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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.« March 2007 | Main | May 2007 »
Here is a great video recapping all 20 of Kings phenom center Anze Kopitar this past season. The music is by Muse and it's called, aptly enough, Showbiz. If he can build off his performance this season, Kings fans will have plenty to cheer for.
With their victory over Lithuania, Slovenia has positioned themselves to ascend to the upper division next year at Canada.
In following the tournament halfway around the world, I've noticed just how many differences there are in the international game, as compared to the one here in North America. But there is one similiarity: Slovenian fans can butcher their national anthem as well as the Americans!
With the Kings' season well over and the playoffs underway, I honestly thought that my attention would be on other things. Baseball is in full swing, and I joined three fantasy teams in anticipation of all this free time I was going to have with hockey off the radar.
But something happened during the past two weeks. I started to follow the World Championships, mostly because I was interested in how Anze Kopitar was going to play. I also wanted to make sure the future of the Kings franchise wasn't injured by some thug from eastern Europe.
Oddly enough, Slovenia isn't playing for the World Championship this year. This year, they are competing for the right to play in Canada next year for the World Championships. And because Slovenia is playing in the B Division, coverage has been understandably hard to find online. But being the crack journailst that I am, I've been piecing together coverage from Slovenian websites. I've uncovered several websites, such as hockey websites slohokej.netand hokej.si, as well as online newspapers siol.net and rtvslo.si.
"But wait, Matt," you say. "You can speak Slovenian?" Uh, no. But I've had lots of help. First, an Slovenian-to-English online translator which someone forwarded to me, has helped a little. I've learned several words in Slovenian, such as hokej, which is hockey, remarkably enough. But a lot gets lost in the translation. Take this sentence:
Slovenska hokejska reprezentanca do nadaljnjega ne more računati na usluge Iva Jana, ki si je na tekmi z Madžarsko poškodoval hrbet.
Using the online translator:
Slovene hockey team to further can't to count on of free service Ivo Jan, that are is on contest with Hungary hurt back.
Huh? Basically, Slovenia will have to carry on without the service of Ivo Jan, who hurt his back against Hungary. Not too hard to follow, but you try to read a game story written that way, then try to decipher what happened. My head is swimming.
The World Championships has an English site for fans to follow, but the coverage is as in-depth as any other "official" sports website: stats, rosters, and small gamers and features. They also have a link to visit their online store, where I'm hoping to purchase a Slovenian hockey jersey. But alas, it's not open yet.
The greatest help that I have received in following Slovenia has come from my new friend Milana, whom I met on letsgokings.com. Milana has translated several articles for the fans over there, including a few interviews with Kopi. Here's a few excerpts from one of the articles Milana has dutifully translated to English.
From RTVSLO.si after Slovenia's first game against Romania:
Q: Anže, how did you feel while playing on your home ice in front of Slovenian fans after 9 months abroad?
Anže: “Playing here again was really great. I must say I’ve expected such a great audience and cheering. That really gave us the extra wings, especially in the second and third periods, when we were a lot better than Romanians.”
Q: Anže, what do you remember most from your first NHL season? Your first goal or the All Star Game in Dallas?
Anže: “Well, it’s hard to say now because that game was really something special. I met many All-Stars and we had a great time (at the All-Star Game). But, I can say that my first goal was really the most special for me.”
Q: You’ve met many players and trainers during this past NHL season. Who was the most influential?
Anže: “My teammates. But most of all Rob Blake. He is a great person, a world-class hockey player, a member of the national team at many Championships and Olympics, and a winner of the Stanley Cup. I’ve learned a lot from him each day, both as a teammate and in my personal life. He is really special.”
Q: Have you thought about the next NHL season?
Anže: “Yeah I think a bit about next season. But right now, I have to stay focused on this tournament and on each game, because it wouldn’t be fair to the other guys and the fans. Then, I will take a week or two off. And after that, all my thoughts will be on next season. I think it’ll be harder. As my dad said, it’s easier to get to the top than to stay there.”
Kings defenseman Jack Johnson caught the Red Wings' Game 2 playoff game against Calgary with his good friend Justin at Joe Louis Arena. Makes sense, since he's a long time Red Wing fan. But instead of wearing the winged wheel, JJ sported a Los Angeles Kings cap.
According to Justin, someone commented "who wears a Kings hat to a Red Wings playoff game?" Jack responded "A guy who plays for the Kings." Apparently the fan finally put two and two together and recognized Johnson and they all had a laugh about it.
As if that wasn't good enough, Jack and Justin enjoyed watching Flames defenseman Brad Stuart. Los Angeles is apparently atop Stuart's short list in the off-season to sign as a free agent. If Stuart signs with the Kings, that will bolster one of L.A.'s weaknesses tremendously.
Justin also pointed out that as soon as Jack saw him wearing the red and white jerseys, he quickly threw a Kings hat and t-shirt at him to wear. And when Jack Mother Lovin' Johnson throws something at you, you're thankful it isn't a fist.
Note the USA hockey jacket on Jack? It was announced Mondaythat Johnson will be representing the United States, joining winger Michael Cammalleri and Kings associate coach Mike Johnston in Moscow, Russia for the 2007 World Championship tournament. Cammy and Johnston will be on Team Canada.
During a conference call, Johnson sounded very excited and honored when asked how it feels to play for Team USA.
“I expect my experience from USA hockey and the results I had in Ann Arbor are going to help tremendously. I’m not going to be a stranger to international games and how competitive they are and how much pride is on the line when you put on those jerseys. It’ll be nice playing with other guys I’ve played with before like Phil (Kessell) and Cory (Schneider) and those guys are competitors and we’re looking forward to getting back into the fire of international play.”
Team USA announced its roster on Monday, and it consists of 12 players under the age of 25. Joining Johnson on the national team are Paul Stastny and Tyler Arnason (Colorado), Andrew Alberts, Phil Kessel and Brandon Bochenski (Boston), Lee Stempniak and David Backes (St. Louis), Chad LaRose and Erik Cole (Carolina),
Keith Ballard (Phoenix), Toby Peterson and Matt Greene (Edmonton) and Chris Clark and Brian Pothier (Washington), and college forward, Nate Davis of Miami. The goalies will be Philadelphia's Robert Esche, Carolina's John Grahame and Boston College standout Cory Schneider, who is a Vancouver draft pick.
Kings rookie phenom scored a goal and helps set up four others, as his home country Slovenia battered Romania, 10-1.
The line of Kopitar, Ivo Jan and Tomas Razingar paced Slovenia, scoring half of the team's goals. Slovenia struck first, when Jan scored on a 5-on-3 power play. 33 seconds later, Jan redirected a Kopitar pass, to make it 2-0. Toward the end of the second, Jan scored a hat trick, thanks to another Kopitar pass, to make it 5-1.
Kopitar's goal came midway in the third, when he redirected a sprawling Razingar pass for a power play goal to make it 8-1.
Slovenia wound up with 43 shots on goal, and clearly dominated all game. According to Slovenian website delo.si, Kopitar was cheered loudly every time he touched the puck.
Slovenia's next game is Monday against Hungary.
When Anze Kopitar appeared at Brnik Airport, it looked like an important politician had come for an official visit to Slovenia. Although he was half an hour late, a weary Kopitar was greeted by his family members and friends, as well as a throng of photographers and reporters.
“Right now I’m pretty tired after spending almost 30 hours in different airports," the 19-year-old was quoted as saying on a Slovenian website, after he warmly embraced his mother. "But everything will change on Sunday when the tournament will start.”
The tournament is the World Championships, which is set to get underway April 15 at Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The tournament is split into two divisions, Slovenia being in the lower bracket. Slovenia will match up against Great Britian, Japan, Luthuania, Romania, and Hungary.
"Our expectations are well known," Kopitar said about his team's mindset going into their first round matchup. "We all want to return to the A division. And we all know that our group isn’t as hard as the one with Kazakhstan."
Kazakhstan is in Group A, along with Estonia, China, France, Poland and the Netherlands. But whatever division Slovenia plays in, they have their work cut out for them. Kopitar stated that his team should not underestimate their opponents in the tournament.
“We are mistaken if we think that with my presence, everything will go smoothly," he said.
But Slovenia is betting that the budding NHL star will carry the team far, pairing Kopitar with some of the team's best skaters. According to Kopitar's father, Matjaž, Anze will be joined on the top scoring line by Tomaž Razingar and Ivo Jan. Razingar, 28, had 49 points (20 G, 29 A) for Acroni Jesenice in the Austrian League this season. The 32-year-old Jan has 747 points over his illustrious 16-year career, and will be playing in his tenth tournament for Slovenia.
At 19, Kopitar is the youngest player on the national team, but his success in the NHL this season has made him the face of the club. His face is on the cover of promotional posters for the tournament. But all his success still hasn't fazed the humble hockey player.
“I’m very, very pleased that I’m back home again," he said. "It was very special when we flew over my hometown Hrušica and the Karavanke mountains. In L.A., I’ve missed all the things that are in Slovenia: my family, friends, girlfriend.” He also mentioned that he was looking forward to some good, old-fashioned home cooking.
He then went on to recall the whirlwind of events that has happened to him since being drafted 11th overall by the Kings in the 2005 draft.
“Everything went pretty fast since the draft. The season in Sweden (when he played for Sodertalje SK in 2005) was over fast. But I can tell you that this year went by like crazy. I remember like it was yesterday: My arrival at training camp, how I made the Kings' team and especially my first game.”
His first official game was against the Anaheim Ducks, when he scored the first goal of the season for the Kings. He went on to score 19 more and wind up with 61 points on the year. As with his homeland team, Kopitar quickly became the new face for the Los Angeles Kings. He scored on premiere goaltenders like Martin Brodeur, Manny Fernandez and Tomas Vokoun. In the YoungStars game during All-Star weekend, a game that highlights NHL rookies, he had 5 points (2G, 3A) for the West, out-performing this year's apparent Calder winner, Evgeni Malkin in that game.
But the rigors of an 82-game season wore on the Kings' rookie, who is looking forward to a little leisure time this off-season.
“I’ll take some rest after this tournament for my body and also for my head," he said. "I didn’t expect to score so many points this season. The Kings are a very young team and we want to be a lot better next year."
(Thanks Milana from letsgokings.com for the translation!)
Most Valuable Player: Michael Cammalleri
Best newcomer: Anze Kopitar
Outstanding defenseman: Lubomir Visnovsky
Defensive player: Derek Armstrong
As voted by the Kings players:
Most Inspirational Player: Tom Kostopolous
Unsung hero: Tom Kostopolous
As selected by the Kings Care Foundation
Community service: Derek Armstrong
As selected by the Kings Booster Club
Most popular player: Anze Kopitar
The Kings wrap up their last game of this woeful season playing the Phoenix Coyotes. Even though the Kings are mired in last place, there is hope for this young team. The past few games has served to be a sort of preview for next season, with fans getting their first look at players, such as Jack Johnson, Lauri Tukonen and Joe Piskula, as well as extended playing time for their highly regarded rookies Anze Kopitar and Patrick O'Sullivan.
The Kings start strong, getting a power play chance but fail to capitalize. But the Kings are in firm control of the game.
The Kings' Aaron Miller gets a penalty and the Yotes go on the power play. Of course who is on the ice but Kings Fan Favorite Jeremy Roenick. Every time he touches the puck, the crowd boos lustfully.
As Anze Kopitar takes a face-off mid-period, a group of fans up in section 313 start waving a Slovenian flag. I must have spotted several Michigan hockey jerseys today as well. At least Michigan jerseys are easier to come by than Slovenian jerseys. I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll see both jerseys for sale at Team LA next season. Hopefully the Slovenian jerseys will be better made and cost less.
With four and a half minutes left in the period, Jack Johnson and Daniel Carcillo get into ma scrap that had everyone standing and cheering. With each blow, the fans cheered louder, even though it appeared JJ lost the fight. Johnson headed off the ice, greeted by blood-thirsty cheers from Staples Center.
The Coyotes scored first as Michael Zigomanis flipped a wrist shot past Mathieu Garon for his 14th of the season.
First period: Coyotes 1, Kings 0
Jack Johnson gets another penalty to start off the second, this time for cross-checking Shane Doan.
This being Fan Appreciation Day, the Kings are rolling out with the giveaways. With everything from a personalized Kings guitar to free Chinese food to copies of John Mellencamp CDs, the Kings are emptying out their swag closet. But one of the weirder giveaways are the jerseys off the back of players backs. Selected fans will receive the jerseys right off the sweaty players after the game. Now, I played hockey, and my gear stunk to high heaven. I know in the bigs, players are probably a lot cleaner than me and my friends. But I can't help but shudder how bad that gear must smell. After all, all pro players are superstitious, so I wouldn't be surprised if some are a tad smelly.
The Kings take back-to-back penalties, first to Johnson for cross-checking. Then as Jack's penalty expires, Jaime Heward for slashing. The Kings allow a power play goal when Nick Boynton slaps a shot past Garon to make it 2-0.
It almost seems that many fans are paying closer attention to the giveaways than to the game.
Anze Kopitar gets a rare penalty for hooking, bu the Kings score a short-hander by Scott Thornton to bring the Kings within one. Thornton carries the puck into the zone, and flips a backhand shot past Curtis Joseph for his seventh goal of the season. Assists go to Modry and Brown.
A cross-ice feed from Modry to Michael Cammalleri ties up the game. Cammy's shot bounces off both posts and in for his 35th goal and 80th point of the season. Staples Center explodes as the Kings circle Cammalleri. Both Modry and Brown get their second assists of the game.
The crowd is now more animated with every drive the Kings travel into the Coyotes' zone.
Just how bad do Kings fans hate Anaheim? When a lucky fan won tickets to an Angels game, a chorus of boos rained down from above. Boos just for the city name. That's hatred for you.
Second period: Kings 2, Coyotes 2
Much of the third period went back and forth. A scary moment when Keith Ballard gets driven hard into the boards by Raitis Ivanans. He tried to get to his skates, but fell down twice. At the whistle, several Coyotes players were jawing back and forth. When they dropped the puck, Ivanans and Josh Gratton played the Feud. The fight went on for some time, with Ivanans sending Gratton to his knees twice. Clearly won by Ivanans, as Staples roared in appproval.
The Kings get a power play with two minutes to go in the period, when Roenick gets whistled for hooking, then Derek Morris gets two minutes for tripping, giving Los Angeles a two-man advantage. Needless to say, with the score tied, the fans are cheering pretty loudly. And with one minute to go, Anze Kopitar scores his 20th of the season to lift the Kings 3-2. Alexander Frolov passes the puck straight through the crease to Kopitar, who smacks it past CuJo for the score.
No sooner does the puck drop than a Coyote sends O'Sullivan sprawling at center ice. Then, Shane Doan hammers Heward into the crease and a scrap starts behind the Kings' net. Jack Johnson meets Doan behind the net and players start crowding around. When the dust settles and the penalties are doled out, the Kings wind up on top.
Third period: Kings 3, Coyotes2
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