Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr have made their peace, the embarrassing lockout is over and hockey is finally back. The NHL will now squeeze a forty-eight games season and a complete playoffs into the next six months. The Kings, who barely squeaked into the postseason and then went on a dominant run to win their first Stanley Cup are uniquely positioned for a quick start. This truncated season will reward teams that can start quickly. They’ll be no preseason games so teams that return the core of their roster from the previous year should be strongly positioned to get out of the gates quickly.
Of course repeating as Stanley Cup Champion is harder than winning it in the first place, at least in the modern and more parity-filled NHL. The days of the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins winning multiple titles in a row are long gone, with the Detroit Red Wings being the last to repeat nearly fifteen years ago. The Kings will also have the clichéd target on their back as they go from plucky eighth seed getting hot at the right time to defending champion. Still the entire core returns from last season save the retirement of role player Ethan Moreau, so the Kings should be primed for a quick start.
Here’s a rundown of the roster.
Goaltending: In Jonathon Quick the Kings have one of the youngest and most talented netminders in the NHL. The team smartly rewarded last year’s Conn Smythe winner with a ten-year $58 million dollar contract. Quick gives the club great stability and a player who should be a perennial Vezina Trophy candidate. For insurance they have the very talented former first round draft pick Jonathan Bernier to back up Quick. If the team chooses to keep the talented Bernier they have an outstanding backup with a career 2.50 Goals Against. If they choose to trade Bernier they have a tremendous chip to bring instant help in others areas or talented prospects. It’s an excellent position to be in. Considering the quick start to the season and the potential for back to backs due to the shortened schedule the Kings may be smart to hold onto Bernier as an option at the trade deadline.
Defense: Although seen as risky at the time the Jack Johnson trade turned out to be the right move and didn’t have an adverse effect on the club’s defensive core. Drew Doughty started slow following his contract dispute but still played a heavy volume of minutes and had a strong regular season. Doughty’s commanding playoff performance cemented his position as one of the top defensemen in the league and a future perennial Norris Trophy candidate. Rob Scuderi is a capable veteran and a sold partner for Doughty. In Willie Mitchell the Kings have a steady veteran along the lines of Scuderi. Mitchell teamed up well with Slava Voynov last year and they should again be a consistent second unit behind Doughty/Scuderi. With everyone back there’s no reason Quick and the defensive corps shouldn’t continue to lead a club near the top of the NHL in goals against.
Forwards: Make no mistake the defense and goaltending carried the Kings to the 8th playoff spot with the offense kicking in during the playoffs. After a fairly pedestrian regular season the line of Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Justin Williams exploded in the postseason with Williams scoring twenty points in twenty games. Due to injury the club will be without Kopitar for three to four weeks to start the season. The more high profile but less productive line of Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Dustin Penner could be in for a big season. Richards had an up and down regular season but has been a consistent 75 to 80 point scorer during his career. He flourished in tandem with Carter in the playoffs and there’s no reason that can’t continue. For all his talent and sheer size and athleticism Dustin Penner has been an enigma during the regular season. If his strong playoff performance can carry on into the regular season the Richards line has the ability to be elite. The third line Jarrett Stoll, Trevor Lewis and Simon Gagne is a nice mix of young talent and veteran leadership.
Prediction: Typically a championship team with every player back is the bonafide preseason favorite to repeat. So the big question: are the Kings a legitimate power that will continue their ascent or did they capture lightning in a bottle? A lot of things went right for the club in the postseason. Quick is an elite goaltender but it’s hard to imagine him repeating his utter dominance of last season. And can the Kopitar line continue to produce like they did in the playoffs? The rapid fire season will be a test of the Kings depth and resolve. They are equipped for the long haul and should be a contender for a top three spot in the west. Come playoff time, anything can happen.
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The chances for this year’s full NHL season enters the final shift down a goal this week. Ironically, both sides are losing by a goal. The buzzer will ring on October 25, 2012. While significant gaps in demands for shares of revenue sharing preceded the owners’ lockout of NHL players September 15th, the NHL owners have stepped forward and proposed a 50-50 split of hockey related revenues and a full 82 game season beginning November 2nd.
Fans and commentators are wondering why it took so long to get to this point. Didn’t everyone know that 50-50 is where the two sides would settle all along? Hockey fans should start planning on watching hockey in 2012 now, right? Not so fast.
At first blush, a 50-50 split would seem fair to players. However, Donald Fehr, executive director of the NHL Players Association, wrote, “Simply put, the owners’ new proposal, while not as Draconian as their previous proposals, still represents enormous reductions in player salaries and individual contracting rights. As you will see, at 5 per cent industry growth rate the owners predict, the salary reduction over six years exceeds $1.6 billion. What do the owners offer in return?”
The players’ initial reaction to the owners’ proposal wasn’t encouraging. The NHL owners’ deadline to reach a new collective bargaining agreement and play a full 82 game schedule ends October 25th. So where are negotiations at right now?
The players made three counters proposals last week in Toronto, but all were summarily rejected by the owners within 15 minutes. The first two proposals involved asking for slightly higher revenue splits for players and phasing in a 50-50 split over a period of years. The third counter proposal was the most interesting and agreed to a 50-50 split of revenues going forward, however inserted a caveat that existing contracts would count only 87% against the cap, and 13% would be paid, but not count against the salary cap.
It should be noted that the NHL’s new offer allows NHL teams to spend to the “old” salary cap level in the 2012-12 season, approximately $70 million per team. In year two of the new CBA, the teams would be required to cap salaries at 50% of revenues. That year two cap would be approximately $63 million, assuming a 5% growth rate of hockey related revenues.
The main obstacle in reaching an agreement is the issue of already existing contracts. The players want existing contracts to be paid in full, while the owners want players’ share of revenue reduced immediately. From all reports on the negotiations, it appears that existing player contracts will be paid in full. However, unsigned players will have less of the revenue pie to obtain salary. This can essentially be seen as requesting a larger revenue share by the players. How much more is unknown, remember that teams can spend up to the 57% revenue share figure in the first year.
Who’s to blame in this mess? Fan’s venom toward the work stoppage has flowed both ways, with both players and owners maneuvering win the public relations battle, but remember this, the owners locked the players out and canceled games, while the players offered to play under the status quo.
What is infuriating to hockey fans is that the owners and players continue to argue over terms, despite being very close to reaching an agreement, while the hockey season is precariously close to slipping away. With 3.3 billion dollars in annual revenue, each percentage point of hockey related revenue equated to $33 million dollars. For weeks the players and owners argued over five percentage points of revenue splits. That’s $165 million dollars. The NHL claims to have lost $100 million just in the preseason, and losses of $240 million overall. Obvious to everyone but the NHL is that they’ve already lost more than they’re arguing over!
My personal solution – play the 2012-13 with a salary cap of $ $70 million. Both sides already agree on this. Play the season and negotiate an agreement on payment of existing contracts in full or with slight reduction with deferment, but play the games NOW!
Everyone loses if NHL games are not played this season. Owners lose ticket revenue, players lose salary, and both lose hockey fans which reduces hockey related revenue which is the measure of their payment. If it were possible, I believe the players should obtain this players’ option: “Should the NHL realize growth of revenues at the rate of 5% or greater on average over the term of this collective bargaining agreement, NHLPA shall have the option to extend this CBA for another term.” Since the owners have locked out the players in the last two labor disputes, this would protect the players from predatory negotiating tactics, not to mention the more important concern – the fans!
With seating at just under 20,000 people, it’s quite rare for attendees of a basketball game to have a good view of the action. The design of the Staples Center makes sure that just about every seat has a good view of the floor. The Staples Center is a world-class facility and even in the cheap seats people can be is assured that they will get a fair view of the action.
In many cases this is a good thing because seating at some Lakers games and Clippers games and Kings games can be extremely expensive for some people. Getting last-minute tickets or picking up tickets in the upper rows can be the only way that some people can enjoy this great venue. Even with some of the great acts that have graced the stage at the Staples Center, such as Justin Bieber, have led to some competitive prices on tickets as well as great views even from the upper levels.
With this great view there are also some fairly steep steps which can be sort of tough to manage for concerts and large events. Although the building is accessible, it may not be wise for seniors who are ill advised to climb stairs or have troubles with balance, to sit in the upper rows. The seats are quite steep and can be quite treacherous. There is plenty of security around and an excellent medical staff on-site in the event of an emergency. If you ever find yourself lost or in trouble within the Staples Center, there is always an employee or security officer close by to ensure that you’re safe. The friendly security staff is always around to help and direct you around the facility. Taking in a show or a sporting event at the Staples Center is extremely safe as a result of this great security staff.
Prices on food and beer are a little bit expensive but there are plenty of different venues to choose from. Whether you’re in the mood for a full meal and a show or a small snack, there are plenty of venues to choose from at the Staples Center and reasonable lineups because of the amount of venues.
There looks to be some excellent VIP seating options as well which, in the form of full VIP suites. The prices for these tickets go up dramatically but it looks as though these types of seating involves getting specialized service as well as more comfortable seating arrangements with a good view of the action.
One common gripe about the Staples Center is that the parking is pretty confusing. Many people find it difficult to find parking around the Staples Center and are forced to take the bus in or even park around the venue a block or two away. Parking surrounding the venue can get quite expensive so it may be better to walk or potentially take the bus in from further out. Getting out of the Staples Center after a large show can also be quite difficult as the parking surrounding the venue is quite closed in. Do yourself a favor and at least carpool if you plan on parking close to the Staples Center.
KINGS 2, DEVILS 1 (OT): Jeff Carter’s goal 13:42 into overtime lifted visiting Los Angeles to a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals.
Following extended pressure in the New Jersey zone, Carter gathered the puck at the side of the New Jersey net, skated out to the top of the circles and wristed a shot that beat Devils netminder Martin Brodeur on the short side.
The win improves Los Angeles to 10-0 on the road in the postseason – and more importantly, sends the Kings back to California with a two-game lead in the best-of-seven as they seek their first Stanley Cup title.
Trailing 1-0 after 40 minutes, the Devils finally drew even 2:59 into the third period. Ryan Carter situated himself in the high slot and redirected a Marek Zidlicky point shot past Kings netminder Jonathan Quick for his fifth goal of the postseason.
The teams exchanged chances until late in regulation, when the Devils missed a golden chance to even the series as Ilya Kovalchuk rang a shot off the crossbar with 19 seconds remaining.
Quick stopped 32 shots to preserve the win. Brodeur made 30 saves in defeat.
Moments after killing off a New Jersey power play, the Kings jumped in front on a great individual effort by Drew Doughty. The superstar defenseman stickhandled from his own zone to the top of the left circle before unleashing a wrist shot that beat Martin Brodeur inside his right arm.
The Devils looked to draw even but couldn’t beat Quick, who stood his ground during two separate flurries in front of the Los Angeles net.
Los Angeles and New Jersey traded quality scoring chances early in the second, with Quick stopping Anton Volchenkov on a tricky shot from the top of the circles and Justin Williams wiring a wrist shot at the other end that Brodeur snagged with his glove.
Dainius Zubrus nearly broke the New Jersey deadlock later in the frame, but his redirection from point-blank range sailed just wide of the net. The Devils enjoyed a shorthanded break moments after that, but Quick tipped a Zach Parise pass intended for Travis Zajac just out of reach.
Quick made the save of the game with just over five minutes remaining in the period, stretching out his right leg to redirect a strange deflection on a Kings clearing attempt with the edge of his skate.
GAME NOTEBOOK: This is the first time the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals have gone to overtime since 1951, when the Montreal Canadiens opposed the Toronto Maple Leafs. The teams split the games. … The Kings went just 29-66 on the road in the playoffs from 1967-2011. … Carter scored just four times in 72 regular-season games between the Devils and Florida Panthers. … The Kings improved to 4-0 in overtime in the playoffs. The Devils dropped to 4-3.
Barrys Tickets has Devils Vs Kings Tickets at the Staples Center for all areas of the venue. From 300 level, 200 level behind the goal, Premier seats (with waitress), 100 Level behind the goal (great view and kings also shoot twice, 100 Level between the goals as well as seats on the glass!
The Los Angeles Kings are on FIRE this year! The 1967 founded NHL team has never won a stanley cup and has only one other Conference Championship before this year and are just three wins away from their first Stanley Cup win ever. It was an unbelievable sports season for Los Angeles in the 2012 professional sports; both NBA teams made it to the finals and for a moment all three teams were championship contenders.
The Los Angeles Kings became the first team in the history of professional Hockey to win their first nine road games in a post-season. If they win Game 2 on Saturday at the Prudential Center versus the New Jersey Devils, the Kings will be tied for an NHL record of most road wins in a post season. It also means when they do head home to the Los Angeles Staples Center the Los Angeles Kings will be not only enjoying a home-rink advantage but will be encouraged by a 2-0 starting point.
Wednesday nights game Kings vs. Devils was an intense 60 minutes of non-stop nail biting that led the Kings to a 2-1 win that included once again overtime where the Kings stood to lose everything. However, even Devils coach said his team didn’t deserve the win against the Kings as the Devil’s only goal came from a lucky bounce off of Kings defensive Slava Voynov. The Kings have had a ferocious season with flawless transitions and quick breaks out of the box and of course star player Jonathan Quick always at the ready to make his big stops. Now Kings fans gear up as the Kings grind out one more away game before returning to the Los Angeles Staples Center at LA Live! Check out www.BarrysTickets.com for your Los Angeles Kings Tickets and all Sports Tickets today!
The Los Angeles Kings have geared up for a lengthy playoff series in every single round of the postseason, but they haven’t even had to play a Game 6.
New Jersey and Los Angeles met twice in the regular season, both games coming in October (13th and 25th). The Kings lost to the Devils, 2-1, in a shootout October 13 in Newark, having just returned to the United States after starting the regular season with two games in Europe. The Devils won, 3-0 at Staples Center, October 25.
One of many similarities between the Kings and the Devils is that their leading players have earned every last bit of their exorbitant paychecks. It is a challenging task with either club to point directly at a best player. Any which way your finger waggles, at minimum, 3 faces appear.
Leading the way on the ice and off it for both teams are American born Captains who, though they play very various styles, both lead by example and put work ethic at the forefront of every shift. Neither Dustin Brown nor Zach Parise will be caught coasting for a second of precious ice time. Hockey fans around the world will be mesmerized by two skaters who have never played for the sport’s greatest prize, but have played every game these playoffs as if the Cup awaits them at the final buzzer.
There is nobody hotter in the NHL than Jonathan Quick is in net for the Kings. Quick was a great goaltender during the regular season, but he’s taken his game to an additional level throughout the playoffs. During the 2011-12 season, Quick had a goals against average of 1,95, which has shrunk even smaller, to 1,54, during these playoffs. Both teams have elite goaltenders playing at elite levels right now.
Whoever won the 2012 Stanley Cup, the Devils or Kings, will be the lowest seed in the history of the NHL to do so. There’s no doubt that this matchup is between the two most popular teams in the sport. Kings have gone on a 12-2 rampage through the playoffs and earned a date with the Devils in the Stanley Cup finals, which begin Wednesday.
Tickets for the Devils Vs Kings are still available for the Staples Center as well as the Prudential Center.
KINGS Vs PREDATORS 4,2: Dustin Penner scored to snap a tie just over eight minutes into the third period and Jonathan Bernier turned aside 19 shots as Los Angeles won its fourth straight and seventh in nine outings.
Anze Kopitar netted his sixth goal in nine contests and Dwight King and Kyle Clifford also tallied for the Kings, who moved past idle Phoenix into an eighth-place tie with San Jose in the Western Conference standings.
Martin Erat scored for the fourth time in six contests and Mike Fisher also tallied for the Predators, who fell to 1-1-1 on their four-game road trip and dropped two points behind fourth-place the Detroit Red Wings.
With the game tied at 1-1, Trevor Lewis fed Penner on a 2-on-1 rush and the latter beat Pekka Rinne for his sixth goal.
King scored on a breakaway nearly five minutes later and Clifford added insurance with his fifth.
Kopitar opened the scoring 7:53 into the first period. Kopitar collected a loose puck and blasted a shot from the right faceoff circle past Rinne for his 23rd goal.
Erat leveled the contest with 6:17 remaining in the second period after his blast from the right faceoff circle beat a screened Bernier. The tally was Erat’s 18th.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Bernier improved to 6-1-0 versus the Predators in his career. … Los Angeles captain Dustin Brown saw his career-high 10-game point streak come to an end. … Nashville defenseman Kevin Klein returned to the ice after an eight-game absence with an upper body injury. He assisted on Fisher’s third-period goal.
That was … awesome. Rita Wilson looked like she’s waited her entire life to be featured on the Kiss-Cam, and Tom Hanks jumped to the call of duty like he was saving Private Ryan all over again. When you’re on the Kiss-Cam, it’s that thing you do. What a Ladykiller. OK, that’s the punchline.
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