For the next season, I'm planning on rearranging how I do things on here. So, until I sort it all out, please visit my future site for Life In Hockeywood.

I'm still planning on updating this blog, which will be renamed, but with more news-related items. Life In Hockeywood will be more of my observations that you've come to expect, as well as some new ideas I've been kicking around.

One of those things is maybe doing a weekly Podcast. Now, I'm as hip as the next cat online, but would you bother downloading a Podcast, even if it's just to hear my nasal voice reverberate through your tinny speakers?

Posted by Matt Murray at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Turns out, the two Kings games over in jolly Ol' England will be shown on the telly. However, instead of chugging a beer as you watch the game, you might want to consider a nice cup o' joe.

According to NHL.com, the game on the 29th will be shown at 9 a.m. (a.m. as in ahhhhhh, man!) on HDnet and on CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada" (More like Hockey Brunch in L.A.) The game on the 30th is also at 9 (That's right, 0900 hours, maggot!) on Versus.

Now, I have Versus, so the game on the 30th ain't a problem. But what am I going to do to watch the season opener? Unless my invitation, plane tickets and hotel room got lost in the mail, it looks like I'm out of luck. I doubt I'll be able to sell the wife on letting me head down to the local watering hole to watch the Kings beat the holy snot of of the Ducks. So, if you have any suggestions, by all means.

That was the good news...

The bad news is that the game on the 30th will be the last time the Kings make it on national television. According to Versus.com, the Anaheim Ducks will make appear at least four more times on Versus. The Kings? Yeah, right.

Hey, I understand the logic. Los Angeles is coming off its worst season. Why should I expect the Kings to get national TV exposure? This just underscores, more than ever, that the NHL has to get off that joke of a network and back on ESPN. Not that L.A. would appear any more if the NHL was, but they might have the clout to change games later in the season.

I see that there is ONE game on Versus that is TBD, on April 1. Turns out, that's the same day the Kings are playing Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks. I say we start a letter-writing campaign right now to get the Kings on there right now. Of course, that might mean less people actually see the game locally, since Versus is about as available as the Playstation 3. You can get it, but it'll cost you an arm and a leg to get it.

Posted by Matt Murray at 9:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The wait is finally over. Michael Cammalleri and the Kings have finally heard back from the arbitrator, and the result is a two year deal worth $6.7 million. But considering that Cammalleri was asking for $6 million per season, I'm sure he's a little disappointed. But, that's how the game is played. I don't blame him for asking for the moon, that's what I'd do.

Cammalleri did receive the largest amount from arbitration so far this off-season. So at least there's something.

But now that the waiting is over, we can now proceed with the business at hand. Frozen Fury, baby! This will be the first time I make the trek to Vegas to see the Boys In Royal Blue battle the Avalanche.

I've seen plenty of hockey games the past two seasons, but I'm really excited to see this exhibition game against Colorado. And why? Just the thought of going from a furnace blast of air in the face to going inside the icy confines of the MGM Grand to watch hockey sounds like fun.

Who's going? What are you looking forward to?

Posted by Matt Murray at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

As the world watches Barry Bonds chase Hank Aaron's home run record, I have found myself oddly disappointed.

The whole backstory revolving around Barry's alleged steroid abuse has put a damper on what should be the crown jewel of all American sports records, the home run record. This is the record that is most revered, and turns the player who obtains it from iconic to immortal. The player's name reverberates through the annals of time, like that disembodied voice in the movie Field Of Dreams.

But instead, it has left such a bad taste in the majority of sports fans' mouths, that this death march toward 856 has become most unbearable, especially for those of us in the newspaper industry. Every night since he's been in striking distance, we've had to basically plan two front pages for both A1 and the sports section. And because he plays on the Giants, the majority of the games start at 7 p.m., so there's a chance he might hit it right on deadline.

After another such night on Wednesday, I was thinking back to when another hallowed record fell. It was back in 1994, and once again, Southern California was the stage. It was on the lips of many sports fans, and there wasn't a hint of hatred anywhere. And oddly enough, I was working at a newspaper at the time, albeit my college paper.

We were putting the Viking, Long Beach City College's newspaper, to bed that night when Wayne Gretzky broke Gordie Howe's all-time goal scoring record with a power play goal against the Vancouver Canucks. We didn't have a television in the newsroom, so I was huddled around an old clock radio that I had found in the paper's dark room. I was wearing my Kings jersey that night, and I spilled Mountain Dew on my desk as I stood up and cheered, sending day-glo green soda everywhere. Thankfully my mom took pity on me and removed the stain when I got home.

I had only been a hockey fan for a few years before then, but I understood that Wayne's feat was truly a remarkable site. It seemed right that "The Great One" unseated "Mr. Hockey" for the all-time goal record. There was some grumbling by Howe when he did it, but no one really paid him any attention. It became, at the time, Wayne's crowning jewel to his career. Fans in the Great Western Forum roared like the Kings just won the Stanley Cup. A career retrospective was shown up on the scoreboards. Gretzky embraced NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who looked estatic to be there. It was a moment to remember.

And if you think back, maybe you can remember what you were doing too.

By the way, if you have the clip with Bob Miller calling it, by all means, upload it to youTube and help me take Clements off!

Posted by Matt Murray at 1:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Our friends over at HockeysFuture.com have released their newly updated prospect rankings for the Kings.

At 1 and 2 is Jack Johnson and Patrick O'Sullivan. Third is Jonathan Bernier, fourth is Brian Boyle and fifth is Lauri Tukonen.

The thing I wonder is why JMFJ and O'Sullivan are considered prospects? I honestly believe both men will make the Kings this season. At which point do they stop being prospects? According to HockeysFuture, both Jack and Patrick's ratings of 8 make them "players with definite skill that might be just a cut below elite status, but still possessing All-Star potential." Sounds good to me!

Posted by Matt Murray at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)