18 shots through the first two periods of play, the Sharks finally broke through the wall known as Brust ( the Bar [pronounced b-air] -lin Wall anyone?) for two goals on 18 shots in the final frame. Christian Ehrhoff got the Sharks on the board with a powerplay marker at 9:59, and Mike Grier moved the Sharks a bit closer when he scored with just less than 4 minutes left, but as it turned out, it wasn't enough. On a happier note, I feel that I did my duty as a fan of hockey last night, when I introduced my friend Jamie to the wonderful world of hockey. Living in the area, she had never attended a hockey game in her life, but, despite the poor outcome, she enjoyed her first game, and is planning to go back (Jamie, if this isn't true, please don't tell me, because I like making up stuff and believing it. Besides, you would be letting all these fine readers [readers = 3 people not including my mom, dad, and grandma :D ] down, and pissing people off over the internet is not cool). Not quite as nationally touted as the first matchup, Saturday brings the Ducks to town for "The Rematch". The first one didn't go so hot (if you ask anyone in teal, which, of course, is the only opinion that matters :D ), but, with the poor ice, the nerves, and the unlucky bounces worthy places to take blame, it's a brand new game, and it's in the Tank. It's Saturday night hockey in one of the loudest buildings in the NHL. It's the battle of the Pacific, it's the playoffs in December, it's Sharks/Ducks hockey. Be there (or at least follow along on TV or the radio or the internet or carrier pigeon). Go Sharks (go fulfill your duty as a hockey fan and bring a friend to a game) -Jess On a side note, I was on KFOG this morning, as the talk of superstitions came up, spawning a whole segment devoted to the topic. After the Sharks play tomorrow night, and the subsequent recap post on Sunday, I will be posting some superstitions of mine, and invite all who read to comment on it by submitting their own. Again, that post will be Monday, so start compiling some of your favorite, and least favorite superstitions. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 26th, 2006
5:42 pm	A Look At Tonight’s Opponent: The Los Angeles Kings Tonight the St. Louis Blues will try to build on the many positives, and correct the mistakes, from their lost against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. While it is true that the Blues face their weakest opponent on this three game, West Coast road trip, one cannot dismiss the rebuilding Los Angeles club. King’s coach, Marc Crawford, utilizes the young legs and skating ability of his team. Several times during their 4-3 lost to the Anaheim Ducks last night, the Kings utilized the elimination of the red line, making long passes. The Blues’ defense must be careful, and not be caught flat-footed against a quick team that will look for the “home run pass.” An opposing player to watch tonight is Anze Kopitar, a nineteen-year-old rookie from Slovenia. This 2005, first rounder (11th overall) declined to play in the AHL last year, opting to play pro in Sweden. Despite only being eighteen years of age, he had success playing against men. A mix of skill, size and speed, he was very impressive last night against the Ducks, scoring two goals. Though one of his goals was of the fluky variety, he demonstrated tremendous skill on his first goal, burning Chris Pronger and patiently waiting for the goalie to make his move before burying the puck. An excellent talent. Even if the Blues contain Kopitar, they must watch for his linemate Alexander Frolov, as well as Patrick O’Sullivan, Mike Cammalleri and Craig Conroy. The Blues must also beware of the Kings’ defense, especially on the powerplay, which utilizes Rob Blake, Lumobior Visnovsky, and even ex-Blue Kevin Dallman on the 2nd unit. One would hope that the Blues will take advantage of the fact that the Kings played the night before, and use their veterans to punish and frustrate some of the Kings’ younger and inexperienced talent. Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post has reported that Manny Legace will be in net against the Kings. He may have to prepare himself for the offensive onslaught, as the Kings recorded 44 shots against the Ducks’ defense which included Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. Luckily for the Ducks, Jean-Sebastien Giguere played an outstanding game, and the Blues will likely need a matching effort for Legace. The Blues’ may have lost another defensemen, as Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post has also reported Eric Brewer is doubtful for tonight’s game because of an injury to his back. If he cannot take the ice, the Blues will have to insert Roman Polak into the lineup and be without three of their top four defenseman. UPDATE: According to Andy Strickland of Hockey Buzz & ESPN 1380, Eric Brewer will play tonight. Discuss this article and the events of the game at the Let's Go Blues forum. (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 2nd, 2006
1:19 pm	Your 2006-2007 Los Angeles Kings Not having access to any pre-season information that isn't provided to me free via the internets (in other words, having not seen any pre-season games), here's my attempt at a season preview. Goaltender: Mathieu Garon will back up newly acquired (and re-upped) Dan Cloutier who travels south to L.A. with new coach Marc Crawford. Injuries limited him to 13 mediocre games last season, and he played briefly in Austria during the lock-out, but the scuttlebutt is that his knee is healthy once again. Hopefully he can return to the form he displayed between 2001 and 2004, when he won over 30 games three times and never had a GAA worse than 2.43. If he can, the Kings will have their first reliable goaltender since Felix Potvin's good days in LA. One of the knocks on Cloutier is that he's soft in the playoffs. Considering that the Kings have been absent from the playoffs the last few years, I wouldn't mind getting a chance to see for myself. Defense: The Kings have some depth here, with eight defensemen who are at least fairly capable. The top four are pretty well set, with Rob Blake returning to L.A., joining Matty Nortstrom, Lubomir Visnovsky, and Aaron Miller. The final two spots are most likely to go to Brent Sopel and one of Kevin Dallman, Oleg Teverdovsky, and Mike Weaver. That depth is going to be important, primarily because Miller is perennially injured, and, well, this is the Kings, so it kind of goes without saying that guys are going to get hurt. The hope here is that the competition for playing time lights a fire under Teverdovsky, who is still a pretty skilled player. Be prepared to see a lot of offense from the blue line, and a lot of odd man rushes the other way. Blake especially has never been one to shy away from big hit regardless of what it costs in terms of defensive positioning. But hey, they'll be fun to watch. Honestly, this is the strength of the team, and if they can set the tone, the Kings could be better than anyone expects. Last year they got about 40 goals from the defensive corps. 14 of those are in Ottawa this season. They're going to need about 55 this season to be competitive, maybe 60. Let's face it, the offense isn't loaded with proven goal scorers, so they're going to need all the help they can get from the blue line. I think they can do it. Offense: Right now, I'm not exactly sure what the line combinations are going to be, so I can't comment on each one. The offense on the whole is going to be a little shaky. They're going to be tremendously entertaining at times, and tremendously unreliable at times. That's the way young players tend to be, and it doesn't help that some of their older guys, like Frolov, already tend to play that way. The Kings are going to need a big effort from Alex this year, who has the talent to put together a 35-40 goal season. He's going to have to be the focus on offense this season, so hopefully he'll rise to the occasion. Michael Cammalleri lead all returning Kings with 26 goals last season. He's going to have to add 5-10 for the Kings to contend for a playoff spot. The influx of youth up front is what will make this team fun to watch this season. Anze Kopitar and Patrick O'Sullivan make their NHL debuts, and both have shown a lot of offensive promise. O'Sullivan led the AHL in goals last season, and Kopitar has, by some reports, been the Kings best player throughout the pre-season. Dustin Brown chipped in 14 goals last season, and although he may continue to bring fans to their feet with his big hits on even bigger targets, he needs to increase that offensive production by about 10 goals this year. Old reliables Craig Conroy and Derek Armstrong will more than likely be solid up the middle, so the kids are going have to be the ones that take the big steps forward. Of course, the wild card (in more ways than one) is Sean Avery. Can they keep him under control and out of the penalty box? Can he harness that speed and talent and turn in a 20-25 goal season? If he can, and if things break right for the Kings, they can be a playoff team. They could end up being they type of team that has no one score more than 35 goals, but has 10 guys that score more than 15. Balanced offensively, experienced defensively, and maybe the goaltenders are good enough to steel a few. Special Teams: The bane of the 2005-2006 season, the Kings absolutely must improve on the power play and the penalty kill, or they're going to live down to the low expectations that the media has set for them. In the new NHL, where there is a lot of time spent with fewer than 10 skaters on the ice, a team simply cannot be successful if they aren't solid on special teams. On the power play, it starts on the blue line, and Rob Blake should provide some improvement over Joe Corvo, who actually wasn't too bad last year. The addition of Teverdovsky should give them a decent PP quarterback on the second unit. Logic would say that he'd be paired with Brent Sopel, but last season Norstrom got a lot of time with the extra man, and at times his no nonsense style led to getting the puck to the front of the net with some success. I wouldn't be surprised to see him out there again on the power play. Eric Belanger, who was always a decent penalty killer, is gone to Carolina, but Alyn McCauley and Scott Thornton have arrived to shore up this unit. Look for Aaron Miller and Norstrom to log a lot of time on this unit. Hopefully Marc Crawford brought a magic formula with him. Vancouver was fairly middle of the road in both the PP and the PK, but even that would be a huge improvement over last season. Outlook: The Kings look to have a ceiling of about 6th in the conference, and a floor of about 14th. They'll probably end up right down the middle in about 10th place, probably contending for a playoff spot up until the last week or two of the season. If they stay healthy, they just may surprise a lot of teams and end up in the post-season, but I think the realistic expectation is that they'll miss this year, improve a little next year, and be set to really start flying in a couple of years as O'Sullivan, Kopitar, Tukonen, and Jack Johnson are hitting their stride. The future looks pretty bright, but it's still a ways off in the distance at this point. Here's hoping we get a little taste this season. Here are my "totally pulled out of my ass" projections. Projected record: 37-41-4 Projected finish: 4th in the Pacific, 11th in the Western Conference Projected Stats (G-A-Pts) Frolov: 32-40-72 Cammalleri: 33-34-67 O'Sullivan: 26-30-56 Kopitar: 16-27-43 Brown: 24-31-55 Avery: 23-29-52 (223 PIM - Four games lost to suspension) Visnovsky: 19-41-60 Blake: 17-35-52 Cloutier: 26 wins, GAA - 2.93 (Comment on this)
Friday, August 18th, 2006
11:45 am	Notes on California, the San Andreas Fault and Los Angeles Early morning surfers Originally uploaded by noeltykay. California remains a land of opportunity. It has a world of beauty, wealth, brains and moxie. Here's what wikipedia says about the state: California is a state spanning the southern half of the west coast of the contiguous United States. With a population of 37 million and an area of 158,402 square miles (410,000 km²), California is the largest U.S. state in population and the third largest in area. Historically, California had the highest density and greatest diversity of indigenous peoples in what is now the United States. Although the state's sunny climate has given it a historic reputation for being laid back compared to the East Coast, the $1.55 trillion (as of 2005) California economy is larger than all but the top 7 national economies in the world [1] and is responsible for 13% of the United States' $13 trillion gross domestic product (GDP). The state's predominant industries include agriculture, entertainment, light manufacturing, and tourism. California is also the home of several significant economic regions such as Hollywood (entertainment), the California Central Valley (agriculture), Silicon Valley (computers and high tech), and the Wine Country (wine). It is the third largest state in the U.S and is larger than Germany in size. The hot, fertile Central Valley is California's agricultural heartland and grows a large portion of America's food. The southern part of the valley, which is part desert, is known as the San Joaquin Valley (drained by the San Joaquin River), while the northern half is known as the Sacramento Valley (drained by the Sacramento River). In the center and east of the state are the Sierra Nevada (meaning Snowy Range in Spanish), which include the highest peak in the contiguous 48 states, Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet (4421 m). Also located in the Sierra are the world-famous Yosemite National Park and a deep freshwater lake, Lake Tahoe, About 35% of the state's total surface area is covered by forests. California's diversity of pine species is unmatched by any other state. Though other states have a higher percentage of their land area covered by forests, in terms of total area, California contains more forestland than any other state except Alaska. Along the densely populated and long California coast are several major metropolitan areas, including San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, Los Angeles-Long Beach, Santa Ana-Irvine-Anaheim, Riverside-San Bernardino, California and San Diego. Climates near the Pacific Ocean are remarkably moderate compared with inland climates. Winter temperatures seldom reach freezing and summer temperatures rarely reach above the high 80's Fahrenheit (low 30's Celsius). California is the most populous state—more than 12 percent of U.S. citizens live in the state. California's population is larger than all but 33 countries. About four million more people live in California than in all of Canada. California has eight of the top 50 US cities in terms of population. Los Angeles is the nation's second largest city with a population of 3,845,541 people, followed by San Diego (8th), San Jose (10th), San Francisco (14th), Long Beach (34th), Fresno (37th), Sacramento (38th) and Oakland (44th). California lacks a majority ethnic group. It is the third minority-majority state, after Hawaii and New Mexico. Non-Hispanic Whites are still the largest group while Hispanics make up over one-third of the population; in order, other groups are Asians, Blacks, and Native Americans. As of 2005, California's economy is larger than all but seven national economies in the world.[3] California is responsible for 13% of the United States gross domestic product (GDP), while the state population constitute only 12% of the United States population. The gross state product (GSP) is about $1.55 trillion ($1,550,000,000,000, as of 2004), making it greater than that of every other U.S. state, and most countries in the world (by Purchasing Power Parity). The predominant industry, more than twice as large as the next, is agriculture, (including fruit, vegetables, dairy, and wine). This is followed by aerospace; entertainment, primarily television by dollar volume, although many movies are still made in California; light manufacturing, including computer hardware and software; and the mining of borax. Per capita personal income was $33,403 as of 2003, ranking 12th in the nation. The giant seaport complex formed by the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach in Southern California is the largest in the country and responsible for handling about a fourth of all container cargo traffic in the United States. Major league teams Baseball Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Los Angeles Dodgers Oakland Athletics San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants National Basketball Association Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers Sacramento Kings National Football League Oakland Raiders San Diego Chargers San Francisco 49ers National Hockey League Anaheim Ducks Los Angeles Kings San Jose Sharks Major League Soccer Club Deportivo Chivas USA Los Angeles Galaxy Other teams National Lacrosse League San Jose Stealth Major League Lacrosse San Francisco Dragons Los Angeles Riptide Arena Football League San Jose Sabercats Los Angeles Avengers American Basketball Association Beijing Aoshen Olympian Carson Buzz Fresno Heatwave San Diego Wildcats Continental Basketball Association San Jose SkyRockets Women's National Basketball Association Los Angeles Sparks Sacramento Monarchs The San Andreas Fault is a geological fault that runs a length of roughly 800 miles (1287 kilometres) through western and southern California in the United States. The fault, a right-lateral strike-slip fault, marks a transform boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. A study completed by Yuri Fialko, an associate professor at the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (an academic unit of the University of California, San Diego), published in the June 22, 2006 edition of the journal Nature, has demonstrated that the San Andreas fault has been stressed to a level sufficient for the next "big one", as it its commonly called, that is, an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or greater. The study also concluded that the risk of a large earthquake may be increasing faster than researchers had previously believed. Fialko also emphasized in his study that, while the San Andreas Fault has experienced massive earthquakes in 1857 at its central section and in 1906 at its northern segment (the great San Francisco earthquake), the southern section of the fault has not seen a similar rupture in at least 300 years. If such an earthquake were to occur, Fialko's study stated, it would result in substantial damage to Palm Springs and a number of other cities in San Bernardino, Riverside and Imperial counties in California. Such an event would be felt throughout much of Southern California, including densely populated areas of metropolitan Los Angeles and San Diego. "All these data suggest that the fault is ready for the next big earthquake but exactly when the triggering will happen and when the earthquake will occur we cannot tell," Fialko said. "It could be tomorrow or it could be 10 years or more from now," he concluded Los Angeles, known as "L.A." or the "City of Angels", is the largest city in the state of California and the second-largest in the United States. As of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, the city had a population of 3.8 million. The city is the core cultural and economic center of the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana metropolitan area with a population of 12.9 million.[1] Men and women gather around the Plaza Church (Mission Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles) sometime between 1890 and 1900. The block building features an arched doorway, ocular windows, and a gazebo-like structure mounted on the roof. Faint impressions of paintings on the exterior of the building are evident. The Mission Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles was founded on September 4, 1781 by a group of Mexican pobladeros (settlers). The Hispanic, Asian American, and Caribbean populations are growing particularly quickly — the Asian American population is the largest of any city in the U.S and the city contains the largest concentration of Los Angeles County's 1.4 million Asians. Los Angeles hosts the largest populations of Armenians, Cambodians, Filipinos, Guatemalans, Hungarians, Koreans, Mexicans, Salvadorans, and Thais in the world outside of their respective countries. Los Angeles is also home to the largest populations of Japanese and Persians living in the U.S., and has one of the largest Native American populations in the country. Los Angeles is home to people from more than 140 countries, who speak at least 224 different languages. Ethnic enclaves like Chinatown, Historic Filipinotown, Koreatown, Little Armenia, Little Ethiopia, Little Persia, Little Tokyo, and Thai Town give testimony to the polyglot character of Los Angeles and its unique diversity. (Comment on this)
Friday, August 11th, 2006
11:05 am	Circumventing Article 3 and Other Atrocities by the Bush ... Before I begin, I want to say thank you to everyone for inviting me to participate in Blogathon 2006. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Robbie and I’m a writer and aspiring novelist. I currently have three blogs: Greetings From America’s Finest City (personal), Independent Opinions (politics), and The Round Table (Los Angeles Kings hockey weblog). Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let’s get this party started... Right now, you should be outraged at the Bush administration for attempting to circumvent the War Crimes Act of 1996. When the Supreme Court ruled 5-3 on June 29, 2006 that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military tribunals for Guantanamo Bay detainees, they also in effect ruled that the Bush administration did not have the authority to torture them. In response to that, the Bush administration has drafted legislation that would grant protections to U.S. personnel for past violations of the War Crimes Act of 1996, which defines a war crime as a violation or grave breach of any of the Geneva Conventions or the Hague Conventions of 1907. What really concerns them is Article 3 of the Geneva Convention, which states the following: Article 3 In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions: 1. Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria. To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons: (a) Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture; (b) Taking of hostages; (c) Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment; (d) The passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples. 2. The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for. An impartial humanitarian body, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict. The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Convention. The application of the preceding provisions shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict. The penalty for violating Article 3 of the Geneva Convention, as stated by the War Crimes Act of 1996, is life imprisonment or death. The death penalty is enacted if the misconduct resulted in the death of one or more victims, which has happened in the Guantanamo Bay prison and in Abu Gharib. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has consulted with Republican members of Congress for their help in covering the Bush administration’s backside. They, along with U.S. personnel that carried out these atrocities should be very afraid of what they’ve done in the name of protecting our freedom. A 55-page report by Human Rights Watch called No Blood, No Foul (you can download a PDF of the report by clicking here) details soldiers’ accounts of detainee abuse in Iraq, including reports of the use of abusive --I mean "creative" interrogation techniques such as sleep deprivation, environmental controls, hot and cold water. (Due to time constraints I cannot list them all, so please click here to download the PDF file or click here to reference the publication online.) If the Bush administration succeeds in weakening the War Crimes Act of 1996, not only will they get away with the atrocities against detainees in our prisons but an unintentional consequence will be the possible future mistreatment of captured U.S. military personnel. We don’t need a repeat of what’s going on between Hezbollah and Israel to remind us of those consequences. You as a concerned American citizen, especially those of you who say we are governed by "the rule of law", must do what is morally right. Contact your elected officials and let them know what you think about the Bush administration’s attempt to skirt its responsibility to the War Crimes Act of 1996 and Article 3 of the Geneva Convention. We ratified those agreements and it is our duty to bring those who violated those laws to justice. Technorati Tags: Geneva Conventions, War Crimes Act of 1996, Alberto Gonzales, Torture, Human Rights, Guantanamo Bay, Abu Gharib, Human Rights Watch (Comment on this)
Monday, July 31st, 2006
10:02 pm	Tagliabue meets with LA officials Commissioner Paul Tagliabue headed an NFL delegation that met with leaders of the Los Angeles business community Wednesday night, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa expressed optimism about the return of a professional team to the area. "We're farther along than we have been at any time since professional football left Los Angeles," Villaraigosa told reporters with Tagliabue at his side before the parties had their dinner meeting and reception at Getty House, the mayor's formal residence. Fantasy Football League 2006 The greater Los Angeles area has been without an NFL team since the Raiders left the Los Angeles Coliseum for Oakland and the Rams departed from what is now known as Angel Stadium in Anaheim for St. Louis before the 1995 season. NFL owners decided last month at an owners meeting in Denver to give $5 million each to Los Angeles and Anaheim to explore the amount of support, especially financial, that each community can supply to help build a new stadium. Fantasy Football League The NFL group will meet Thursday for lunch with Anaheim officials. Getting a team back in the area does not appear imminent. No team has been designated, nor has a decision been made whether Los Angeles or Anaheim would get an existing franchise that relocates or an expansion team. Los Angeles officials hope to build an $800 million stadium inside the Coliseum, which would be leased to the league. Anaheim officials have proposed a new football stadium for the parking lot next to Angel Stadium. "This is about creating a partnership," Villaraigosa said of Wednesday night's get-together. "It's incumbent upon us to make a case. On both sides, there's a willingness for a partnership." Tagliabue said there are several pieces that must be put in place for a team to return to Los Angeles, one being a satisfactory agreement with Southern California, one of nation's top college football teams that's played its home games at the Coliseum for 83 years. Fantasy Football USC President Steven B. Sample expressed concerns in a letter to the NFL last month, but was among the guests at Getty House. Tagliabue expressed confidence things could be worked out. A state-of-the-art Coliseum for an NFL team would probably seat less than 70,000, with USC wanting a home that would seat at least 80,000. Tagliabue said other issues involved the costs of a new stadium, how it would be financed and support of the business community. "What we're addressing tonight is one of those pieces," he said, referring to the business community. "We look forward to this partnership becoming a reality. We're determined to get a team here." 2006 Fantasy Football Whether that means Los Angeles, Anaheim or both at some point in time has not been determined. Among those attending the dinner were team owners Michael Bidwill of the Arizona Cardinals, Pat Bowlen of the Denver Broncos, Steve Tisch of the New York Giants and Jed York of the San Francisco 49ers. Among local business leaders attending were billionaires Eli Broad and Ron Burkle, who have both been involved in trying to bring the NFL back to Los Angeles in the past; Peter O'Malley, former owner of the Dodgers; Casey Wasserman, owner of the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League; Peter Chernin of News Corp.; Tim Leiweke of the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the Los Angeles Kings and several Major League Soccer franchises, and former NFL players Rodney Peete and Danny Villanueva. 2006 Fantasy Football League The NFL was close to returning to the nation's second-largest market in 1999, when league owners approved a resolution to put an expansion team into the area. That plan fell through when two conflicting groups could not agree on a site and financing. The NFL also wanted to get Houston businessman Robert McNair into the league. When he upped his bid to $700 million - some $150 million more than either of the Los Angeles groups offered - for the new team and a new stadium, the league's owners awarded Houston the expansion franchise. The Texans began play in 2002, replacing the Oilers, who had moved to Tennessee and become the Titans. (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 29th, 2006
4:54 pm	Off The Hook? You never hear a word from him. And no one says a word about him, unless it is in rage. But he was once a king in Edmonton, the man who gave us Gretzky, Sather, and Stanley Cups. He was friends with Presidents and Prime Ministers. He even ran for Canada's top political job in 1983. Yet he is nowhere to be found. And I am struggling even now to type in his name, for fear of bad luck and hard feelings. Does he even still live in Edmonton? Or has he scrambled into the wilderness, a Desert Father fleeing persecution from the Oilers Nation? Pe..Pet...Peter...I can't do it. I can't do it without getting angry and scared. And I know I'm not the only one. You try and say it, Oilers fan. Go ahead. Say it right now. If you succeed, note what next pops into your mind. Or if you're at work, in Edmonton, go up to a colleague and say his name. See if the face scrunches up, see if steam exits the ears. Keep an eye out for a sudden left hook. Tyler and I often talk about the similarities between the Boston Red Sox and the Oilers. It's not an exact comparison, but there are things. Early franchise dominance. The trading of the greatest player to ever play the game, and consequent national icon, for peanuts. The relative lack of championship success after the trade. But the similarities don't just end with the team and its activities. They spread into the attitude that fans have about the franchise. With Oilers fans, as with Red Sox fans, there is a persistent and pervasive belief in Murphy's law. Whatever bad that can happen, will happen. In Boston, this fatalistic, pessimistic attitude is, in essence, natural. You'd expect it of an Irish diaspora. But in Edmonton, it's an attitude that has been developed. And that development has its roots in that guy I was talking about. Throughout the 1980's, the City of Edmonton had its way with winning. The Edmonton Eskimos won five Grey Cups from 1978-1982, a feat that has never been matched. They also won the Grey Cup in 1987. The Drillers won the NASL indoor championship in 1981. In 1984, the Edmonton Trappers became the first Canadian team to win the Pacific Coast League Championship. The Oilers, of course, were re-writing the NHL record books in the 80's, with perhaps the greatest ensemble of hockey players the game has ever known. Gretzky, Messier, Coffey, Kurri, Fuhr, Anderson, Lowe, Moog. Five Stanley Cup appearances in six years. Four Cups in five years. All for a team that began as an NHL franchise in 1979. The Trade started the downward slide. On August 9, 1988, Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, and three 1st round draft picks, which yielded Corey Foster, Martin Rucinsky, and Nick Stajduhar. Oh, and a transfer of $15 million dollars was involved. Fans were livid, blaming Gretzky and his wife Janet Jones. But mostly, they blamed the owner. It got so bad in Canada that one Member of Parliament, Nelson Riis, tabled a motion in the House of Commons to block the trade. What's-His-Name was burned in effigy, and Edmontonians learned the hard way that nothing is sacred, that no one, not even the greatest player to ever lace up the skates, is untouchable. After that, things went from bad to worse. Well, not really. The Oilers won one more Stanley Cup, with what is in hindsight a pretty fantastic roster. But at the time it seemed like they were coasting on fumes, that the sheer will of Messier and Lowe was allowing them to advance. Soon after that fifth Stanley Cup in 1990, the rest of the Oilers core skipped town. Moog and Coffey had been shipped out before Gretzky. Messier, Fuhr, Anderson, Kurri, Lowe, Huddy, Tikkanen, and MacTavish left after The Great One, usually ending up in Los Angeles or New York. Those teams went to the Finals. The Rangers even won the Stanley Cup in 1994. The old Oilers would drop into town for a game every once in a while, big smiles on their faces. The Oilers? Missed the playoffs. Again. And again. And again. The fans? Depressed beyond belief. Every day they would open the paper, to find that something new and horrible had happened. A beloved player was demanding a trade, or had just been traded. The owner was complaining about not being able to run the team. And so on. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named threatened Edmontonians, constantly. HE almost sold the Oilers, twice, to men who were planning on moving the team. Edmontonians lost their minds. Oilers fans became embittered, stopped going to games, and Peter Pocklington's name became mud. Peter Pocklington. There. I said it. That's his name. Peter Pocklington. Peter Puck. Fuckhead. Asshole. Traitor. Judas. Whore. Sleazeball. Ahhh. That feels better. Okay, one more. YOU FUCKING-DOUCHEBAG-SON-OF-A-FUCKING-BITCH-COCKSUCKER. Whew. I feel great. I think. Wait. Do I? No, not really. But why? Isn't that cockfuck the root of all our hockey anxiety? I guess so. But if I think about, that was a long time ago. And a lot has happened since then. New owners, who give all for the city, the region, and the team, and make nothing off of it. Glenn Sather is long gone. So too are his cronies, like Barry Fraser. Old players have come back to the city, and the organization. Lowe, MacTavish, Huddy and Simpson. Four members of the Oilers dynasty have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and each one has returned to claim, like an ex-lover, that we were their favorite all along. The Heritage Classic. A Game 7 upset of the Dallas Stars. Coming back from being down 3-1 to defeat the Colorado Avalanche. Olympic Gold in 2002, with Smyth and Brewer on the Canadian team, and Gretz and Lowe managing it. The Stanley Cup Finals in 2006. All good things. And yet there have been many bad things in that time. Year after year of overtime playoff losses to the Dallas Stars. More players who have left, never to return. Joseph, Weight, Guerin. A lockout, with no Stanley Cup being awarded. Mike Comrie. Torino. A Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Finals. Chris Pronger. Georges Laraque. Pocklington has had nothing to do with any of it. Oilers fans have suffered through new highs, and new lows, and it has all occurred since he sold the team. So why do we still hate the man? Is he a boogeyman that we cling to as a reminder of what can be, a superstitious loathing we still adhere to without any connection to reality? Probably both, and more. I do know that he continues to haunt us, all these years later. The euphoria over winning a second round series against the San Jose Sharks tells me this, as does the hair-pulling and eye-gouging over Chris Pronger's trade request. I had hoped that getting to the Stanley Cup Finals would help us, help me, exorcise the man, but the Game 7 loss, Lauren Pronger and a depleted defensive core has sent us three steps back. Our ups are still too up, and our downs are still way, way, too down. We have to let go of this man. We have to let go of him for our sake, and for his. It'll probably take a Championship. No one talks about Babe Ruth and the Red Sox anymore. One of the best things I have ever read is a story written by Bill Simmons, after the Red Sox won Game Three of the World Series in 2004. The story is called, "The Next Win Is For Everyone." At the time, the Sox were one win away from ending almost a century of suffering. The whole article is filled with stories from Sox fans, talking about how they could finally get on with their lives if the Red Sox won the World Series. The article still makes me weep, even today. It sounds insane, unless you are a sports fanatic. Then you know. Simmons goes on to give a list of "who to win it fors," which I hope to someday crib. I'd do it after the fact, of course, because I'm an Eagles fan, Red Sox fan, and an Oilers fan. Plus I'm Irish, and knowledgeable on Greek Tragedy. But the story begins with the Sports Gal asking Simmons a very simple question: "How will your life change if the Red Sox win the World Series?" His answer? "That's easy," I told her. "Everything would get wiped away. No more baggage. No more Babe Ruth pictures, Buckner highlights, fans walking around with Curse signs, 1918 chants, announcers hinting at doom around every corner. Everyone would just leave us alone. We'd be just another baseball team." I like that answer. I like that answer alot. I look forward to the day when the Edmonton Oilers can become just another hockey team. And I look forward to the day when Peter Pocklington can become just another man, rather than what he is now, a breathing metaphor of one city's pain. (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 27th, 2006
10:53 am	Gauthier heads to LA By Pat Rooney, Special to the Rocky Mountain ... Gauthier heads to LA By Pat Rooney, Special to the Rocky Mountain News July 8, 2006 In 1988, Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings, a move that broke the hearts of hockey fans in Canada while sparking a new generation of hockey enthusiasts in the previously untapped Southern California region. One of those youngsters who immediately became enamored of the game in general, and the Kings in particular, was Gabe Gauthier, of Buena Park, Calif. After a standout career at the University of Denver, Gauthier is going home. The former Pioneers forward has agreed to terms with the Kings and will fly to Los Angeles today or Sunday to sign a two-year contract. . "It's close to home, which is good for my parents, and I grew up watching the Kings," Gauthier said. . "I grew up watching those teams with Gretzky and Tony Granato and Luc Robitaille. Now I have the opportunity to wear the same uniform they did." . Gauthier, an undrafted free agent, finished his career 16th on DU's all-time scoring list in points, with 155, and ranks second in power-play goals, with 31. He served as the Pioneers' co- captain last season and was a key component of DU's back-to- back national title teams in 2004 and 2005, often displaying a knack for producing in big games. Gauthier scored the Pioneers' only goal in their 1-0 victory against Maine in the 2004 final and registered three goals and three assists in two games at the Northeast Regional in 2005. Gauthier said he also received interest from Boston, Anaheim and the Avalanche before his choices narrowed to the Kings and Bruins. . "It's a huge relief," said Gauthier, who will participate in the Kings' conditioning camp next week. "Now it's done and over with and I couldn't be happier." (Comment on this)