Below are the 8 most recent journal entries recorded in lakingsteam's LiveJournal:

Monday, January 29th, 2007
6:55 pm	Los Angeles Kings @ Edmonton Oilers 1/27 Usually when I have a break between games on the road, I just go to local malls or museums, something to do to pass the time, but, thanks to the NHL schedule, I had something a bit more Odyssey related to do. The night after the Sharks came in and made the Oilers look all Jekyll-y, their SoCal counterpart (the Kings) brought out the Hyde-y side of the Copper and Blue. On this night I definitely saw a much more exciting, closely fought matchup (Oilers won 4-3). The lead went back and forth all night, and saw the Oilers score twice in the third period to get the win. I again talked to the Oil fans sitting around me, again, very nice people. When a man sitting in the section behind mine, in the 300s (read: seats 3 inches from the rafters) won 29,000 CAD in the 50/50 drawing, everyone in my section practically gave him a standing o when he triumphantly ran down the stairs to claim his prize. It was weird being a fan of another team, just because I've never had to do it before. I have some sort of problem with not having a jersey or a team paraphernalia when I'm at a game, even if I don't much care for either team. It's some sort of disease, it gets into my brain and rots away at my wallet. After deciding which players I could and could not wear on my player t-shirt, I set off to the store to pick one up. Lupul - no, too new and people don't like him that much. Torres - hell no, he's pretty despicable because of that Michalek hit, and to see it again, and see that his original target was Marleau makes me that much more steamed. Roloson - shoot me now, he does have a great glove hand, but never have I seen a goalie who is better at diving than Greg Louganis. There was no Stoll, Smith, or Smyth, so I took good ole Ales Hemsky (little did I know he would record 4 points). With that circle and the dripping "Oilers" on my chest, I set out for my seat, being a part of the Oil faithful. I didn't mention yesterday, but the walkways at Rexall are stupid narrow (that's how the kids say "very narrow"). It's impossible to walk around without crashing into someone. The concourses are kinda nice, but waaay too small to inhabit anywhere close to the 16,800 some that fill Rexall each and every night. When the Oilers scored first, almost instinctively I jumped up from my seat and started celebrating Ryan Smyth's goal. It must have been the Canadian (Molson) I had on a fully empty stomach that temporarily brainwashed me into genuinely caring for the Oilers like a team I had been caring for my whole life. I never did utter a "let's go oilers", but I did do plenty of clapping, none of which can be traced to me (and if you try, I'll deny everything). I did stand up for each goal, and was happy to see the Oilers win, but partially because I didn't feel like coexisting with angry disgruntled Oiler fans two nights in a row (and it helps that I don't care for the Kings). I tell you though, it was nice to not have a target on my chest and back for once. I could walk around the concourses and not hear who "sucks". I got nary a stank-eye from any Oiler faithful, and it was nice to not be booed when I got on and off the LRT (and nobody tried to block me from boarding the LRT either). I'm not sure I would cheer for the Oilers again, but that's just because I am not a true Oiler fan, my NHL allegiance lies elsewhere. Sharks visit Vancouver to take on the Canucks tonight (7:00 pst). Check 'er out. Go Sharks (hooray for soon-to-be me in warm weather [I land in Vancouver at 1:35]) -Jess (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 26th, 2006
5:42 pm	12/14 los angeles 4, SHARKS 2 I would have posted earlier today but I was too busy buying my Barry Brust jersey (obvious sarcasm that must not be obvious, cause here I am explaining myself). The rookie, playing in just his second NHL game, had only a few minutes to prepare for what turned out to be 60 solid minutes for the struggling Los Angeles Kings against the Teal, making 34 saves for his first career win. Fellow rookie Anze Kopitar notched a pair of goals and Mike Cammalleri and Derek Armstrong also scored for the Kings, who avenged their loss at the hands of the Sharks on Tuesday at Staples. In the Sharks defense, they made Brust and the Kings look pretty good by coming out flat. Possibly looking past the Kings, as they did control the game on Tuesday, the Sharks and the fans couldn't help but eye that bigtime match-up with "those friggin' Ducks" comin up Saturday night in the Tank. Going scoreless on 18 shots through the first two periods of play, the Sharks finally broke through the wall known as Brust ( the Bar [pronounced b-air] -lin Wall anyone?) for two goals on 18 shots in the final frame. Christian Ehrhoff got the Sharks on the board with a powerplay marker at 9:59, and Mike Grier moved the Sharks a bit closer when he scored with just less than 4 minutes left, but as it turned out, it wasn't enough. On a happier note, I feel that I did my duty as a fan of hockey last night, when I introduced my friend Jamie to the wonderful world of hockey. Living in the area, she had never attended a hockey game in her life, but, despite the poor outcome, she enjoyed her first game, and is planning to go back (Jamie, if this isn't true, please don't tell me, because I like making up stuff and believing it. Besides, you would be letting all these fine readers [readers = 3 people not including my mom, dad, and grandma :D ] down, and pissing people off over the internet is not cool). Not quite as nationally touted as the first matchup, Saturday brings the Ducks to town for "The Rematch". The first one didn't go so hot (if you ask anyone in teal, which, of course, is the only opinion that matters :D ), but, with the poor ice, the nerves, and the unlucky bounces worthy places to take blame, it's a brand new game, and it's in the Tank. It's Saturday night hockey in one of the loudest buildings in the NHL. It's the battle of the Pacific, it's the playoffs in December, it's Sharks/Ducks hockey. Be there (or at least follow along on TV or the radio or the internet or carrier pigeon). Go Sharks (go fulfill your duty as a hockey fan and bring a friend to a game) -Jess On a side note, I was on KFOG this morning, as the talk of superstitions came up, spawning a whole segment devoted to the topic. After the Sharks play tomorrow night, and the subsequent recap post on Sunday, I will be posting some superstitions of mine, and invite all who read to comment on it by submitting their own. Again, that post will be Monday, so start compiling some of your favorite, and least favorite superstitions. (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 2nd, 2006
1:19 pm	Backcheck: A Hockey Retrospective For those of you that don't already know, Collections Canada's website Backcheck: A Hockey Retropsective offers an amazing look into hockey history, complete with original newspaper coverage of many of hockey's most important events. Here's a look at some of the many highlights From the Montreal Gazette, Nov. 1st, 1959 - Goalie Jacques Plante, wearing a plastic helmet to protect a face injury sustained early in the game, turned in a masterful performance as his Montreal mates drubbed the New York Rangers. 3-1 tonight before a sellout National Hockey League crowd of 15,925. Full Story From the Montreal Gazette, March 18, 1955 - Mob violence took command of Montreal's west end last night as hockey fans by the thousands started a riot over the suspension of Maurice (The Rocket) Richard that has no parallel in Montreal's long and stormy hockey history. Full Story - Full Rocket Richard Riot Coverage From the Globe And Mail, September 29, 1972 - Paul Henderson's winning goal yesterday with 34 seconds left in the game on which international hockey prestige was balanced, completed an incredible comeback by Team Canada and left the place of sports, Lenin Central Stadium echoing to O Canada. Full Story - Full 1972 Summit Series Coverage From the Edmonton Journal, August 10, 1988 - Canada lost its Greatest One Tuesday. After 10 dazzling years here, Wayne Gretzky was dealt to Los Angeles Kings in the most stunning hockey deal in history. (Comment on this)
Friday, August 18th, 2006
11:44 am	Notes The Stanley Cup is in Minnesota this weekend, and I'm in North Carolina, about to go check out the RBC Center. Something seems backwards about this. Michigan's Scout.com site got a pretty good interview with Michigan assistant Billy Powers. I found a few interesting tidbits in the interview: On the goalie situation: A: Billy would have to lose the job. He's entering the season as the clear-cut number one goalie. Mike Mayhew and Steve Jakiel will battle it out for who will be second in line, it's either of theirs for the taking. Not great news for anyone hoping Jakiel would come in and challenge Sauer for the starting role. And on the lineup for next year: A: We have not looked at the lines yet. We're confident that we know what the team is going to look like now, but we don't want to jinx ourselves and that might be why we haven't talked much about it. That seems to imply that it's very likely that T.J. Hensick will be back unless something drastic changes. Speaking of Michigan offseason departures, Trevor Lewis' departure from Michigan is causing some controversy in Canada. Lewis signed to play with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL. The only problem is that Lewis is a native of Utah, meaning his rights belong to the WHL. I was a little confused as to how Lewis was able to sign with Owen Sound in the first place. It should be interesting to see how that plays out. The USA WJC Evaluation Camp is going on this week. CSTV reporter Eliot Olshanky is covering the event. There's a lot of good notes about WCHA and CCHA guys in there. This US team is shaping up pretty nicely. I still don't think they're in the same league as Canada though. Speaking of international play, the US U18 team is taking on Canada in the championship of the Ivan Hlinka World tournament. The US beat the Czechs, Finns, and Russians to get to the finals. They made it there largely on the effort of goalie Jeremy Smith and forward Jimmy Hayes. I'm not expecting much from the US team today considering that this is essentially the USA's "B" team, while Canada's team was so deep that they cut Sam Gagner. Scott Parse says he is officially returning. It provides yet another example of the LA Kings love for college hockey: Parse, who will be a captain with the Mavs this season, was a sixth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2004 NHL draft. Parse did not participate at L.A.'s prospects camp this summer, and he said his negotiations with the team during the off-season never got far. "They don't want me," he said. Well, that's stupid. I could kind of see why they'd be wary of Parse, but it's not like he's a Peter Sejna or Junior Lessard that came out of nowhere as an upperclassmen and put up a ton of points against younger competition. Parse has been consistently excellent over his career at Omaha, and moreso, I think he's more likely for success in the NHL because he has the skating ability and defensive play that those players lacked. Hockey's Future wrote about David Fischer's trip to the USA WJC Camp. Every single great NHL hockey player that the State of Hockey has ever produced is helping with the WJC Camp. Update: Canada defeated the US 3-0 in the U18 championships. (Comment on this)
Friday, August 11th, 2006
11:05 am	THE GRETZKY TRADE PT 1 - The Hockey World Stands Still August 9 marks the 18th anniversary of the trade that changed the landscape of hockey - The Wayne Gretzky Trade To L.A. It may not have played itself out as hockey's biggest blockbuster deal ever, but it remains the games most shocking transaction. To say the hockey world was caught off guard would be an understatement. The deal touched nerves on issues of national pride and was analyzed from more than just a hockey perspective. It was by and large a business deal, as Gretzky was often mentioned in the following days as an asset as much as he was a player. As the Great One had recently married, domestic slants infiltrated the opinions of the player and his bride. Some went so far as to compare Janet Gretzky to Yoko Ono! In Wayne Gretzky's book, "An Autobiography", 99 gave his version of the events that unfolded in the days leading up to the deal, and the days that followed. At the time of the trade, fingers were pointed ramdomly, as every fan of the game, thought there should be someone to blame. The trade's two main instigators were Oilers owner Peter Pocklington first and foremost, then Gretzky himself, as he has admitted. I'd like to be able to reference Pocklingtons book, trouble is nobody bought it. That goes ditto for the spin he put on the trade. The root cause of the deal was not so much a hockey issue. It was well known at the time that Pocklington's main financial interests lie with a meat packing firm that was taking on losses. With bankruptcy facing the Oilers owner, his solution became Gretzky. The owner felt for some reason that 99 was a declining asset of sorts who was fast approaching the age of free agency. Fearing that he would either lose him for no return or that his value would continue to diminish annually, Pocklington sought out the players market value. After finding a handful of takers willing to suit his needs, Pocklington began the bidding process. It is here that Gretzky stepped in. The Great One got the word from another player of what Pocklington was up to. He was furious to say the least, not wanting at all to leave Edmonton. When the owner insisted the trade had to happen, Gretzky forced his hand by demanding he be traded to a destination suitable to him. If not, he used not reporting and retirement as leveredge to get his way. At this point, with little bargaining room, Pocklington let Gretzky in on talks with others teams involved. Prior to this, the frontrunner in talks was Nelson Skalbania and the Vancouver Canucks, whom Gretzky knew and didn't altogether trust from his days as an Indianapolis Racer. As Gretzky spoke with a few prospective team owners, Los Angeles emerged as his likely suitor. He was charmed by the sly manners of Kings owner Bruce McNall, who saw in Gretzky a future partner in a variety of undertakings. Throw in the fact that the Kings played in the Western Conference, and that Janet lived in L.A. and Gretzky was seduced by the idea. Most importantly, McNall had the money to solve Pocklingtons woes. Having hatched a deal, Pocklington, McNall and Gretzky talked of a media plan to offset (as if they ever could) the obvious fallout from the media, the hockey world, and Canada in general. All would later admit they underestimated the consequences of what they were about to bring down. It was planned that Gretzky being the biggest long term benefactor of the deal would play scapegoat. Unfortunately the media had done its homework on Pocklingtons troubles, and the plan went awry. Once all the arrows had found Pocklington, he started the mudslinging at Gretzky. In the end none of it stuck. August 9, 1988, the deal was announced to the world. Edmonton sends Wayne Gretzky, Mike Krushelnyshi and Marty McSorley to the Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, the Kings first round draft choices for 1989, 1991, and 1993, and 15 million dollars cash. Canada and the hockey universe were stunned, shocked, and in disbelief. It would always be one of those moments in one's life where you remember exactly where you were when you heard the news. I had returned to work from an out of town payroll run to find the entire male population of my workplace gathered around the radio with pale faces and sushed lips. Thirteen years later, the exact scenario played out for me again in the very same way as two planes struck the World Trade Centers. The consequences are hardly comparable, but it is an odd similarity for me in many ways. (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006
6:03 pm	Bobby Holik and the cotton-candy NHL Bobby Holik (#16) and the Rangers' Martin Rucinsky From a New York Times article regarding Zinédine Zidane and the World Cup, "A Mouth Shouldn’t Run Too Far", 8/1/06 (link via Ben Maller): Current and former athletes and officials of the four traditional major professional sports leagues in North America said that rarely, if ever, does trash talking in their sports take the form of racial, ethnic or politically charged comments. Stephen Walkom, the National Hockey League’s director of officiating, said that even in a sport like hockey, which considers physical retribution an integral part of the game, "The players normally know where the line is and don’t cross it." But what, exactly, is that line? "I guess each case is different," said Walkom, who spent 15 seasons as an N.H.L. referee. "It’s usually so personal that it can’t be handled. But I can’t say what it is." The threshold in soccer became more clear yesterday, at least in Europe. The sport’s governing body in Europe, UEFA, announced new rules, mandating that players making racist remarks or gestures could be suspended for up to five matches. Meanwhile, the threshold in North American sports leagues may fluctuate with broader social norms. "Today’s age isn’t as racist as maybe when my dad played," said the former major league center fielder Brian McRae, who is black, and whose father, Hal, played 19 seasons, from 1968 to 1987, with the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals. "A lot of the trash talk that I heard that got personal was between the different Latino groups," said McRae, 38, who played 10 seasons, from 1990 to 1999, with the Royals, the Chicago Cubs, the Mets and the Colorado Rockies. But McRae said he did not think the insults among baseball players were of the same nature as those in an international soccer competition, "because we don’t play different countries," he said. "Even though the guys in baseball are from all these different countries, the trash talking that goes on is not that deep-rooted in hatred. But if the World Cup in baseball gets going in intensity, it could get that way," he said, referring to the World Baseball Classic, which made its debut this year. McRae said that when he was playing, much of the trash talk he heard was about sexual orientation. "There were probably more comments about that than anything else because of just the way it is in our society," he said. "If you knew or suspected a guy was gay, you would try to get under his skin." Hockey also has an international competition, in which national passions have been known to rise, especially between the Russians and their former Eastern bloc satellites. Atlanta Thrashers center Bobby Holik, however, said the N.H.L. was not nearly as nationalistic as it once was. "It used to be a lot worse," said Holik, 35, who was born and reared in the former Czechoslovakia. "When there was a big influx of European players — the first wave that came over in the early 1990’s — we were ‘Commies’ and whatnot. We play in the cotton-candy N.H.L. nowadays. You can’t say anything that’s politically incorrect or you can’t hit anybody too hard." If someone does consider entering that territory, there is the risk of a significant suspension and hefty fine. That may compel players to keep their trash talking game-related. Now, the verbal sparring in the major pro sports leagues in North America may be toned down, perhaps even jocular. "A lot of the trash talking I heard was funny," said Brian Baldinger, who was an offensive lineman for 13 seasons, from 1982 to 1994, in the N.F.L. with the Dallas Cowboys, the Indianapolis Colts and the Philadelphia Eagles. "Warren Sapp was just an entertainer out there," said Baldinger, 46, now a television analyst for Fox and the NFL Network. "What happens in the World Cup is I think endemic to the World Cup. In the N.F.L., you can’t do that. You just don’t mention race. It will come back to haunt you. That would be something you’d get ripped apart for in your own locker room. And it would be something that would be completely counterproductive to your career." Baldinger mentioned the veteran quarterback Kerry Collins as an example. "He made some comments about race early in his career, and it harmed him his entire career," Baldinger said. "He fought the racist tag his entire career." Most athletes in the four major sports leagues in North America are exposed to diversity training. Before the 1999-2000 season, each of the 30 N.H.L. teams was required to attend a diversity seminar. That may be a reason there are fewer accusations of racial slurs on the ice than in the 1990’s. But there are still incidents pertaining to race and nationality. In September, Los Angeles Kings forward Sean Avery was reprimanded by the N.H.L. for making derogatory remarks about French-Canadian players. A month later, Edmonton Oilers forward Georges Laraque, who is black, accused Avery of using a racial slur, which Avery denied. Colin Campbell, the N.H.L. senior vice president in charge of fines and suspensions, said it was difficult to mete out punishment when a player makes an accusation against another player. "We only do something in a supplemental discipline nature when we hear of any racially derogatory terms that are heard by a neutral referee," Campbell said. And when a referee is not within earshot, the leagues can only hope their athletes are not crossing the line into unacceptable trash talking. Wherever that line may be. (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 29th, 2006
4:54 pm	Starting up again in twelve weeks. Hard to believe, but in just three months (83 days to be exact), the 2006-2007 NHL regular season kicks off on Wednesday, October 4th with a three-game slate highlighted by an Eastern Conference finals rematch between the Buffalo Sabres and Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh. One day later on Thursday, October 5th, the San Jose Sharks dive into the pool, kicking off their 16th season with a home match against the revamped St. Louis Blues. The full 2006-2007 schedule for the Sharks, home games in caps: OCTOBER THU 5 ST. LOUIS BLUES 7:30 P.M. SAT 7 NEW YORK ISLANDERS 7:30 P.M. Mon 9 @ Calgary Flames 5:00 p.m. Thu 12 @ Edmonton Oilers 6:00 p.m. (Still pissed off) Fri 13 @ Vancouver Canucks 7:00 p.m. (Early look at Luongo) TUE 17 DALLAS STARS 7:30 P.M. THU 19 DETROIT RED WINGS 7:30 P.M. (LMAO Belfour) SAT 21 MINNESOTA WILD 7:30 P.M. Mon 23 @ Columbus Blue Jackets 4:00 p.m. Wed 25 @ Detroit Red Wings 4:30 p.m. Thu 26 @ Nashville Predators 5:00 p.m. (Playoff rematch!) Sun 29 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 2:00 p.m. Tue 31 @ Florida Panthers 4:30 p.m. (Bertuzzi's new home) NOVEMBER THU 2 NEW YORK RANGERS, 7:30 P.M. (Jagr vs. Thornton) SAT 4 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS, 7:30 P.M. (Crosby in town, Malkin too?) TUE 7 MINNESOTA WILD 7:30 P.M. Thu 9 @ Los Angeles Kings 7:30 p.m. (Sharks connections everywhere) Sat 11 @ Phoenix Coyotes 6:00 p.m. Mon 13 @ Los Angeles Kings 7:30 p.m. (Lombardi, McCauley, Thornton) Wed 15 @ Colorado Avalanche 6:00 p.m. SAT 18 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 7:30 P.M. Tue 21 @ Anaheim Ducks 7:00 p.m. (No longer Mighty) WED 22 LOS ANGELES KINGS 7:30 P.M. SAT 25 NEW JERSEY DEVILS 7:30 P.M. Tue 28 @ St. Louis Blues 5:00 p.m. Wed 29 @ Minnesota Wild 5:00 p.m. DECEMBER Sat 2 @ Detroit Red Wings 4:00 p.m. Mon 4 @ Dallas Stars 6:00 p.m. THU 7 COLORADO AVALANCHE 7:30 P.M. SAT 9 NASHVILLE PREDATORS 7:30 P.M. MON 11 PHOENIX COYOTES 7:00 P.M. Tue 12 @ Los Angeles Kings 7:30 p.m. THU 14 LOS ANGELES KINGS 7:30 P.M. SAT 16 ANAHEIM DUCKS 7:30 P.M. (More chances to boo Pronger!) THU 21 DALLAS STARS 7:30 P.M. SAT 23 CALGARY FLAMES 7:00 P.M. TUE 26 ANAHEIM DUCKS 7:30 P.M. (4 times a year!) THU 28 PHOENIX COYOTES 7:30 P.M. Sat 30 @ Phoenix Coyotes 6:00 p.m. Sun 31 @ Dallas Stars 5:00 p.m. JANUARY THU 4 DETROIT RED WINGS 7:30 P.M. SAT 6 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS 7:30 P.M. WED 10 EDMONTON OILERS 7:00 P.M. Thu 11 @ Los Angeles Kings 7:30 p.m. Sat 13 @ Phoenix Coyotes 6:00 p.m. MON 15 COLORADO AVALANCHE 7:00 P.M. THU 18 PHOENIX COYOTES 7:30 P.M. SAT 20 ST. LOUIS BLUES 7:30 P.M. Tu/W 23-24 All-Star Celebration @ Dallas (Mid-week? I guess) Fri 26 @ Edmonton Oilers 6:00 p.m. Sun 28 @ Vancouver Canucks 7:00 p.m. TUE 30 DALLAS STARS 7:30 P.M. FEBRUARY THU 1 DALLAS STARS 7:30 P.M. SAT 3 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 1:00 P.M. TUE 6 ANAHEIM DUCKS 7:30 P.M. (Up from twice-yearly!) Wed 7 @ Anaheim Ducks 7:00 p.m. Tue 13 @ St. Louis Blues 5:00 p.m. Wed 14 @ Nashville Predators 5:00 p.m. Fri 16 @ Columbus Blue Jackets 4:00 p.m. Sun 18 @ Dallas Stars 12:30 p.m. Wed 21 @ Washington Capitals 4:00 p.m. (Ovechkin ownage) Thu 22 @ Chicago Blackhawks 5:30 p.m. Sat 24 @ Calgary Flames 7:00 p.m. MON 26 ANAHEIM DUCKS 7:00 P.M. WED 28 NASHVILLE PREDATORS 7:30 P.M. MARCH Fri 2 @ Anaheim Ducks 7:00 p.m. Sun 4 @ Dallas Stars 12:30 p.m. Tue 6 @ Minnesota Wild 5:00 p.m. FRI 9 VANCOUVER CANUCKS 7:30 P.M. SUN 11 EDMONTON OILERS 5:00 P.M. TUE 13 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 7:30 P.M. Thu 15 @ Phoenix Coyotes 7:00 p.m. FRI 16 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS 7:30 P.M. Sun 18 @ Colorado Avalanche 5:00 p.m. Wed 21 @ Chicago Blackhawks 5:30 p.m. Thu 22 @ Atlanta Thrashers 4:00 p.m. Sat 24 @ Carolina Hurricanes 4:00 p.m. (Defending champions) TUE 27 LOS ANGELES KINGS 7:30 P.M. FRI 30 PHOENIX COYOTES 7:30 P.M. APRIL SUN 1 LOS ANGELES KINGS 3:00 P.M. Wed 4 @ Anaheim Ducks 7:00 p.m. THU 5 CALGARY FLAMES 7:30 P.M. SAT 7 VANCOUVER CANUCKS 1:00 P.M I do dig them having five of their last six games at home. Bell-Thornton-Cheechoo! Michalek-Marleau-Bernier! Ekman-Goc-Grier! Brown-Smith-Nieminen! Hannan-Gorges! McLaren-Carle! Ehrhoff-Murray! (or Davison!) Toskala! Hopefully Nabokov is traded sooner than later! (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 27th, 2006
10:53 am	Kings Acquire Goalie Today, the Los Angeles Kings got a little stronger adding former starting goaltender, Dan Cloutier, from the Canucks for a couple of moderate draft picks. Cloutier, a 30-game winner three times with the Canucks is a strong regular season goaltender who can earn you all sorts of wins, will more than likely prove to be a strong character for the Kings in their run for a Pacific Division title. An injury-riddled season kept Cloutier from the Canucks' crease in 2005/'06, but some solid rehab all year and the summer should make him a healthy candidate for the starting job in LA, in front of Mathieu Garon. He should be a second-round to high third-round pick in any pool still. A small cry from his first-round potential, but there is no reason why he couldn't be there again in the regular season. Technorati Tags NHL Hockey Pool Trades Los Angeles Kings Vancouver Canucks (Comment on this)