LA Hockey Underground

They are the pick up truck.  Not the tiny four cylinder model, and not the giant, lifted, chromed out show toy that some duchebag ducks fan from Newport Beach drives, but they are the full sized, V8 down and dirty, throw anything in the back work truck that just keeps getting the job done. The last two months have been plagued by several disheartening losing streaks.  In the midst of this, some of the best shifts on the ice came from the unsung third line, who, for guys that are typically overlooked, sure seem to be in the right places an awful lot. During these recent slumps, there were a few bright spots.  Some, need little or no mention because they were so obvious, Quicky.  Others are less shiny.  Others, sit beneath the glitz and the glamour of the All Stars, and the top scorers.  On many nights I watched the first two lines chase other teams around the defensive zone, a step slow physically and mentally.  Then the third line would...

As a lifelong Kings fan, last year was abysmally disappointing.  I will always love Coach Sutter, and the defensive consistency that he tried to bring to the team, not to mention Two Stanley Cups (Ducks fans can suck on that.)  However, as I heard about the coaching changes coming into effect, I felt a glimmer of hope that was significantly tempered by doubt.  After all, not all changes are for the better.  When the season started, it was exciting to see the increased creativity and production.  Better than that, the Kings were winning games.  None the less, I kept seeing things that made my gut cringe.  I was watching NHL players make plays/mistakes that would get a pee-wee player benched.  I swallowed my tongue a bit as the Kings kept scoring, and they kept winning. I'm fairly certain that other teams were taken a bit off guard by some of the unconventional play, at least for a while.  Eventually the league caught on.  Team after t...