Matt Murray has been a Kings fan since the late '80s, when Wayne Gretzky grabbed headlines by defecting to the West Coast. Since then, he has been a card-carrying bandwagon member as the club soared in popularity with their sole Stanley Cup appearance to their position near the bottom of the Pacific. But things are looking brighter, as he is anxious to witness the rise of the new Kings.
THE NEW NHL CATALOGS ARE HERE! THE NEW NHL CATALOGS ARE HERE!
Thanks to one purchase I made 10 years ago, I am the recipiant of the NHL catalog with all the latest clothing and knick-knacks being offered to the masses for the coming season.
This can only mean one thing: Kings fans need not look any further. All the cool stuff gets relegated to teams that made the playoffs, while the Kings gets lumped in the All teams available category of items, which consists of generic shirts and whacked-out apparel.
I get more and more irate when I flip through the catalog, looking at the haves and wishing we weren't the have-nots. It steams me even more now that the Ducks had more items that the Kings.
However, I was surprised this year. As I was flipping through the 2006-07 catalog, I came across two facing pages of a variety of merchandising grouped by room. On the left was a kids room decorated top to bottom with Dallas Stars stuff. On the right was a rec room bathed in the red and white of the Red Wings. I glanced at some of the items and saw the usual disclaimer: select teams available.
I just rolled my eyes and flipped the page and came across another two page spread. On the left was a living room donned in the black, white and yellow of the Bruins. I smirked at the goudy antique stained glass lamp and my eyes settled on the right hand page. It was covered in Kings items! I had to do a double take, so I blinked hard and looked again. It was true.
The Kings were representing office merchandise. There was a Kings blotter, letter opener, desk clock, wall clock, pencil holder, calender, cigar box... it was amazing. I had never seen such a collection of Kings things in one place. Then I realized that as cool as it was, all those things were for people who actually have nice desks at work. I'm lucky if I can find a spot for my water every day.
I quickly closed the magazine and threw it down, before I started to try and justify why I need a wooden Kings memo pad holder. I mean seriously, do I really need a $30 plank of wood with a Kings plate to hold my Post-It notes?
I don't think so.
