Kings...Kings...Kings! Holy cow! :shock: Corey and I have been afraid to post anything for two months for fear of breaking the magic spell. We were holding our breath and we weren't alone. I began following the Kings the year they were born: 1967...my senior year in high school. Being a Kings fan is like belonging to a cult. Most of the millions of people who live here have never seen snow and can't even roller skate. For decades, the Kings home games were filled with people who moved here from somewhere else (NY, Boston, Chicago, Canada etc.) and only attended the games to root against the home team. Things began to change when Wayne Gretzky came to town and the cult began to grow. The team became so popular with local street gangs that Kings apparel was/is banned by all local school districts, along with Raiders gear. When the Raiders left, the Kings became heroes to the local thugs in ways that the family oriented Lakers and Dodgers just can't duplicate... With 15 minutes to go in the final period tonight and the Kings ahead 4-1, the Staples Center went dead silent. The broadcasters seemed stunned by the development and couldn't explain the crowd's behavior. I could. They were holding their breath. The cult was stunned into silence by what they were seeing: a dream come true. Nobody wanted to move. With 5 minutes to go, the spell was broken. The crowd came to it's feet and began to roar as only cultists who had paid more than $2000 per seat can roar. In the final minutes, the Kings scored two more goals to put an exclamation point on what is certainly the biggest Cinderella story since the '69 Mets and maybe the biggest series of consecutive miracles in the history of American sports. I and all the other cultists watching on television stared, misty eyed, as Dustin Brown became only the second American-born team captain to raise the Stanley Cup. The Kings victory parade is scheduled for Thursday and I've run out of words. This is a great day for dreamers everywhere...
As the 1 millionth fan for the old Houston Aeros who recieved a congratulatory handshake from a toothless Gordie Howe...I share your joy!
I was sulking about at the Kings for years after they signed Marcel Dionne away from the Red Wings back in the 1970's during the "Dead Things" era. Plus, I thought their regal purple jerseys embossed with the crown were, along with the uniforms of the Blues, the best expansion team uniforms and was saddened by their jumping on the black jersey trend. But, I have gotten over all that. And, to be fair, I think Marcel's move was not motivated solely by money. The year before he left Detroit, he was robbed at gunpoint while going after practice to his car that was parked in the Olympia ( original RW stadium) parking lot and locked in his truck. He was lucky he did not get killed. I think the experience played a role in departing Detroit. Anyway, congrats to the Mrs. Jo Co, Jo Co, and Corey! An administrative law judge from the UP who played minor league hockey and is my source for expert hockey knowledge told me after the Vancouver series that his former teamates/golfing buddies and he thought the Kings were going to win the Cup. Looks like the Kings jelled at the right time and ran the table.
everything my dad said plus... if I could possibly have a regret about the Kings winning the Stanley Cup it's that I didn't get to hear Bob Miller call the game.