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.
Kings getting new mascot?
First, the Kings brought back Rob Blake. Then, they brought back Jaroslav Modry. Now another familiar face will be returning to Staples Center.
It looks like the Kings will be getting a new mascot.
According to AEG, the team is looking for a 'mascot coordinator." Kingston, the old Kings mascot, got the boot when the team made the move from the Great Western Forum to the Staples Center. However, Kingston makes an appearance on every Kings logo, the Lion holding the stick at the bottom of the shield.
The shield was originally designed as the club's main logo from 1999 to 2002. In 2003, the club switched logos, using the crown as the primary, so the shield was relegated to the third jersey. 2003 was the season when the Kings led the league in man-games-lost. It has been jokingly speculated that the shield logo actually protected the players.
Now, I'm not one for superstitions, but I think Kingston was this team's guardian. Introduced during the Gretzky era, Kingston was an obvious attempt to reach the kids in the stands. But he was ridiculed by older fans, who felt that the only team in Southern California who should have a mascot should be the Disney-owned Ducks.
However, like him or not, he's coming back.
