Three Posts in One Day?

WHO IS EXCITED ABOUT THIS COMING SEASON?!

Clearly, I am. Apparently the listlessness I felt about posting over the summer is gone, because today is a 3-blog day. I'm not saying all of my blogs are good. I'm just saying I'm tremendously excited and I can't keep it to myself.

Earlier this summer I posted one of the greatest LA Kings fan videos I've ever found on youtube.

Here's another one that (literally) gave me chills.

I can't fucking wait for this season to start in earnest.

Good Old Reliable Scuderi

One of my favorite things about Scuderi is his consistency (uh, this screencap of him does not even remotely do him justice).

He says all the right things about Doughty. He is professional and reliable on the ice, and professional and reliable off the ice. Management must love him. Interviewers must love him.

His teammates like him too. Quick has said a few times that Scuderi is the funniest guy on the team, but as you can see from the interview above, he keeps the lid on pretty tight in public.

koziejr Matt Kozma

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@JonathanQuick32 funniest player in the locker room?

23 Jul

in reply to ↑

@JonathanQuick32Jonathan Quick

@koziejr rob scuderi

23 Jul via Twitter for iPhoneUnfavorite Retweet Reply

When I saw him at training camp, he seemed to split his time between dispensing advice to the younger players during stretches and making Richards/Brown/Gagne laugh between drills. In fact, he talked pretty much the whole time. So this coming year, my only wish is that he'd let loose a little bit more in public, so that we get to see what his teammates see.

(background)

This IS my happy face.

Love ya, Scuds.

Done Is Good.

One of my friends in law school always said "done is good." It was her exhausted yet accurate way of conveying that the act of completing the product is just as important as the content of the end product itself.

That's how I feel about Doughty's contract. I'm relieved that it's done. Going into the season without him would be (with apologies to Michael Shaara, who used this analogy in The Killer Angels) like going into battle with one shoe off.

And the content of the end product isn't actually that bad. 8 years at $7M is not completely ludicrous, if Drew plays to his full potential.

So, Drew, play like you're worth every penny and the fanbase will forgive you (if they haven't already). Because I think at the end of the day, not many fans actually care what the final numbers are- they are just happy it's done.

Hockey Is Better Than This.

Preseason is not even over and we've already had multiple suspensions and at least two incidents (one substantiated, one alleged) of bigotry. Come on, world. Grow up a little. Hockey is better than this.

I was genuinely shaken to read about the banana-throwing incident that happened last week during the Flyers/Red Wings game. I liked Simmonds when he played for the Kings. He always seemed like a classy dude, and he had a level-headed response to what was clearly a racist gesture from a so-called fan of the game. And if there is one thing that I fucking hate in this world, it is racism.

...0r, more accurately, bigotry of any type.

So I was particularly saddened to hear that Simmonds, himself a victim of public hatred, allegedly called Sean Avery a "fucking f-ggot" during the most recent Flyers/Rangers game.

I don't know what Simmonds said. I don't even know if Avery was truthful about what he heard. With this level of ambiguity, Simmonds could have done one of three things:

(1) denied saying it, and explained that the f-word is reprehensible, and that he would never say it,

(2) admitted it and explained why it was completely terrible of him to say it and why he will never say it again, and apologize to Avery and everyone who heard it or heard about it, or

(3) say he couldn't remember.

He took Option 3 and basically said that he can't remember saying that because things were so heated.

According to my friend who plays hockey, the f-word is still sadly widely accepted as an insult in the world of male sports. So to me, Simmonds' "denial" speaks volumes. He can't remember if he said the f-word? Because it is so common and is just thrown around so frequently that saying it is not a big deal? That is unacceptable.

Let me be super clear: there is no place in this world where yelling the f-word at someone as an insult is appropriate, just as there is no place in this world where throwing a banana at a black guy is appropriate. Both are examples of hate speech. The fact that Simmonds was on the ice and in the heat of the game when he supposedly (allegedly) said this makes absolutely no difference to me. So is the rule now that you can say these things if you are really really upset? Uh...does that mean that I can call someone a n-gger in the middle of my beer league dodgeball game if I am really pissed off that day? Of course not.

I have seen people argue that it is just a word, and that actions are more important than words. Even if that is true, that doesn't mean that words are unimportant. Words still matter. Ideas matter. The idea that being gay is somehow worse than being straight matters. Comparing words and actions is asinine. Words are words and actions are actions. Both can be punishable without arguing that they are equivalent or identical.

I've also seen people argue that Avery had it coming because he makes a living at getting under someone's skin, and/or because he supports gay rights, and/or because he himself might be gay (I take issue with that last one...you can be straight and still support gay rights.) I don't give a shit about that. I don't care if Simmonds said this to a guy who was going down on another dude at that exact moment. No one "deserves" hate speech. Not even Sean Avery.

There is no on-ice exception for hate speech. The rink is not a consequence-free zone. I'm not saying that players can't chirp at each other or even ask if the ref is fucking blind or tell someone that their girlfriend was a hot piece of ass that morning. But they cannot engage in hate speech that targets someone's race or sexual orientation. This is bigotry. And if an NHL player can't tell the difference between chirping and bigotry, just let me know, and I'll give them a list of 100 non-bigoted insults that they can feel free to use freely against referees and the other team.

Let me also be clear about one more thing: What happened to Simmonds in Ontario is still completely reprehensible. And conversely, Simmonds doesn't get a free pass to "pay forward" the bigotry that he experienced by yelling the f-word at Sean Avery.

I hope this is the last post that I write about hateful behavior this season. Hockey as a sport is better than this.

"Eventually" Is Not Good Enough

Like 90% of the Kings fans out there, I am compulsively checking for updates on Doughty's contract. And while most of the comments are in line with my own thoughts, I just want to take a second to address the people that leave comments like "he'll sign eventually, stop worrying."

Shut. Up.

"Eventually" is no longer good enough. He is missing camp. I watched training camp yesterday for a few hours, and it seems like in addition to working their asses off physically, the players are also getting the chance to see how their future potential teammates might play. Although Doughty (if he returns) will probably pair up with a team vet on defense, it still seems really important for the new forwards to know his style, and vice versa. He is missing the "getting to know you" time and he'll have to make it up when he finally comes to LA- and I don't want him making it up during games. I want him practicing with the team NOW.

I don't give a fuck whose fault it is, if indeed any fault can be assigned to something so riddled with egos and dollar signs. Reasonable minds can work this out. Sometimes things take a long time to do (reviewing 10000 pages of documents, etc). This is not one of those things. If it can be done eventually, it can be done now. So get it done.

Hockeyfest Teaser

I got to walk through these doors. I have made fun of the doors before, but I take it all back- it was a pretty cool moment.

As you can see, my desire for order in the world compelled me to turn around and close the doors behind me so that the next person (who was still a good 45 seconds away) could have the same cool experience as I did. I'm Lawful Good, what can I say?

[video removed]

More on Doughty

We went to Hockeyfest this past Sunday and it was AWESOME. I'll do a proper post on it later, complete with pictures, when I have a little more time.

For now, I'm here to talk about Doughty's contract. Rumor is that he turned down $61.2/9 years. The first thing people think when they hear that is "that's Kopitar-level money" and they are right. (Then some people point out that it's not fair to compare the two because if Kopi's contract was being negotiated right now, he'd probably end up getting more money, but my response to that is: this is the deal he signed when he took a multi-year contract, so it IS fair to compare them, because Kopi knew he'd be locked in for a certain number of years at that rate, and he is locked in.)

Not that I know shit about shit, but it seems like there are two main reasons why Drew would turn that down:

(1) He wants more money, or

(2) He wants a shorter term so that he can re-negotiate in a few years and try to get even more money from the Kings or whoever is willing to pay him.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it's a business and I understand that you try to get the most that you can get. On the other hand, if you're gonna make it all about the money, at least recognize that fans will get turned off.

Let's say we offer him more money over the same time period. If we're dealing with a contract of this magnitude, does it really matter if he can get $62M instead of $61.2M over 9 years? Is the small increase worth the fury that fans will feel if Drew does not return to play in the best shape of his life?

Alternatively, let's say we offer him a 5 year contract. That sends a very clear message that he will play this same game in 5 years when it's time to re-negotiate, and may even leave. Thanks for using us as a stepping stone to buy more donuts and Diet Coke, Drew.

Fans need to feel like Drew wants to be here. If he doesn't want to be here, it'll be easy for him to get complacent and lazy, and that is poison to the Kings- not just because we physically need him to play well, but because we need every single member of the team to eat, sleep, and breathe in pursuit of the quest to bring the Cup to Los Angeles.

Drew actually reminds me a lot of that kid we all knew from elementary school. Smart, talented, but never had to work a day in his life because excellence came naturally. But as that kid grows up, he needs to make a choice: will he work hard and become insanely productive, or will he phone it in and just ride out his life on talent alone? I'm hoping it's the former. Because it it's the latter, I'll be the first to write something like "I wish Doughty tried during that game as hard as he tried to fuck us during the contract negotiations."

As an overall caveat to this post, I want to clarify that I'm not blaming Drew for the fact that there is no contract yet. Who even knows what else has been said to him by the Kings- no one except him. I'm blaming BOTH sides for the fact that there is no contract yet.

So let's get it done. Soon. Before camp, ideally. Because I personally cannot wait to see him on the ice, in excellent shape, kicking ass for our Kings.

It's Time.

It's time, Drew. It's time, Lombardi.

Sign. A. Fucking. Contract.

With all due respect to the people who are saying not to freak out about Doughty: You have been saying that all summer. All summer long, I waited without fretting, believing that young Drew would sign by September.

It it now September 8. Let me check my rulebook for life. Oh yes, it's right there on Page ThisIsAMadeUpBook: if a hockey team has not signed an important player by September, the fans are allowed to get worried.

So quit saying not to worry. I know that Meehan has more than Drew to focus on right now. I know that negotiations are part of the process. And I know that negotiations take time. But they've had time, and supposedly weeks passed without discussions. If you're going to negotiate, then FUCKING NEGOTIATE.

So to everyone saying not to worry now: thanks, but no thanks. You are dangerously close to crossing the line from reassuring into patronizing. There's nothing wrong with saying that we want Drew to sign. Hell, even other players on the team have said as much.

Let's at least get it done before camp starts. Please. I'm begging you.