It’s November 7 and the temperature in Los Angeles is 90 degrees. The team is on the road and so things are unusually quiet in the office. So what should I do on a beautiful day like this?
Go to the beach?
Lay out in the sun?
Take a nap?
Read a book?
How about going for a skate?
With the team on the road for a game in Colorado later tonight, today is the perfect day to take advantage of the wonderful sheet of ice located just downstairs from my office here at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, the practice home of the Los Angeles Kings.
So after taking care of a few things in the office, I head downstairs to the locker room, put on my skates, grab my stick and gloves, and go out to the ice for an hour-long workout.
Back in the office after going for a skate, and my attention turns to the week ahead. It’s slow - by hockey standards - right now, but that will change quickly when the team returns home after tonight’s game. The Kings on Thursday night will begin a five-game homestand at Staples Center, and that mean’s long days for everybody involved with the team.
The Pittsburgh Penguins just recently wrapped up a west coast road trip with games against the Kings, the San Jose Sharks, the Phoenix Coyotes and the Anaheim Ducks. The Kings and the Penguins did not meet last year, so last Wednesday night was our first opportunity here in LA to see Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin up close and at Staples Center.
The tandem was as good and as entertaining as advertised, and the sellout crowd at Staples Center was treated to an entertaining, end-to-end game full of scoring chances. The Penguins won the game in overtime, with Crosby collecting three assists and Malkin scoring two goals, including the game-winner.
The game also featured a strong performance from the Kings’ Dustin Brown, who collected two points (1-1=2), had six hits and finished with a plus-2 rating.
The Penguins are probably the marquee team in the league right now with all of their young stars. They are also a good example of an organization that has built itself into a playoff contender by being patient and developing from within with draft picks. In Wednesday night’s game, the Penguins lineup included each of the club’s last six first-round draft picks.
It’s still early, but something else is becoming very clear, the Pacific Division is loaded with three teams that have a great chance to win the Stanley Cup this year. As of today, six NHL teams have 10 or more wins, and three of the teams reside in our division. The Anaheim Ducks (11-0-4), the Dallas Stars (11-3-0) and the San Jose Sharks (10-5-0) are off to great starts.
The fourth place Kings host one of those tough teams - the Sharks - on Thursday night.
MK
Mike Kalinowski is a Manager of Communications for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. His resume includes 10 seasons of pro hockey experience.
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