A year late...

I'm pretty sure that I did not share this last year. My photos were in my catalog and not edited at all so here goes. 

Probably about every other year, my friends and I go to Tip-A-King which benefits the LA Kings Care foundation. This time Julie and I decide to go. I believe that there was an early afternoon game and the Tip-A-King event was scheduled for later. Julie and I had some food and spent a long time in line just to get into the event. From there, you have to decide what players you want to tip ($5-10 range) and you can get their autograph/picture and/or play a game with them.

It's really fun because the players are always super nice and friendly. Since this was from more than a year ago, I don't remember all the details. I managed to get signatures on my Kings flag and a couple of photos. Depending on the player, it was either/or an autograph/photo. The superstar players had some really really long lines and time was limited so I had to decide who I wanted. I did want Alec Martinez but his line was ridiculously long. Julie and I  had to split up to get the players we wanted and then had to hurry to get Kings Mystery bag before they ran out of those.

I scored and got a mini Stanley Cup banner that was signed by all the players!! I was so happy. I'm at mid-project getting that banner framed. :)













I'm passing up this years Tip-A King but it is a super fun event. 

yippee

I'm trying to get normal things done, but this 1st round playoff series between LA and St. Louis has my stomach in knots. Maybe because the Kings are the defending champs so they have something to prove & the Blues want to redeem their last season sweep.

Super tight play and each game has only been won by one goal. We also have a house guest so he gets to experience Kings playoff hockey in our household. He & Hector had to suffer through OT to be over so they could get ramen noodles. Ha!

I like how Voynov gets dog-piled somewhat by his teammates. He is Russian and doesn't speak a lot of English but those guys speak the language of hockey. He is also not a flashy guy which I really like too. He is bent over like he's gonna be sick but he was probably overwhelmed a bit. :)

Game 6 is Friday and in a way, I'm happy that I will not be at Staples Center because my anxiety level goes up a bit with each game. Yes, it's only the first round! Playoff hockey is the best and the worst time of year!

Going to my happy place...



Okay, this just goes to show you how nervous I get. I was at this game and don't even remember this playing at the opening of the game. Uff...

Because It's The Cup

The shortened regular hockey season ends tomorrow and playoffs begin. That familiar gnawing in my stomach is coming back. I do have to say that the lockout didn't affect the season all that much. It just heightened the knowledge that each win/loss could be a major factor.

The Kings are in so they just have to play like last year and see how far they can get. The other teams are just as hungry so it won't be easy at all.






Here is an interesting comparison of why hockey players are tough with baseball examples.

Just the other night, one of the Kings players Jeff Carter had a couple teeth knocked out and didn't miss a shift. That's toughness. :)

Hat Trick

Hockey is such a fickle sport. You never know whats going to happen. The game can be awful with sloppy play and general yuckiness. Your team plays practically the entire first period (20 minutes) before getting their first shot on goal (horrible). Then the second period starts and your team is doing better, skating and scoring chances improve. Bam, your team scores on a weird touch of the puck and then you're thinking, oh please hang on and don't let the other team score!! By the 3rd period, the score is still 1-0 but something exciting happens. The 1st scorer Jeff Carter scores again! 19 seconds later, Carter scores again! A natural hat trick.

We were not at the game this night, I had given our tickets to our niece and her husband so they got to experience something very cool. :) On free hat night too...

It was quite funny because soon after the hat trick, my niece texts me asking what was going on? It was her first hockey game and she had no clue what was going on. In addition, my SIL texted me asking why people are throwing hats. She doesn't think of using Google so I was being a smartass and texted back that throwing babies & beer is frowned upon! ;)

So in conclusion, never turn away or leave a hockey game because great things can happen even when it looks hopeless.







Never LEAVE a hockey game in progress!!!! This night we gave our tickets away (there's a trend I need to stop. lol) and the couple left!!! We didn't know this until the next day when Hector was talking to the guy saying what a great win the Kings had & the guy didn't know about the comeback!!

The Ring to rule them all

The cool gifts keep on coming to celebrate the LA Kings Stanley Cup. Last night the Kings played the Vancouver Canucks who they eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. It was a big deal since we lost to them in a first round series a couple of years ago. It is also doubly sweet since the Canuck have been the Presidents Trophy winner 2 years in a row. This is awarded to the team that has the most points at the end of the season but that doesn't usually transfer over to winning the Stanley Cup.

Okay, I reluctantly admit the Canucks are a very good team but there is an intense rivalry between the 2 teams which has just increased greatly since April. So Twitter was ablaze with snarky tweets from both team fans but the one I liked was from a LA fan to be respectful of the Canucks fan at the game and to congratulate them on their Presidents Trophy win.

The best was from another LA fan was that Vancouver will finally get their Stanley Cup rings...when they attend the January 28th game at Staples where everyone will receive a replica ring. Something along those lines since I always go over 140 characters. :) Really snarky but funny.

That leads me to the ring....I wasn't sure how cheesy this ring was gonna be but I was really surprised at how nice it is. Sure, it's not exactly like the authentic SC rings but it sure is cool. It is metal, has all the important details and will be a treasured keepsake for the LA Kings fans. :) So thrilled with it.

It's too large for a woman to wear it comfortably but I'll find a way...