An open letter to Dan Beckerman and AEG

[Telos]

If they re-sign Blake that is about the biggest f*** you AEG could send to the fanbase after this bullshit. Blake has been the longest tenured and the least successful GM in LA Kings history who is unpopular as f*** and you re-sign him after the most humiliating of a bag full first run exits? I can't even comprehend the decision, politics, and financial calculus of such a response. It goes beyond infuriation and straight to insane bewilderment and contemplations of hell and cyanide.

 

[shuchukfan]

What are the chances you can post Beckerman's email? Some on the reddit are wondering where to send their complaints to regarding Blake and Hiller being retained.

A search of my own turned up nothing.

I looked at a couple of business databases (A-Z Databases and Reference Solutions) at my library and came across the following. I'm getting conflicting email addresses, but I assume one of them works.

Anschutz Entertainment Group
800 W. Olympic Blvd. #305
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 763-7700 (Main line)

[email protected]
[email protected]

 

[johnjm22]

NHL 2024-25 attendance check-in: Almost league-wide gains as season nears its finale

With the Stanley Cup playoffs fast approaching, teams are filling seats more than ever — with some surprising exceptions.

www.nytimes.com

Los Angeles Kings: -757 fans/game (4.2 percent decrease)

"The Kings are a tad perplexing. The team is good — seventh in the league standings — and its numbers have improved from the mid-November attendance check-in (up to 17,189 from 16,931). But still, only the Penguins have fallen off more in the year-over-year box office."


Might be worth mentioning the LA Kings attendance decline. Only team that lost more fans this year was Pittsburgh.

 

[Master Yoda]

NHL 2024-25 attendance check-in: Almost league-wide gains as season nears its finale

With the Stanley Cup playoffs fast approaching, teams are filling seats more than ever — with some surprising exceptions.

www.nytimes.com

Los Angeles Kings: -757 fans/game (4.2 percent decrease)

"The Kings are a tad perplexing. The team is good — seventh in the league standings — and its numbers have improved from the mid-November attendance check-in (up to 17,189 from 16,931). But still, only the Penguins have fallen off more in the year-over-year box office."


Might be worth mentioning the LA Kings attendance decline. Only team that lost more fans this year was Pittsburgh.

My guess is those numbers get worse next year. And that's going to happen whether BLuc is retained or not. Turns out even casual fans don't like losing every year to the same team.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

NHL 2024-25 attendance check-in: Almost league-wide gains as season nears its finale

With the Stanley Cup playoffs fast approaching, teams are filling seats more than ever — with some surprising exceptions.

www.nytimes.com

Los Angeles Kings: -757 fans/game (4.2 percent decrease)

"The Kings are a tad perplexing. The team is good — seventh in the league standings — and its numbers have improved from the mid-November attendance check-in (up to 17,189 from 16,931). But still, only the Penguins have fallen off more in the year-over-year box office."


Might be worth mentioning the LA Kings attendance decline. Only team that lost more fans this year was Pittsburgh.

"amongst league wide gains" is pretty damning

but not sure of their methodology--I do remember seeing similar stats after the time of the fires and that was an influence.

 

[johnjm22]

"amongst league wide gains" is pretty damning

but not sure of their methodology--I do remember seeing similar stats after the time of the fires and that was an influence.

NHL Attendance Report 2024-25 - Sound Of Hockey

With 20% of the NHL season now complete, we thought it would be a good time to check in on the attendance across the league.

soundofhockey.com

Probably from this article. That speculated it was due to the fires.

Anaheim actually saw a very slight increase.

 

[chris kontos]

Thanks for these interesting stats
Maybe the three stooges have convinced ownership of the value of their leadership creating an on ice product as an operating loss and tax writeoff...

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

If they re-sign Blake that is about the biggest f*** you AEG could send to the fanbase after this bullshit. Blake has been the longest tenured and the least successful GM in LA Kings history who is unpopular as f*** and you re-sign him after the most humiliating of a bag full first run exits? I can't even comprehend the decision, politics, and financial calculus of such a response. It goes beyond infuriation and straight to insane bewilderment and contemplations of hell and cyanide.

Not really. As @Johnny Utah pointed out, you’ve got a team that’s been to the playoffs four years in a row and just tied team record of regular season points…this isn’t Toronto.

You might be being a bit dramatic, bud.

 

[Telos]

Not really. As @Johnny Utah pointed out, you’ve got a team that’s been to the playoffs four years in a row and just tied team record of regular season points…this isn’t Toronto.

You might be being a bit dramatic, bud.

No one cares if they are the reincarnation of the San Jose Sharks. They cannot win, and are begging to be f***ed over for the next decade if things don't change now.

 

[deaderhead28]

No one cares if they are the reincarnation of the San Jose Sharks. They cannot win, and are begging to be f***ed over for the next decade if things don't change now.

It's not that serious. Yes, I agree ownership should fire Blake and Hiller but it's not the end of the world as many have posted their distain and frustration with the results the last 8 years. I don't blame anyone for being pissed off over this organizations lack of success over the past 8 years. Been a fan for over 40 years and saw the horrible years leading up to the Kings successful 2 cups, not changing teams. It was nice to see youth get a chance to play this year. All we can do is sit and watch what the organization does in the upcoming draft for the future and free agency for the present.

 

[rebuildorbust]

Hire Bednar

 

[KINGS17]

this is kinda what i figure too

kopitar gets his farewell tour and the org gets all their social media opportunities and all the feel good shit they crave

then "aww oh no we have to make difficult decisions"

I am not interested it Kopitar's farewell tour with the Kings at all. What would interest me as a fan is seeing what the Kings could get for him in a trade with a true contender, and then rooting for him in the playoffs as a 2C or 3C on a legit contending team.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

It's not that serious. Yes, I agree ownership should fire Blake and Hiller but it's not the end of the world as many have posted their distain and frustration with the results the last 8 years. I don't blame anyone for being pissed off over this organizations lack of success over the past 8 years. Been a fan for over 40 years and saw the horrible years leading up to the Kings successful 2 cups, not changing teams. It was nice to see youth get a chance to play this year. All we can do is sit and watch what the organization does in the upcoming draft for the future and free agency for the present.

"it's not as bad as before" when literally, factually, it's worse than before is a hell of a drug

and before give me the singular success measure of better regular seasons, at a glance that 91 point pace is lower than any other era in kings history but the first five years, making it even worse when you consider the inflated points of the 3 point system (it may be lower than the entire historical average but not doing that math right now).

 

[Telos]

It's not that serious. Yes, I agree ownership should fire Blake and Hiller but it's not the end of the world as many have posted their distain and frustration with the results the last 8 years. I don't blame anyone for being pissed off over this organizations lack of success over the past 8 years. Been a fan for over 40 years and saw the horrible years leading up to the Kings successful 2 cups, not changing teams. It was nice to see youth get a chance to play this year. All we can do is sit and watch what the organization does in the upcoming draft for the future and free agency for the present.

The problem I have with this take is that we are highly likely to be worse now. We are on the cusp of losing Gavrikov who was arguably our best regular season defenseman, our top 9 balance and PP specialist in Kuzmenko, Doughty and Kopitar are now tantamount to boat anchors costing $18M, and we are going to be staring at losing or overpaying for our highest scorer in Kempe. Kempe is great, I wish he could be a King for life during a successful and winning career, but while he is an elite first-line player, he isn't a superstar that is going to carry the team on his back and with Kopitar slipping he doesn't have the support he used to. They should sign him rather than let him walk, but he is going to be worth a small fortune in trade value or will require a massive deal to retain with a full NMC.

The only future bright spots the Kings have are Byfield but while he has proven he is capable of first line center play and rare elite moments - he has not proven he is guaranteed or can achieve his lofty potential of carrying this team, Clarke who is going to be awesome - but while I think he has an easier ramp to his ceiling I don't think his ceiling is as high as many hope, and our goaltending prospects where I think we will eventually get a #1 capable goaltender between Slukynsky, Portillo, and George.

All three of these players are the keys to winning - having a #1 center, top defenseman (albeit mostly offensive), and goaltender, but almost all are 22 years old and younger. They have another half decade before they are starting to reach their primes. Are we going to blow 1st round picks and more assets trying to keep the second-round dream alive? By the time these three truly inherit the team it will be in middling turmoil and they likely would need to be traded themselves. I think they need to start rebuilding/retooling around them starting now.

I mean, sure, all we can do is watch, but I think it is reasonable to debate that this team is being particularly mismanaged with nepotistic and egregiously unacceptable lack of success or standards. The actions AEG has taken go against what the fanbase has been told these past few seasons. We were told that what happens in the playoffs will determine the future of management and this team. Blake's last year of his contract was dependent on the team's playoff performance. Both AEG and Blake confirmed this. We did not perform again, not to mention the added horror and humiliation, particularly of this failure. And yet, they are going to extend him? They are going to continue on this path? It is offensive that this performance is deemed acceptable and it's honestly insulting to a fanbase that has been loyal through a lot. Lombardi didn't even have this level of loyalty from AEG and he is flat out the greatest GM of our history. There are no words.

 

[tigermask48]

It's not that serious. Yes, I agree ownership should fire Blake and Hiller but it's not the end of the world as many have posted their distain and frustration with the results the last 8 years. I don't blame anyone for being pissed off over this organizations lack of success over the past 8 years. Been a fan for over 40 years and saw the horrible years leading up to the Kings successful 2 cups, not changing teams. It was nice to see youth get a chance to play this year. All we can do is sit and watch what the organization does in the upcoming draft for the future and free agency for the present.

I'm sure this was the dinosaurs first thought when they saw a bright twinkle in the sky that seemed to get closer and closer.