LA Kings H&HH

Click here for the video of the LA Kings H&HH Event. I just watched it and thought that it wasn't as in-depth as I thought it would have been. They took footage of the entire event (about 5 hours) so I was a bit disappointed that the video wasn't longer. Oh well...

H & HH Follow Up & Quick Update

I have been quoted. muhahah

I had a feeling they were going to use that specific quote... So when you know you're being interviewed for something like this, is it normal to basically say what you KNOW they want to hear? I mean, I knew it was going to be a short interview and I needed something to sum up everything. Damn, I DID just regurgitate what they fed me! Oh well, at least I learned how to do something in college. =P

*****

At the Toyota Center on my lunch break today: Columbus Blue Jackets practice

There were two guys I wanted to see, Rick Nash and Sergei Fedorov. Nash was easy; just look for the really big, tall guy. Sergei, on the other hand... Well, I guess my time spent away from LA made me also lose track of Sergei. And yes, we are on a first name basis. If I ever meet him, I will call him Sergei. I guess I forgot that he had played for the Ducks?? Wikipedia has him there for 03-04 and 05-06. Can someone please tell me why his numbers for the 05-06 season sucked major ball sack? Oh wait a second, apparently he only played 5 games that season. Can someone tell me why he played only 5 games? I don't feel like doing more research beyond Wikipedia. Thanks. =)

Anyway, so Sergei was really hard to pick out of the guys on the ice today. I thought I was going crazy and I was afraid I was going to have to go back to work without seeing him! Lo and behold, who comes walking by me but Daryl Evans. I stop him and we talk for a bit; he's definitely a chill dude. And of course I ask if Fedorov is still on the team. He says yeah and easily points him out. I guess I was looking for someone skinnier...haha... Anyhoo, my day is complete.

Hockey and High Heels

What a fantastic day; spending 8 hours at the Staples Center today was exactly how I wanted to pass this Saturday by. Hockey & High Heels was the event that brought us out and it couldn't have been better. Yes the flyer geared the event to women wanted to know more about the game, but it evolved into something better. The 24 or so women that made it out all already had a love for the game so it was a great way to bring this unique group of ladies together. I will say that one thing that caught me (and KMS2) off guard was that many of the women brought their own equipment for the on-ice time. Not gonna lie, it was a little intimidating, but this really was a fantastic group of women to spend the day with.

We first took a tour of the locker room. One thing that killed me was the heat. All of their equipment was hanging up in their stalls being dried out by the heat funneling into the room. It was like an oven in there, but understandable considering the need. The second thing that killed me. Crocs. In the room just outside the locker room were more stalls for the players. The boys had their own matching shoes and Crocs. And we all know how I feel about Crocs! On another note, Handzus. Dude, you need some new equipment. Your gear is kind of...old and gross. And I don't know if I really needed to see Brownie's jock. But it was hanging there for all to see!

One highlight was definitely skating on the ice with Daryl Evans and doing all of the drills. There was one drill he was showing us and I piped up and said, “You're funny, Daryl.” (as in, there's no way I'm gonna be able to do that) Whereupon, he came over and tapped me on the helmet with his stick. I think that was the point where I fell head over heels, as well as on my ass. On more than one occasion. I DID perfect my stop though, but stopping to the right was a no go. As Zoolander so eloquently put it, “I'm not an ambi-turner.” But I now understand why the players are DRIPPING with sweat during interviews and stuff. It gets HOT out on the ice with all that equipment on. Sure you can take your gloves and helmet off for a bit, but all of the equipment is actually keeping your body heat close to you. It was something I've never thought about before, but you learn something new everyday.

Right when I got off the ice, I was interviewed by a guy with Kings radio or something (can't remember). But I was glad it was only for audio because I was sweating so badly. haha KMS2 and I got interviewed by Heidi Androl a little later on camera. I don't know if it'll actually be used, but we'll let you know. It was cool to meet her and actually talk to her. Something I found amusing is that KMS2 is right-handed and holds a stick left-handed whereas I'm left-handed and hold a stick right-handed. When we noticed that at the same time, we said we just used our brother's' sticks when we were kids, which caused us to basically be mirror opposites in that respect.

The tour of the Staples Center was next and was pretty cush. There were definitely places that I saw which I will probably never see again. Cigar room? Don't actually WANT to go in there. But everything else was pretty much awesome. Can someone tell me what the Executives Wives Room is for?

Luc definitely brings an energy to the room. I can't believe I was in the same room with the all-time points-leading left winger in the NHL.

Notable swag from the event:
- Puck signed by Luc (given to me by KMS2). I LOVE IT!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
- LA Kings scarf
- Hockey & High Heels by Lisa Ovens (who is adorable!)
- 2008 calender that everyone got. Love the pictures, love the layout. My only critique is that the crown on the front is a little small. I thought there was a lot of unused space on the cover.
- Bailey doll that I got from Daryl Evans during the second intermission when I went up to section 318 to look for KingsCast. Definitely did NOT see Kingscast (thanks Keith and Chris), but Daryl and I had a good chat.

Shout outs:
Lisa Ovens – It was so great meeting you and look for my email with pictures! I hope we can meet up again in the future!
Daryl Evans – He has such a great personality and the ice time was ridiculously awesome. I definitely appreciated his taking the time to hang out with us.
Hillary Hodding – Thanks for organizing such a great event! Please do it again every year.
Finny – It was cool meeting you (even if you were wearing your Ducks jersey). =) I'm glad we got to marvel at how fucking huge Penner was.
The Kings players – After having a great day at the Staples Center it was fantastic to end it with a win over the Oilers. 4 in a row! (And don't worry, I didn't step on the crown in your locker room.)

Quick game notes:
- The first penalty against the Oilers. I don't think the Oilers killed that penalty at all; I saw it more as the Kings wasting time. They weren't able to get a shot on Roloson and I wasn't impressed by their play for those two minutes. But things looked up after that and I was able to relax a bit.
- Sully's second goal. Fucking ridiculous.
- That Jack Johnson is one SMART player. I've been VERY impressed by his play on the ice. Not to say that I've seen any play OFF the ice.... So anyway, I like that he's noticeably thinking out there instead of blindly hitting guys.
- During the third period when one of the Oilers took down Blake, I stood up and screamed, “YOU FUCKER!” When I sat down right after, I realized that it was kind of loud. I definitely got some stares and heard someone make a comment. But honestly, I didn't think my section was gonna be that quiet after that hit! Whatever guys!

Conclusion: my day couldn't have gone any better.

Picture of me and Lucky Luc.

SUCCESS!!!!

So I am currently super pumped. Not about the game tomorrow against the Red Wings, even though I AM excited for that. This post is dedicated to my successful attempt at bullying (convincing, really) KMS2 to go to "Hockey and High Heels" with me. This is an event put on by the LA Kings on October 27th in an attempt to have a group of females spend the entire day at the Staples Center. At first glance the flyer for the event seems specifically geared toward only women who don't know much or anything about the game. But when I emailed the woman, Hillary, who is putting it on, she assured me that she wanted a diverse group of women present (diverse meaning different levels of knowledge). I have added my letter to Hillary and her response at the end of this post.

I have heard the complaints that this event is demeaning to all of us hardcore female hockey fans. I would have to agree and disagree at the same time. I'm not going to take it personally because this is advertised is such a way to get women out to the Staples Center who might feel a little intimidated. If I didn't grow up around hockey since I was a little kid, I'd be happy that there was an event like this to warmly welcome a specific group of women. Elly of “No Pun Intended” has some good opinions on the matter, but I would argue the end of her second paragraph.

Would you include a talk on what the neutral zone is to a room full of male hockey fans? No. If you did, I'd bet money that they would find it insulting, why should women fans feel any different? We don't need our hands held through games, thank you.

I would 100% agree with this if this event were catered to women like us who love the game; but it is not. Once again, this is geared towards women with less than stellar knowledge for this game. Are you going to turn your nose up to women who have a genuine interest and who are willing to shell out the $100? Pish posh, I say get as many people out to the Staples Center as possible; create a buzz. The market for hockey is tremendous in LA, but I'd like it to grow so that KMS2 and I aren't the only females we personally know who worship, not the ice these players skate on, but THE GAME. I, personally, am very interested to see how they are going to present this sport to this group of women. What kinds of words they're are going to use, what is that author going to say to hook these women in? I thought that I might be horrifically bored during the Hockey 101 Chalk Talk, but when I looked at the schedule, I saw that it was only for 30 minutes. I think I can stomach 30 minutes of the basic rules of the game. And who knows, the book might create some good topics for the off season. But the crème de la crème for me is going to be skating on the Staples Center ice, meeting Luc, and sitting in the 200 section for the game. And I will be rocking my heels, but more just because I'm short. =)

My letter to Hillary:

Hello Hillary,

I am emailing because I saw the Hockey and High Heels event on the official Kings website. I am interested in attending the event, but was curious about the demographic it is geared towards. It obviously is targeting an exclusive set of females who want to gain knowledge of the sport without having to deal with the testosterone generated by the male fans. My question is, would it be fine for someone like me to attend, who has been a loyal Kings fan since the late 80s? I am knowledgeable about the rules of the game but would like to be a part of this event. I'm excited that the Kings organization is branching out to a new audience.

If this is fine, I do have a friend (just as knowledgeable as I am) who might be interested in attending as well.

Regards,
Connie Kim

Her response:

Hi Connie,

Thanks for the email. You are MORE than welcome to attend. I’d like to get a great mix of women – knowledgeable about the sport, new to the sport, novice skaters, and experienced skaters – so that each woman can add something to the program. I think you’d be able to add a lot just by knowing the Kings history and asking great questions to help lead a discussion. I hope that you bring your friend along as well…I need to make this event a success in order to keep running events like this to make new fans and reach a new audience. Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns, and I look forward to meeting you on the 27th!

Thanks,
Hillary Hodding
Los Angeles Kings, STAPLES Center, Home Depot Center