Sorry I haven't updated lately, oh faithful Hockeywood dezinens. A close friend of mine at the Press-Telegram, James Melroy, passed away on June 26, and it through me for a loop. I knew him for 20 years, and he will be missed.

It sort of pushed all things hockey to the back burner for me. So, things like Michael Cammalleri getting traded on Draft Day, Lubomir Visnovsky being traded and Rob Blake signing in San Jose... I really didn't care. I mean I normally don't pay much heed to the off-season to begin with. I mean, come on... IT'S SUMMER!

But when a report came out about the Kings ownership have been looking into potential "partners" with the implied intent to sell off part of the franchise, I felt compelled to come out of my summertime malaise and vent.

Now, I'm not naive. This is a business, and all teams face ownership changes. The Kings have certainly seen their fair share of them. But the timing couldn't have come worse for this. First, they fire Marc Crawford before the NHL Draft, Then, they trade their leading scorer and All-Star defenseman from 06-07. Then, they lose their captain, Rob Blake,  to the Sharks. Now the news that the owners are formulating an exit strategy comes out... it just reeks of... well... of something that reeks really bad.

Other than the Blake defection, which really doesn't bother me, it seems that Lombardi might have pulled the trigger a tad too early on releasing Crow and getting rid of Lubo after one sub-par season. I sort of figured Cammy was gone, when he only got a one-year contract last season. But Lubo's departure worried me. Yeah, he he had an off season. But you can't tell me that L.A. is not going to miss Visnovsky's 19 assists for last season, let alone Cammalleri's 19 power play points. Now it seems Patrick O'Sullivan , the player that Lombardi himself brought in in a whirlwind trade of Pavol Demitra to the Wild, might be on the verge of being swooped away by another club. O'Sullivan is on the verge of breaking out, and will have a killer season next season. And on top of it all, they raised tickets prices again.

No, the news that AEG is starting the initial stages of Operation Stage Left has left me in a foul mood. After all, when the leading candidate is an ownership group (and for Stanley's sake, would it kill us to just get an owner rather than an ownership group?) that runs the Boston Celtics. The same ownership group that saw their NBA franchise plummet to last place a season ago only to go out and mortgage their future by trading away every last piece of furniture to bring in Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett and BUY an NBA championship. And now, AEG is stating that the executives who have experience in the Celtics’ front office, would likely be imported to help run the Kings.

Huh?

What in the hell do NBA guys know about running an NHL front office? Isn't that why we brought Luc in? Surround him with the people necessary to help the Kings establish a true hockey front office? How are a bunch of NBA suits going to know about what a hockey team needs? Will this new ownership group's influence be to purge the young talent and gamble that will get the Kings back to the playoffs?

I know, I know... Nothing is imminent. But when you step back and look at the big picture, things look more murky than ever.

Played: 161 | Download | Duration: 00:41:34

With the 2008 draft now a memory, The Hockeywood Insider has decided that the new season starts RIGHT NOW!!!

What better time to start the new season of podcasts than right smack dab in the middle of summer? And the surprises don't stop there! We have a new co-host! That's right, THI has decided to "go in a different direction." We wish Dr. Naysay all the best in his future endeavours, which basically means we told him to pound sand.

So, listen in to hear our new co-host and be amazed by his hockey acumen, his velvet tones of his voice and his use of potent potables. A true treat awaits you.

Back to the podcast, we touch on the 2008 Draft, including our little breakdown of what we thought of it. (I'm estatic, my new co-host not so much.) We also comment on the trading of Cammalleri, the releasing of coach Crawford and why can't the Kings seem to get off the Bus?

So welcome to Season Two of the Hockeywood Insider! Who cares if we won't record again until the actual NHL season starts? It's our world, you're all just living in it.

I'm sorry, but The Love Guru loves really, really stupid.

And not just because I'm a Kings fan, although I'm not particularly excited
to see the franchise trounced by the Toronto Maple Leafs for the Stanley Cup, even if it is a Hollywood pipe dream.

No, Mike Myers' latest movie simply doesn't look funny. Not funny enough to be released in the middle of the summer, that's for sure.

I'm all for hockey movies, and I'll give any comedy a spin.  But this one just looks  uncomfortably awful. Mostly because I like Mike Myers.  He seems to have hit that wall that some of his SNL co-horts have been experiencing.

Will Ferrell's last movie, Semi-Pro, came and left with little fanfare, and I fear that will be the same case with his new flick, The Step Brothers. Adam Sandler's Zohan movie? Pass. Tina Fey's Baby Mama? Meh. I love Tina, but not enough to fork over 20 bucks.


Don't get me wrong. I'm going to go see Guru. At a matinee. In a different neighborhood where no one recognizes me. But only because I'd be a hypocrite if I sat here and blasted a movie I haven't seen. I'm all about providing
a well-balanced blog here in Hockeywood. I'll report back later with a complete report.

So, it's come down to this... 350+ competitors. 8 finalists. One more tough roadblock to the Final 4.

I need your votes in a big, bad way. I've visted every single message board I've ever heard of and bothered everyone on my email lists to the point of alienation.

So now, this is my last ditch effort to garner up more fan support. I had some help today, in the form of Press-Telegram columnist Doug Krikorian.

Our very own Press-Telegram designer extraordinaire Matt Murray has made it to the Elite 8 in KLAC's Fame and Fortune Broadcasting contest. Why would Mr. Murray, soon to be a papa for the second time, want to waste so much of life's valuable time being a sports talk show host, as I did for too many years? ...

Thanks, Doug.

So if I don't survive this round, I just want to thank all of my readers/viewers/listeners. Without you, there would be no reason for me to continue this blog/podcast thingy. So thank you. Don't worry, I'll still pimp out hockey here. That'll never stop.

Now, get back to voting! What are you going to do today? Work? Sheesh..

Click here for a video of my KLAC entry!

So, as everyone knows, I've been in a dogfight for KLAC's Fame and Fortune II. I've asked everyone I know and everyone I barely know to blindly vote for me. And out of 300+ entrants, I've been elevated to the top 8! A fine accomplishment, considering I'm going against people shuttered in their parents' basments with the lights off, frantically typing in mass emails, hyped up on vodka and Red Bull.

Instead of staring bleary-eyed until all hours of the night, I've been creating things like this video, which is basically my entry set to images. I especially like my Charles Barkley as Cloverfield image.

Yeah, I guess I should've sign up for thousands of emails, but quite frankly, that seems boring to me.

But after I finished the video, I still felt like I hadn't really reached out enough to all my friends and listeners to the podcast to say thank you. After all, it's because of you that I'm here. So, I dragged Doc off his couch and made him record a podcast with me, in a shameless attempt to get more votes. "Hey Doc, the check's in the mail." Believe me, he wasn't doing anything important. He hasn't shaved for weeks.

**SHAMELESS PANHANDLING**

So, if you haven't already, go here and vote for me.

As payment, please accept this limited edition summer edition of the Hockeywood Insider for your listening pleasure. And if you like our little podcast here, please, tell your friends to find us on iTunes.

Hey, it's free. What are you complaining about? Now, go vote!
 

Played: 114 | Download | Duration: 00:16:24

According to a press release from the Los Angeles Kings, head coach Marc Crawford has been fired.

Now when you consider that the franchise has been in the cellar the past few seasons, it seems like a no-brainer to get rid of the head coach. But if you look at the progress of the young players, namely Brown, Kopitar and O'Sullivan. Problem was, he didn't trust them to play them more. It took each player great strides to gain his respect, while the vets were given a lot of leash. And we know how that went.

His biggest mistake was backing Dan Cloutier, and he has apologized profusely for that. That single move set the entire goaltending core back three years.

As we already know, L.A. is rebuilding from the ground up. They've revamped the farm system and stockpiled it with talent. They're one of the best clubs who have figured out how to deal with working under the salary cap. And the future looks bright, with the Kings really in no position but to get better.

It's just that the franchise's future never really had a place for coach Crawford, methinks. Dean Lombardi has had a plan for the franchise from day one, and I'm sure that upgrading everywhere, including at head coach, was part of it. I'm sure he's got a short list on candidates.

Now when the preseason starts, it will definitely feel like a fresh start for everyone, ready to put last season's complete crapper behind them and truly focus on making the playoffs.

... and the dreaded Red Wings hoisted the Cup yet again. And, in true Detroit fashion, they've already dented the Cup. Way to go, guys.

At least it wasn't as bad as the huge ding the Ducks left last year on hockey's Holy Grail. And on the oldest part of the trophy. What do you expect from Anaheim? For more misadventures of the Cup, here's a favorite article of mine. It always seems to pop up the day after someone has damaged the greatest trophy in professional sports.

This season has been a long, painful one for Kings fans. Another year out of the playoffs, another high draft pick. And while I try not to get excited about high school athletes getting drafted, at least this season the Kings have some real good talent to choose from. Even though they might be a few seasons away, you can never look too far ahead.

That's the whole mindset that Dean Lombardi is bringing to this team and preaching to the fans. Patience. It's been forty years of mismanagement, and that kind of damage isn't easy to undo. But this is why Dean's here. So, whoever the Kings take on June 20th, trust that this kid will have a spot on the Kings roster very soon.

And if you don't believe that rebuilding works, just look at the Red Wings opponents for the Stanley Cup was. The Pittsburgh Penguins. There were on the verge of being sold and moved to Kansas City, if I remember correctly, and now look at them. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa... They are going to be good for a long time. The Kings could be like that in a few seasons. It all revolves around the draft.

Speaking of the NHL Draft, I'll hopefully be attending this year's draft party. I had a blast last season, although hardly the response I was hoping for when I decided to video it. Check it out...

During the Slovenia-U.S. game of the preliminary round of the 2008 IIHF World Hockey Championships, current Phoenix Coyote Keith Ballard viciously attacked the Kings' Anze Kopitar with a punishing check into the boards, sending Anze's helmet flying.

Now, I'm all for hits in the corners, because that's how hockey's played. But this game really didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things. This is why I was very hesitant having Kopitar play this off-season in the World Championships.

This buffoon ballard probably felt that he'd make a name for himself by taking out the young Kings star. He probably thought as he skated back to the bench that he'd be getting high-fives from teammates, telling him he did a good job.

But this idiot forgot one thing... two things actually. Two of Anze's teammates, Dustin Brown and Patrick O'Sullivan, are also on the U.S. team. And you can better damn well believe that those two guys won't forget what Ballard did.

Of the past two seasons, I've seen so many Kings/Coyote suckfests at Staples. You better believe I'm going to catch the first game next season.

Staples will run red with Ballard's blood! Enjoy this picture, because that'll be the last "highlight" you'll see from Mr. Ballard.

So, since I've entered the Fame and Fortune II contest, I decided to poke around KLAC's All-Access area.

Each radio jock has their own MySpace-style home page, and I was checking them all out. Turns out, each jock's home page seems to be updated by the show's producers. They have photos, bloggy entries and videos. I clicked on one video called Office Tour, and was treated to a four minute video of Matt "Money" Smith and Petro Papadakis' office.
 
I was mildly amused by all the stuff that they had accumulated in their office, and reminded me of my old desk. Matt was pointing out all the pictures and toys they have, and as he scanned up, I spotted this:



These are six replica trophies  that were handed out in Happy Meals in the McDonalds in Canada. This simply is the greatest thing I have EVER seen. And that trumps some pretty serious stuff, including two girls making out in college. Well, maybe not THAT cool, but still...

A mini Conn Smythe trophy?!? A tiny Art Ross trophy?!?

Back in 1993, when the Kings' made their one and only appearance in the Stanley Cup finals, the NHL had brought in all the trophies and put them on display at a hotel in downtown L.A. Me and some of my friends made the trek and checked out all the trophies. I was amazed at just how different each one was. It really gives hockey that sense of historic proportion.

So, since my birthday is coming up on the 18th... feel free to buy me one. I'll proudly take down my mini Kings jerseys and place them at the mantel of my desk.