Introduction

Welcome Matthew and good luck on the Kings beat. You have mighty big shoes to fill... this blog has made Rich a God among Kings fans!!

Good luck.

Hi Matt! I dont think we have met, my name is Jon and im a minor threat. If anybody recognizes that, your cooler than the other side of the pillow.

Welcome, Matt! We'll look forward to reading your stuff. You have a tough act to follow!

Congratulations Matt. You'll be covering what is about to be the best team in the NHL this season. Raiders fans got nothing on Kings fans.

No offense, Matt, but Rich's shoes are awful big to fill.

I wish you the best and will be looking forward to your reporting.

Welcome to the blog Matt. I hope you can keep the momentum that Rich has built up. Good luck.

Welcome to the blog! Frankly, I'm thrilled that the Kings blog warrants enough attention for two writers now!

Welcome Matt. (strange to welcome you to your own blog, but Rich has made us feel that this is our home)
Thanks for everything Rich.

Matt tell us that the USC gig was not by choice. (worst case lie to us Bruin fans) UCLA '90

Im sadden that Rich isnt going to be the main writer of this Blog, for a while there it felt like we had someone that actually cared about what he wrote.

But good luck to you Matt, I seriously hope you understand what an undertaking this is, we may be small in numbers but we make that up in pure passion for this team

Welcome, Matt. Having Rich write about a sport he loves has been a treat we Kings fans have greatly appreciated. We are tired of having people who admittedly hate or know nothing about hockey write inaccurate and/or condescending articles about our team. At the risk of being offensive, I hope that you are not someone who knows nothing about hockey who is assigned to write about it anyway. Please understand that the fans of the Los Angeles Kings are passionate about the sport and our team.

Matt. Really. If you're not a major, dedicated, big time hockey fan, don't bother. We didn't have this site a year ago, and as much as we all came to love it in the short time Rich had smokin', we can do without.

Welcome Matt, you can see the impact 'our' Rich had on this Kings Fans Community! He is by most of our accounts irreplacable. He reports with skill and passion and a true knowledge of our team and passion that is hockey at this level. I wish you luck and hope you are ready to look the Dragon in the eye! If you do well you may be considered a knight of the pen like Rich... However the alternative is Dragon Fire! Be dedicated to your craft and work.

Matt,

Welcome aboard! We're tough, but fair. Just don't treat us like second class citizens, we get enough of that from the LA Times.

"He's helping me to learn the team." WTF?

Best of luck to you Matt, I'm sure you'll do fine. Just keep this ball rollin' in the right/same direction and it'll stay a very popular place.

What's your back ground and how does SC hoop look this year?

Welcome Matt!

Look forward to seeing your coverage of the Kings.

Sorry...if you have to "learn" the team, I for one don't want you around.

Nice job Daily News.

Good luck to you Matt.
No offense meant but this situation reminds of the LAPD-Line situation: We were introduced to something really great and just as we started to get used to it it was taken from us. I really hope you are as dedicated as Rich and understand what the Kings mean to us hardcore fans.

I agree with Pat.

Welcome Matt. This is important stuff; like blood. Glad you're stepping up to the plate. Thanks so much to you, Rich.

You do know what hockey is...right? Don't get me wrong, I am sure you are going to do a great job. But, the biggest mistake regarding anything hockey is to have it covered by a basketball guy. Isn't that right Gary Bettman.

Matt, welcome.
Rich is by far the best blogger I know of at the Daily News. He will be missed by hockey fans. Rich comes across as heavily into hockey and sharing. In Rich's tradition, please happily share King's Hockey with us, do not lecture us and, above all, refrain from the pedantic style of some of the other Daily News bloggers. We are all here to learn and have a little fun.

I would really encourage some of you to calm down. There are no specialists in sportswriting. I consider myself a hockey writer but I also cover baseball, basketball and football and I like to think I do a decent job at all of them. Anyone who starts covering a new team has to learn the team. I don't see the point in trashing someone before you even take the time to read what they have to offer.

Good luck Matt! Go Trojans and Kings!

Matt, you have some BIG shoes to fill. Rich is a GOD around Kings fans. Hope you can keep up. ;o)