VIDEO: Bernie Nicholls and Charlie Simmer on After Hours

Charlie Simmer and Bernie Nicholls share some funny stories during a recent edition of Hockey Night in Canada's After Hours program...

The Mayor
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Clarifying the confusion over the Kings' color purple

Kings' new purple-less crown

So...here's the deal...

The Los Angeles Kings are dropping the color purple.

Sort of.

The twitterverse is in a tizzy and facebook is in a frenzy over what many are reporting as the Kings dropping the color purple.

Part of that is true.  Per the team's official press release, their primary colors are now black, silver and white.

And as most Kings fans had previously heard, the Kings are moving to the 'shield' logo as their main crest (the one worn on a black jersey during the playoffs the last two years).

The real news in all of this is that the 'new' third jersey will now feature a slightly modified version of the crown that's been in place since Staples Center opened over a decade ago.

LA's 'new' crown is a black and white version, featuring no purple. However, this crest will be placed on the same black and purple jerseys worn at home over the last few seasons.

So, they'll still have purple on their third jerseys and, of course, on their vintage jerseys (to be worn three times this season).

If you've been reading MayorsManor, the dropping of purple from the crown is probably the only updated news here.  Last October I tweeted the Kings were looking at changing jerseys for the 2011-12 season.  Then, in this article back in January we shared some of the details.

In June, the first official picture of the new road jersey was revealed, along with some additional notes on the upcoming jersey shuffling.

Finally, just a few weeks ago, Kings President of Business Operations, Luc Robitaille stopped by MayorsManor to talk in-depth about the reasons behind the jersey changes.

Moral of the story - fear not Kings fans, we have you covered.

If you're looking for some more jersey related news before it breaks though...here's a few tidbits we shared several weeks back...

This season's three Legends Nights - where the Kings will wear vintage purple and gold jerseys - are scheduled to be 12/10 vs. Dallas, 1/2 vs. Colorado and 2/18 vs. Calgary.  The honorees will be Bernie Nicholls, Daryl Evans and Charlie Simmer, as the team is planning to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the famed Miracle on Manchester.

...fine, fine, fine - you still want more?

This season, the black pants that will be worn under the new home jersey (black with the new shield logo, you still with me?)...those pants are getting a new silver stripe down the leg.

That's it. Done.

The Mayor
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Luc Robitaille talks how and why LA Kings changed jerseys

...to sell more jerseys.

Of course, that's the obvious answer.

However, if you're reading this article, you probably want to understand some of the process and thoughts behind the change. So, here goes...

Last night, during a long one-on-one conversation with Luc Robitaille, Kings President of Business Operations, the team's new jersey was the first topic covered.

"When we came up with our third jersey a few years ago, we realized our fans seem to really take to it and they really enjoyed it," Luc began. "For me, as a player, I loved that era (late 80s, early '90s). We knew we couldn't quite come back to that. But, we tried to find something that would please everyone - which we could never do. We tried to do something as close as we could though."

He also recalled their 'unofficial' marketing survey - "Before we did the third jersey, once we thought we were close, we asked the players 'Do you like this?' They all said they loved it. I always feel that if the players love it, I know the fans are going to love it because we all want to be players."

So, how about moving from a black third jersey to a adding a white version and making them the primary set for the team...

Coach Terry Murray - A Student of History?

With the Kings returning to the playoffs last year after an eight year hiatus there were many stories to reflect on at season's end - including the play of Jonathan Quick and Drew Doughty. Yet, in the first half, all of the news centered on Ryan Smyth, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams.

Specifically, Smyth - who seemed to have unlocked something in Kopitar. The two had instant chemistry from the first day of training camp.  And the magic they produced didn't go unnoticed either, as in December 2009 Kopitar made his first appearance on the cover of The Hockey News.

Their play helped propel the Kings into becoming one of the hottest teams in the league during the opening months of the 2009-10 campaign. Then, in a flash, it was gone by late December due to injuries.

Still, few thought that Kings coach Terry Murray would enter this season with a different top line.

Thus, when he made the announcement as training camp opened that he was replacing Williams with Dustin Brown, questions began flying from all corners.

The answer was simple though, he was looking for a more balanced attack and wanted to see greater output from Brown (who scored 33 goals in 2007-08, but had dipped to 24 in back-to-back years).

When asked at the time, Smyth said "Whatever coach wants is best for the team."

Interview w/ Los Angeles Kings legend Marcel Dionne

Throwback Thursdays continue here at MayorsManor...

Today we're proud to welcome in another living legend. Earlier this week Marcel Dionne celebrated his 59th birthday, which is hard to believe for some...as it seems like just yesterday he was skating on the Triple Crown Line with Dave Taylor and Charlie Summer.

In reality, Marcel played for the Kings from 1975 to 1987. When he netted goal #700 in 1987, he became just the third player in history to reach the milestone.  Nearly all of those came with the Kings (550).  Dionne is in the top 10 of almost every major offensive category for the Kings and he took his rightful place in the Hockey Hall of Fame after retirement.

In the interview below, The Mayor and Marcel look back at his career - from being drafted by the Red Wings...to signing with what-was-then hockey Siberia, Los Angeles...and finishing up in New York, on some really bad Rangers teams. Never shy, he shares his thoughts on the league, owners, managers, his teammates - well, let him tell you all about it...