LA Kings – Page 3

01.04.2014 Eye Candy, Hockey, LA Kings, The Other Guys

The Other Guys – Jason Garrison of the Vancouver Canucks

Although depressed about the Kings recent losing streak, I am optimistic about tonight’s game against the Canucks. Not for any hockey specific reason, like stats or having a history of winning against that particular team. I’m just an optimistic person.

When browsing the Canucks’ roster for a handsome player to feature today, I saw the name Jason Garrison, which cracked me up because I have a friend whose husband is named Jason Garrison. Needless to say, my friend is not married to an NHL player. Anyway, the Canucks defenseman was pretty cute, so I didn’t have to look any further.

It’s my day off today and I have some writing to do, so I’ve got to go.

Photo credit: Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head and Hockey Talk with Courtney

12.21.2013 Husbands, LA Kings, Los Angeles Kings

Secret Santa via Travel-Babbles

Recently I found a real honest-to-goodness hockey wife who blogs regularly and shows no sign of stopping. I really love her blog. She has a great sense of style, is so full of life and enthusiasm and more than once she’s moved me to tears.

When she proposed a Secret Santa gift exchange, I decided to participate. It was fun shopping for my person, who happened to be an avid Sharks fan. I followed my Santa-ee on Twitter and Instagram and after trading tweets and pix, I feel like I’ve made a new friend, even though our teams are rivals duking it out for the 2013 Western Conference title. (Um, we beat them last night by the way, 4-1. I’m just saying… 😉 We are proof that a Sharks fan and a Kings fan can peacefully coexist.

Anyway, I received my gifts a couple of weeks ago. I figured it was from my Secret Santa, but I wasn’t completely sure until I opened it. I really couldn’t remember what I’d put down for my interests. But hello! I got Los Angeles Kings stuff to add to my (slightly embarrassing) collection.

First there is this can cooler. Awesome. Pay no attention to my horrid looking hair which sat under a Santa hat all day at work.

My other present was a reversible LA Kings hat, which I promptly wore to the game on December 7 against the New York Islanders. We won, so it must be a lucky hat! I made my hubby take a pic of me after the game with the Staples Center sign behind me, but being a man he didn’t pay any attention to the gigantic alien fat blob masquerading as a chin. Thanks, dude.

The hat kept me nice and toasty warm and I love it! I love both my gifts. Thanks, Santa! And thanks, Kym, for organizing it all.

10.27.2013 Hockey, LA Kings, Terms of Endearment

Terms of Endearment #14

The room – (n.) The locker/dressing room.

Players often talk about the room.

“It’s good to have veteran guys like that in the room.”

“He’s a big presence in the room.”

“We don’t really talk about that stuff in the room.”

The room is referenced a lot in interviews. The room is obviously an important place. It’s the inner sanctum for the players. A lot of stuff gets said in there, the real stuff, the gritty stuff, the stuff that’s not camera-ready or politically correct.

I really hope I can bring my readers into the room with my players, the San Diego Barracudas. One my goals with the IN THE ZONE series is to zero in on a side of hockey that the fans don’t normally see. Sure, it’s fiction and I’m taking liberties and probably getting a lot of stuff wrong, but one day I may actually get a look at the Kings’ locker room, and at least soak in the non-human details.

Personally, I love when the TV cameras go in “the room.” I often ignore the players completely and focus on what’s behind him. I’m studying the pads, where the hooks are, all the details.

One time, I saw Anze Kopitar nonchalantly hang his cup up on a hook behind him while a reporter was asking a question. Being a woman, I was like, “Wow, that’s what a cup looks like.” Being an LA Kings fan, I was like, “OMG. THAT’S ANZE KOPITAR’S CUP!” Being a smutty romance writer, I was like, “Since they’re only filming him from the chest up, does that mean he hasn’t got pants on?”