Only In Hockey

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As the NHL prepares for a potential lockout this fall, we must not forget what happened on June 11, 2012.

The Los Angeles Kings completed their improbable ride through the Stanley Cup Playoffs winning their first NHL title since the team began play in 1967. LA's first championship in its 45-year history was a 6-1 rout of the New Jersey Devils.

Over the years, I've seen teams in all sports reach the finals with records under .500, but these Los Angleles Kings made a different type of history.

One must look deep into their regular season record of 40-27-15 with 95 points.

They changed coaches and fired head coach Terry Murray, he was replaced by interim coach John Stevens, then on December 20, 2011, Darryl Sutter was named 24th head coach in franchise history.

The NHL standings are wins, losses and overtime losses. In the real world, the Kings would be 40-42.

But not for the sport that is played on a Frozen Pond.

The Kings entered the playoffs third in their division behind first place Phoenix 42-27-13 with 97 points. San Jose was 43-29-10 with 96 points.

The Kings earned their way to the Stanley Cup Finals with 10-straight road wins and 12 over two seasons which are both NHL records. LA's road winning streak ended as New Jersey defeated the Kings 2-1, on June 9, 2012.

All it takes in Hockey is a hot goaltender and Jonathan Douglas Quick, who was born on January 21, 1986 was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The 26-year old native of Milford, CT, has a regular season record of 131-87 and playoff mark of 20-12, including a 16-4 mark in this years post-season.

This kid defeated No.1 seed Vancouver (51-22-9, 111), No.2 seed St.Louis (49-22-11, 109) and No.3 Phoenix, all of which were division winners. On June 28, 2012, Quick agreed in principal to a 10-year contract that will keep him in Southern California until the 2023 season.

There is no way that I will ever down play this team's success. It's hard to believe that they were the final Winter Sports LA team standing since there were high hopes for their Staples Center neighbors the Lakers and Clippers.

Before their series started with the Devils, I predicted they would leave New Jersey with a 2-0 lead and indeed, the Kings did against their No.6 seeded counterparts, who were 48-28-6 with 102 points

Los Angeles 4-2 series win against the Devils came against future Hall Of Fame Goaltender Martin Brodeur, who has led New Jersey to three Stanley Cup Titles.

The Kings win over the Devils was the first time ever that an eighth seeded team in North American Professional Sports won a championship.

Los Angeles was the second team in NHL history to beat the top three conference seeds in the playoffs.

The 2004 Calgary Flames did it under Darryl Sutter, but LA was the first eigtth seeded team to accomplish that feet. Sutter was 25-13-11 (25-24) when he took over the Kings.

But this is a sport which its storied franchise is the Montreal Canadiens.

Montreal hasn't won a championship since Jacques Demers was coach and Patrick Roy was the goaltender in 1993.

The Canadiens finished in last place in the Northeast Division with a 31-35-16, and 78 points, translating to an actual 31-51 mark. It may be awhile before Montreal wins Championship No.25.

Rival Toronto finished two points ahead of Montreal with 80, posting a 35-37-10 mark which is actually 35-47.

Montreal's record was the worst in the Eastern Conference and the third worst in the NHL.

Only the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets finished lower.

Since Montreal's last Stanley Cup Championship, the following teams have won titles: New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins. Now the Los Angeles Kings.

Ex Canadiens have figured in these teams success.

Former Montreal Coach Scotty Bowman piloted Detroit to three titles. Roy won a championship in Denver before Broncos legend John Elway won a Super Bowl in the Mile High City.

I wouldn't classify Colorado, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Carolina and Anaheim as hockey hotbeads. Nor will I consider Los Angeles as a Hockey Town.

But I will say the Kings are champions and they won their title without Hall of Fame players Wayne Gretzky and Marcel Dionne, albeit with an under .500 mark.

With the parity in the NHL, don't be surprised if the Blues, Coyotes, Florida Panthers or Nashville Predators are in the finals. Nashville's task got much tougher as the smaller market club lost many key players due to free agency.

If Montreal or Toronto get to the Stanley Cup Finals, then the ratings could be a good boom for NBC across North America.

NBC may not like it, but "Only In Hockey" can a points standings set-up produce such intrigue as we've seen year in and year out.

But, I guarantee you one thing. There will be NO ASTERISK next to the LA Kings title. They made history for all of the most unique reasons.

Now we'll see if new NHLPA Donald Fehr lets them defend their title. In 1994, under Fehr's leadership, the World Series was canclled for the first time in baseball history.

In 2004, the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning held their title for two years, but the second year it collected dust since there was no regular season.

My message to hockey fans is Fear the Fehr because the Stanley Cup Trophy could be residing in Hollywood, CA longer than a year. Enjoy It LA! You won it the hard way by being full fledged road warriors.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

NHL Border Wars

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The Borders Wars in hockey are getting hot and heavy as Canada has a chance to jam it to the United States twice in the month of June.

Should the Vancouver Canucks defeat the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals, it will be the first championship for a Canadian based team since the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Los Angeles Kings in 1993.

The City of Winnipeg, Manitoba., failed in its efforts to get back the Phoenix Coyotes, who were formerly the Jets, but NHL Hockey will be played in their new MTS Arena (15,015) and I'll bet this will be an Expensive Ticket.

While NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has fought hard to keep teams from moving out of Major USA Cities, there was no way he could stop this one from happening.

The Atlanta Spirit claimed that they have lost $130 million and the team ranked 28th in attendance drawing less than 14,000 fans a game. There was no serious local owner that came forward to keep the team in Georgia.

So who are the winners in this decision and will Winnipeg see a Stanley Cup Championship anytime soon?

Now that Bettman has seen his league lose the Atlanta Metro Area of more than 5 Million, plus a large TV Market, to a city with a population of less than 700,000, the only gain is the $60 Million relocation fee which gets split for the rest of the teams.

The Thrashers were sold for $110 Million and the only time you'll see them on NBC is during the Stanley Cup Finals.

But I have to admit that history works well for the new Winnipeg team. Five of the last six teams that relocated did eventually win Stanley Cup Championships in their new homes.

Ironically, the first team that won a title was when the Atlanta Flames moved to Calgary in 1980-81 and celebrated their title in Canada. You can bet after two failed attempts at NHL Hockey,  Atlanta won't ever get a third chance!

In 1981-82, the Colorado Rockies became the New Jersey Devils and this franchise has won multiple titles.

In 1993-94, the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas and the Stars won the championship. The Stars were the second major sports team to win a championship in what is known as Dallas Cowboys territory.

In 1995-96, the Quebec Nordiques moved to Colorado and Denver made the most of its second chance as the Avalanche took over a football town and led by goaltender Patrick Roy, then won two Stanley Cup titles. The Avalanche won their first in 1996 before legendary Broncos Quarterback John Elway won his first Super Bowl.

Finally, the Hartford Whalers departed Connecticut in 1997-98 and the Carolina Hurricanes would give their region their first major league sports championship by hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2006 when they defeated the tradition rich Edmonton Oilers.

While there will be no realignment next season, there is talk that Winnipeg is headed to the Western Conference in two years. The likely teams that could headed to the Eastern Conference are the Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets or the Detroit Red Wings.

The Detroit Red Wings want to join their Original Six rivals the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers because it would be less demanding with their travel schedule in the regular and post-seasons.

For some reason, I have a feeling they will get shafted because there are too many Red and White Winged Wheel Jersey's in California, Arizona, Texas and Tennessee. The NHL will want to keep one Original Six rivalry intact when these two I-94 squads meet.

While I'm glad that the folks in Phoenix won't have Winnipeg hanging over their heads, unless the Coyotes solidify their ownership situation, markets like Kansas City which has a new arena without a winter tenant, Las Vegas and if Seattle ever builds a first class facility could be future NHL homes.

Bettman has worked diligently to keep NHL Hockey in Phoenix but even Morris only had Nine Lives.

As I wished My Friend Bettman a Happy Birthday on Facebook, I wonder if his cake had a sour taste to it because of the failed Atlanta debacle.

Losing Big Markets is a tough pill to swallow but he knows his hands were tied.

But for future Canadian markets like Hamilton, Ontario, Quebec City and others that may emerge, he won't be an easy sell the next time North of the Border.

The only way I could see Canada adding another team is if Toronto gets a second one.

I wouldn't be surprised if he's watching other cities struggle so he can find a reason to move them to the USA to make up for Atlanta's loss.

But for now, the fans of Winnipeg can be pleased that the past moves have turned out to be Greener Pastures.

According to an ESPN SportsNation Poll that had 18,606 voters, there were 79% that said the move was going to be a success while 21% said it wasn't going to work out. You can rest assure that the diehard Atlanta Thrashers fans contrubuted to that 21%.

As for Atlanta, I've never thought highly of that area as a SportsTown and now that it has been reduced to three major sports teams, the Hawks now own the winter sports market. Good Riddance to Atlanta on the Frozen Pond.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/.

Inside The Jungle

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The last football game I saw was a dandy as the New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

On Friday Night, it was nice to see the pigskin flying around again. And it was flying around often as the Orlando Predators defeated the Jacksonville Sharks 70-48 at the Amway Arena in Central Florida.

The last time I saw an Arena Football League (AFL) game was on August 18, 1989 when the Detroit Drive defeated the Pittsburgh Gladiators 39-26 in Arena Bowl III at Joe Louis Arena as 12,046 watched Owner Mike Illitch hoist the AFL Trophy. The Drive won its second of four championships in a six-year period.

At that time, I was very speculative about whether the league could survive with too much scoring. Boy, was I was wrong. With the exception of last year's one season hiatus due to economic regrouping, the league is back in business.

The Predators have a tradition which dates back to 1991, have qualified for the playoffs in 17 straight years, the longest streak in the original AFL, have won seven Division Titles along with two championships in 1998 and 2000.

But here are some things which stood out as I spent June 18 "Inside The Jungle."

*Can't have a better seat than I had in the Press Box than at the 25-yard line.

*When you think of the Predators and the Sharks playing in "An Arena," the match-up which comes to mind is the NHL's Nashville Predators and the San Jose Sharks. The scores are much lower than 70-48. They play on the Frozen Pond, not Artificial Surface.

*A crowd of 14,010 were on hand as Orlando improved its record to 5-5 while Jacksonville dropped to 7-3. The energy and noise levels were incredible and the game was televised on the NFL Network. I even found myself sweating heavily in the press box loading up on soft drinks to keep plenty of fluids inside.

*At halftime, the AFL announced that the Philadelphia Soul which will be owned by former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, will return to the league in 2011. The Kansas City Brigade and the San Jose SaberCats will also be suiting up next year.

*The salary for an AFL game is $400 while three marquee players earn $1,000 per-contest but they also have to make public appearances.

*The fans get to keep the footballs that go into the stands and an average of 4-5 souvenirs at $50 per ball are handed out each night.

*The Michigan connections for the contest between the Predators and Sharks included Josh Bush (Western Michigan) for Orlando who is 5-9, 165 and is a wide receiver and defensive back. Another Predator who is on injured reserve is defensive lineman David Stanton from Michigan State. Former Spartans kicker Paul Edinger has the challenge of kicking into the narrow end zones for the Sharks.

But the league is back and you never know where the next Kurt Warner is going to come from.

One thing is for certain, I was convinced that if you're a football writer, then it's worth the four hour drive from South Florida to Central Florida to see a game especially in a city where there is plenty to do with all of the various theme parks in Disney, Epcot Center, Wet N Wild and Universal Studios.

Since the NFL doesn't have a professional feeder system to compliment college football, this league is exciting to watch and just seeing skill players like quarterbacks, wide receivers, kickers and deep cover positions against potent aerial attacks could be the difference in which teams win future Super Bowls.

I'll be curious to see how much better the crowds get next season at the Amway Center for the Predators, but it just might be worth another trip to the Amway Arena and see one more event before this facility eventually falls victim to the wrecking ball later this year.

I'm sure the Predators will put on a great show at 600 West Amelia Street as they will be the last team to play in this arena which was built for $110 million and opened on January 29, 1989.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.