Quack, quack
I understand that some of you won't want to read about the Ducks, so if so, this is your cue to move along. In fact, I'll invite you to read my story about the Kings and Ducks, and where they sit relative to each other. That's what you call a shameless plug, my friends.
For those who would like an insight of what it was like after the Ducks' victory tonight, I thought I would share....
Those of us in the media -- at least the responsible ones -- don't cheer for teams or individuals, but we do hope for ``moments.'' And I can say, with no hesitation, that this was the best moment I've ever been a part of. I've watched the Lakers celebrate championships and the Angels celebrate a World Series, but nothing compared to this.
It started when we got down the locker room area, with the parade of family members coming through the hallway on their way to the locker room. Players would poke their heads out the door, looking eagerly for loved ones. It made me think about each player's individual story, what he and his family had sacrificed to get to that point.
Inside the locker room, naturally, was a mob scene. Wall to wall people and, before long, the obligatory spraying o' the champagne. I was an incidental victim of Shawn Thornton, who actually apologized. That's a hockey player for you. Unfailingly polite. Being a veteran of similar scenes, I managed to escape with minimal damage, and even got to shake hands with George Parros and congratulate him. George is a tremendous guy and I'm happy for him. Getting quotes in the locker room was near impossible so I ventured out onto the ice. Nobody stopped me, so why not?
Let me tell you, coolest thing ever. Many of the players and family members were still out there, taking turns taking pictures with the Cup and just hanging out and celebrating. I saw Scott Niedermayer smile for the first time ever, I believe. He was having the time of his life with his brother. I got to walk out to the pitcher's mound after the World Series in 2002 and tonight I got to walk out to center ice after the Cup Finals. Not bad. Even the most hardened Kings fan would have to feel good for Giguere, who had his infant son -- who was born two months ago with an eye defect -- out on the ice. The kid took a seat in the Cup and his proud parents got the picture of a lifetime.
Back up to the press box to write as the arena emptied. Two hours after the game, the Niedermayer brothers -- still in full uniform -- appeared with their families and sat on the bench to soak in the moment. After a while, Scott and his wife went out to center ice for a private moment. There have been whispers that Niedermayer might consider retirement, and the way he was capturing that moment with his wife really gave me reason to think about that.
The Niedermayer brothers disappeared...and then came Ric Jackman. Jackman is a funny guy. He's got tattoos and he's missing a front tooth, so he looks like...a hockey player. Anyway, Jackman and two of his buddies -- they might even have been brothers, I'm not sure -- came barreling out onto the ice and basically flopped down at center ice to laugh and celebrate. It's just a reminder of what the Cup means to all those Canadian kids.
After the writing was done, seven of us brave souls in the L.A. print media decided to check out the locker-room area again and see what was going on. The smell of cigar smoke hit us, a couple hundred yards away from the locker room. We passed Scott Niedermayer in the hallway and he said he hadn't seen the Cup since they handed it to him on the ice.
Well, we found it. It was in the locker room, in the hands of Chris Pronger, who was serving as team bartender. Anyone who wanted a sip out of the Cup came up on the makeshift stage and Pronger, well, he pretty much dumped the beer all over them, but some probably went through their lips. Quite a scene in there. Just as packed as during the post-game interviews, but now completely with friends and family. Finland was well represented, and Teemu Selanne's buddies looked like they were just gearing up to party.
Actually, everyone did, even though the game had been over for almost four hours. Most of the players were still in some part of their uniforms, some even in full uniform. Something tells me they're still there, laughing, singing and dancing, just the way we left them. Anyway, seven of us went into the room but only six came out. Finally, out walked Dan Wood of the O.C. Register, drenched in alcohol. It really was a genuine celebration. The Lakers and the Angels, they were happy, but these guys were celebrating, still laughing and yelling 3 1/2 hours later.
The next time I see the Cup handled with white gloves, I'll laugh. Because my lasting memory is of Pronger pouring beer out of it, down the front of someone's shirt. Isn't hockey a great sport?
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About the bloggers
J.P. Hoornstra writes about NHL and IHL hockey for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. He welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
E-mail J.P. at jp.hoornstra@inlandnewspapers.com.
Jill Painter joined the Daily News in 2000 and during the last eight years she's covered the Dodgers, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Kings, golf and everything in between. Even though she's from Colorado, she still freezes in the Staples Center press box but always manages to thaw her fingers in time to make deadline. E-mail Jill at jill.painter@dailynews
.com.
Vincent Bonsignore is a sports columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News. E-mail Vinny at vincent.bonsignore
@dailynews.com.
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Rich...loved reading that. What you experienced just goes to show you why hockey is the best of all the major pro team sports. It's too bad most people in the US don't care enough or haven't been exposed to it enough to find out.
Also read your Daily News article before I headed over here. I was a Kings fan before I started writing about them, and I still am (I hope it doesn't show too much in my work). I thought I'd feel worse about the Ducks winning the Cup before the Kings, but I'm not bothered by it much. The Samueli's and Brian Burke did it right, while Anschutz and Leiweke pinched pennies and tied Dave Taylor's hands behind his back or made player personnel decisions for him...and botched them. But maybe...just maybe...all that is history. Perhaps AEG has finally figured out that they have to let their hockey people make the decisions and rebuild the team...for the first time in the team's history. Of course, AEG could turn around and pull the rug out from under Lombardi after seeing attendance drop this past season...with their reputation, they deserve the skepticism. But with the Ducks winning the Cup, hopefullly, Anschutz and Leiweke know that their fans aren't going to wait more than a couple of years longer for a team that finally breaks through their 40 years of mediocrity--not just ten years, as you wrote.
Really good stuff Rich. Go, Kings, but I will tip my cap to the Ducks for one night. Well done. Though it can be hard to swallow. Anyway, amazing coverage all year long, I know there is more to come. Who will we draft? Voracek? Cheperanov? Alzner? Elerby? Turris and Kane will be gone....
So many questions, but curious on your input.
Thanks again.
Thank you Rich for painting that picture for me....It must be a greater moment than I can imagine for those players. My beloved KINGS will be there some day and when they do , we will all experience the tremendous joy too !
Do you have any word on the recovery of Blake's hip ?
Thanks, Rich, for both articles. My main emotion at this time is a wistful envy of the Ducks fans who get to celebrate an awesome accomplishment. I still believe the best Kings fans are hockey fans. Period. The Ducks' Cup is good for hockey. And as noted elsewhere, it may give the Kings greater incentive to excel in the years to come. One last question: your impressions on the LAist interview of Helene Elliott? She has some interesting thoughts on the Ducks-Kings, and sports in general.
great daily news article!
I've had many great moments in my line of work, and in areas of extracurricular activities, like dinner with Scotty Bowman a number of years back. Last night, two rows from infinity, I felt a little bit of nirvana. I shed tears, and I shed them again reading this blog piece. As I get older and more aware of my mortality, I truly cherish the great moments, and this one was right up there in fan-dom. Thanks for your insight, and capturing some emotional images that I could only dream about being a part of.
Oh, and thanks for not making me the Gary Sheffield of Kings fans :)
Even though it's about the Ducks, I always enjoy reading your stuff, Rich. As always, great job!
Thanks Rich -
I must say there's something cool about it being close to home...
Looking forward to that moment at Staples...
Great article, Rich. I hate the Ducks, but there is no question they have a great team. Where did you find this Marc in Studio City guy, anyway? LOL
Yes, it was hard as a die hard Kings fan to watch the Ducks win it all last night. The hardest part was when Bettman announced that the Ducks were the first west coast team to win the Cup. That was pouring salt in the wound! Nevertheless, I must admit it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
Rich, thanks for your account of last night. I'm always a little emotional when the Cup is handed out. Last night, even though it was the Ducks, was no different. What was fun to me was sharing it with my kids last night. My son (who is four years old) couldn't wait to see the Stanley Cup. After the game ended he couldn't stop talking. "When is the Cup coming out, Dad. I want to see the Stanley Cup."
That was special and it made me think, one of these days the Kings will win the Cup and how great that will be!
Please Kings, you didn't do this when I was a kid, at least do it when my kids are kids!
It hurts watching them win, but hats off to an organization commited to winning. "Play Hard" should start at the front office. Our kids are going to be good but now he (Anschutz) needs to use some of that Beckham creativity and go get a playoff goalie and a world class scorer\playmaker to complement the great kids we got. We could steal some thunder by signing Giguere...
I got the same vibe watching Niedermayer. It is like he came here solely to win his brother a cup on behalf of his entire family. If it is goodbye to Nieds, teemu, and Giggy than that definately puts a few dents in the Ducks armor! I just hope Lombardi is directly resonsible for one of them by signing Giguere.
Nice article Mr. Hammond, I enjoyed reading your article. I love it how you are so unbiased. I'm glad you enjoyed the victory celebration here in Anaheim. I sure hope you visit the pond more often. GODUCKS GO!!!
THANKS FOR LETTING US FEEL THIS THRU YOUR EYES,I'V BEEN A KINGS FAN SINCE THE EARLY SEVENTIES AND I LOOOOOONG FOR THIS FOR OUR GUYS AND US.....AFTER YOUR ARTICLE IT IS EASIER TO TAKE THIS GROUP OF DUCKS WINNING THE CUP,THEY DO HAVE SOME GREAT STORIES
I'm seeing we should sign Giguere but if they crack down on goaltender equipment size, he might turn into Jose Theodore (ie. an overpriced mediocre goalie). I say stick with the plan and focus on the 20-somethings. Try to sign Scott Hannan or Brad Stuart on d and maybe Scott Hartnell (if Edmonton doesn't sign him) as the 2nd center. Hopefully the Flames don't sign Kipper this year and offer him the bank next summer.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Our family has season tix in Anaheim so obviously winning the cup was a dream come true for all of us. That was definitely an experience that we were priveledged to share with our kids, we just hope they'll be able to remember it as they grow up. Our son, who's 5, is a goalie with big dreams that just got even bigger.
I'm happy to see the sentiment from Kings fans that they are happy for the Ducks and their fans. I know how hard it is to say it, so it is much appreciated. We hate the Kings around here, but when the time comes for the Kings to hoist their cup, we'll be in their corner too.
Thanks for the insight of the Celebration. I was at the game and stayed fairly late, and am looking for anything on the celebration. I appreciate the story.
Rich, not sure if you've covered this yet...but the more I think about UFA signings this offseason for the Kings, Giguere should be on top of their list. I really think the team lost out on at least 20 points last season solely due to the goaltending. You sign Giguere for three years, and hopefully after that the team is ready to bring up Bernier. What's your take, Rich? How key would it be to stabilize this issue by signing the best goaltender that is available right now?? I like it, give the guy 6 million for three years. Worst case, Cloutier is the backup. Lombardi has always talked about the goaltending being the starting point...here's his chance to fix it.
Rick....Thank you for the great insite to what the players, family and friends did after the awesome win. I could only dream of being there for it and you made it possible to 'see' it.
Thanks for the great article. As a Kings fan, it was very hard for me to see the Ducks lifting the Cup the other night. But I have to give kudos to the team and the management - they earned it. And, as you point out, there are just so many stories that make it hard to be bitter - the Niedermayer brothers, Selanne the aging veteran, Giguere and his infant son. I have to admit, I shed a few tears during the ceremony as I saw Scott hand the Cup to his brother.
I got to watch Games 1 through 5 in California then British Columbia and Alberta Canada as we took a 3 wk 4,500 mile drive trip from our home in the OC to Canada to attend a wedding.
Its a whole different world having to watch the Cup finals outside of OC. Canada's media in particular was very biased to Ottawa but they sure weren't boasting or laughing June 7th after the DUCKS won the Cup! Luckily for us, we channel surfed in the US and found the games; hockey in Canada is a lifeline and was easy to find though it broadcast no post game interviews at all.
We attended 1 game/month during regular season and one game each in the Western Conference finals before we had to hit the road. We watched the last 6 min of Game 5 in a restaurant bar in Calgary. We were the only ones that were watching but we added our cheers to the Honda Center when the clock tipped to zero. Knowing this team, we held our breath through to the very last second then celebrated their magnificent win. We wore our One Team One goal T-shirts, we had our orange towels in hand. The entire restaurant knew who my team was when I returned to our table!!
We proudly had a DUCKS cap and one of the orange towels on display in the back car window for the entire drive hime. At a wedding we attended, it was announced where we had come from and that we were thrilled beyond words to have the 2007 Stanley Cup Champions in our backyard.
I enjoyed reading your entry, Rich, because we missed out on all the pre and post hoopla for the DUCKS.
YEA Team! No one is laughing at the DUCKS now! They never ever gave up, they stepped up when they had to and they unfailingly credited the Team effort it took to win, unlike the divas found in basketball, baseball and football. This is a grueling sport that is intense, physical and very fast. Its also extremely family oriented, far more so than any other sport, and the DUCKs unashamedly thank ed their parents and families repeatedly for all the sacrifices made over many many years to reach the pinnacle of such a win.
The DUCKS deserved the win and I am ever so proud to be a DUCKS fan. Thankfully, the team hasn't shown up to parade down Main St in Disneyland yet- they don't need to.