Below are the 8 most recent journal entries recorded in kingshockeyteam's LiveJournal:

Monday, January 29th, 2007
6:55 pm	Conroy Returns to Calgary Former Clarkson Golden Knight Craig Conroy was traded by the Los Angeles Kings to the Calgary Flames earlier this evening for Jamie Lundmark and two draft picks. Conroy returns to a Calgary team that he once captained. He also helped lead the Flames to to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2004. We wouldn't be surprised to see him in a line with Jerome Iginla whom have been a productive tandem in the past. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 26th, 2006
5:42 pm	12/21 dallas 3, SHARKS 0 Superstitions may be more nit picky belief than fact, but there really is no better excuse for what happened last night than the color of their jerseys. For the sixth time this season, the Sharks wore their all black alternate (3rd) jerseys, worn for every Thursday night home game, and for the fourth consecutive time this season, the Sharks lost in their all black alternate (3rd) jerseys. For whatever reason, jersey color or not, the Sharks failed to show up for a divisional matchup with the Stars in a game that left the players and coaches scratching their heads, and the fans booing their throats raw (wasn't much else to cheer for). Marty Turco had to do little more than just show up, as he only had to make 20 saves, on very few spectacular scoring chances. Vesa Toskala struggled for the Sharks, allowing 3 goals on 26 shots, losing for the third time in his last four starts. Jeff Halpern, Jussi Jokinen, and Brendan Morrow each scored for the Stars, who were without Mike Modano, a notorious Shark killer. On a night when there was more fight in the stands, it was a shame that there was none on the ice (at least until the moron chickened out). A guy (apparently a Stars fan) decided to stand up during a key Sharks powerplay late in the second period. Now, in the Tank, this sort of action is usually met with a few "down in front" style calls, but this guy decided to stand up in 209. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the insides of the Tank, section 209 is a section behind the goal that the Sharks shoot twice on, notorious for the "You Suck" chants heard several times throughout the game, and just generally a loud and rowdy bunch who are never afraid to be vocal. Anyway, to cut a long story short, this guy stands up in the middle of play, the 209ers and some 208ers start hassling him to sit down, and things escalate to where he decides it's a good idea to turn around and address those that are hassling him with, among other things, everyone's favorite finger. Another guy calls him out to go downstairs and fight, stand-up guy wimps out, and eventually the purple coats (well dressed ushers, with ties) escort him and his buddies out of the building, to a standing ovation from sections all around the 209 area. Thursday nights at the Tank this season have been dubbed "Black Thursday" because of the color of jersey worn by the Sharks, but it would be just as fitting if it was used to describe the Sharks play. They are 2-4 in the black this season, winning by scores of 5-4 in OT (10/5 vs the St. Louis Blues) on opening night, and two weeks later when they tied a franchise record with power play goals in a game with 5 (10/ 19 vs the Detroit Red Wings). The four consecutive losses (11/2 vs the New York Rangers, 12/7 vs the Colorado Avalanche, 12/14 vs the Los Angeles Kings, and 12/21 vs the Dallas Stars) have seen the Sharks go up against teams that are slumping (Colorado) , playing the second night of back-to-backs (New York, Dallas), playing a rookie goaltender (Los Angeles), missing a few key players (New York, Los Angeles, Dallas) or just generally overmatched, at least on paper (New York, Colorado, Los Angeles, Dallas). The Sharks scored 5 goals in each of their first 2 Black Thursdays, and have scored 5 goals in their last four games combined, and have been outscored by a score of 20-15 on Black Thursday to date. Popular because of the, well, I'm not sure why they're popular, but I am pretty sure they are falling out of favor with almost everyone because of the recent failures while they are being worn (not the best advertisement). The bright spot for the Sharks lies in the fact that every Black Thursday loss has been followed by a Saturday night win in teal. Number four of that trend is in their sights tomorrow night as the Calgary Flames come to town for a Canadian National Broadcast of "Hockey Night in Canada", San Jose edition (7:00 pst). Along with the HNiC crew is the return of former Sharks assistant coach and TV Color analyst Drew Remenda, who left at the end of last season. Go Sharks (go burn the black jerseys) -Jess (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 2nd, 2006
1:19 pm	Sometimes change is good Remind me why Sundin, Koivu, Alfredsson, and Naslund deserve to the the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th longest serving captains in the NHL. Colorado Avalanche: Joe Sakic 1995 Toronto Maple Leafs: Mats Sundin 1997 Montreal Canadiens: Saku Koivu 1999 Ottawa Senators: Daniel Alfredsson 1999 Vancouver Canucks: Markus Naslund 2000 Edmonton Oilers: Jason Smith 2001 Los Angeles Kings: Mattias Norstrom 2001 Calgary Flames: Jarome Iginla 2003 Florida Panthers: Olli Jokinen 2003 Phoenix Coyotes: Shane Doan 2003 (Comment on this)
Friday, August 18th, 2006
11:44 am	I Buy Clothing Worn By Other Men It's all Pete Van Vleet's fault. Pete hosted a weekly all-night poker game, back in the early part of the decade. It'd often go through to dawn, with enough beer and food to last throughout. Pete also lived about four blocks from me, so things like "moderation" and "responsibility" were foreign concepts. Late one night, early one morning, I stumbled home through 4 a.m. Atlanta, and, well, if you drink a lot, you shouldn't leave your computer on all the time. The next morning, I woke up to find out I'd spent $495 on a game-worn hockey jersey. Petr Prajsler, Los Angeles Kings -- remember him? No? With good reason. But he had a solid season for the Phoenix Roadrunners when I lived in Arizona, and he'd lodged in my mind all these years. That's how it all started. I became addicted to surfing the net, searching for jerseys. Thankfully, I quickly decided to limit myself to Czech players, in the name of sanity. Even with the limitation, I found plenty of cool stuff. An '80s Leafs Miroslav Fryčer jersey. A few Sparta Praha jerseys, including one of David Výborný's. And a bunch of cool stuff that I wish I had bought back then -- a Šlégr Canucks, a Jiří Hrdina Flames. Soon enough, sanity prevailed, and I stopped buying. I had a few cool jerseys making a nice display on the wall, and that was that. Until the lockout. And then the end of the lockout, and the reflowering of my hockey passion. And two unfortunate things happened at once: * I found a Pavel Skrbek HC Poldi Kladno jersey on eBay, and * I found this post, referring me to the magical place where Czech jerseys are auctioned off. I won the Skrbek, didn't win Balaštík, but I was hooked. The Skrbek jersey was great, absolutely hammered, and it was off to the races again. Pretty quickly, I realized I had to drop aspirations of getting a big NHL collection; $350 is now bargain-basement for a NHL jersey. (Exceptions: various favorite players) For the most part, I've been collecting European jerseys (primarily Czech league) now -- they look cool and generally are far more heavily worn than their North American counterparts. So what's the appeal, exactly? I've never been big on having things just to have them -- I'm most acquisitive about books, which I can actually read -- but the jerseys just look cool. Hockey jerseys (and sure, I'm biased here) are far more attractive than those of the other major sports (only baseball comes close), and the wear on the actual game-worn jerseys does tell a story. I've got a few jerseys from Czech team HC Sparta Praha, dating to the '70s and '80s, and they're just destroyed. I've stopped purchasing, now, unless something really cool comes up, but there's quite a variety to the collection. Jerseys from seven countries, ten leagues plus international play. Almost all Czechs, with the odd Slovak (Demitra, Vaic) and one Pole (1980s national team goalie Gabriel Samolej). It's a small place I've got here, so I restrict the jerseys to three on the wall at one time, in the hallway. That's not enough to escape the slings and arrows of friends, alas. Girls usually range from wide-eyed fear to a dismissive "hey, that's pretty neat." The triad effect lends itself to themed displays -- the Ales Pisa good-luck charm, the Klouček vigil. Right now it's all Czech jerseys, as seen above (left to right: Ales Pisa Pardubice, unknown '70s Sparta player, Pavel Vostřák Dukla Jihlava, complete with hedgehog), marking the season getting under way over there. Some random facts and figures about the collection: Most jerseys, one team: HC Sparta Praha, five (two unknown jerseys from the '70s and '80s, Leo Gudas, David Výborný, and Robert Schnabel). They're followed closely by the Thrashers with four (Klouček, Kaberle, Štefan, Hnilička), and HC Kladno, the Blues, and the Los Angeles Kings (?) with three each. Only one Avs jersey (Josef Marha) -- they haven't had a lot of Czechs, and Milan Hejduk jerseys tend to be pricey. Most jerseys, one player: Klouček, with four (Rangers pre-season, Predators, Thrashers pre-season, Chicago Wolves. I think the only other player with more than one is Roman Vopat (remember him?). Favorite jersey: Late 1980s Gudas Sparta Praha jersey. He was regularly among the top penalty-getters in the Czech league at the time, and it shows it -- a giant gash in the front, lots of marks all over the place. Plus the little "fighting saint" logo at the bottom of the numbers. Photos here and here, but they don't really do it justice. Honorable mention: Tomáš Divíšek Pardubice, Roman Meluzin Tappara Tampere, Marha Avs Ugliest jersey: Poor, poor Lubo. Honorable mention: Jaroslav Balaštík Syracuse Crunch (do they not have graphic designers in Syracuse?), Libor Zábranský Worcester Icecats (or maybe it's just the AHL -- though half the time I think the Zábranský jersey is really pretty cool). (Comment on this)
Friday, August 11th, 2006
11:05 am	What The Puck? Los Angeles Times Latest Paper To Freeze Hockey ... Lord Stanley Spinning As Number-Four Sport Falls Off The California Coast The latest cost-cutting at The Los Angeles Times has put the sports section there in the penalty box. LAObserved.com reports writers assigned to The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Mighty Ducks will not go on most road trips. Also, hockey columnist Helene Elliott becomes a general columnist and won't write her weekly league roundup. Instead, the AP and stringers will get to shoulder the hockey burden. So, when the nation's fourth-largest newspaper decides to curtail coverage of a still-major sport, what hope is there for smaller newspapers? Actually, little or none, as they don't make road trips either. Hey, at least the Tribune gang in Hollywood is actually covering the teams when they're home. The New York Times has cut back to one hockey writer who covers the Rangers, although even that team was subject to road wire coverage occasionally. As for the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils, who between them have won seven Stanley Cups, they might as well have not even existed. Rare was a reporter sent even to a home game. That the Times relied instead on the AP was apparently viewed with little embarrassment on West 43rd St. And with word that the Times will shrink in size by 2008, cutting the newshole by 5 percent, expect a lot more of the same. (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006
6:03 pm	Circumventing Article 3 and Other Atrocities by the Bush ... Before I begin, I want to say thank you to everyone for inviting me to participate in Blogathon 2006. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Robbie and I’m a writer and aspiring novelist. I currently have three blogs: Greetings From America’s Finest City (personal), Independent Opinions (politics), and The Round Table (Los Angeles Kings hockey weblog). Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let’s get this party started... Right now, you should be outraged at the Bush administration for attempting to circumvent the War Crimes Act of 1996. When the Supreme Court ruled 5-3 on June 29, 2006 that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military tribunals for Guantanamo Bay detainees, they also in effect ruled that the Bush administration did not have the authority to torture them. In response to that, the Bush administration has drafted legislation that would grant protections to U.S. personnel for past violations of the War Crimes Act of 1996, which defines a war crime as a violation or grave breach of any of the Geneva Conventions or the Hague Conventions of 1907. What really concerns them is Article 3 of the Geneva Convention, which states the following: Article 3 In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions: 1. Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria. To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons: (a) Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture; (b) Taking of hostages; (c) Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment; (d) The passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples. 2. The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for. An impartial humanitarian body, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict. The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Convention. The application of the preceding provisions shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict. The penalty for violating Article 3 of the Geneva Convention, as stated by the War Crimes Act of 1996, is life imprisonment or death. The death penalty is enacted if the misconduct resulted in the death of one or more victims, which has happened in the Guantanamo Bay prison and in Abu Gharib. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has consulted with Republican members of Congress for their help in covering the Bush administration’s backside. They, along with U.S. personnel that carried out these atrocities should be very afraid of what they’ve done in the name of protecting our freedom. A 55-page report by Human Rights Watch called No Blood, No Foul (you can download a PDF of the report by clicking here) details soldiers’ accounts of detainee abuse in Iraq, including reports of the use of abusive --I mean "creative" interrogation techniques such as sleep deprivation, environmental controls, hot and cold water. (Due to time constraints I cannot list them all, so please click here to download the PDF file or click here to reference the publication online.) If the Bush administration succeeds in weakening the War Crimes Act of 1996, not only will they get away with the atrocities against detainees in our prisons but an unintentional consequence will be the possible future mistreatment of captured U.S. military personnel. We don’t need a repeat of what’s going on between Hezbollah and Israel to remind us of those consequences. You as a concerned American citizen, especially those of you who say we are governed by "the rule of law", must do what is morally right. Contact your elected officials and let them know what you think about the Bush administration’s attempt to skirt its responsibility to the War Crimes Act of 1996 and Article 3 of the Geneva Convention. We ratified those agreements and it is our duty to bring those who violated those laws to justice. Technorati Tags: Geneva Conventions, War Crimes Act of 1996, Alberto Gonzales, Torture, Human Rights, Guantanamo Bay, Abu Gharib, Human Rights Watch (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 29th, 2006
4:54 pm	What The Puck? Los Angeles Times Latest Paper To Freeze Hockey ... Lord Stanley Spinning As Number-Four Sport Falls Off The California Coast The latest cost-cutting at The Los Angeles Times has put the sports section there in the penalty box. LAObserved.com reports writers assigned to The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Mighty Ducks will not go on most road trips. Also, hockey columnist Helene Elliott becomes a general columnist and won't write her weekly league roundup. Instead, the AP and stringers will get to shoulder the hockey burden. So, when the nation's fourth-largest newspaper decides to curtail coverage of a still-major sport, what hope is there for smaller newspapers? Actually, little or none, as they don't make road trips either. Hey, at least the Tribune gang in Hollywood is actually covering the teams when they're home. The New York Times has cut back to one hockey writer who covers the Rangers, although even that team was subject to road wire coverage occasionally. As for the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils, who between them have won seven Stanley Cups, they might as well have not even existed. Rare was a reporter sent even to a home game. That the Times relied instead on the AP was apparently viewed with little embarrassment on West 43rd St. And with word that the Times will shrink in size by 2008, cutting the newshole by 5 percent, expect a lot more of the same. (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 27th, 2006
10:53 am	The Five Ugliest Third Jerseys Ever After being inspired by Gôlbez's post about The Islanders "Fishsticks" uniforms, and Nick's comment (and finding!) about the Blues god-awful third jersey (that was thankfully vetoed off the face of the earth by Mike Keenan), I decided to make a top 5 of the worst third jerseys ever made. (Click the links after you've read this post, I don't want to spoil the surprise). First some history about the third jerseys. After the All-Star break in 96, January 27th, the third jersey was born. Five teams introduced special jerseys to be worn on Saturdays or on special occasions. The Ducks, Bruins, Penguins, Kings and The Canucks were the first teams to debut these special jerseys with varying degrees of success. Only The Bruins yellow Bear jersey still exists today. The Penguins played with their third jerseys for two seasons before making it their away jersey at the start of the 1997/98 season. The Kings and Ducks were simply laughed at (as you'll soon find out) and any one caught with one of these bad-boys were rounded up and fed to Bastion Booger. #5: Vancouver Canucks Third Jersey (1995-97): The organization behind the infamous "V" jerseys did it again with this bright red/orange thing that was used as a third jersey for two seasons. The French and the Japanese are known for their bad taste when it comes to humour, the citizens of Vancouver shall now be know for their bad taste when it comes to fashion design. #4: Los Angeles Kings Third Jersey (1995-96): This jersey lasted for one season and I think its safe to say the world is a better place for it. The weird (and angry!) King at the top of the uniform and the faded silver/black stripes makes you wonder how they went from the ûber-cool black Kings jerseys to the current jerseys and subsequently to this. #3: Tampa Bay Lighning Third Jersey (1996-99): Looks like someone puked on the arms of this one. Roman Hamrlik for Steve Bonsignore (EDIT: Of course it's Jason Bonsignore, thanks Jes for pointing that out), Bryan Marchment and Steve Kelly AND this jersey? (I'm not sure which is the worst of the two). How it lasted for three years beats me. Jaques Demers never knew how to read or write. GM Phil Esposito must be blind or something and not tell anyone. #2: Anaheim Might Ducks (1995-96): This third atrocity would rank number one if it wasn't for the atrocity of atrocities that is the number one jersey. Allow me to say out loud: WTF? Ren & Stimpy has nothing on this jersey when it comes to an avant garde & shitty cartoon style. You would think a company like Disney would have some sort of good taste when it comes to friggin' cartoons. But no, they actually thought this would be a good idea and appeal to folks like you and me. Hopefully the creator/creators were cryogenically frozen while still alive. I'd love to se the look on Walt's face when he's thawed sometime in 2135. The first word out of his mouth will surely be: WTF? #1: St. Louis Blues unused third jersey (1995): Technically not a third jersey since it was never used, but like the crimes of the holocausts this must be shown to the world so we will never ever forget. Not even Lance Armstrong would be seen competing in a jersey as atrocious as this. The fact that Mike Keenan vetoed against this shirt makes him somewhat of a hero of mine. I'm (almost) willing to forget his tenure as GM of the Blues for vetoing this. And what's cool about that cat? The only thing I can imagine is that the creator is one of those high-school kids that sits in the back of the class and ride special buses, but even special kids have better talent than this shit.* I hope Keenan ate the creators children as punishment. *I apologize. If I've missed an atrocious jersey, please leave a comment. Thanks to Jes Gôlbez for the inspiration for this post and Nick for finding the Blues jersey. (Comment on this)