Hockey Train to San Diego

Eric Gazin
Aug 6, 2001

O.K., I am still bitter about the Kings getting all the way to Game 7 vs. the Avalanche, tied going to the third period, and then falling short. Yeah. the Kings had no business getting that far, but they were playing on air and didn't give a rip what all the hockey pundits had said. So what does a bitter King's fan do during the summer, besides wish for a big name free agent (like a Turgeon or Jagr) to move into Rob Blake's Manhattan Beach digs?

I was taking Amtrak from Los Angeles to San Diego a few weeks ago to do some ocean fishing. Maybe a 3-day trip fighting fish would take my mind away from hockey (unless we were catching Sharks!). Before getting to the fish, I had a chance for one final hockey mix with 2 unlikely people in an unusual location.

Sitting across the aisle on the train were 2 very attractive women. Yeah, I'm married to a hockey fan, but she wasn't around, so what harm in a little conversation? Wasn't exactly thinking hockey, but who knew what would develop?

Well, after introducing myself to the blonde and brunette, I soon learned that Jen and Jamie were out in California on summer vacation from Toronto. It's fun to stereotype Canadians as hockey fans. Even when someone says they aren't fans, their hockey knowledge will still dwarf about anyone in the States who isn't from a hockeytown. Heck, in my sales job, I haven't called on a Canadian company yet who didn't have a marketing manager who could relate some good hockey story (will save the story about the ad buyer whose parents live in the same complex as Alexi Yashin did and the stories of her dad ogling Carol Alt last year).

Hockey starved during the summer, I figured to at least have a few Maple Leafs inquiries to occupy my train rides for a bit. The 2 lasses from the Great North did not disappoint.

Jen proudly pulled out her Maple Leafs' Visa card. "Hey, look at this!", she exclaimed proudly. Jamie opened her wallet to show me the weathered picture of Darcy Tucker she kept in there. Note to Darcy Tucker - find Jamie! We proceeded to talk a bit about the playoffs. They didn't seem too aware of what happened with the L.A. Kings. Guess all those West coast games starting at 10:30 Eastern Time doesn't create too many fans of the Ducks, Kings, Sharks, and Canucks from the East Coast. Both women told me how much they hated New Jersey and Larry Robinson. Wow, what a shocker to hear from a Leaf fan, right?

I had to bring up the Tie Domi incident. "That wasn't so bad", Jen protested. "New Jersey had it coming anyway", Jamie added. I politely reminded them of Domi's tearful apology, and to take note of the damage Stevens will do to Domi's face next season. They didn't seem too concerned, as a couple of female "homers" whose boy could do no wrong.

I had to thank them for the Leafs giving up on Potvin a few years ago, as he had momentarily given us Kings fans a sliver of playoff hockey pride this past season. Maybe they were too young to remember the exploits of E.P (Early Potvin), guessing Jen and Jamie to be about 22 or so. At least their IDs got them those Corona's on the train!

We talked about ticket prices, and how hard it was to get seats to see the Leafs, even regular season games. Heck, for the Kings, I even called Ticketmaster 3 days before Game 6 vs. The Wings and got seats 15 rows behind the net. They were quite surprised to also learn that only a few games even sell out for the Kings. As their stop in Carlsbad came up, we hugged and kissed, and said our tearful good-byes. Wait, that's not what happened...I think they abruptly saw their stop coming up, grabbed their bags, and said to make sure I mention them by name if I wrote a story about them on hockeyfights.com!

As I sit here reminiscing of the train ride and hockey talk with the most attractive hockey fans I had ever come across on a train (we don't take many trains in Los Angeles, but these two were still very attractive!), I wonder if Los Angeles hockey will ever fully be on the Eastern Canadian's map. I wonder if the Kings are content to just repeat a playoff appearance and leave the spotlight to their Staple Center co-tenant, the Lakers. I wonder how many games Scott Stevens will be suspended for when he breaks Domi's jaw in the first game vs. Toronto. Well, the diehards in Los Angeles will have to wait until seeing the King's in Vegas in September. That should provide a few good stories. Jen and Jamie - what are you doing September 22?

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