Better Know a Contender?

Back in high school, I played rugby.  I was pretty much the smallest dude on the team, even as an upperclassmen.  But, I was also the fastest guy on the team.  This made me pretty valuable in terms of stretching the field and breaking for big gains in the field position battle.  At the end of my Junior year, we had this barbecue affair where we did a little inter-squad scrimmage, ate burgers, and then had a little gag awards ceremony.  Well, what I received for my efforts was the item pictured in the upper left.  You see, I was fast... So... Get it?

I also had another reputation, unwarranted, in my opinion, that earned me the nickname "cocky bastard."  I was confident in my abilities, but mainly it was because I was good.  Any extraneous actions on my part were mainly attributed to the fact that I liked having fun.  I hated practice.  No matter the sport.  HATED it.  And so, I had fun at practice to make the time go by faster.  Often times, this fun was derived by talking lots of shit to other guys on the team.  I was flashy and loud, and everyone knew it.  But during the games, I was quiet and business-like.  I didn't say peep to the other team and just got the job done.  And more often than not, the team would benefit from this approach, because we were really good.

One city that suffers from a similar, potentially undeserved criticism is Los Angeles.  Dirty, crowded, and devoid of culture?  No, those are all accurate.  I am talking about its poor reputation as a hockey town.  Sure, LA may carry a connotation as a artificial town, far removed from the working class communities that generally support these "Ice Joes."  But while the Kings home attendance is certainly not spectacular, it is better than the average warm weather hockey team, and rivals such storied franchises as the Devils, Penguins, and yes, even the Avalanche.  Either way, the Kings have a following even if and when the circus is in town... Which is every day in LA.

And what is more working class than going on the road, into some of the most hostile of hockey towns, and walking away with 5 victories and 0 losses?  What is more working class than hard-nosed defense that allows the third fewest shots in the league, led by an American defender named Jack Johnson?  Or, a rookie goaltender (not-so-coincidentally named Quick) that has started the second-most games this season of ANY goaltender and is currently tied for the league lead in wins with the only goalie that has started more games... That goalie?  Martin Brodeur. 

Sure, they have issues on the penalty kill and this could potentially lead to some hesitant play in the playoffs, especially for such a very young, inexperienced squad.  But, like a good hard-nosed group, the Kings are currently laying the foundation for future success.  Even if your rigid stereotypes won't allow you to believe that a team from LA should even be skating, let alone winning.

Players to Watch:

Anze Kopitar - He's 22 and he's already a scoring beast.  But the Hella-Kopitar is not only top 20 in points, but amongst forwards, he has the 4th highest time-on-ice in the NHL, averaging a full period plus.  Kopitar is the engine that makes this offense run, and the Kings are almost useless without him.

Drew Doughty - In just his second year in the NHL, this offensive-minded defenseman has been setting up his forwards all year long.  But unlike many scoring defenders, Doughty doesn't let up on his defensive responsibilities as evidence by his +15 rating.(up from -17 last season).

John Quick - We have said plenty about him already, but Quick is ultimately what will determine the Kings (apparent) postseason success.  If he rises to the occassion, then the Kings advance, if he wilts like rookies commonly do, then it will be an early exit.  As noted, Quick has been getting plenty of time.  Whether or not he can stay fresh and sharp into the playoffs is perhaps the biggest question mark facing the Kings come Springtime.