REVIEW: The draft, the game and a new goalie?

Before you get ready for your big Saturday night, here are three quick Kings related notes...

* Hockey's Future reviews the Kings' 2010 NHL draft.  They think the Kings picked up one player who can quarterback the offense, another who has limited offensive upside and a third with an "almost comical skating style."  The article also says that Tyler Toffoli (Kings' 2nd rounder) has "top-six potential" - continuing a theme, with many experts thinking he may be one of the steals in this year's draft.

* Following up on yesterday's articles re: the Kings-Dodgers "partnership" over the last few years, they ran their joint record to a perfect 5-0 last night when the Dodgers beat the Cubs.  I hope McChris is making plans right now to have Ethier, Kemp, Loney, Billingsley, Blake, Martin, Kershaw, etc. ALL drop the puck at Kings home games this season...on separate nights of course.  Fittingly - Dodger catcher (a Canadian and a hockey fan) Russell Martin blasted a 3-run homer last night.  A full game recap is available here.

* Dustin Brown and Martin also played a little hockey in the dugout prior to DLO throwing out the first pitch.  To see the video click here.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

RELATED STORIES FROM THIS WEEK:
Thursday - From Greene to Brown to Blue Heaven on Earth
Friday - More Notes on the Kings, the Dodgers...and MY TOWN!


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More notes on the Kings, the Dodgers...and MY TOWN!

A few other notes on the game tonight:

* Chad Billingsley pitched for the Dodgers in the first game of this cross-town love fest back in August of  2008. He's back on the hill tonight when the Dodgers take on the Cubs during Kings Night at the Stadium.

* Last night was the anniversary of a rather momentous occasion at Dodger Stadium. It was 30 years ago yesterday that the Dodgers unveiled their then-state of the art scoreboard known as Mitsubishi Diamond Vision when they hosted the MLB All Star Game. Fans might take things like this for granted now, but it was the first video board of its kind. Coincidentally, the Kings are rumored to be getting their own state of the art scoreboard this summer, with an upgrade to HD. We shall see.

* For the "We miss the Forum'" crowd, you'll like this - remember that Gary Glitter song "Rock and Roll Part 2" (some call it the "Hey" song)...while the Kings don't play it anymore after a goal, the Dodgers still do after an LA slugger blasts a homerun. Go to the baseball game tonight and you may be able to get your HEY! out.

* Ilya Kovalchuk is not expected to attend the game, either as a fan or as a member of the LA Kings.

* Tickets in the MY TOWN section are still available.  The package deal includes all you can eat food and a pretty cool Kings-inspired Dodgers t-shirt.  Click here for details.

While Staples Center may be my home...when it comes to LA, THIS IS MY TOWN!

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

Click here to read the part one of the Kings-Dodgers article, covering the history of their relationship.

From Greene to Brown to Blue Heaven on Earth

The race is on.

While casual sports fans looking at the Dodgers and Kings may see two entirely different franchises, their recent narratives have been quite similar.

Over the last few years both teams have stock piled young talent at key positions.  Additionally, both hired former executives from hated NoCal rivals to fill their then-open General Manager positions - Dean Lombardi was once the GM for the Sharks and Ned Colletti served as the Assistant GM for the Giants.

Both men have come under fire at times for some of their trades and free agent signings.  And in 2010 both GM's have had public...um, disagreements...with one of their youthful, budding superstars - Colletti challenged Matt Kemp's play on the field and Lombardi ruffled the feathers of Jack Johnson when he questioned the coaching JJ received in college.

The comparisons could continue...yet, when all is said and done, one key fact remains.  Since the Kings entered the NHL in 1967, the Dodgers have won two championships for Los Angeles ('81 & '88)...while the Kings came away empty in their lone trip to the Finals back in '93.

However, most sports fans tend to have a 'What have you done for me lately?' mentality.  Thus, the slate is virtually wiped clean of history.

So, in present times...with both teams perhaps on the cusp of something great...the race is on. Which organization will be able to capitalize first on their current crop of high-end talent, bringing a championship to their fans?

Tuesday's 10 Tidbits on... the free agents

It's been five days since the Free Agent Frenzy began in the NHL.  Yet, here in LA, the only fireworks we've seen this July have been up in the sky.

As of this writing, the Kings have not added a player via free agency or trade.  In fact, they lost a player when Sean O'Donnell signed with the Flyers.

Fans came out of this past season energized and excited about the team's future.  Eager to balance that optimism with a dose of realism, GM Dean Lombardi has been quick to remind anybody who will listen that off-season tinkering could come via trade, just as easily as free agency.

However, given that trade possibilities are entirely too exhaustive to predict in advance, let's stick with free agency for today's 10 Tidbits article.  In alphabetical order below, we give you nuggets of info on 10 of the best free agents still on the market, many with some sort of a connection to Kings players of past or present...

* Maxim Afinogenov RW - has scored 20 or more goals in four of the eight seasons that saw him play more than 50 games, including last year in Atlanta.  His 61 points with the Thrashers placed him 13th among right wingers in the NHL.  Coincidentally, he also wore #61 this season in Hot-lanta.  Any team that signs him is advised to make it a short term deal, given his past work ethic issues.  For the right price, could be a solid "depth" signing.

* Eric Belanger C - played for the Kings from 2000-2006, including when he scored a now famous goal in the 2001 playoffs vs. the Detroit Red Wings. Belly was part of Lomabrdi's first big move as GM of the Kings, when he was traded in a package to Carolina for a then-college hockey player named Jack Johnson. Belly is probably best served as a third line center. His key strength is face-offs...he finished 9th in the league this year with a winning percentage of 56.4%, just ahead of Jarrett Stoll at 56.0%.

July 4th - Celebrating A Hockey Birthday Too

America is a great country and we should all be proud to live here.  While many are quick to place celebrities and athletes upon a pedestal, the real heroes are the men and women around the world that so bravely fight for our freedom.  It is because of them that we can sit here today safely.  Seriously, we salute you and your families for all that you make possible.

Here's a little 4th of July story with a Kings twist...

Long before Teemu Selanne was The Finnish Flash, the Kings had a center known as The Flying Finn...Juha Markku, born July 4th, 1947.

His story is an interesting one and also has ties to a few other people you may know... 

He led the Kings in scoring three straight seasons in the early 70s...on teams that included bigger names, like Butch Goring...but, we'll get to that...let's start at the beginning...

Like Tomas Sandstrom, he was born in Finland but actually raised in Sweden.  He came to North America as a teenager to play for the Brandon Wheat Kings...the same junior hockey club where current Kings prospect Brayden Schenn has been honing his skills the last three seasons.

Furthering his parallel with Sandstrom, Markku started his pro career with the New York Rangers...only it was back in 1969, when Tomas was only 5 years old.

After just one season in the Big Apple, Markku was traded to Jack Kent Cooke's three-year old Los Angeles Kings franchise in February 1970.  Who went back the other way in the deal?  Ted Irvine...better known today as the father of Chris Jericho, a WWE superstar and host of NBC's Downfall.

The Flying Finn went on to play six full seasons with the Kings...leading the team in scoring from '70-71 to '72-73...he averaged 24 goals in his first five years in LA, yet he lost his scoring touch in the '75-76 season - netting just 7 goals in 67 games.  The following year he was traded to the Cleveland Barons.

On a side note, Markku often played on a line with Bob Berry during his time in LA. Berry is now a scout for the Kings.

Markku played one more year in Edmonton (a WHA club at the time) and then called it a career in the summer of '78.  The following season that same Edmonton team featured the debut of a 17 year old kid named Wayne Gretzky.  As is the custom in hockey, young Wayne was assigned a veteran player as his roommate on the road.  Who did Wayne get?  Garnet "Ace" Bailey.  Yes, the same Ace Bailey who would go on to be a scout for the LA Kings.  Along with Mark Bavis (a fellow scout), the two were among the nearly 3,000 lives that were taken from us on September 11, 2001.

Today would have been Markku's 63rd birthday.  Unfortunately, he passed away back in 1984...suffering a heat attack at the young age of 37.

Tonight across America friends and families will gather to enjoy each others' company and share in the tradition of fireworks, as we celebrate our freedom.  When you stare into the sky this evening if you see some purple and yellow among the bursts of light, it's probably just Markku and Bailey smiling down on you from up above.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor


The Cleveland Barons (mentioned above) were originally the California Seals...who, like the Kings, were one of six teams added to the NHL in 1967...you can read more about the group known as the Second Six by clicking here.

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