May 15th, 2013
Don’t you just hate Nor Cal? They might as well be a separate state as far as I’m concerned. Apparently, mastering the concept of public transportation and considering themselves “cultured”, has made many of their fans delusional about their hockey team. The Kings gave them a dose of reality last night with a 2-0 win in game 1 of their Western Conference semi final series against the Sharks.
Every year, we’ve heard about how talented the Sharks are, and how this is finally the year they break through to win the Cup. The only cups these guys have drank out of are the champagne glasses on their annual plane ride home for the summer. In round 1, San Jose swept a team that’s had even more playoff ineptitude than them, in Vancouver. Last night, they looked like the same chokers who have been showing up in the playoffs the last 5 years. Meanwhile, the Kings played a Blues team that might have actually come out of the Western Conference if they didn’t run into LA in the 1st round.
Jonathan Quick was phenomenal again. He single handedly shut down the Sharks, and already looks like he is in their heads. The Kings sat back for much of the game, waiting patiently, but imposed their will for about 25 minutes of the game, and that was all they needed. The Kings were extremely composed throughout the entire game, unlike the dude sitting next to me in section 116.
Just one minute into the game, the guy starts bitching “Where is the forecheck??!!! Damn it Where is the forecheck!!!?? We’re screwed!!!” This guy clearly had not taken his meds because San Jose hadn’t even taken a shot yet and he was already panicking. This guy was clearly a fan for many years because he had an old 1990’s Kings jersey on, but oddly enough, winning a Stanley Cup last year hasn’t given the guy enough faith in the Kings, or prevent him from losing his mind.
Raffi Torres better be suspended for his cheap shot on Jarret Stoll. The Kings can’t afford to lose their best face-off man for an extended period of time. They nearly lost Drew Doughty on the same play, which would have been disastrous.
In the NHL playoffs, there is something to be said about having mental toughness and grittiness. The Sharks have plenty of talent, but they have always lacked that type of toughness to get them over the top. The Kings developed that part of their game last year when they won the cup, and have shown more of it the last 5 games. They are built for the playoffs. The Kings took the Sharks to six games two seasons ago without Anze Kopitar, and with a banged up Justin Williams, yet Shark fans seem to think they are going to take this series in 4 or 5 games from the defending cup champions. Keep your mouth shut Nor Cal, and just keep sending us the water.