Nolan, King up and Voynov, Stoll out for LA Kings

Slava Voynov is on his way back to Manchester. It's an easy move to understand, as the team was carrying an extra defenseman and it seems that coach Darryl Sutter has settled on Alec Martinez. Thus, it was time for Voynov to head back to the AHL, where he can play large minutes every night and continue his development.

Jarret Stoll was also placed on injured reserve with the ever-popular 'lower body injury.' No timetable has been set for his return.

And then there's this - forwards Jordan Nolan and Dwight King were called up from Manchester. In a nutshell, they're two of the Monarchs leading point producers and the two biggest forwards not named Ray Kaunisto. At 6-foot-3, both are just an inch shy of twitter phenom-to-be RayK71.

Speaking of 71, that's the number Nolan will wear when he makes his NHL debut tomorrow vs. the Islanders. King will wear #74, the same jersey he sported during his six-game NHL stint last season.

King, originally selected in the fourth round of the 2007 NHL Draft, had posted 11 goals, 18 assists 20 penalty minutes and a plus-6 rating over 50 games with Manchester this season.

Nolan, a seventh round selection at the 2009 NHL Draft, has probably been the Monarchs most improved player this season - with nine goals, 13 assists and 119 PIM. Both players also spent a little bit of time with the Ontario Reign (ECHL) after first turning pro.

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

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...

Full details on new Kings jerseys - 3rd, retro, home, road

As I posted earlier on twitter and facebook, that's a picture of the new Los Angeles Kings road jersey that will be featured when the team takes the stage at the draft this weekend - most likely tomorrow (as GM Dean Lombardi doesn't have a first round pick tonight).

Well, here are some more of the plans...

After much discussion on which jersey should be used as the third version, it's been settled - the current home jersey, black base with the crown and purple trim, will become the new third jersey.

For fans loving all things retro, the team will also wear vintage jerseys during three 'Legends' games - dates still to be determined.  Those will (probably) be the same '67-era purple and gold jerseys worn a few times this past season.  However, it could be a different purple/gold version, depending on the players/era they honor.

During home games at Staples Center the Kings will wear the black version of the jersey pictured above.

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

...And Now You're Caught Up (2/7/2011)

Green Bay is a football town, so good for them.

For the rest of you, it's back to hockey from here on out.

To help you catch up on all the news you may have missed this weekend during the pigskin hysteria, these are the ten stories you need to know...

* Calling all Anze Kopitar fans - remember those two goals he scored last weekend in the NHL All Star game? Well, you can now buy the first puck he netted to put Team Lidstrom on the board. Simply be the high bidder here.

* Last Wednesday two Kings prospects faced off when Jordan Weal and the Regina Pats took on Brayden Schenn and the Saskatoon Blades. It will happen again this coming weekend when Weal and the Pats host the league's scoring leader (and fellow Kings prospect) Linden Vey. But, back to Schenn for a moment...he had a Gordie Howe hat trick on Super Bowl eve. However, in your quirky fact for the day - he's never had a regular hat trick in his WHL career. Hard to believe.

* Ducks' goaltender Jonas Hiller was scratched from his scheduled start on Saturday due to dizziness. Doctors haven't been able to figure out what's wrong with him, even though he thinks he's just tired and needs a few days off. With Anaheim currently ahead of LA in the standings this is something worth monitoring for the next few days.

Kings Will (Probably) Get New Jerseys Next Season

During Frozen Fury weekend last October I reported that some members of Kings management were informally surveying select fans in Las Vegas regarding possible tweaks to the current Kings jerseys for the 2011-12 season.

Additional fuel was added to the fire the following week when a report surfaced online featuring a picture of possible prototypes laying in Luc Robitaille's office.

Things heated up again over the last few days as the new Reebok planning catalog started to circulate and it specifically mentioned the Kings as one of 11 teams considering a change for next season.

Well, from the 'where there's smoke there's fire' department, it was confirmed to me today by a source inside the organization that changes are indeed being considered.

The most likely scenario has the current third jersey converted to the primary jersey and being offered in a black/white version. A new third jersey would feature a crown and the color purple. The question is, will it be the current crown or the original one from the Forum days?

Since the Kings wore their purple and gold jerseys on opening night there has been renewed fan interest in merchandise featuring the logo and colors from that era. Thus, that's a major part of the discussion taking place.

The league needs to be notified within in the next few months (believed to be by the end of March) if any jersey changes will be taking place in time for next season. However, the team is not obligated to release the information immediately following the deadline.

In fact, the official unveiling may not be announced publicly until June.

Either way, get ready - changes are probably coming.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor

Holiday Series - Gifts of Christmas Present

[Part two of a three part series]

Yesterday we posted the initial offering of this year's gift series using the theme from Charles Dickens' classic novel A Christmas Carol.

Our essential collection of Kings Gifts of Christmas Past included an inexpensive puck from the '60s, a $33,000 game worn Rogie Vachon mask, a few game worn jersey options, the coolest pair of LA Gear shoes ever made, the original pillow pet and a must have book for all Kings fans.

In part two of the series we look at the best-of-the-best Kings Gifts of Christmas Present...

How the Sturm Trade Affects Schenn

About a week ago, in an article titled 'The Complete Story on Brayden Schenn' we went through the trials and tribulations of the first 18-months between the Kings and their teenage center.

It's been marked by trade rumors, a knee injury, a one day contract, loopholes in league agreements and much, more.

Well, just went you thought Schenn would be on the back burner for a while (since he's been sent back to junior hockey), think again.

No, he hasn't been recalled. Yet, he does find himself caught up in another Kings story. Just yesterday the team made a trade with the Boston Bruins for left wing Marco Sturm. Then, late today, word came out that Sturm will wear jersey #10 in Los Angeles - Schenn's number.

Yes, Schenn made his NHL debut last November wearing #55. However, once the Kings decided to keep him with the big club coming out of training camp this year he was given #10, a number he wears with both the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) and Team Canada as a tribute to his favorite player as a child, Pavel Bure.

Sturm had been wearing #16 in Boston - a number that will never be worn again by a Kings player, having been retired in honor of Marcel Dionne. When Sturm first broke into the league with the Sharks (after being drafted by their then-GM Dean Lombardi), he wore #19.  No reason has been given yet on how/why he ended up with #10 here.

Assuming Schenn stays in the WHL all year, this could be a non-issue. Sturm will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end and may not be back next year. Or...

It is Schenn we're talking about, so... OR just add it to the list.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor


RELATED ARTICLES:

The Complete Story on Brayden Schenn

Marco Sturm:  Five Points on the LA-Boston trade

Jersey Numerology

.

Some People Just Don't Get It

It's called a cross town rival for a reason.  You're either a Rangers fan or an Islanders fan.  Jets fans and Giants fans don't bro out together.  Kings - Ducks...well...

Apparently some people didnt get the memo...

Right after this pic was snapped on Saturday night, Mr One-liner turns to me and says "You know the worst part about that jersey? (a million thoughts rushed to my brain)... If there's one of 'em, that means there is another one out there just like it!"

Why people?  Why?

The Mayor

www.twitter.com/Mayor119