LA Kings – Page 2

05.08.2014 Fun, Hockey, LA Kings, Research

In Which Kate Attempts To Be Businesslike…

So, I’m minding my own business watching a Kings game on TV when Patrick O’Neal announces that the LA Kings are putting on two seminars called “The Business of Hockey.” I’m like, that sounds interesting. After the game, I check out the website and it sounds really interesting. For $80, they were offering two hours with panels of experts to talk about the business of hockey, two tickets to a game in a VIP box and an LA Kings pad folio and pen.

All that for eighty bucks? HELLO. I signed up for both days.

But I was askeered when the big day arrived. I expected the event to be populated with a bunch of fresh, young college kids, mostly guys, armed with resumes and confidence. I was certain I’d be the only attendee over 50 and probably one of very few women.

When I arrived at the Regal Cinemas at LA Live where the seminars were to take place, I saw a ton of guys and a few women in full-on business suits. I felt like a fish, not only out of water, but like ten miles from the fish bowl.

I sat in front, because I’m short and even though the theater had stadium seating, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to see. The man I sat next to was very serious. He was in law school. He was about thirty years old and very pretentious. He was proud of the fact that he was the only one in class who ever answered the professor’s questions. Yeah. That guy. I bet his classmates love him. Not a big conversationalist.

Anyway, while waiting for it to start, I realized the lock screen picture on my phone was set to display the cover of On the Surface, where Spectacular Bare-Chested Six-Pac Ab Man is drinking his water with his Adam’s apple prominently displayed along with his erect nipples. (See sidebar.) Surreptitiously, I changed it to a picture of my Dustin Brown jersey.

Yeah, I know. I probably should have been proud…like, “That’s right, Mr. Law School. This is the cover of my contemporary hockey romance novel. Smirk all you want.” But I wasn’t. I just wanted to fit in and absorb.

It was a great seminar. The opening video made me want to stand up and cheer. (Of course, I didn’t, posing as the staid, unflappable “business woman.” I think I was the only one who walked in holding a jersey I wanted Luc Robitaille to sign.) I learned a lot and was thrilled when Alex Curry actually asked the panel a couple of the questions I had submitted via the link emailed to the attendees. (Mr. Law School seemed unimpressed when I whispered, “That was my question!” to him.)

Both seminars were great, in fact. I took 9 pages of notes. Luc signed my jersey. I saw the inside of a VIP box. (It was dingier than I expected. Staples Center needs to spruce them up a little.) I learned a bit about agents and that whole side of the business. I learned that social media are playing a huge role in professional hockey right now. I learned that connecting with the fans is almost Job One, because fans buy tickets and drive TV ratings. I found it so interesting and worth every penny, even the $20 bucks I paid for parking.

So, a week or so later, I’m again minding my own business, watching the Kings Live pre-game broadcast and see a segment on the Business of Hockey seminar that I went to! And check it out. I’m in the video! Click here, then click on FS West Feature: The Business of Hockey (Part 1)

About 20 seconds in you’ll see a row of heads in the front, then no head, then a bunch of heads. The no-head chair is me! I’m short, remember?

At minute 1:58, you’ll see a woman with her head down, scribbling madly. That’s me again! My little straw purse is at my feet.

Yeah, that’s my claim to LA Kings fame. I was about eight feet away from Luc Robitaille. We breathed the same popcorn-scented air.

What a thrill. It was all worth those few scary moments at the beginning.

When was the last time you were scared and/or intimidated? How did it work out?

02.11.2014 Fangirl, Fans, Geekiness, Hockey, LA Kings, Los Angeles Kings

Meeting the Kings

The other day I got to meet Willie Mitchell and Slava Voynov, both defensemen for the Los Angeles Kings. It was a blast. They were signing autographs at the Staples store in Burbank, about a 20 minute drive for me. (For those of you who don’t know, the Kings play in the Staples Center. The Kings aren’t just choosing an office supply store as the ideal place to sign autographs.)

The balloons indicate the signing area

I can imagine how strange we all looked to the regular shoppers.

It was fun to meet other fans and wallow in our geekiness. It’s almost like having a secret identity and being allowed to shed the disguise for a couple of hours. In “private”, I am a rabid LA Kings fan who owns a card containing a swatch from a Justin William’s game-worn jersey. It is encased in plastic. It is a source of both pride and embarrassment. But at a fan event like the autograph session, I am among my peers. It is refreshing and exciting.

The rules of this signing: we could have one signature per player, we could take a photograph but would have to stay in front of the table.

Bummer. My son, who accompanied me, put his longboard and hat back in the car so that I could get my jersey signed by Slava and Willie. I love that boy so much. He knew how important it was to me to have the advent calendar I’d made signed by players.

I got really nervous as the line moved forward after an hour of waiting. The Ice Crew girls liked my calendar. Slava signed first. I said hi. He said hi. That was the extent of our conversation. Maybe I should have learned a Russian greeting for the occasion. Good idea for next time.

Willie signed the back of the calendar and then asked to see it flipped around, because he didn’t get a good look at it. I told him what it was and he really liked it. Bailey, the Kings mascot, gave it a thumbs-up. (I had him sign it too. Bailey is terrific.) By then the woman in charge was giving us the evil eye even though it was Willie who had chosen to hold up the line. (Back off, bitch! LOL)

Here’s what my jersey looks like now. (King, Nolan, Muzzin, Voynov, Mitchell)

And here’s the front of the advent calendar.

01.14.2014 Carina Press, Harlequin, Hockey Book 2, In The Zone Series, LA Kings

Forfeiting to Harlequin Superromance

I got word today that there’s a Harlequin Superromance book coming out with the title IN HER CORNER. Harlequin tries to avoid publishing two books with the same title.

Sigh.

So, since that book comes out first, I have to change my title to…

ACROSS THE LINE

I think ACROSS THE LINE is actually just as nice a title. It fits the story, because both the main characters cross a line with each other, and there are lots of lines in hockey, like the blue line, pictured here with the handsome Jarret Stoll of the LA Kings. And oddly, enough it was on my original list of suggested titles, so I thought of it. LOL

Let’s hope that title sticks!

01.11.2014 Fangirl, Hockey, LA Kings, Los Angeles Kings

A Brief TV “Appearance”

The LA Kings have a show this season on Fox Sports West called Kings Weekly. It’s a fluffy show focusing on a lot of the off-ice activities the Kings are involved in, like charity events, the Father/Son Road Trip–stuff like that. Recently they started a feature called Fan Takeover. Twitter fans request a certain player be interviewed. Then, once the player is chosen, fans tweet questions.

This week, the player was Mike Richards. Love this guy. So down to earth. I submitted a couple of questions and one of them made it! “Does Arnold ever go to practice or on road trips with you?”

I was so excited, my scream freaked out my son who thought I’d cut myself in the kitchen.

What was Mike’s answer? Arnold has not been to the rink in a long time. He didn’t say whether he’d gone on a road trip, but went on and on about how nice it was to have his dog with him here in California rather than with his parents.

Here’s a picture of Mike and Arnold. So cute together.

Photo credit: Me and Mike Richards