The basic schedule of events today will be as follows:
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Live Updates from HockeyFest
The basic schedule of events today will be as follows:
Friday, September 10, 2010
IN DEAN WE TRUST...50% off, four hours only!
[UPDATED] The big blowout sale on t-shirts has ended. Thank you to all who ordered - we set a single day record! If you missed it, yet still want to show you're support... IN DEAN WE TRUST shirts are available, simply click here to access the store.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Throwback Thursdays - Interview w/ Brian Kilrea
Yet, the older you get, the more you realize the world we live in is actually a rather small place. The hockey world is even smaller.
On October 14, 1967 Brian Kilrea was one of about two dozen players that made up the inaugural L.A. Kings roster. On that specific night, he was skating on a line with Ted Irvine and Lowell MacDonald at the Long Beach Arena. Their new home - The Forum in Inglewood - wouldn't be ready for a few more months.
About 2,400 miles away in Ottawa, a 17-year old Terry Murray was just beginning his junior hockey career as a defenseman for the Ottawa 67s - as luck would have it, also an expansion team.
Later that night, Kilrea would forever become linked with the Kings, scoring the first goal in franchise history.
Today, the two men have switched teams. Murray is now the coach in Los Angeles and Kilrea is the General Manager back in Ottawa. However, the path that has taken 'Killer' (as he's affectionately known) from the Kings of '67 to the front office of the 67s, was a road filled with many twists and turns.
A few years after requesting a demotion to the minor leagues during his first season with the Kings, he eventually moved on to a successful coaching career in the OHL - a job that saw him tend herd over teams that once included Jim Fox...and more recently, featured one of the Kings draft picks earlier this summer, Tyler Toffoli.
Along the way he won over 1,100 games behind the bench, led two teams to the Memorial Cup (1984 and 1999), won the OHL title three times, was a five-time OHL Coach of the Year and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.
Not bad for a guy that only played 26 NHL games.
In the interview below we cover it all. From the first goal in Kings history to some of the players he's been associated with throughout his illustrious career.
MM: Take us back to October of '67. The Kings are playing the Flyers and you score the first-ever goal for the team...
Teddy Irvine carried the puck down the left wing, they went into the corner - he and Lowell McDonald - and they were battling for the puck. They fed it to me in the slot and I got off a quick shot. I wouldn't say I picked my shot, but I one timed it and it found room to go in. That goal got us back in the game, after being down 2-0. We went on to win that game 4-2. I scored into the empty net with less than a minute to go also.
After the game, Jack Kent Cooke, our owner, came down to the locker room and was going around congratulating everybody for winning the first game. The trainer had already given me the puck from earlier. So, when he came to talk to me, I gave the puck to him. You would have thought I gave him a million dollars or a puck of gold. He was just delighted, smiling from ear to ear. He really treasured that memento, the first goal for the Los Angeles Kings.
Any off ice memories with your linemates or some of the other guys that first season in L.A.?
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
2010 Camping Guide - Interview w/ Corey Elkins
Since Dean Lombardi's arrival in Los Angeles in April 2006 he has been on a mission to stock the organization with high-end prospects.
This Saturday, 3,000 fans are expected to descend upon the Kings training facility in El Segundo, CA for the second annual HockeyFest - where fans can interact with alumni, get autographs and attend various speaker sessions.
Simultaneously, the fruits of Lombardi's labor will be on display, as the Kings Rookie Camp gets underway in the same building. Nearly every major prospect he's acquired in the last four years will be present - forwards Clifford, Kozun, Loktionov, Schenn, Toffoli and Weal; defenseman Deslauriers, Fransson, Hickey, Muzzin and Teubert; plus goalies Berube and Jones.
Corey Elkins will be there too. The 6'3" center just completed his rookie season with Manchester, where he posted 21 goals (tops on the team) and 43 points (second on the team). Both totals also placed him in the top-10 for rookie scoring in the AHL.
He was expected to battle Brayden Schenn for a possible roster spot with the big club this season. Now, with news coming out today about Schenn having a knee injury that could keep him sidelined for several months, you may start to hear more about Elkins.
Get ready for camp! Here's the first in a series of exclusive interviews you'll find on MayorsManor in the days to come...
MM: You signed with the Kings organization as a free agent coming out of college in the spring of 2009. What made you want to sign in Los Angeles, especially considering the team hadn't made the playoffs in eight years at that point?
CE: Well, when I was going the process it was crazy. It was almost like getting recruited for college all over again. The opportunity just felt right with the Kings though. I liked Hex (Ron Hextall) and Jack (Johnson) and some of the guys that were coming out. I had some meetings with them and it all felt right. With me being a little older, it looked like I could have a quick learning curve in LA and get some good experience - whether it be in Manchester or with the Kings. It was also exciting to be part of such a young and up and coming team. You see the talent. If you go though the guys that are in the organization, you know it's just a matter of time. So, I was excited to be part of that.
You're pretty familiar with the Kings future, having been to a few of the camps already. How about the past? Let's see how well you know your Kings history - can you name five players that wore the old purple and gold jerseys?
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