Around the League 20-21 Thread: Playoffs Edition

[DryIslandBartender]

I've been out in Vegas for two months taking care of my mom and I can't stand the fans here. I've given up wearing my Kings hat because of all the trash talk I would get. Plus, I wouldn't put it past some server to spit in my food or something. The media is also ridiculous. This morning, a news crew was making fun of some woman from Canada who did something stupid on camera. It just seemed really out of place, but then I remembered the Knights are playing Montreal. I guess the hate is flowing towards anything Canadian. Oh, and I really want to punch Jason Feinberg in the face. He's one of the newscasters out here and completely insufferable.

That said, I somewhat envy their popularity with everyone here. Everywhere you look, you'll see a Knights logo. I want to say that half the cars have a Knights license plate and if they don't, they have a sticker. Like I mentioned earlier, their media coverage is off the charts compared to SoCal, where our newscasters can't even get player names right. I don't know if people here will turn on them when they eventually miss the playoffs and such, but I would love to find out.

The worst part, though, is that my parents (especially my dad) were diehard Kings fans until the Knights came into the league. They moved from SoCal to the Vegas area about 20 years ago, but they still followed the Kings because the games were broadcast here. Once the Knights started playing, though, the Kings games were blacked out and they changed allegiance (even though I hooked them up with my Fox Sports login). I remember asking them why and my mom said that they were something for the community to rally around after the shooting here. Fair enough. Sadly, my dad passed away last year, but whenever I talk crap about the team in front of my mom, she says that I should root for the Knights because dad would have wanted them to win. Sorry dad, but there are some lines I can't cross!

I grew up in Vegas for a number of years, played hockey there and I keep being told that I should root for the Knights.

As much as I hate the current situation the Kings are in, I just can’t do it. I grew up watching Bob Miller, and they were my first sports team that I regularly watched and rooted for. Thanks to Gretzky, Kurri, Robitaille, McSorely etc. They were all characters and easy to root for.

 

[KopitarFAN]

If they have bad seasons.

In a salary cap world, the bill always comes due. Whether they lose depth because they can't afford to retain guys or the top of the roster gets old and becomes dead weight.

 

[KINGS17]

Their fans are also trash.

Idiots and alcohol. Never a good combination.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Uhh is 2 years a long time? Quicks contract isn't even bad anymore in the current NHL. Colorado should 100% reach out for Quick. They'd be stupid not to.

2 years is a long time if it's about a 35 year old goalie, 36 next season, who hasn't done much in recent times, and you're counting on that guy to be the guy. If Quick still has it, then it's not a long time. If he doesn't, it's a wasted roster spot and cap space.

Just to add, I was thinking about it last night, it's nice to finally really hate a team and organization in our division. Hating the ducks or sharks was getting a bit stale. My hate for Vegas tops the other two.

My other reason why I hate the Knights is not only do they still get very visible reffing on their side, but the fact they are the most dirty team in the NHL. In game 1 how many runs did they take and players did they attempt to injure.


So infuriating. I hope their organization craters or that the Kings can stop being p***yes for once and maybe kick their ass a few times.

Suspended Doughty for 2 games for something the Knights do nightly now and if at worst 5k fine.

The best part of the game 6 last night is that Knights only got one call against them and it was delay of game automatic. Whitecloud was water-skiing on MacKinnon the whole time.

It's not that playoff hockey is geared towards "tough" teams. It's favorable for them because the Calls talented teams would get for clowning on the slower less talented teams would be called during regular season . The refs didn't call anything anymore against the Knights, and the best part is add the Vegas component. Vegas got away with a ton.

A lot of this stuff was also said about the Kings in the golden age. 2012 especially.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

I grew up in Vegas for a number of years, played hockey there and I keep being told that I should root for the Knights.

As much as I hate the current situation the Kings are in, I just can’t do it. I grew up watching Bob Miller, and they were my first sports team that I regularly watched and rooted for. Thanks to Gretzky, Kurri, Robitaille, McSorely etc. They were all characters and easy to root for.

My family goes back in Las Vegas several generations. I like the Knights and have no problem rooting for them as the hometown squad when they’re not playing the Kings.

Also, I literally wear a Kings hat to work every single day, and deal with hundreds of members of the Las Vegas public in a given week. The only time I’ve ever had Knights fans comment on the hat is to say “oh you’re a Kings fan?” And then I explain I’ve been watching LA since I was very young etc etc. It’s never been antagonistic.

So I have a really tough time imagining Knights fans just shitting on people in random public places for wearing Kings apparel (except at an actual game, obviously, where I know they’re pretty bad). Again, I live in Las Vegas, and am interacting with Knights fans every single day with a Kings hat on, and I just haven’t had these negative experiences.

 

[Herby]

The favorable reffing for them in their first season was real and the team was low-key dirty but everyone looked the other way because it was a feel good story: especially in light of the shooting heading into the season. Now, I wish the Kings were low-key dirty so I'm not against that style of play but you aren't going to like that team when they are a division rival. They then moved past low-key and straight into known asshole territory which, again, I wish the Kings were.

That's a reason for hating the team. My reason for wanting them to lose every game is the fan base for two reasons:

1 - Rational or not, I'm not happy for any new fan base that just gets to experience sustained success right off the hop. f*** them. This fan base is the equivalent of the Avs from the mid-90s through early '00s. They were insufferable as well and, funny enough, beat the Kings in the playoffs too in an era much like the current one where going to the playoffs wasn't automatic for the Kings. There is no rule saying a fan base has to suffer before winning but I believe in it as a fan of a team that took 40 years to win a Cup and took 25+ just to make a SCF appearance.

2 - While the point above might be irrational, my hatred of the Vegas fan base is rational and rooted in my personal interactions with them at both Kings games and a game in Vegas. Having had seats for 20 seasons, I've run through the insufferable Avs, Wings, Pens and Hawks fans. Pittsburgh isn't here often so it wasn't that bad and the Kings were good while the Hawks bandwagon was going so at least there was somewhat of an offset there. While the Avs and Wings were on top though, the Kings sucked and these two fan bases were complete dicks. At least Detroit mostly sucked for its entire existence until the 90s but the Avs were a bunch of entitled pricks: the Vegas fan base has followed in those footsteps and been even worse. While I stopped going to games as often during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, I specifically avoided going to the games against Vegas as I don't need to be arrested at my age for getting into an altercation at a sporting event.

The top hockey moment for me since Vegas entered the league was the phantom major call against San Jose and the subsequent meltdown by Vegas. That meant that a Sharks highlight is my favorite hockey moment since the 2018 season. I hate this team more than any other one in the league and it isn't even remotely close and it is almost completely due to their fans. The current final four is a complete nightmare as the Islanders are the only ones I want to see win it and a Tampa/Vegas final is the absolute worst case scenario. I hate Montreal too but I'll be rooting for the upset and hope that the clinching game is in Vegas so their fans can see them lose in person.

The fan stuff is whatever. I understand it, but not sure it warrants such an awful hatred of the team. I believe you have said you are a Lakers fan, you must understand that the Lakers are generally considered one of the most obnoxious and awful fanbases to deal with, especially in visiting buildings? The same is true with me and the UM fanbase, we have IMO the worst fanbase in the country, yes some of the alumni blame it on "Walmart Wolverines" but they are still awful and obnoxious. There are Raider fans on this board, Dodger fans on this board, not exactly the most respectable or decent fanbases either.

The cheapshot stuff and ref favoritism I heard about the glory years Kings too. People cite stuff like the King hit on Petro or Stoll's cheapshots on Vlasic and Gionta. I think if you look hard enough you can find instances of missed calls or ref favoritism on every team. I just don't buy the organized ref favoritism stuff, but neither one of us will change each others minds so we can agree to disagree. I was just genuinely curious why the Vegas hate is so much stronger on this board than any of our division rivals boards.

The born on 3rd base stuff is more fan related, but blame the inept management of many teams around the league who apparently all read "Dave Taylor's Guide to Handling Expansion Drafts" and gifted Vegas a bunch of good assets to protect worse players. I more tip my cap to McPhee for taking advantage of idiots like Tallon than to say they were born on 3rd base. I think the Avs are a more legit example because the people of Quebec suffered through a decade of sucking and rebuilding only to have the team move and immediately win a championship.

 

[deeshamrock]

Isles take game 1. Worked hard, played good team d, clogged up neutral zone and had the Trotz factor.

 

[Herby]

Isles take game 1. Worked hard, played good team d, clogged up neutral zone and had the Trotz factor.

Can't make the type of mistake that Stamkos made vs. this team, especially in the 2nd period.

Bet the Avs wish they still had Varlamov.

 

[Bandit]

I've been out in Vegas for two months taking care of my mom and I can't stand the fans here. I've given up wearing my Kings hat because of all the trash talk I would get. Plus, I wouldn't put it past some server to spit in my food or something. The media is also ridiculous. This morning, a news crew was making fun of some woman from Canada who did something stupid on camera. It just seemed really out of place, but then I remembered the Knights are playing Montreal. I guess the hate is flowing towards anything Canadian. Oh, and I really want to punch Jason Feinberg in the face. He's one of the newscasters out here and completely insufferable.

That said, I somewhat envy their popularity with everyone here. Everywhere you look, you'll see a Knights logo. I want to say that half the cars have a Knights license plate and if they don't, they have a sticker. Like I mentioned earlier, their media coverage is off the charts compared to SoCal, where our newscasters can't even get player names right. I don't know if people here will turn on them when they eventually miss the playoffs and such, but I would love to find out.

The worst part, though, is that my parents (especially my dad) were diehard Kings fans until the Knights came into the league. They moved from SoCal to the Vegas area about 20 years ago, but they still followed the Kings because the games were broadcast here. Once the Knights started playing, though, the Kings games were blacked out and they changed allegiance (even though I hooked them up with my Fox Sports login). I remember asking them why and my mom said that they were something for the community to rally around after the shooting here. Fair enough. Sadly, my dad passed away last year, but whenever I talk crap about the team in front of my mom, she says that I should root for the Knights because dad would have wanted them to win. Sorry dad, but there are some lines I can't cross!

I can understand why the Knights are so popular in Vegas. Losing everything you own on gambling, catching the clap from a 2 bit stripper and inhaling sand get boring after a while…

 

[lumbergh]

Per CapFriendly:

TERMINATION FEES

LENGTH: 17 YEARS
VALUE: $10,500,000
TEAM: Los Angeles Kings

SEASON		CAP HIT
2015-16		$1,800,000
2016-17		$250,000
2017-18		$250,000
2018-19		$250,000
2019-20		$250,000
2020-21		$700,000
2021-22		$900,000
2022-23		$900,000
2023-24		$700,000
2024-25		$700,000
2025-26		$600,000
2026-27		$600,000
2027-28		$600,000
2028-29		$600,000
2029-30		$500,000
2030-31		$500,000
2031-32		$400,000

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

He’s the Bobby Bonilla of hockey.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

I can understand why the Knights are so popular in Vegas. Losing everything you own on gambling, catching the clap from a 2 bit stripper and inhaling sand get boring after a while…

You’re confusing Las Vegas natives with the fools who come here from California.

 

[Herby]

He’s the Bobby Bonilla of hockey.

It's really sad what happened to him. To go from making Team Canada at the Olympics to out of the league within a few years. It would be like someone signing Landeskog this summer and then sending him to the AHL 2 years later.

I know that is the Kings cap penalty listed, but does anyone know if Richards was given a lump sum such as he would have gotten from a buyout or are the Kings literally cutting him a check for that amount each year like the Mets do with Bonilla?

Richards and I share many of the same hobbies, like him there is no place on Earth I'd rather be than on my boat at the lake house. I enjoyed (and was jealous of) the pictures he used to share of some of the crazy fish he would catch up at his place. He added a lot to the Kings his first 2 seasons here.

 

[Bandit]

You’re confusing Las Vegas natives with the fools who come here from California.

Sorry, huffing gasoline and playing 7-11 video poker more accurate?

 

[Herby]

You’re confusing Las Vegas natives with the fools who come here from California.

Haha, true. I know the locals there and in some other places don't like SoCal transplants.

I just drove across the country with my friend who sold his business and is retiring to a lake house in Tennessee (just the right time of year to avoid CA taxes on those millions!). There sure were some hilarious signs directed towards Californians on I-40. Pretty fitting to since every other car was either a CA plate or a UHaul towing a car with CA plates.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

It's really sad what happened to him. To go from making Team Canada at the Olympics to out of the league within a few years. It would be like someone signing Landeskog this summer and then sending him to the AHL 2 years later.

I know that is the Kings cap penalty listed, but does anyone know if Richards was given a lump sum such as he would have gotten from a buyout or are the Kings literally cutting him a check for that amount each year like the Mets do with Bonilla?

Richards and I share many of the same hobbies, like him there is no place on Earth I'd rather be than on my boat at the lake house. I enjoyed (and was jealous of) the pictures he used to share of some of the crazy fish he would catch up at his place. He added a lot to the Kings his first 2 seasons here.

So that recapture penalty the Kings got hit with actually counts towards the $7.7M that the Kings will be paying out to Richards.
Report: Kings will be paying Mike Richards settlement until 2031-32

From 2020-21 until the end of the payout in 2031-32, the Kings will pay Richards $7.7 million — an average of roughly $641,700 per year. That would be the equivalent of a bottom-roster player or AHL calibre talent. By 2031-32 it could very well be below the established league-minimum salary.

 

[Herby]

So that recapture penalty the Kings got hit with actually counts towards the $7.7M that the Kings will be paying out to Richards.
Report: Kings will be paying Mike Richards settlement until 2031-32

So he does get the Bonilla treatment.

What a life, mid 6 figures to spend summers at his lake house in western Ontario and winters in Florida.

 

[Bandit]

So that recapture penalty the Kings got hit with actually counts towards the $7.7M that the Kings will be paying out to Richards.
Report: Kings will be paying Mike Richards settlement until 2031-32

I wouldn’t mind being paid 600 grand for the next 11 years to sit on ass.

 

[Herby]

I wouldn’t mind being paid 600 grand for the next 11 years to sit on ass.

It's an easy recipe. All you have to do is..

Spend the first 28 years of your life as a star hockey player
Sign a contract that lasts a dozen years
Turn into Nick Shore almost overnight
Get busted with painkillers at the border
Settle with your employer when they try and cheat you out $30 million.

 

[Bandit]

It's an easy recipe. All you have to do is..

Spend the first 28 years of your life as a star hockey player
Sign a contract that lasts a dozen years
Turn into Nick Shore almost overnight
Get busted with painkillers at the border
Settle with your employer when they try and cheat you out $30 million.

I didn’t say it was easy, I just said I wouldn’t mind.

Also it sure seems like Richards cheated himself. If your job requires international travel you probably shouldn’t get busted at the border preventing you from being able to travel internationally. It was clear Lombardi was loyal to Richards to a fault. Richards shit the bed.

 

[Herby]

I didn’t say it was easy, I just said I wouldn’t mind.

Also it sure seems like Richards cheated himself. If your job requires international travel you probably shouldn’t get busted at the border preventing you from being able to travel internationally. It was clear Lombardi was loyal to Richards to a fault. Richards shit the bed.

The last point is true, Richards should have known better.

But if Jeff Carter had been busted at the border we probably don't hear about it until Friedman says something in his 31 thoughts later in the year...

"Jeff Carter was detained at the border last summer with a vial unprescribed pain killers. I'm told the Kings dealt with it internally and attempted to help Carter with the problem"

Jeff Carter's name could be replaced by any other name on the roster.

 

[Bandit]

The last point is true, Richards should have known better.

But if Jeff Carter had been busted at the border we probably don't hear about it until Friedman says something in his 31 thoughts later in the year...

"Jeff Carter was detained at the border last summer with a vial unprescribed pain killers. I'm told the Kings dealt with it internally and attempted to help Carter with the problem"

Jeff Carter's name could be replaced by any other name on the roster.

Lombardi didn’t buy out Richards when he could have, brought him to LA to supervise him, tried to get him back on track by all accounts. The border incident wasn’t the first, it was the last.

 

[raswilliam]

I argue we dont have a 2 cups without Ritchie. Dude was a winner and brought a hell of a resume to LA.

 

[Bandit]

I argue we dont have a 2 cups without Ritchie. Dude was a winner and brought a hell of a resume to LA.

I don’t think there’s any argument. That’s a given.

 

[Herby]

I argue we dont have a 2 cups without Ritchie. Dude was a winner and brought a hell of a resume to LA.

First cup for sure. Solved the huge issue that the Kings had with no 2nd line center (sorry JT_Dutch, wherever you are).

Second one he was below replacement level. The Chicago series in particular was extended because our 4th line couldn't keep the puck out of the net.

 

[Herby]

Lombardi didn’t buy out Richards when he could have, brought him to LA to supervise him, tried to get him back on track by all accounts. The border incident wasn’t the first, it was the last.

You don't think 5 years at $5.75m was the biggest factor for the attempted termination?