What I've learned so far... by LA forward Kevin Westgarth

Don Draper or Ethan Moreau? You decide.

Earlier this week we kicked off a new series here on MayorsManor, titled 'What I've learned so far..."

Kings forwards Ethan Moreau and Trent Hunter were the first two to file a report, largely based around them getting to know some of their new teammates.

Here, we'll switch things up a bit and allow newly married Kevin Westgarth to share some observations he collected while the team was out on the road for the first few weeks of October.

This is what Westgarth says he's recently learned...

About Ethan Moreau - "It's been great getting to know him, he's a veteran presence in the NHL. He's the king of the one-liners and a real funny guy. I now know that he probably looks better with his teeth in than out. I also feel like his doppelganger is Don Draper from Mad Men. I don't know if it's his personality or reflected in what he looks like, I just get that vibe from him. He's a cool customer, I guess."

About Justin Williams - "Willie just turned 30, so he's old now. We celebrated his birthday over there, the night we got into Sweden. That was pretty low key - we were at the hotel, in a little lounge area, and just ordered some room service. It was kinda cool though to just hang out with the guys. So, I know now that he's an old man. I can give him crap about that until - well, I guess until I turn 30."

The one thing Matt Greene never wants to see again, ever!

Penner - on the plane or the Space Shuttle? 

About a month ago, while we were collecting sound bites for an upcoming podcast, Matt Greene made of an offhanded comment when asked 'Who will be the worst dressed player on the trip?'

After selecting Dustin Penner he added 'because you never know what he's going to pull out that bag.' And little did he know how true those words would end up being.

Before the team was even in the air and on their way to Germany, Jonathan Quick snapped the photo to the left. It captured Penner settling in on the plane, looking more like he was getting ready to go surf the Atlantic than fly over it.

So, just what was the big left winger wearing?

"It's something you hope to never see again on a human being, especially a bear like that," said Jarret Stoll earlier this week. "He's got a lot of stuff going on, that guy."

Sounds like the comedy started early on the trip.

"Oh yeah, I think everyone gave him a couple jabs," Jack Johnson shared. "If a guy's bigger than you, you kind of leave him alone a little bit. But, Greener gave it to him the most."

Although he may have had a lot to say about then, Greene's trying to forget about it now.

High / Low points from LA Kings opening games in Europe

For those unfamiliar with the High/Low segment here on MayorsManor, it's a pretty simple format where we look at three highs and three lows from a game, somebody's career, a team etc.

In the past, special guests who have shared their own High/Low thoughts on various topics include Jim Fox, Rob Blake, Luc Robitaille, Marcel Dionne, Ethan Moreau and many others.

Throughout this season we'll take a look at the performance of the Kings in individual games and/or using small segments of the schedule. First up, a review of the first two games played this season over in Europe...

HIGHS

- Anze Kopitar: He scored the first goal of the season on Friday and added two more on Saturday. For anybody questioning how last season's injury may slow him down to start the season, the answer has been given. He flew back to the U.S. with four points (three goals, one assist) and lead the forwards in minutes played both nights.

- Moreau: Singed in late August to bring some veteran leadership and extra grit to the third and fourth lines, Moreau delivered in both games. He had the second most hits on the team in the season opener, with four (only training Matt Greene's five hits) and was tied for the team lead in the same category on Saturday.

- The power play:  Last season the Kings finished with a dismal conversion of rate of 16.1% with the man advantage. After two games, they're up to 25% on the young season.

VIDEO: LA Kings at Hamburg Freezers (great highlights)

Below are the video highlights from yesterday's Kings game in Hamburg, Germany. Forget the fact that this was just a pre-season game, take note of the great camera angles and fantastic slow motion stuff they captured... it's really a thing of beauty.

All the goals are featured - along with nice footage of Justin Williams, Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Brad Richardson, Davis Drewiske, Ethan Moreau, Dustin Brown, Jarret Stoll, Jonathan Quick, Jonathan Bernier and more.

(video player after the jump)...

NHL Premiere: caption these three Drew Doughty photos

After a summer filled with some nervous Kings fans wondering if Drew Doughty would ever play a game in Los Angeles again - despite several reassurances by team management that he wasn't going to be traded and it was 'just business - the talented blueliner finally inked a deal on September 30th.

And while those same fans couldn't wait to see him back on the ice, it seems the photographers in Hamburg yesterday couldn't resist taking photos of him on the ice - literally!

Kudos to the Hamburg Freezers for posting several non-traditional hockey shots from the Kings 5-4 win in their final pre-season tune-up prior to Friday's NHL season opener.

So, let's have some fun with the three shots below - see if you can come up with the best caption for any or all of the pictures.

DREW DOUGHTY #1

DREW DOUGHTY #2

Double Anschutz: LA Kings v Hamburg Freezers preview

Believe it or not, the Kings will play their final pre-season game in less than an hour. After that, it will be about 72 hours until the 2011-12 NHL season is finally underway!

LA's opponent today, the Hamburg Freezers, are one of the many teams owned around the world by Phillip Anschutz - yes, the same guy who owns the Kings.

Below are few pre-games notes to get you primed and ready to go:

- The game starts at 10am PST and can be viewed for free online here (just know that the commentary may be in German... and according to Google translate, elfmeter means penalty)

- Nick Nickson and Daryl Evans are not doing a radio broadcast of this game

- According to coach Terry Murray, the Kings will skate eight defenemen in the game...meaning rookie Slava Voynov will be in the line-up again (Murray spoke about the rookie's play during his press conference yesterday, recapped here)

- Also scheduled to play on the blueline, making his pre-season debut, is Drew Doughty (read his pre-trip comments here, where he calls out Willie Mitchell)

- Reports from Germany also indicate Murray will have Jonathan Bernier relieve Jonathan Quick about half way through the game vs. the Freezers.

- Dustin Penner is not expected to play, after not feeling well and leaving the ice during practice yesterday

MayorsManor podcast - European travel with the LA Kings

LA Kings plane ride (photo by J. Quick)

The MayorsManor podcast is back for the 2011-12 NHL season and this edition isn't going to need much of an intro.

Prior to the LA Kings departing for their season opening trip to Europe for the NHL Premiere series, we caught up with various players to talk about the experience in front of them.

All of your favorite Kings are included, like - Drew Doughty, Matt Greene, Jack Johnson, Anze Kopitar, Willie Mitchell, Dustin Penner, Rob Scuderi, Jarret Stoll, Kevin Westgarth and more. Even the new guys are get involved - Simon Gagne, Ethan Moreau and Mike Richards!

We play a slightly twisted game of word association, find out who will be the best dressed and worst dressed player on the trip, plus take a few guesses on who will be the most annoying person on the plane ride over.

Get to know a whole new side of this year's LA Kings team...

(audio player after the jump)

Drew Doughty on his most annoying LA Kings teammate

Last night, after the Kings mailed in a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche and sent thousands of disappointed fans into casinos and bars throughout Las Vegas, the team and dozens of staff boarded a private charter and headed off to Europe.

First stop will be Hamburg, Germany - where the Kings will play their final pre-season game on Tuesday against a local team (more on that in a few days). Although it hasn't been officially announced yet, that game is also expected to mark the return of defenseman Drew Doughty to the line-up.

Around 6am last Friday morning, Doughty flew from Toronto to Los Angeles to sign his new 8-year contract. After a quick physical and then a 30-minute workout on the ice at the team's training facility, I chatted with him as he sat in his stall in the locker room for the first time since April.

It was a spot that rookie Slava Voynov had temporarily moved into in his absence during training camp. Doughty said the squatter from Manchester had been relocated by the time he arrived.

"I feel bad now," Doughty expressed. "It has been my locker for three years though, so I think I have a little bit of seniority to kick him out."

Now, that flight last night wasn't your typical shoe-horn 'em in, no room in the middle seat trip across the Atlantic. The Kings had plenty of amenities on the way over. Still, the flight left close to midnight and was scheduled to be around 11 hours.

Prior to leaving, who did Doughty think was going to be the most annoying person on the long ride over?

Clarifying the goalie situation - from LA to KC to Europe

It's true - the same glass of water can be seen as half full or half empty, depending on your perspective.

With the latest round of roster cuts at LA Kings camp, one goaltender is headed to New Hampshire and another one will soon be packing for a trip to Europe.

On the surface, it may not seem like Martin Jones got the better end of the deal. However, he's now in Manchester preparing to be the starting goalie for the Monarchs.

Sure, Jeff Zatkoff will be joining the Kings on their trip to Germany and Sweden next week. However, it's highly unlikely he'll even dress for either of the two games being played.

Following the announcement of Jones being assigned back to the AHL, coach Terry Murray shared these thoughts on the young goaltender...

"Jonesy's played very well. He has a really good year in Manchester last year. It looks like he has the right demeanor, the right attitude and the right make-up to be a very good goaltender. His numbers coming from junior (WHL) right through last year in Manchester identify him to be a pretty good goaltender down the road. So, it's very important that all these young guys just continue to play (referring to Jones, Tyler Toffoli and Brandon Kozun, who were all cut from camp on Sunday). They're now in a more important role. They're going to play in critical games, critical minutes and critical situations. It's learning how to handle those situations. That's where you take the next step."

Over the weekend, Zatkoff spoke at length about his time in camp this year, his relationship with Bernier and even about the possibility of being the 'extra' goalie when the Kings head overseas. You can read his interview here.

Yesterday, Murray offered camp evaluations for the other top prospects just released - Kozun and Toffoli.

Later tonight, the Kings will play the Pittsburgh Penguins at the sold out Sprint Center in Kansas City. Jonathan Bernier is scheduled to be in net for LA, with Zatkoff backing him up. Jonathan Quick will start tomorrow in Colorado versus the Avalanche.

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LA Kings will take extra goalie to Europe - Jones or Zatkoff?

Martin Jones vs. Jeff Zatkoff

Which defensive prospect could potentially take Drew Doughty's spot in the Kings starting line-up on opening night isn't the only question coach Terry Murray is wrestling with as he prepares for the team's departure overseas.

Per NHL rules, teams opening in Europe are allowed to take an extra goaltender with them.

Just what he needs - more goalie drama.

Already bombarded with weekly questions about the 'Jonathan battle' - Quick versus Bernier - now he'll get to deal with 'the third goalie' inquires for the next week or so.

Although Murray has yet to reveal who will be going, this much is clear - it's expected to be one of the two goalies from Manchester, either Martin Jones or Jeff Zatkoff.

For now, Zatkoff says he's trying to put it out of his mind.

"I think we all knew the situation going in, Beriner and Quick are great goalies. Both could be number one in this league. I'm just trying to make the most of my opportunity when I'm out on the ice and prove that not only can I play here, but that I can win at this level too."

He also says he finally has his head clear, after letting the impressive start to Jones' rookie season get between his ears for a few months.

"I think I got caught up with everything that was going on earlier in the year (referring to Jones' strong play in net) and I wasn't playing to the best of my capability. As the year progressed, I was able to overcome that and play more of my game. My numbers the last third of the year, that's the way I'm capable of playing."

Final notes and pics of Anze Kopitar as he leaves Slovenia

Last week we shared some photos and notes from Anze Kopitar's training over in the beautiful city of Bled, Slovenia...and he's now ready to return 'home' to Los Angeles.

Monday morning he'll be boarding a flight and heading back to the U.S., giving him a few days to get his legs under him before HockeyFest on the 11th and the opening of Kings training camp a few days later.

During what could be described as a 'farewell for now' press conference yesterday afternoon, Kopitar shared the following thoughts...

* On the injury and his recovery - The injury is fine and his leg no longer hurts him. A few of the training sessions /exercises had to be adjusted. Otherwise, everything went pretty much as planned. He was in regular communication with the doctor who operated on him, the medical team and training staff back in California. Everything went as planned, some things he was even able to do sooner than expected. His skates are a little uncomfortable at times because the ankle is still swollen. However, he's not too concerned about it.

* On the actual workouts - He believes the level of training was optimal and is confident the staff back in LA will agree with what they see when he arrives. His typical workout began with an hour and a half of upper body training - including the shoulder area, which he believes can be vulnerable for a hockey player. He also did lots of aerobic and anaerobic exercises, mixed in with weight training.  Around three times a week he also did extended running at the local stadium. More recently, he's also been jumping over obstacles, which was a good test for his ankle. As reported on MayorsManor back in July, he's been training on the ice for about a month now - starting out two to three times a week and building up to four times a week.

Another former Kings, Monarchs player signs in Europe

Several weeks back, Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi was visibly irritated when talking about a few of the team's prospects signing in Europe this summer.

Gone from the pipeline are center Corey Elkins, left wing Bud Holloway and forward Oscar Moller.

Today brings news that John Zeiler has joined the 'other side of the Atlantic' crew, having signed with the Augsburger Panther in Germany.

All four played in Manchester last season, the Kings top farm team.

While each situation is somewhat unique, it was eating at Lombardi that young players were willing to leave the development process and chase the money being offered in Europe.

An exception he seemed to sympathize with though was when older players, whom he described as "26-27 (years old) and they've kind of already been labeled as 'minor league players' and maybe a 'call-up' player" chose that route.

Zeiler, originally selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in the fifth round of the 2002 NHL Draft, would seem to fit that mold. He's 28 and has only played 90 games in the NHL - picking up one goal and adding four assists.

He was called up for four games last season and then actually was recalled again during the playoffs (because of Jarret Stoll's suspension). However, due to the timing of paperwork, flights, etc., he never actually saw any game action the second time around.

Zeiler was not offered a contract by the Kings this summer.

He'll be joining Gabe Gauthier, another one-time Kings prospect and member of the Monarchs (2006-10), who signed with Augsburger last month.

To read Lombardi's full comments on the European situation click here.

Rich Clune, another Monarch last season, weighed in with his thoughts on the overseas defections here.

Finally, in loosely connected news - over the weekend, former Monarchs and Kings forward Noah Clarke left Augsburger to join EHC München.

Clarke, the first California-born player to score a goal for the Kings, stopped by MayorsManor last summer to give a detailed account of his time in Manchester, Los Angeles and now over in Europe.  If nothing else, check it out for the prank he says George Parros played on him when they were teammates with the Monarchs. (link here)

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Luc Robitaille on why the LA Kings are going to Europe

A few weeks ago I joked that it must be contract week, as several Kings prospects and players were busy getting deals inked.

Well, today is 'address the cynics' day here at MayorsManor.

This morning I posted comments from Luc Robitaille, Kings President of Business Operations, explaining the how and why behind the team's jersey changes for next season.

In a summer filled with more positive vibes than any other in recent memory - from the trade for Mike Richards on down - we'd be remiss to at least not address one of the few news item that's caused a little bit of confusion.

Why are the Kings opening the season in Europe? Some point to the fact AEG owns the arenas. OK, fine. Are there any other reasons and even so, how does management feel about it?

Here's one man's opinion...

"We were asked by the league. We talked with them and they're (only) picking so many teams," Robitaille started out with. "To me, it wasn't a big deal. I kind of like the experience for the players. Yeah, for sure, you think you want to play your games at home. But, 15 years from now those players can say, 'Wow, I got to play a game in Berlin.' I think that's very special. Those are great memories for the players that they'll cherish later - like, someday when they retire."

Fine, that's years down the road. However, at least one thing on his mind that tied back to the upcoming campaign - "There was certainly something inside of me that (kept coming back to) the last three Stanley Cup winners started in Europe. So, once I heard we had a chance to go to Europe, I said I want to go!"

The Kings will open the NHL regular season with a game vs. the New York Rangers in Stockholm, Sweden on Friday, October 7.  They'll also play the following night in Berlin, Germany - taking on the Buffalo Sabres.

Once they return to the US, the Kings will play at New Jersey and Philadelphia.  Then, St. Louis will visit Staples Center for the Kings home opener on Tuesday, October 18.

Back to Richards for a quick moment... to see what the Kings new center - and former Flyers captain - had to say about that first game vs. the Rangers, be sure to click the link below.

[REMINDER - You can now add facebook comments DIRECTLY on MayorsManor - simply scroll down to the comments section below - it's super easy...have fun and please be respectful - no personal attacks, profanity, etc.]

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Oscar Moller at Rookie Camp 2010

At the end of the regular season Kings prospect Bud Holloway stopped by MayorsManor to help preview the Manchester Monarchs first round playoff series with Binghamton.

One of the questions we touched on was did he expect to be called-up this past season, given he was the leading scorer in Manchester and the Kings apparent lack of depth on the left side. His response was 'It's always in the back of your head and obviously that's what you're building towards.'

What's going on in his head more recently is something GM Dean Lombardi would like to know. The always animated leader of the Kings organization had plenty to say last week when I asked him for some thoughts on several Monarchs signing to play in Europe next season...

"That's, (heavy sigh)...that's really frustrating," Lombardi started with. "This is another one of those things in the CBA where it was kind of predictable. Whenever you have a cap in the minors, so to speak, and also, we have a problem in our system...not only are we losing these guys, but they're still building equity towards free agency. It used to be that you had to get service, like in baseball. Now you have this thing where these kids can go over there, earn double the money and still move along the path of free agency."

Corey Elkins, a 6-foot-2 center who the Kings originally signed as a free agent out of college in 2009, is one of the trio of players heading to Europe. However, Lombardi focused most of his comments on a different two.

Rich Clune on Bud Holloway leaving Monarchs for Eurupe

Rich Clune in camp (photo: Cikiri)

During the Kings training camp last September, high-energy forward Rich Clune was starting to turn some heads.

Many thought he might even have a chance to crack the line-up in Los Angeles rather than spend a third season in Manchester (AHL).

Originally drafted by the Dallas Stars in 2005, Clune has since spent time in the ECHL, AHL and NHL. All the while, patiently waiting for his opportunity to remain in the big show.

Clune stayed with the Kings through Frozen Fury weekend in Las Vegas. However, ultimately, he lost out on an NHL roster spot - in part, due to the emergence of Kyle Clifford.

No problem, said Clune, when we spoke Friday night on the steps of the Dodger Dugout (several players were at the stadium to throw out the first pitch).

"It was a good year for me because I was able to get a lot more ice than I probably would have in LA," was Clune's view on his 66 games in Manchester last season. "It's a long road. There's a lot of young guys and we had a really talented team. It sucks we didn't go further (in the playoffs). I think we could have easily (won) that first series with Binghamton. What - five games in overtime? But, I had a lot of fun. Wherever I am, I like to have a good time."

Things haven't been quite as fun since arriving back in Los Angeles. He's been working out with Kings strength and conditioning coach Tim Adams, left wing Dustin Penner, etc. (more info on those grueling workouts can be found here)

"I came in for some training with the guys and just did a week with (that crew). My calves are sore," he complained - before joking "that's why I'm leaning up against this railing."

Mike Richards on LA Kings first game - 'hatred' for Rangers, ready to fight Brandon Dubinsky again

Richards v Dubinsky (Photo by Bob Fina)

Drafted 24th overall by Philadelphia in 2003, Canadian Mike Richards played two more years of junior hockey before making his NHL debut for the Flyers.

The night was October 5, 2005 and they were playing the New York Rangers.

In the second period of that game, Richards scored what was described as a 'hard-fought goal' - taking an outlet pass from Eric Desjardins, outmuscling defenseman Fedor Tyutin and lifting a shot over Kevin Weekes' left shoulder - to put the Flyers up 3-1.

It was his first NHL goal and it came against the team he went on to play 36 more times over the next six seasons.

He amassed 11 more goals against those Rangers - his second highest total against any team in the league.  And his 64 penalty minutes vs. Broadway's Blueshirts are 20 more than he's incurred against any other NHL club.

Now that he's a member of the Los Angeles Kings, a Western Conference team, that's all behind him, right?  Not so fast.

Life will come full circle on Friday, October 7th - when he makes his official debut as a member of the Kings in game one of the 2011-12 NHL season.

Their opponent? Yes, the New York Rangers.

He wasted no time jumping in with both feet when I asked him about the match-up earlier today - "Well, I didn't think I was going to have to fight (Brandon) Dubinsky anymore. I've already fought him five times. I can't get rid of this guy," Richards said.

"It's going to be interesting. We had a great rivalry over the past couple of years, a ton of great games against them. Like I said before, about LA and New York, there's always a buzz when you play the Rangers...whenever you play them it just sticks with you and there's a hatred there because guys compete so hard against each other. It's going to be a good start. It's not going to be hard to kinda get up for it. I know everybody on that team and how they play. So, I think it's going to make it easier."

Is it October yet?

Hockey already sounds so good.

The Mayor
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Kings 'Most Likely' Opening Next Season in Europe

There is still plenty of hockey left to be played this season. However, for those looking ahead to the fall, here are two quick scheduling notes:

* As first reported by RinkRat on LetsGoKings.com, the Kings annual pre-season game in Las Vegas vs. the Colorado Avalanche has been set. Frozen Fury XIV will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on October 1st.

[note: for some fun, take the Frozen Fury Trivia challenge]

* On a separate note, as reported a few weeks ago, stories in Europe have been circulating claiming the Kings will open the 2011-12 season in Germany - playing a two-game series with the Buffalo Sabres. A source confirmed to me this morning that the Europe opener is 'most likely' happening. Expect an announcement in the next week or so.

Some will like this, some won't.  If nothing else though, playing two games in Germany (expected to be in Berlin and Hamburg) will offset part of the recently announced ticket price increases for next season.

The Mayor
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Throwback Thursdays - Interview w/ Noah Clarke

While hockey may still be Canada's game, U.S. born players were the media darlings of the recent NHL Draft in Los Angeles. In fact, there were a record number (11) of Americans taken in the first round, including the Kings' Derek Forbort.

A few picks later, two Southern California players were taken - Gardena's Beau Bennett at #19 and Emerson Etem, of Long Beach, at #20. However, long before they were supposedly putting California hockey on the map, Noah Clarke played for the Los Angeles Kings.

Born in 1979, he had already been playing for a few years when Gretzky was traded to LA in the summer of '88. His hometown of La Verne - about an hour east of the old Forum - wasn't exactly what you would call a 'hockey hotbed.' In fact, the city didn't even have an ice rink. Nonetheless, Noah honed his craft in several different places and was eventually drafted by the Kings in 1999.

After spending time with both Manchester and Los Angeles, he's been playing in Europe the last few seasons.  And just this week he left for Germany to get started with his newest team, the Augsburger Panther.  Before heading to LAX with his passport and hockey sticks though, he sat down with The Mayor for a reflective conversation - including his thoughts on several current Kings players (Brown, Kopitar and Doughty), a future player (Kevin Westgarth), a former player (George Parros) and even a rumored player (Ryan Malone).

He also talks about life in Europe, why he left North America and tells a story about one of the funnier pranks you'll hear that went down during his playing days with the Monarchs.

MayorsManor presents an exclusive interview with the original California King, Noah Clarke...

Looking back, what impact did Gretzky coming to the Kings have on you as a kid?

Interview with Greg Hetson

Sports and music go hand in hand. I haven't been to an arena or stadium in the country that doesn't blare some music - usually rock music - during breaks in the action. So, it's not surprising that hidden among the 18,000 faithful that fill Staples Center most nights the Kings play is a true punk rock legend. In the last 25 years this man has toured the world over several times with multiple bands. He is a member of two of the most important and influential punk bands of all time, the Circle Jerks and Bad Religion.

And he's a Kings fan!

MayorsManor had a chance to chat with guitarist Greg Hetson recently; not just about music, but his other passion too - Kings hockey.

MM:  You were born in NY, but have lived in LA practically your whole life. So, how did you get into hockey?

GH:  I was pretty much hooked from the first time I saw it. I grew up in Hawthorne, so we went to the local ice skating rink - I think it was called Olympic Ice Arena or something like that over in Harbor City. We were just there for public skating but we couldn't skate because the ice was being used for hockey. I thought it was cool and just got into it from that moment. That was around 1971. Soon after I found out about the Kings and started going to games.

Being a fan for that long you've seen a lot of different players come through Los Angeles. Do you have one all time favorite?

Marcel Dionne. The guy was so talented. He was like Mario Lemieux, just about a foot shorter. Every time he was on the ice you just knew something great was about to happen. I loved watching him play. Actually, just recently I had the chance to meet him and he is a super cool guy. I played in Luc's celebrity game with him up in Park City. That was a lot of fun.

Sounds like it. What position did you play and did you score at all?

I was a winger. Unfortunately, I didn't get any goals. I did have about 7 shots on goal though. Just never put one in.

If you were a player on the current team, who would you be?

I'd have to be a forecheck guy. I'd be a pest. Not dirty, just a pest. Like maybe Esa Tikkanen back in the day. On the current team I'd probably be Wayne Simmonds.

Coming to games since the 70's means you've seen a lot of memorable games. Is there any one game that stands out in your mind?

Well, the '93 Finals. Of course, it was heartbreaking!  But it was good too. Good to actually see the Stanley Cup Finals in LA. There have been some double or triple overtime games in the playoffs that were pretty cool too. There was a game against Calgary back at the Forum with a disputed goal (the famous 1990 playoff game, where later Mike Krushelnyski scored to beat Vernon and win the game). I don't remember it being a goal, but they gave it the Kings.


And then there was the playoff game versus Detroit a few years ago at Staples. It went into several overtimes and my daughter had fallen asleep in my arms in the third period. I didn't want to move her. So, the longer the game went on the more numb my hand got. My pinky still has some slight nerve damage left over from that night. So, I took one for the team. (he laughs)

Athletes have lots of crazy stories from being on the road so much. What about you - anything significant stand out from all the touring you've done?

Probably the craziest thing I ever saw was a show Bad Religion did in San Sebastian, Spain. About 20 seconds into the first song the floor collapsed and all the fans fell through to the level below us. It was scary seeing all of these people in what looked like a giant sink hole. They were just looking up at us scared, not knowing what to do. Some of them had broken bones and stuff. The place was like 1,000 people over capacity. It was nuts.

Sounds scary. When you're in other countries that have hockey, like places in Europe, do ever get a chance to catch a game?

We did go see a Swedish game in Stockholm once. It was good quality, just not as intense as an NHL game. There wasn't as much hitting. I've also seen some Jr. games in Canada.

How about the Kings - do you ever squeeze in a road game while touring in North America?

Of yea, I've had the chance to see lots of road games - New York, Boston, Chicago, Toronto. We actually went to a lot of those cities and saw the old buildings before they tore them down - like old Chicago Stadium, Boston Gardens and Toronto. I've seen a few of the newer buildings too.

Any memories from those games that stand out?

Well, I loved old Boston Garden. It was so cool. I even wore my Kings shirt and the fans there were giving me shit when the Kings scored. It was a great time.

You've played with lots of other musicians in super groups or whatever you want to call them...the Kings have several other musicians as fans. If there was a super group put together of just Kings fans who else would be in the band with you?

Rob Zombie, of course, he is a huge Kings fan. Jay and Greg (from Bad Religion) are fans too. They come to games with me sometimes. The guys in the Briggs are fans. Darrin from Goldfinger. And on the last Warped Tour I was talking with one of the guys from Bayside - he was a hockey fan too. Oh yea, and we can't forget Melvin (from NOFX).


Recently you've been DJing. That's quite different from playing guitar in a punk band. How did you get into that?

A friend of mine is the manager of a bar and just said he needed somebody and asked me if I was interested. He said he liked my taste in music. Its fun. I try to play some stuff that people probably don't hear otherwise.

Is that something you plan on doing more often in the future?

I don't know. I'll probably do it occasionally.

You've obviously been to tons of Kings games, have any players returned the favor and come see you perform?

The only one I know of was Felix Potvin. We actually met him back when he was in Toronto and he likes punk music, so he came to some shows. So that was pretty cool to have him there being that I'm such a hockey groupie. But, he's the only Kings player that I know has come to one of our shows.

I see a lot similarities between being on a hockey team and being in a band. Like, the travel, everybody needing to know their role, etc. Do you see any comparisons between the two?

For sure. First off, your paid to perform. The need for good chemistry. Communication. They're a lot alike.


Actually, both need a little dysfunction to be successful too. You need that grit to sometimes light a fire under the ass of some guys. In both professions you need that team captain to sometimes come into the room and get after the other guys. It's important.

You're getting ready to tour Australia soon. What's the story with that and any plans when you get back?

Well, we (Bad Religion) leave this weekend for a tour of Australia and New Zealand. We'll be playing with NOFX.


Then in October we have a couple of shows with Pearl Jam in Philadelphia. In fact, we're playing at the Spectrum and I heard it will be the last set of shows there before they blow the place up. So, as a hockey fan that's pretty special. The Flyers made that place famous.


When all of that is finished it'll probably be time to start working on a new Bad Religion record.

Finally, if Bad religion was going to play one last show, who would you pick to open up for you?

Oh, that's a tough one. I guess I'd have to go with NOFX.

Thanks for your time. Travel safe.

Thank you. Can't wait to get back to Staples for some more Kings games once I'm home.

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Big thanks to Greg for taking some time out of his busy schedule. It's always great to talk hockey with Kings fans, especially those as passionate as he is.

Someday when the Kings finally win the Stanley Cup, I hope it's Wild in the Streets all throughout downtown LA.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
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RELATED ARTICLES YOU MAY ENJOY:

Interview with Joey from The Briggs - they sing the Kings anthem 'This is LA'

Interview with Luc Robitaille - Kings legend, member of Hockey Hall of Fame

Interview with Marcel Dionne - Kings legend, member of Hockey Hall of Fame


Old flyer photo courtesy of hardcoreshowflyers.com  *  Hetson photo courtesy of Denis Farley

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