Jewels from the Crown: for Los Angeles Kings fans

James and Sarah join Crown Conversations to discuss the NHL's latest cash grab: The reverse retro jerseys. Some are fine, some are fire, and some are just plain bad (looking at you, Winnipeg Jets). In Part 1, topics discussed include the LA Kings (obviously), the Anaheim Ducks (project incomplete), the Calgary Flames (Blasty!), the Buffalo Sabres (and their pitiful lack of Buffaslug) jerseys and Tyler Toffoli's choice of footwear. Plus, Jeff Carter looks like a Los Angeles hobo (but the rich kind) and it's kinda fun.

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Whew, what a day! The second round, which typically takes only a few hours to complete, took an astonishing eight-plus hours to wrap up. But in that time, the Los Angeles Kings, holding nine draft picks, selected eight young men from four different countries (USA, Finland, Sweden, Slovakia).

James Nicholson and Sarah Avampato join me once again to discuss LA’s shiny new boys and grade the draft. We also talk about what a potential coup it could be if Lias Andersson pans out. Rob Blake flipped the 60th overall pick for the former seventh overall New York Rangers centerman, who has had some notable issues, leaving the Rangers in order to deal with his mental health. But, if he can live up to his draft pedigree whenever he eventually joins the Kings, Blake could look like a genius. This leads us to a discussion about Todd McLellan and his development of young players as compared to Alain Vigneault. (Note: I realize now that the head coach of the Rangers is actually David Quinn as AV is now coaching the Philadelphia Flyers, but my brain keeps thinking he’s still in New York.)

We also talk extensively about Brock Faber and Helge Grans, two very different defensemen who play very distinct styles, but seem like they could fit in very well with the Kings’ organization. Listen out for James’ hot take on who Byfield actually reminds him of. Scouts said Byfield is Anze Kopitar 2.0, but there’s a certain other large center playing for a rival California team that James thinks he’s more like.

Lastly, we grade the overall draft and briefly discuss some of the highlights of the day (including an angry Craig Button, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ strange announcement from Day 1, and some of the curious moves the Nashville Predators made).

Barring any radical moves the Kings make on Friday during Free Agent Frenzy, this will be the last podcast for the 2019-20 season. I will be back once hockey returns.

Be sure to listen and subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you ever have any questions or comments, leave them below or feel free to email [email protected].

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On this episode, Sarah Avampato joins me to discuss Tim Smith, the man inside the Bailey costume, and the lawsuit brought against him. In a Friday news dump, the organization quietly announced that Smith “has been terminated by the organization following an internal investigation” after a former member of the Ice Crew filed a lawsuit against Smith, AEG, and the Kings in August. Smith was subsequently suspended on August 14 pending an internal investigation before eventually being fired on Friday. There is no word yet on who, if anyone, will play Bailey or if they’re even going to have a mascot at all. It could be a moot point as fans (at the moment) aren’t even be allowed in the building. And no one is really sure when the NHL will actually return to play. Again.

Then we chat about the impending NHL entry draft coming up soon. We chat about which top prospect the Los Angeles Kings could possibly grab at second overall and wishing for some chaos. We go into depth about what the Kings need and if Quinton Byfield or Tim Stützle is the right kid to fill it. Should they go with their prototypical Large Boy (Byfield is listed at 6’2, 215lbs) or should they go the kid with dazzling playmaking skills with a high hockey IQ? If the Tampa Bay Lightning are now the model (and to be fair to the Dallas Stars, they matched up pretty well in terms of high-end skilled players) being the most recent Stanley Cup winners, does that mean that Stützle is the right pick? Or does LA’s desperate need for a center outweigh the potential of the German?

Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you’ll never miss an episode and leave a comment below. Got questions or want to be on the pod? Hit me up at [email protected].

(PS: I know I said that the last podcast would be penultimate, but I had wanted to address the Tim Smith stuff and Sarah is super knowledgeable so we got to learn a bit about the coin flip headed LA’s way. Barring any additional breaking news, the post draft podcast will be the last one[s] until the NHL season starts back up.)

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Logan Stark from Defending Big D joins CC to discuss the Dallas Stars, their roster makeup, and depth vs depth. We talk at length about her hometown favorite boy Tyler Johnson and the potential of seeing the league shift towards a more dynamic, offensive-focused roster similar to the Lightning. Plus, how good has Anton Khudobin been, why is he such a delight, and would anyone truly mind if he just swiped the Stanley Cup and ran away with it? We also discuss Dallas' coaching drama and the shutdown line of Radek Faksa, Andrew Cogliano, and Blake Comeau. And yes, we did talk about Corey Perry, but mostly how the DBD staff cursed his signing into existence.

This is our penultimate podcast for the 2019-20 season. The last one will cover the draft and then there will be a break until the new season starts up.

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Hardev Lad from sister SBN blog Raw Charge joins Crown Conversations to talk about the Tampa Bay Lightning and their quest to lift Lord Stanley’s shiny silver chalice. Steven Stamkos remains an unknown factor, but if he were to suit up, where could he fit into the lineup? How would Jon Cooper best utilize the star forward’s skills? We also talk about the magical postseason that Brayden Point is having as well as Tampa’s insane depth (seriously, Tyler Johnson is on the THIRD LINE, Cedric Paquette is on the FOURTH line). It hasn’t been an easy Cup run for the Lightning so far, but after being swept out of the playoffs last year, the Bolts are proving that they’ve learned a lot and will not be an easy out for any team.

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A little bonus episode to talk about the Vancouver Canucks and why you should support our dear boys Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson with the Vancouver Canucks.

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We are about 2/5 of the way through most of the qualifying round. Are you looking to bandwagon a team for the rest of this "playoff" series? Maybe you're still on the fence as to who you should root for. Sarah and I already gave our thoughts on who we'd like to see win and why. Maybe you just don't know enough about any of the teams to decide why you should root for them.

Well, don't take my word for it. Hear from Cat Silverman (Coyotes) and Bryan Bastin (Predators) why you should root for either one of these teams (or at least a great series). The Coyotes may have taken Game 1, but don't count out those pesky Predators.

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The NHL has resumed operations—kind of. The Great Pause of 2020 has ceased and now it’s time for hockey inside the bubble as 24 teams traveled to Toronto and Edmonton to play not-regular-season hockey.

Sarah and I discuss the NHL’s response to racism and how WNBA players are leading the way. (Really, anytime you want to look at human rights activism, Black and Trans womxn are at the forefront showing us how sh*t gets done.)

Plus, we talk about the Chicago Blackhawks (and their lack of response to racism with both their name and within their community) and how every single team in the western conference can simultaneously lose all of their games while also not winning the magical first overall pick thanks to the NHL’s very weird lottery odds. Also, we’re #2! So, there’s that. And, is Taylor Hall really that magical? Should we root for the Arizona Coyotes to beat their opponent or should we root for them to win the first overall pick? I mean, Taylor Hall magic but also, a division rival getting the first pick in a deep, deep lottery is a little squirmy to think about.

Listen and subscribe and then check out the whole schedule here.

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The worst year ever for sports somehow managed to get even worse when the news came out that the Los Angeles Kings parted ways with a number of incredible people from Mike Futa, Mike Stothers and even Jon Rosen. It’s unfortunate, but sports is a business and when there is no business, sucky things have to happen.

On this episode of Crown Conversations, Sarah and James join me to look back at James’ time with the Kings and reflect on the amazing personality that Jon always managed to bring to his writing. He will surely be missed and we hope he doesn’t land anywhere we’d hate to follow him (ahem Anaheim Ducks, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin ... really, anywhere else in the Big Ten outside of Pennsylvania State University...) mostly for the rivalry aspects. James shares some fun stories and Sarah reveals how much Jon’s writing had influence on luring her to the dark side.

Jon, we’ll miss you and are grateful for everything you brought to the LA Kings. We wish you all the best of luck in the future and we’ll follow you wherever you go, even if it’s (sigh) Anaheim.

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We're officially not sticking to sports anymore. As a privileged person with a platform, this is an opportunity for me to stand up for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and show my solidarity. Matt and I discuss racism, how to be a better ally, and how hockey is such a niche sport. As promised in my podcast, I have included resources for other folks to educate themselves.

As someone who was ignorant, I've been a part of the problem for too long. It's going to take time and we may mess up, but if we start by educating ourselves (and not asking our BIPOC friends to hold our hands to do it), we can make a change for the better.

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