Shadow Of The Kings

Eric Gazin
Nov 22, 2000

Being a hockey fan in the A.G. era (After Gretzky) in Los Angeles is not an easy thing. Heck, I was a fan in the B.G. era, with memories of the great L.A. Triple Crown line of Dionne-Simmer-Taylor in the late 70s/early 80s. What is most difficult is talking hockey around town. At work, the guys are self-proclaimed "sports nuts", yet like to get the conversation back to who will sign A-Rod. There hasn't been a collective uneasiness with the possibility of losing the heart and soul of the team, Rob Blake, like there was when Piazza was about to get the boot off the Dodgers. Ziggy "Who?" I bet not one in 20 people in L.A. even know who Ziggy Palfy is, a year after coming to the Kings and with Ziggy leading the NHL in scoring.

Still, tickets are easy to come by, but the fans that do go really know the game. It isn't like people who go to be "seen" like when they attend a Lakers game and are part of that team's bandwagon. Don't get me wrong, the Lakers deserve the attention, it just seems a bit odd that the Kings and ice hockey in general has never gripped this city for any sustained length of time, even though the team has played in the same buildings as the Lakers for 30+ years. At least our announcer, Bob Miller, was recognized by the NHL and inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last week. He really is that good, but plays 3rd string after Vin Scully and Chick Hearn in this town...

Some people say it is the warm winters and abundance of other activities that haven't made hockey stand out here. I don't buy it. There is something that seems "un-American" to the fans here. The rules have some complexity to them that aren't easy to grasp when watching it for the first time. Though the fighting seems non-existent to any of us who have watched the game for a while, the McSorley incident still epitomizes the game for too many uneducated hockey fans. The lack of American players and players from the Southern California area may also contribute to the lack of interest.

For me, the lack of support and interest from the greater community doesn't dampen my enjoyment of the game. It also helps that my wife who knew nothing about hockey 4 years ago has grown to understand the nuances and enjoy the game as much as I (OK, not as much as I, but enough to where she goes to the games with me and doesn't need anything explained to her!) With the new Staples Center as their backdrop, a superb 2nd year coach, a top 5 General manager, and the leading NHL scorer, us die-hard Kings fans have plenty to be excited about at this point in the season. Would a Stanley Cup be what is needed to make hockey a top sport in Los Angeles? I don't think so. It would thrill some of us, but for the oblivious, hockey will remain a game best played in the frozen land up north and not in the sunny mecca it is now.

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