And why not, with eye candy like this?
Then we headed up to the big tent on the parking deck, site of all kinds of hockey games, all the NHL Awards (sans the Stanley Cup, which was in Russia with the Penguins Evgeni Malkin at the time), hockey gear vendors, and of course player autograph stations.
The main trophy I wanted to see was the Norris, awarded to the Best Defensemen in the NHL each year.
This sucker has a pretty amazing list of names on it - Ray Bourque, Nick Lidstrom, Rob Blake (ok, maybe not amazing, at least in Blake's case). Most importantly, Drew's name is gonna make it onto this trophy one day, and when it does I'll be able to say I have photos of me with the Norris, B.D. and A.D. (that's before Doughty and after Doughty...yeah, I crack myself up sometimes).
Speaking of Drew, he ended up being my next stop. Originally his autograph session was scheduled for tomorrow, but they changed it and I was paying attention to the loudspeaker announcements so I got in line. He was the only player I really wanted to see the entire weekend, so thank goodness I was in the tent and not attending the panel discussion going on in the Nokia Theatre!
Drew is such a trooper! He literally flew straight from Team Canada's Olympic Orientation Camp in Calgary to LA just in time for the pep rally last night, and he looked a little tired, to be honest. But he's always so nice and patient with everyone, and he always manages that adorable smile!
Someone had hooked him up with a couple of Diet Cokes, which he needed...all these people were in line AFTER me! Our young superstar always draws the crowds.
Once we got done saying hi to Drew, the girls and I did a little shopping. Jen and Bri were a little excited about the NHL version of Monopoly!
And Bri just HAD to put a bid on a jersey signed by prospect goalie Jonathan Bernier (aka Baby Berns).
And of course we had to check out some hockey games. Radio commentator and Kings Alum Darryl Evans had a blast playing goaltender for this little guy.
And we even ran into our favorite volunteer working the accuracy challenge! Hi Nadine!
And while we were waiting in game lines, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned around to see my Faceboook hockey buddy Chelsea Alexander!
It was so great to finally meet her! We had tried unsuccessfully to meet up at the last Kings-Sharks game of the season in April (Chels is a Sharks fan, but I don't hold it against her because she's nice about it), but she got stuck in traffic and missed the warm-up skate. She volunteers for Echoes of Hope, Luc and Stacia Robitaille's charity, and she was there working the booth. She even got a break so she could hang out with us for part of the day.
Now that you have the skinny on the fun goings on in the tent, let's talk about speaker panels. I was really excited about these, since all the panels are Kings alumni and staff. They were all organized pretty much the same, starting out with a moderated Q&A, followed by an open forum where the audience got to ask questions.
First up, the "Hockey Experts Panel," featuring Kings alumni who are all media guys now. Left to right in the photo below, you have Jim Fox (Fox Sports here in LA who works all our games with Bob Miller), Ray Ferraro (TSN), and Kelly Hrudey (CBC Hockey Night in Canada).
It was really interesting to hear their take on the potential for the team this year while they were poking fun at each other. Kelly got a lot of grief for the color of his shirt, until he asked Ray, "And who is your free shirt from?" They also gave some interesting interviews to the media after the session, including one in which Ferraro claimed Drew has "no pulse." Okay? But as I listened to the rest of his answer, I saw it was a compliment, meaning Drew doesn't get rattled when he doesn't pull off a play perfectly. He just goes back out and does it right the next time. I can live with that.
The next panel discussion was "The Enforcers" with Brad Norton and Stu Grimson (aka the Grim Reaper).
For those of you unacquainted with hockey, enforcers are basically tough guys that play on the 3rd or 4th line whose job it is to bring some pain to opposing players, either to create energy when their team is behind, or retaliate for too-physical play against once of their teammates. When an enforcer is on the ice, there's potential for a fight to break out. It's their job.
But like thieves, there is honor among enforcers. Both Brad and Stu made a point of emphasizing there are rules to the role. Never hit a guy when they're down. Never hit someone from behind. You square up and look your opponent in the eye before you start swinging. And you never start a fight with the intent to hurt someone.
It was also interesting to hear both these tough guys acknowledge that while they accepted their roles, they took no particular joy in fighting if it could be avoided. Once you developed a reputation, sometimes just staring a guy down was enough the get the point across. Stu got his clock cleaned so badly once that his entire cheekbone and eye socket collapsed, and a surgeon had to go in through his ear to reposition the broken bone. Not a lot of fun! Although Brad had the funniest story about hating the idea of a fight...it was against his own brother! Just before they squared off, his brothers last words were, "Mom is gonna be mad!" Of course, she raised a bunch of boys in an Irish-Catholic family, so she's probably tougher than both of them!
The bottom line is this. Even though the debate continues around the league, fighting will probably always be a part of the game, but these guys prove if it's done right, it reminds players there are consequences for bad behavior. Keep settling it on the ice boys!
The last and most anxiously awaited panel of the day was the reunion of the famed "Triple Crown Line" of Dave Taylor, Marcel Dionne, and Charlie Taylor (seated in that order in the photo below). They set records virtually no other line in the history of hockey can touch. I get chills just thinking about it.
It was so wonderful so see the camaraderie these guys STILL have with each other. One would start a thought, and another would finish it. Just like when they played, they seem to instinctively know where each guy will be and what he's thinking. They're a phenomenon, plain and simple. I hope our current players were watching in the wings and learning from the teamwork these guys show even today.
All in all, it was a pretty amazing day. And the perfect finishing touch? I was the high bidder on a signed Kevin Westgarth Manchester Monarchs jersey. It's a size 58, so I might have to belt it and wear it as a dress though...
Time for some rest to get ready for Day 3.
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