Hello to everyone! As some of you may have noticed, I have been absent from the blog for a bit now and the time has come for me to tell you why. This is my official blogging retirement post.

First off, I wanted to thank everyone for your participation in making this community grow as quickly as it has. I couldn't be happier about that and couldn't have asked for more regarding the immense interest in the Kings.

Second, perhaps you're curious as to why I'm doing this. Well, I've been blogging since 2007 and it feels like it's my time to step down. When I first started this venture, there were hardly any Kings bloggers out there and I had a lot to say about this team that I loved. I had an intense passion to drive a blog virtually everyday trying to find anyone who was willing to talk Kings hockey with me. Since then I've met some incredible people who amazingly loved the team as much as I did and who could speak intelligently about them at the same time. But, after three full seasons of dissecting, pondering, and obsessing about this team, I find the drive to write daily is hard to come by. Also, my personal life has definitely changed over the past three years so even to find the free time is proving difficult.

As we all know, no one (except the top dogs at SBN) does this for their full-time job and the time commitment was just too much for me. This community at JFTC has been amazing but I feel there are others out there who can drive this train more efficiently than I can as this point. As such, Quisp will be taking over the blog "full time" and I hope everyone continues to help build this community everyday.

Will I pull a Scott Niedermayer of a few years ago? You never know, but don't count on that anytime soon. Perhaps a guest post here or there if Quisp will have me back, but I won't disappear completely. For now, you can follow me at @Connie_Kim if you'd like. Otherwise, it's been wonderful to be here and talk to everyone soon!

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Twitter is going crazy. Something in the pipe right now, Sean O'Donnell has signed in Philly for one year. I'm sad to see him go, but now Dean Lombardi has a hole to fill.

For your convenience, I'm opening a thread for everyone's thoughts on what's going to happen over the next few days.

The most interesting update for me so far is the movement of Patrick O`Sullivan to the Phoenix Coyotes for James Vandermeer.

Does anyone have plans tonight for Happy Hour? If not, please check out the launch party for the Los Angeles SBN regional site at Capitol City Sports Grille in Hollywood, CA from 5-8pm PST.

1615 N Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028

To make your presence known, you can RSVP for the meet up here. All the info you need is there to know what's up with the event. For the actual Los Angeles site, hope you've already been by to check out the layout and content. Tonight you'll be able to meet writers and readers alike, so come by and have a drink!

Jewels From The Crown has reached a milestone today with the most page views in a day yet! We've cracked the 10,000 page view mark with the unique visitor count at 8,100+. Thanks to everyone for making it happen!

The 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles, CA has come to a close and everyone knows what's looming on the horizon in two day's time. To close out the Draft festivities here are the chosen ones who will someday (hopefully) wear the crown on their chest. This is a much shorter list of prospects than in the past three seasons where Dean Lombardi has horded as many picks are possible. It's a respectable group with height and room to fill out.

From the blogger point of view, here's an extremely detailed recap from Earl Sleek, complete with picture in the comments of our row (that's me inside the railing). My evening on Day 1 ended differently than Sleek's, of course. I ended up at the Yard House at LA Live as well and as I entered, Sleek was actually leaving. I bid him adieu and went inside. There I chatted with James Duthie of TSN royalty. I cannot say anything but great things about this man. Class act. And on my way out, I was able to tell Darren Dreger how big fan I was and that I was devastated by the cancellation of Leafs Lunch. It was a great ending to a long-ass day.

I'm sure it all seemed exciting to those who weren't able to make it out to STAPLES Center, but here's the real feeling from almost everyone in attendance. Without any commercial breaks and TSN packages, I was struggling to maintain my interest in everything going on. In saying that, it was good to see Sleek and Rudy again and definitely great to meet a bunch of other SBN bloggers. Overall, I would have enjoyed myself a bit more if there had been a touch of organization/clarity on the part of the powers that be.

Here are some handy links for you to keep track of Day 2:

Tracker for the Kings on NHL.com

Can't go wrong with anything on TSN.ca

A not-so-friendly eye chart of rounds 2 through 7 on TSN.ca

The obvious go-to and the Kings website

Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi made a pretty substantial move on the first day of the NHL Entry Draft to get Derek Forbort (D, USA U-18 USHL). The Kings traded the 19th and 59th pick to the Florida Panthers for their 15th overall. That was a bit unexpected seeing as how Paul Holmgren was sitting at the Kings table for quite awhile, but you can misconstrue the slightest look as something else on this floor. I thought this was a solid Dean Lombardi pick. The fact that he made the move in front of the STAPLES Center crowd was the icing on the cake.

Just for comparison, Forbort was ranked 9th by Central Scouting and Bob McKenzie had him at 11.

It was great to see the Kings put up video packages in the arena for everyone to feast their eyes on before the Draft started. Can't go wrong with free advertising to a different crowd not completely made up of Kings fan (usually 60-80%) and the opposition fans (40-20%). Luc Robitaille and Dustin Brown started off the evening with a nice speech and the cheer quickly turned into the usual boos when Commissioner Gary Bettman took the stage.

The big story of the Draft was just how far Cam Fowler and Brandon Gormley fell. They were ranked 5th and 6th overall, respectively, by Central Scouting. After much sympathy on the Twitter stream, Fowler ended up going 12th to the Anaheim Ducks. As an aside, I wonder what it feels like to be booed mercilessly when you're drafted because the Kings fans gave him the normal reception a Duck finds in STAPLES Center. Anyway, he now has a home as does Gormley who was chosen 13th by the Phoenix Coyotes.

A few notes:

• It was quite cold on the floor of STAPLES Center, which was full of pleated pants but thankfully no Tevas.
• The booing when Anaheim was announced was music to my ears. Thanks to all you Kings fans for putting that smile on my face.
• All these little prospects were so awesome in their interviews. Of course this is the greatest day of your life!
• A quick NHL.com story on Wayne Gretzky's legacy on hockey in California.

Overall, the first day of the Draft seemingly went off without a hitch. The operative word being "seemingly." The Kings made a good move to get a D man added to the stable and I left STAPLES Center satisfied.

Here we are at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. STAPLES Center has been slowly filling up for the past two hours and I'm in the media pit witnessing first-hand the wheeling and dealing of the day.

This will be a sort of open forum for those who can tear themselves away from the TV for a second or two, which I will be updating every so often.

Update [3:50pm]: Resounding BOOOOs from the rafters on hearing the words "Anaheim Ducks."

Update [3:59pm]: Luc Robitaille and Dustin Brown at the podium to welcome the players to LA.

Update [4:06pm]: How's the coverage on TV? We're watching packages on the big screen in the arena. LOUD "Let's go Oilers" chant going on near the stage.

Update [4:15pm]: Commissioner Gary Bettman stated that this is the first NHL Entry Draft in the state of California. Thank god for Los Angeles getting first in something.

Update [4:19pm]: It's official: Taylor Hall goes number 1 overall.

Update [4:46pm]: Want to know what it's like on the floor of STAPLES? Not too much of a difference than when you're at home. Kinda true, kinda not.

Update [5:09pm]: Kings table on the floor looks like it's just hanging out.

Update [5:11pm]: Scratch that. Dean Lombardi is on the phone. Could be something, could be nothing.

Update [5:29pm]: Ryan Johansen in front.

Update [6:09pm]: TRADE - Florida Panthers trade 15th pick to Los Angeles Kings for the 19 and 59th picks.

Update [6:11pm]: Kings select Derek Forbort. With video! Taken with my shakey hand; hopefully the audio works out for you guys. Best I could do while in a cramped position.

Empty above. Full below.

Here we go everyone. The day of the Draft. 14 SB Nation blogs will be represented at STAPLES Center today and you'll be able to check out all the updates at SB Nation's NHL home page. I'll try and get as many updates up as possible on the fly. Full posts won't come until later tonight after the draft.

For more running info, you can check out the usual suspects. Oh, AND I'll be seeing Rudy Kelly and Earl Sleek from good ole Battle of California. I've actually met them before, but if you're down at STAPLES and run into me, I'll introduce you! Another way to follow me today will be on Twitter. Can't promise I'll be super active, but check it out here: http://twitter.com/Connie_Kim

To be honest, I'm more excited at all the potential trades than who the Kings will pick at 19th. Let's get this party started!

On Sunday, June 20 I went to Fran's Restaurant on College St. next to Maple Leafs Gardens to have breakfast with Pension Plan Puppets. I'm sure the big question on everyone's mind is, "How is the food at Fran's??" Well, I'll say that it's typical diner fare. The orange juice was awesome and the entire restaurant was clean. Boring, huh?

Oh, you wanted to know about PPP? Well, as you can tell from all his posts, he's pretty much your typical well-informed Canadian. He can talk to you on just about every topic you can think of and did I mention that he was just plain nice? It's so funny (and normal) to see that one of the most passionate Leafs fans is your everyday dude walking down the street. Also, I now have a picture with PPP in front of Maple Leafs Gardens. Pretty damned cool, if you ask me.

The Hockey Hall of Fame. It's been one of the highlights of this trip so far and I've done a variety of things to get to today, the second-to-last day before I head back to sunny So Cal. There are four things I want to mention from the HOFF.

Number #1: I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Gold Medal, game-winning puck from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics was going to be on display. And that you could touch it! There weren't too many people since I was there two hours before closing so I didn't have to wait to take a picture of anything, which was fantastic. When I walked into the area of the puck there was a gigantic screen showing highlights of the game including the medal ceremony. Drew Doughty? You bet I saw him get the medal placed around his neck.

So the puck. There was a walkway put together that was roped off with the puck nicely on display at the end of the carpet that was laid out. The plastic holder it was in had a few holes drilled into the side so that you could technically touch the puck, which I thought was awesomely hilarious. I went up, took some pictures, and all that good stuff. Kudos to the HHOF for this room.

Number #2: The stick, gloves, helmet, puck and net from Wayne Gretzky's 802nd goal all in one display. Included were pucks stacked up to show the number 802 and the letter to the President of the Hockey Division at the time from the President of the Great Western Forum. Date of the letter: May 2, 1994.

Number #3: The "Our Game" statue outside of the HHOF. I now have a bunch of pictures where everyone else has taken their picture with it. I was a total tourist in that sense.

Number #4: The Stanley Cup. The best trophy in sports on display to a room full of polite Canadians. Everyone was so GD nice about waiting to take their picture with the Cup. One thing I had no idea about was the actual bank vault that now houses the original Cup. Absolute class with the way it was put together. I don't know what to else to say that everyone hasn't already said other than I was almost silent the entire time I was in that room.

The Hall was just perfect in every way. Wherever I looked brought something new in front of my eyes and of course I hit up the gift shop to show my support. Great ending to that day.

Just to let everyone know, I am now in Toronto, Ontario, CANADA. Woo! I packed enough for a week away from home and thought I had done a good job in not forgetting anything. Alas, I just found out that I missed something pretty important: the cable connecting my camera and computer. This means, no pictures to post until I get back! Damn. I was hoping to get out picture posts, but that'll have to wait until after the Draft since I'm here until the middle of next week.

With this new knowledge of not being able to share pictures, I will instead lightly document my experiences around the GTA. I'm pretty excited for this first Canadian Experience, which I dub "#1." But first, my red-eye flight out through Chicago's O'Hara went off without a hitch! Woohoo!

Ok, so my first Canadian experience was having lunch at Swiss Chalet. Have you seen this? Have you heard about this? I went in with the promise of unbelievably tasty ribs, and I was NOT disappointed. Talk about meat falling off the bone! I totally need to go there again before I leave. Please see the visual representation of what I had (minus the chicken). I was surprised at how luscious the ribs were and how quickly I scarfed them down. Way too good for just one visit. Definitely recommend this place!

And just a side note, after an overnighter and day with Melatonin and Dramamine, respectively, to help with the flight, car sickness, and the time difference, I'm pretty damned beat. Tomorrow morning is the Hockey Hall of Fame, which I absolutely cannot wait for.

NHL 2011 goes to Jarret Stoll for advice on how to take faceoffs.

Happy June to everyone! This is the beginning of celebrating a ton of birthdays for me, and I realized I have three updates for you right now. In no particular order:

1. Some of you may have noticed the addition of a new dropdown menu on the left-hand column of this blog (as on all other SB Nation blogs). It is highlighted in red and named "SB Nation Regional." Here you will find six new SBN sites devoted to their respective regions, which is just the start of these regional hubs. This could be something you've been looking for if you're more inclined to look at snapshots of the day's news in your area, but even if you're not this type of person, we welcome you to check out the spread for each site. Also, after you've taken a look at these sites, it would be greatly appreciated if you could provide some feedback on what you like, dislike, and/or how to make your experience better. Of course, this feedback is completely optional, but if you have something to say, just email me and I'll pass it along to the SBN support team: jewelsfromthecrown[at]gmail[dot]com.
   
2. As everyone knows, the 2010 NHL Entry Draft is coming up later this month on June 25-26 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. SB Nation applied for media credentials and approval was given. There will be many SBN blogs representing their teams including Jewels From The Crown! As of right now, we're all kind of in the dark as to how everything will be working, so details I can provide to you are pretty scarce but we're all looking forward to the entire experience.
3. Last, but certainly not least, I will be taking a vacation to Toronto in a few weeks and will have the Hockey Hall of Fame at the top of my list of things to do. My schedule will be full of stuff, but I'll be sure to post pictures of the HHOF from a JFTC POV. What other landmarks do you think are worth seeing in person?
   

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer of fun. The Stanley Cup Finals are in full swing and my pick at the beginning of the series was the Philadelphia Flyers. At this point, with the Chicago Blackhawks up in the series and I really wouldn't be surprised either way. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Dustin Byfuglien take the Conn Smythe trophy.

Just as a reminder, if you haven't opened any emails from the Kings mailing list lately, make sure you at least go to their site to snag your NHL Entry Draft tickets.

Date of Draft: June 25-26

Date to buy tickets: Saturday, June 6 at 10am Pacific

Hopefully everyone can go who would like to, otherwise, it'll be televised for your viewing pleasure. Here's some more info from the Kings site.

Or go straight to the LA Kings website.

In a breaking news report, Kings assistant Mark Hardy has been arrested in the Washington, D. C. area. Here is the link to the story and here is the link to just the video. Not sure what to say since this is just the preliminary report, but it is what it is, I guess.

The start of the third round is today! Excitement? Hello? Right-o. Let's continue this discussion and wanted predictions.

Western Conference

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Detroit Red Wings (5)
I know this will sound horrible, but I'm kind of glad Detroit is out now. I don't think anyone is questioning whether or not they're a playoff team, but I've grown a bit bored. When this round started I was thinking about how there was still a chance for the Finals to have the Red Wings against the Penguins. The sheer thought of the the same match up three years in a row was completely unattractive. But now that both teams are out, I can breathe a sigh of relief. The Sharks? My visceral reaction to this team has been on a steady roller coaster ride for almost 10 years (starting off with complete indifference) and I'm not sure where I am right now. Perhaps back to indifference? No... it can't be.

Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs. Vancouver Canucks (3)
The questions are now swirling around the B.C. province of how the Canucks need to make some decisions on the make up of their roster. I'm definitely not surprised seeing as how their captain is their goalie. What's the rule in the CBA stating as such? My memory eludes me and my apathy kills any effort to remember how the Canucks got around that rule. As a whole, they booted the Kings so don't think I'm talking trash about the Canucks. Just the usual "banter." From this round, am I glad the Blackhawks made it through? Of course, but it's mostly because they play an exciting brand of hockey (that I don't have a heart attack watching since they're not my team), but the fact that Antti Niemi will now be facing Evgeni Nabokov will make for an insane amount of news fodder.

FINAL: Sharks vs. Chicago. First, when was the last time the conference final consisted of the top two seeds? I must say, I'm impressed at this result. I had Chicago going to the final 4, but wasn't expecting San Jose to step up to the plate. Basically, I'm too biased with this match-up to come up with a prediction I'd be satisfied with.

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)
Who knew. The named "worst 8 seed" by just about every news outlet has dethroned the defending champions. My cliched reaction? "I love this game; anything can happen." Shock around the nations and riots galore. Perhaps for the sake of the city of Montreal, this is a far as they should go.

Boston Bruins (6) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (7)
If "anything can happen" in the other series in this conference, the choking pheonomina can turn its head for this one. It shone brightly with the Bruins letting go of the series to a desperate team. I can't say I'm disappointed with the outcome for this one.

FINAL: Habs vs. Flyers. I'm not making any predictions here, but out of these four teams, the most exciting and high-flying Stanley Cup Finals has to be a match-up between the Blackhawks and Flyers. Plus, the sheer amount of "stuff" I'd have to endure if the Sharks won (not from blog-related people) would be almost unbearable. So, again, I'm not saying the Finals WILL be Philly versus the Hawks, but please please please. Let it be so.

Quite a few California-ish-based sports bloggers were called upon by Jim Sharp of Fox Sports to answer a few questions for the Fox Sports website. They were a few simple questions and I gladly obliged, but "when the project was complete" he gave just the general FSW site address to view. I'm not sure if he's aware that when you try to search for any derivative of this "project" that nothing substantial comes up. Insanely annoying.

I eventually found the interview he did with the "best Kings blogger." It's only two minutes long with just about the worst intro music I've ever heard. Is this a guy thing? It can't be. Help me out here. Anyway, after watching this video about this guy from the site that will not be named, I'm unbelievably glad the only thing I ended up being a part of was my questionnaire being published on his Blogging With Jimbo site.

It is customary at the end of any event or occasion for a survey to be handed out in an attempt to get feedback from the attendees. Most of the time, the bare minimum is given, but with the ones I get from the Los Angeles Kings I try and give them as much constructive feedback as I possibly can. Otherwise, how are they going to be aware of what they can improve upon? So I take it as my civic duty to give more than yes and no answers because there's always something that can be changed. Plus everyone has their own needs they're concerned about and I'm no different; I love this team and want to make my in-arena experience as excellent as it can be.

When I first saw the email pop into my inbox, I didn't think anything was going to be different from last year's survey, but when I clicked the starting link, I had to stop and write a post because of the first question (as shown).

My first thought was, "why is there an option to select 'Not a fan' in a survey about the Kings?" And then I thought, "Why would someone even take this survey if they're not on the newsletter mailing list or even a mild fan?" You wouldn't see me taking a survey on the Columbus Blue Jackets, but if I did, all my responses would be "Not applicable" and "I think Rick Nash is damn good." Perhaps, in this case, 1 should have said, "I'm a fan but I hate what the team is doing/has done for the following reasons. Etc." I myself chose 5 but I associate the word "avid" with something akin to "avid card collector." NOT that there's anything wrong with that! Just saying.

More after The Jump.

Continue reading this post »

Now that the Los Angeles Kings are out of the running for the Cup (as is my final pick, the Buffalo Sabres), I have to decide how I think the rest of the season is going to go. The flu bug hit me for a few days, which is why this post a bit late-coming, but here goes. With the remaining eight teams in the playoffs, would it be safe to just say the Penguins will take it all the way again? I don't know, but I'm not feeling them for a repeat; especially if they face the Red Wings again. I found it a bit boring last year when both teams were in the finals again. I can say with certainty that I'll be more bored watching a third match up in a row in the finals. Let's just hope the other six teams prevent that from happening.

Western Conference

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Detroit Red Wings (5)

Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs. Vancouver Canucks (3)

At this point, it comes down to who I want to see fail rather than who I want to see win. For instance, I inadvertently found myself cheering for the Phoenix Coyotes over the Red Wings in Round 1 because I was kinda over it. "It" being Detroit advancing in the playoffs again. It would have been insanely interesting if the Red Wings didn't make the playoffs, so I wanted the next best thing of the Wings being taken out in the first round. My initial bracket had them moving on, but as the games occurred, I wanted nothing more than to see Shane Doan regulate. Clearly, the better team won and they now face the San Jose Sharks. In this series, I want nothing more than to have Detroit absolutely pound them to the pavement.

My desire to see the Blackhawks (and Flyers) move on may be overridden by the reality of the match ups. Can Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Patrick Sharp equal the Sedins and Mikael Samuelsson? Perhaps, but after watching the latter three up close and personal, I can't say for sure. At the same time, Roberto Luongo against Antti Niemi/Cristobal Huet? Of course! In the end, I'm going to say I want to have the Blackhawks move on to the next round. Will it be easy? No, I'm saying seven games for this one.

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)

Boston Bruins (6) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (7)

In the Eastern Conference, I'm a little less committed to my picks, but I believe the Penguins will win out over the Habs and the Flyers will trounce the Bruins. Am I confident? Nope, but if they prove me wrong, I can't wait to see the great playoff hockey.

P.S. I just saw Mike Cammalleri whiff on a one-timer. I laughed. Why? Because I've seen that whiff more times than I care to remember.

Mike Chen over at From The Rink asked me a few questions on the Los Angeles Kings and the ending of their season. Here is his post-mortem on the Kings followed by my answers. Enjoy!

Here is Part II of "Women and the Game of Hockey" by Cassie over at From The Rink. Here's my link from Part I just in case you missed it. In this part I answer these two questions:

• What do you like best about hockey?
• For those who have never played, and even those who have or do, do you think you have a pretty good handle on the rules and nuances of the game?
• How do you think the NHL could be more female-fan friendly?

Enjoy!

Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs have come to an end and my bracket is basically fakakta. I made some ballsy predictions and it turns out that sometimes the better seed wins!

Western Conference

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Colorado Avalanche (8)
I had the San Jose Sharks once again going down in flames, this year in 5 games. Welp, looks like they've grown up enough to get past the first round. Do I think they'll beat the Detroit Red Wings in the second round? Not a chance; I refuse.

Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs. Nashville Predators (7)
I'm both surprised and not surprised the Predators were able to hold on to the Blackhakws for as long as they did. These were two hard-playing teams going head-to-head. There were bound to be some sparks.

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. Los Angeles Kings (6)
Oh boy. Where to begin. Well, in the end, the better team won. Pound for pound, we know what's up. I'm just glad the team that took out the Kings was one that I don't hate with every cell in my body. It would have been so much harder to take the feeling of finality that ran through me while in my seat at STAPLES Center.

Phoenix Coyotes (4) vs. Detroit Red Wings (5)
I thought the Red Wings would easily take this series in 6 games, but it turns out they needed to struggle through six games before finally showing up in Game 7. The Coyotes put up a fight until the end making this a pretty exciting battle. Even though I chose Detroit to move on, I was hoping for the Coyotes to win out simply to make the playoffs a bit more exciting overall.

Eastern Conference

Washington Capitals (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)
I had this match-up as a sweep by the Capitals, but man, was I wrong. Who knew the team leading the entire league for the majority of the season couldn't close out a much weaker 8th seed? When I got home a bit ago and turned on the end of the game, I was definitely not expecting the Capitals to be held to only one goal. Montreal brought up their game and Dominic Moore scored a beauty.

New Jersey Devils (2) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (7)
Virtually everyone I knew chose New Jersey over Philly because of Martin Brodeur. For me, I looked up their regular season record, which was 5-1 Flyers. So I went with the obvious. Brian Boucher? Sure, why not!

Buffalo Sabres (3) vs. Boston Bruins (6)
I'm pretty bummed out by this series as I had the Sabres winning the Cup. I was not expecting Tuukka Rask to beat out Ryan Miller. Sabres in 5? Ha, way off here.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Ottawa Senators (5)
There was nothing really exciting in this series for me in terms of the Senators maybe winning the series. Yeah, they won a few games, but did anyone really think they were going to take out the Penguins? Not me, for sure. Then again, I wasn't watching too many of these games since the Kings were still going at it.

*~*~*~*~*

So where does this leave me and my pool?

• 2 out of 4 in the West and 2 out of 4 in the East.
• Neither of the second round match-ups in the West lined up for me, so... that's some feces.
• Eastern Conference? I'm looking okay with, hrm, actually I'm screwed on that side too.
• Buffalo, why in the heck couldn't you at least have gotten to the second round and let me get some points!

I'll look at the new match-ups and lay those out hopefully before the games start up again. How did everyone else do on their brackets/pools?

So now that the Kings' season is over, the injuries can now be released to the public. The first, per Rich Hammond (because the Kings website doesn't break news anymore and if it does, it's from him) states that back in Game 1 Drew Doughty hurt his wrist/thumb. I never specifically saw anything in his game that would have tipped me off to this fact. You can strike out Game 5 because there's no need to talk about that one besides saying everyone sucked.

So did I miss something? Drew, you okay?

Also, Peter Harrold had a broken wrist. Does anyone care about this one?

Here we are. The road has come to an end for the Los Angeles Kings. The Vancouver Canucks closed out the series 4-2 last night. The series also ends four games to two. I honestly thought the Kings would take this series in six games. It wasn't until the blow out the other night where I thought my prediction might not ring true, but I had so much confidence! STAPLES Center was rocking, towels were swinging, players looked good.

The Kings needed this game to force a Game 7 and it had all the makings of that result going off the first period. They all came out the gate with an extra hop in their step and stayed with the Canucks the entire period. Too bad the extra gear equaled the Canucks regular output when they're actually playing their game. The mismatch was too much and the Canucks tied it, scored the go-ahead, and then closed the door with an empty netter. Brutal.

There are plenty of players to talk about, but I'll just point out a few here and talk about others in subsequent posts.

• I was surprised by Michal Handzus' performance last night. He was a lot weaker in this last game compared to the entire season. He played 21:04, but I hardly will blame fatigue on his poor showing. I do have to point out for the tail-end of this season the lack of sustained offensive pressure as a consistent trait in the entire team's play.
  
• When Matt Greene is making a rush in the opposition's zone and driving the puck to the net, that should be a wake up call to the forwards to get their act together. It's a bit ridiculous that it had to occur since that's not Greene's game; at the same time, maybe of he worked a bit on his puck handling, it wouldn't look so odd for him to lead the way into the zone.
• Drew Doughty, on the other hand, was very good in this last game, but I think everyone realizes now that he is actually mortal (case in point, the worst game ever; Game 5). Don't forget everyone (and how could you) to watch for the Norris Trophy results. Doughty's up against Chicago's Duncan Keith and Washington's Mike Green.

I still have this feeling of disbelief that the season has ended. I now understand why people argue to have the regular season shortened, but I wouldn't change it. The length and effort it takes to just get to the first round makes the heartbreak greater, which is madness but I wouldn 't have it any other way. There are a ton of positives from this season; first and foremost, the fact that the Kings got into the playoffs! At the same time, there will be a few alterations to the roster. I can't say with complete certainty that the Kings will send Alexander Frolov on his way out the door, but the chances of that happening are better than most. In any case, that's fodder for summer.

There is a lot to come in later posts but I will end here with my final two words to the Kings that sum up all my feelings this season: thank you.

My Kings playoff towel soaked in my tears and mascara.

As proof: look about an inch to the left of the McDonald's Arch. 

Post-game recap to come later.

The Kings face elimination tonight and I will be on the edge of my seat the entire game.

Where will you be to watch the Kings take on the Canucks?