Человек многих лиц

In an effort help Andrei Loktionov learn English while he his rehabbing, the Kings staff have made a chart of Terry Murray demonstrating various emotions so he can speak to the media about the disappointment of getting a shoulder injury in his first NHL game. Not unlike the posters I remember seeing in my high school Spanish class… except my Spanish teacher also taught German so we had a poster of Jim Varney exhibiting sad in Deustch.

Festivus Airing of Grievances

Going alphabetically from the roster on lakings.com...



Dustin Brown: We’re all waiting for you to get your groove back. Waiting and waiting…
Corey Elkins: Who are you, again? Well, you got your first goal in your second NHL game ever, let’s hope you turn out better than Teddy Purcell.
Alexander Frolov: Fro-love, I’m going to be candid with you, dear. When you suck you’re not only hurting yourself, you’re hurting me, too. Oh yeah, and your team.
Michal Handzus: Everything you touch turns to awesome. Start touching Frolov some more, but only in the nice, platonic-teammate way.
Raitis Ivanans: A lot of people get down on you for not being a very good forward, or being very good on the puck at all. I think you’re doing a great job of scaring the shit out of anyone who thinks he can level a little guy like Oscar Moller.

“…and as I reigned blows upon him…”
Photo from this guy.
Anze Kopitar: You started off so well this season. I guess not spending the summer in Slovenia eating pancakes really was what you needed all along. Having Ryan Smyth as your left arm probably helped, too. You need to learn to score goals without him, too. Remember, when you used to do that?
Andrei Loktionov: Next!
Oscar Moller: You know, Oscar, a lot of people are down on you for being so small. Just remind them that you’re taller than Michael Cammelleri, and have better stats than Teddy Purcell.
Teddy Purcell: Teddy, Teddy, Teddy. I liked you last season. I really did. I liked hearing that you were signed for another year with the club. What happened? You need to find that mojo fairy and demand back your mojo.
Brad Richardson: Up until last month I thought you were the biggest waste of space since John Zeiler. I still think you look like a douchebag.
Brandon Segal: Next!
Wayne Simmonds: The only problem I could have with you is you’re making those other guys look bad. Stop that!
Ryan Smyth: Well, Smytty, since you got your usual injury out of the way early this year can we expect you to be ready for the playoffs? The last thing we want is a Smyth-less Kopitar in the playoffs. The only 2-fer I want to see this year is from Disneyland.
Jarret Stoll: Please start stretching properly before and after games. Also, it probably wouldn’t hurt to stretch before engaging in whatever activities shall remain unnamed with the sorority girls or cougars you probably pick up at Sharkeez. Also, stop giving Justin Williams hair tips.

Seriously, stop it with the fauxhawks.
Justin Williams: You’ve been hanging out with Stoll too much, minus the cougars. I hope.
Drew Doughty: Kind of hard to find a problem with Drew. Uh… make up your mind about that facial hair!
Davis Drewiske: Stop being so adorable.



Matt Greene: See Wayne Simmonds.
Peter Harrold: What are you doing here? Did you miss a turn on the way to Disneyland. Oh, you’re a hockey player?
Jack Johnson: Jack Jack Jack. You’re not a bad guy. You’re not a bad hockey player. What we need is for you to find your place on the team.
Randy Jones: …start hitting more? You know, when you get back. I don't know.
Sean O’Donnell: Having about 12 kids must be trying at times. How do you feed all them? You know what they say about growing boys.
Rob Scuderi: I like you, Rob, but stay away from my dog. You do kind of look like an escaped mental patient.
Erik Ersberg: Two out of three ain’t bad.
Jonathan Quick: Jon, I want you to succeed. We all want you to succeed, except maybe Stupid Sexy Bernier. In the next year, let’s try being consistent. It will probably only be another year before a better goaltender is brought to carry some of the weight.

LOL Kings

I had another one about STDs, but... that’s probably too much, right?

Screen caps by me. I think that Dustin Brown photo came from Zimbio.

Two, almost three months.

I haven’t posted since the start of the actual season.

I have two words: Fucking. Awesome.

Now the not so awesome: Williams, Stoll, Scuderi, and have all been out with injuries. Smyth is still out with one of those mysterious upper body injuries. Or was it lower? A friend of mine was listed with an upper body injury when another player busted his nose. I guess “broken nose” was too specific. We’ve seen Smyth, and his ugly mug looks pretty much the same.

Oh yeah, Stoll is screwing MILFs out, again. Fake Chris Kontos at The Royal Half also pointed out that you can’t spell Johnson without the “S.”


Jack in happier times.
Photo by Michael Zampelli of letsgokings.com.

My Fro-love has finally picked up the slack. I think. After Deano threatened to ship him to Edmonton. Since Dean Lombardi kind of looks like my uncle, I can say with false confidence that Deano knows a guy who knows a guy who can straighten out any conflicts. Just sayin’.

Randy Jones is out? Shit. Can’t spell Jones with the “S,” either.

I’m going to refrain from making predictions about any other players. After the Calgary game tonight they have eight days off. No doubt the majority of them will stay in Canada, and feast upon Timbits and poutine. While a few Americans fly back to the States, and… do they celebrate Christmas in where ever the hell Ivanans is from?


Small children are traditional Latvian Christmas dish.
Photo from this guy.

Wayne Simmonds is out with a torn meniscus. Some would argue, me included, that Simmonds brings a lot of heart to the team. I think six-weeks without Simmonds will make anyone skeptical of why we’re so crazy about him finally understand. I had the same surgery about ten years ago, and it’s not a huge threat to his health. I think it took me less than four-weeks to get off the crutches. The threat to the Kings, however, is grim.

Even without Simmonds and Smyth these guys have managed to claw their way up to the top of the Western Conference. Seriously. Look:



On a side note, I've been a regular at the Tuesday night chats [because I have no life and nothing to do at work, usually] at Barry Melrose Rocks. If you haven't checked out their site, you should. If I get ambitious I'll probably start writing bad fan fiction about Drew Doughty using Matt Greene's dog to pick up college sluts girls at Sharkeez.

In case you had any doubt...

LA Kings fans can get pretty loud. I would say crazy, but chanting "You suck!" at the 27 Avalanche fans who showed up isn't really all that interesting. In spite of the free drinks I found that I did not need to be drunk for this game. The MGM Grand Arena isn't all that grand so I guess the free drinks kept me from noticing that my ass hurt.



That "special surprise" at 1:14 tried to start a fight with me in the food court. Which was pretty hilarious. I'm guessing the combined weight of those two is 160 lbs. A nice gentleman behind me in line remarked about how they needed to eat, and then talked to me about offsides and cherry picking in the NHL. He was a Vegas resident from the Midwest who did not know that Las Vegas has their own ECHL team. The Wranglers who play at The Orleans, off the strip. A very nice hotel. I have no idea with whom The Vegas Wranglers are affiliated, but their mascot looks like he was made of spare parts from the mascot box:

It was a magical night of free liquor, people wandering around in Kings jerseys and t-shirts, and more free booze.

List of random opinions and shit I made up for Frozen Fury XII:

• Ivanans was not on the ice. Most likely because he is busy staging a coup on Latvia.
• Wayne Simmonds is still a generic white player in NHL2K10. They can't go to the extra effort of putting a tint on the skin to make a generic black player?
• Colorado fans are sick bastards who want players exposed to pathogens (See Wayne Simmonds beating the hell out of some Avs player).
• Kyle Quincey did not look happy to be in an Avalanche uniform. Is Denver like Pittsburgh when it comes to women? I still love you anyways, Quincey.
• Bailey made his preseason return. He was recently at some LA mascot thing I saw on TV. All the others were pretty tame compared to Bailey, who was going apeshit. We love you, Bailey.
• Poker tournaments are boring if you aren't one of the players. Unless you're the kind of person who gets excited by famous people. Eh. Maybe I've been in LA too long for that.
• Clubs in Vegas are much worse than those in LA. There are even more drunk, dirty people looking to get laid. I had to scrub myself when I got back to my hotel room alone.
• Ellen Page does not look like she belongs in roller derby. She would have to gain about 30 lbs. of muscle, and even then I think the LA Derby Dolls could mop the floor with her.

Jason Allison is back!

Back in LA, just in time

...what day is it? It's still Monday for another half hour. Oh right, and I haven't written on this thing in a month. The Swarles has been sick as a dog. Luckily for me I was not sick in time for the games on Tuesday and Saturday.

Some thoughts from Saturday:
-Kyle Calder as a Duck is hilarious. I guess he didn't have to move far to continue to waste space.
-Stupid Sexy Jonathan Bernier is really fighting for a spot in the big kids' club.
-I. WANT. FRO. LOV.
-I am never sitting in a certain area of a certain section again. The price was good because the STH around us couldn't shut up and watch the game!
-I witnessed the most intellectual fight the NHL has ever seen. George Parros v. Kevin Westgarth. Were they arguing over whose IQ is higher or string theory? ...or Kevin was hungry and he saw some fresh duck.
-I looked Brayden Schenn in the eyes, and my underwear melted. Luckily I was wearing black shoes. What is the black market value for Schenn babies in Canada?
-Ryan Smyth's mullet is a majestic thing of beauty. It almost rivals Jim Fox as the cure for cancer.



Frozen Fury is this Saturday! Vegas, baby, Vegas!

I'm off to study Russian so I can recite Andrei Voznesensky to my sweet, sweet Fro-love in his native tongue. Not really. Two alphabets is enough for me.