The Hockey Stop

Not since Wayne Gretzky moved from Edmonton to Los Angeles has there been so many Oiler jerseys seen in Southern California. With the first pick in this year's NHL Entry Draft at Staples Center, Edmonton picked forward Taylor Hall and gave hope to fans of the worst team in the league.

"I’ve been an Oiler fan all my life and this is the first time in franchise history they’ve had a first-round pick and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to watch them pick first," said Edmonton native John Plaisier, who was drinking beers with his friends at the fan festival at L.A. Live before the draft.

The fan fest included a chance to try on the hockey gear and jersey of their favorite player, a puck shooting area, a beer garden, the opportunity to play the latest version of 2K Sports' popular NHL videogame franchise and a street hockey game for the tykes in the crowd. It was great entertainment befitting the entertainment capital of the world.

The doors to the Staples Center opened at 2 p.m. -- a full two hours before the draft began -- and there were already long lines to enter the arena -- a testament to how popular ice hockey is in Southern California.

For two days at least, the Lakers took a backseat to the Kings as was evident by the Kings jersey on the statue of Magic Johnson in front of the arena. The Oscar De La Hoya statue and of course the Wayne Gretzky statue were also wearing Kings jerseys.

Once ticket-holders entered the arena they were treated to an opportunity to take their picture with the Stanley Cup and every individual trophy. Some fans waited in line for up to an hour to snap a picture with the holy grail of hockey.

While as expected there were many Kings and Ducks fans filling the stands, every other team was represented as well. There were Pens fans with Crosby jerseys, Caps fans with Ovechkin jerseys, Bruins fans, Flyers fans, Maple Leaf fans, Avalanche fans. You name the team and fans were represented at the draft. It was a shining example of how geographically diverse Southern California is that every fan-base in the U.S. and Canada was represented.

And while the boos from Kings fans drowned out Gary Bettman when he announced it was Anaheim's turn to draft, Bettman was booed himself when he was introduced. The commish seems to be booed in every NHL arena in America. The National Hockey League is going through a golden era right now and is the most exciting it has ever been so why Bettman gets the wrath of the fans all the time is a mystery. When Sidney Crosby -- who was sitting at the Pens table on the war room floor -- was shown on the video screen he was booed almost as loudly as the Ducks and Bettman.

Seeing all the Ducks and Kings fans was a reminder of how this rivalry is so good for the game and Southern California. And seeing so many California-bred prospects drafted shows how much youth hockey has grown in SoCal. It was especially rewarding to see Long Beach native and fourth-ranked forward prospect Emerson Etem chosen by Anaheim in the first round with the 29th overall pick.

Other Cali players drafted included Beau Bennett, Jason Zucker and Taylor Aronson.

And while Canadian prospects dominated the top of the draft, the Americans set a record with 11 first-rounders and a total of 59 players overall.

Chris Robinson drove up from Laguna Niguel to see who the Ducks drafted and was impressed with L.A.'s hosting job.

"I think it’s perfect," Robinson said. "It’s good exposure for the league and there’s a lot more hockey fans in L.A. than you’d think."

More pictures from Friday's first-round festivities at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles:

Next month I am moving from the land of the Kings and Ducks to the place the Capitals call home.

After nearly nine eventful years covering hockey in Southern California I'm heading back to my hometown of Washington, D.C. where I will continue to post the latest news and analysis from the world of professional hockey.

It's been a wild ride reporting on hockey here in SoCal. Until I lived here for a while I had no idea how popular the sport is in this "non-traditional" market. There are so many Californians who came of age during the Gretzky era and have instilled the love of the game in their children that hockey will continue to get bigger and bigger here. Plus there is a constant influx of people from cold climes such as Canada, the Midwest and Northeast who bring their love of hockey here.

I started out covering the now defunct Long Beach Ice Dogs minor league team for a community newspaper called The Beachcomber and what struck me the first time I entered the Long Beach Ice Arena was how many fans were in the stands and how passionate people were for this scrappy Montreal Canadiens affiliate. It was a pleasure writing about the ups and downs of the Dogs.

But the passion in Anaheim for the Ducks and L.A. for the Kings is something I'll never forget. Despite the stereotype of laid-back and apathetic sports fans in Southern California, the Kings and Ducks followers are some of the most loyal fans in the entire National Hockey League.

It was incredibly exciting living in SoCal in 2007 when the Ducks brought the first Stanley Cup to the Golden State. And it has been awesome witnessing the rise of the Kings to playoff contenders.

There is also a very active grassroots youth hockey community across California that is going to breed some future NHL players. That is one reason why the league decided to locate this year's NHL Entry Draft at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. I'll be there this Friday for the first round and will be live-blogging the event so check in to The Hockey Stop this Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for instant draft results for each team.

I will also miss playing street hockey every Sunday with my crazy Canadian buddies as part of the Hangover Hockey League. We started out playing on the basketball court at Veterans Park in Westwood and then alternated between roller hockey rinks in North Hollywood and Mar Vista. I usually went home after a game bruised and sore for the next week but it was all worth it. Good luck to all my street hockey comrades!

While I'll be blogging from the draft this Friday, if my blog posts are less frequent the next couple of weeks it is because I'm busy preparing for my move. But as soon as I'm settled in D.C. I'll be ramping up the posting again.

There are a couple of stories of note from today's news.

Anaheim Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer, 36, retired today after 18 NHL seasons. The Norris and Conn Smythe Trophy winner is the only hockey player in the world to win the Stanley Cup, Olympic Gold Medal, World Championship, World Junior Championship, World Cup and Memorial Cup.

Also, the NHL released the 2010-2011 regular season schedule. Click here for each team's complete 82-game schedule.

Lastly, a reminder that the NHL Awards will be televised live from Las Vegas on Versus tomorrow evening at 7:30 p.m. EST/4:30 p.m. PST.

HALAK TO BLUES

In the biggest trade of the offseason so far the Montreal Canadiens have dealt wunder goalie Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for prospects Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. This is one of the most baffling trades in recent memory. The Canadiens today almost gave away the goalie that single-handedly defeated the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins and was being compared to Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden by Montreal's media and fans.

The Habs will now go with 22-year-old Carey Price in net and after this move it looks like UFA Chris Mason will be playing between the pipes for another team next year.


MACLEAN TO COACH DEVILS

The New Jersey Devils named former player and assistant coach John MacLean to lead the team behind the bench next season. He replaces the retiring Jacques Lemaire. MacLean was a first-round pick and played 14 seasons with New Jersey and spent eight more seasons on the coaching staff.


DONOVAN'S HOCKEY ROOTS

World Cup fever is not only sweeping South Africa but is also starting to catch on here in the U.S. after the American team tied England 1-1 in the opener.

Why you ask am I writing about soccer on a hockey blog? Because star player Landon Donovan could have easily laced on skates instead of cleats when he was growing up in Ontario, California. Donovan's dad Tim is from Nova Scotia and was a semi-professional ice hockey player in Canada.


OVECHKIN'S NEW BOOK

A book on Caps superstar Alex Ovechkin will be released this fall. "The Ovechkin Project: A Behind-the Scenes Look at Hockeys Most Dangerous Player" tells the story of his meteoric rise from Russian athlete to NHL powerhouse. Writers Damien Cox and Gare Joyce reveal a side of the Great 8 most fans never see, including how the death of his older brother impacted him. It should be an interesting read.


LEONSIS REASSURES CAPS FANS

After officially taking over the Washington Wizards and the Verizon Center, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis felt compelled to write an open letter to Caps fans who might be worried that Leonsis will devote more time to the Wiz and neglect the Caps. Here is the letter followed by a video of Leonsis speaking at the National Press Club in Washington. He talks about his "moment of reckoning" when he thought his plane was going to crash and how it changed his life and the way he does business. Fascinating.

Open Letter to Washington Capitals Fans

Thursday, 06.10.2010 / 1:00 PM / News

By now you have probably heard the news that my partners and I have completed our purchase of the Washington Wizards and Verizon Center and created a new company – Monumental Sports & Entertainment – that owns those entities as well as the Capitals and the Mystics. You’re likely to see and hear more from me on this news in the coming days – in the media, on my blog (tedstake.com), at the NBA Draft. It’s big news, and something my partners, my family and I are very excited about.

But I’m here to assure you that even if you hear me talking about the Wizards a lot, I haven’t – and never will – overlook the Capitals and our commitment to bring a Stanley Cup to Washington. I will continue to be focused on your well being and happiness.

A few people have asked how I expect to juggle these new responsibilities. I believe I’ve always been someone with great “bandwidth” to cover a variety of interests, including different companies, film projects and, foremost, my family. The Wizards will have a place in those interests, no bigger or smaller than the Caps – just as I don’t choose between my son and my daughter!

The creation of Monumental actually creates opportunities that I hope Capitals fans are excited about. We now program Verizon Center and we hope to be able to offer terrific new cross-marketing opportunities to our fans. We plan to continue to improve the fan experience at Verizon Center and will count on your feedback to do so. And we will over-index on scheduling and maintenance-oriented projects related to all of your teams.

Thanks as always for your support, and I will see you at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the Caps Convention and Verizon Center in the upcoming months. And I’m always available to you at washingtoncaps@aol.com.

Sincerely,

Ted Leonsis

I did a double take when I saw this figure. If it is true, then it is simply stunning. City officials claim that more than two million Chicago Blackhawks fans lined Madison, Wacker, Washington and Michigan Avenues to cheer on their beloved team after their first Stanley Cup victory in 49 years.

To put the crowd in perspective, there were an estimated 350,000 fans at the White Sox rally when the team won the World Series in 2005 -- ending an 88-year championship drought, nearly double the Blackhawks!

And President Obama's inauguration drew between 1 million and 1.5 million people to the nation's capital. Even at the highest figure that would still be 500,000 less people then came out for the 'Hawks in Chicago today on a humid, scorching 88-degree summer day in Chi-Town.

And on top of the oppressive heat, the event took place on a work day. It is absolutely astonishing that over two million people showed up. The level of support for Chicago's hockey team is unbelievable.

Live coverage from WGN-TV of today's Blackhawks Stanley Cup victory parade in downtown Chicago:

 

The Chicago Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years tonight versus the Flyers in Philadelphia off an overtime goal by forward Patrick Kane.

The red light didn't go on initially but some of the 'Hawks started celebrating anyway. After a brief review, it was declared a goal and the official celebration got underway with the hard-fought 4-3 victory in Game 6.

Captain Jonathan Toews, 22, was declared playoff MVP and was handed the Conn Smythe Trophy by Gary Bettman.

Chicago will be hosting its first victory parade since 1961 (before tonight the longest active drought in the NHL) for the team that won over this sports-mad city. The 'Hawks rode the timely saves of Antti Niemi, the stellar defense of Duncan Keith and Brian Campbell and the star power of forwards Kane, Toews, Dustin Byfuglien and Marian Hossa to claim the greatest trophy in all of sports.

What would John Wooden do?

Coach, player, business exec, volunteer, politician. It doesn't matter. If you ask yourself that question every time you do something, it will be the right thing to do.

I found out legendary UCLA basketball head coach John Wooden died Friday at age 99 when I was biking in Venice Beach. I knew it was coming but the reality of it was somewhat emotionally overwhelming. While I was riding the bus back from Santa Monica to my home in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles, my friend called me and we decided to meet in front of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center where Wooden passed away. There was a small gathering of UCLA students across Westwood Boulevard -- the leftovers from a bigger gathering earlier that evening. While I didn't attend UCLA (I did get a certificate in print journalism from UCLA Extension) I had family members that graduated from the school. I'm glad I got the chance to pay my respects to Wooden. At the bottom of this story there are pictures I took with my camera phone from the gathering at the UCLA Medical Center.

This humble Midwestern man, who led the Bruins to 10 championships and 88 straight wins, was genuinely a good person. I'm sure he had his flaws like everyone, but they certainly were not greed or putting winning above everything else -- sadly two of the qualities that have tarnished college basketball since the Wizard of Westwood worked his magic.

Wooden personified everything that is good and right about sports. He was loved by the UCLA community and will be missed tremendously.

I attended George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and have to believe that Wooden set the blueprint for Patriots coach Jim Larranaga's magic carpet ride to the Final Four in 2006. Wooden and Larranaga share many of the same coaching philosophies, namely putting integrity, honesty and hard work above the win-at-all-cost mentality that is so pervasive in competitive sports.

Of course since this is a hockey blog, I'd be remiss not to make some connection to the sport. I found this story on PennLive.com about Hershey Bears (the Washington Capitals minor league affiliate currently battling the Texas Stars in the Calder Cup Final) coach Mark French and his affinity for Wooden.

French keeps a copy of Wooden's book "They Call Me Coach" on the bookshelf of his Giant Center office.

Here is the brief story from PennLive.com. Click here for the link to the article:

A copy of John Wooden's "They Call Me Coach" is on the bookshelf in Mark French's Giant Center office. French coaches hockey as head coach of the Hershey Bears, but he has drawn guidance and inspiration from the lessons of the basketball coaching legend, who died at 99 Friday.

"One of first coaching books I read, and I read it my first year getting involved in coaching," French said Saturday. "I’d heard one guy say every time he had to make a decision as a coach, he thought, What would John Wooden have done in these situations? After reading his book, I’m not so sure that’s not a blueprint of how you want to live your life.

"He was more than a coach. He changed his players' lives by the lessons of life that he taught them. I think all coaches aspire to have a greater impact than maybe just on the game and truly affect their athetes’ lives. He was a true philosopher-coach. He did that. He saw beyond the game. And he was very successful, too.”

French often talks about focusing on the process of a season instead of fixating on results. He said that's something he adopted from Wooden's philosophy.

“You can drive yourself nuts as a coach if you worry about wins and losses," French said. "But if you worry about, as Wooden did, a very patient way of just doing things the right way day in and out and repetition, you’ll get the desired result.

"I think that’s the only way a coach can look at a situation. It’s the only thing you’re in control of is the process. You’re not in control of wins and losses. I think he was the first one to really put those into defining terms.”