MCSORLEY'S STICK

The history of cup-winning teams and their petitions

Quisp — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:50:59 +0000

How do you get your name on the Stanley Cup? The first step is a doozy (your team has to win a grueling tournament called the Stanley Cup Playoffs). But the next steps aren’t necessarily easy. For players, the criteria for inclusion has changed over the years.

1926-70 – played half (or more) of regular season games, or at least one playoff game.
1971-76 — played at least one playoff game.
1976-present — played in half (or more) of regular season games, or at least one game in the Stanley Cup Finals.
1994 — NHL allows teams to petition the league to include players who did not meet the criteria due to extenuating circumstances.

As you may know, I started looking into this because the Kings successfully petitioned on behalf of Davis Drewiske (9 regular season games, 0 playoff games) and Kevin Westgarth (25 regular season games, 0 playoff games) but inexplicably decided not to petition on behalf of Andrei Loktionov (39 regular season games, 2 playoff games). The Kings offered a (to my ears) lame excuse for this, and I responded that I would be shocked to find that there had ever before been a situation in which a team failed to petition on behalf of a player who actually played in the playoffs while simultaneously petitioning on behalf of players who had played fewer games and had not played in the playoffs at all.

I then looked at all seasons since 2005, and found that the Loktionov situation was indeed unprecedented going back at least that far.

Now, let’s go back all the way to the first year of petitioning, which was introduced in 1994.

Petitions to include players’ names on the cup, year by year, 1994-2012

Parentheses after players’ names indicate regular season games played followed by playoff games played.

1994 – The Rangers petitioned to include Ed Olczyk (37, 1) and Mike Hartman (35, 0). The league said no. The Rangers protested. The league relented and included Olczyk and Hartman. This is the only instance I know of in which a club protested the league’s decision.
1997 – The Red Wings petitioned to include Kevin Hodson (23, 0) but not Mike Knuble (9, 0). The league granted the petition for Hodson.
1998 – The Red Wings chose not to petition on behalf of Norm Maracle (4, 0) and Darryl Laplante (2, 0).
1999 – The Stars petitioned on behalf of Brent Severyn (30, 0) and Derek Plante (16,0), and the petitions were granted. The Stars did not petition on behalf of Doug Lidster (17, 4) or Brad Lukowich (14, 8). This ESPN article indicates “the Stars didn’t ask to have Lukowich’s name included because they assumed it would be.” It sounds from that like GM Bob Gainey mistakenly believed that players who played in at least one playoff game were automatically included (maybe because that had been the rule when he won his first three cups with the Habs). The Lidster/Lukowich omission is the only other instance in NHL history (besides Loktionov) in which a team petitioned for a non-playoff player while not petitioning for a player who played in the playoffs. And it appears (according to ESPN) to have been an accident.
2000 – The Devils successfully-petitioned on behalf of all three non-qualifying players who played at least one game for the Devils that year — Ken Sutton (6, 0), Steve Kelly (1, 10), and Steve Brule (0, 1) — but did not petition for Deron Quint (4, 0), who had been suspended for not reporting to the AHL for a conditioning assignment.
2001 – The Avs successfully-petitioned on behalf of Bryan Muir (8, 2).
2002 – The Red Wings chose not to petition on behalf of anyone, including Maxim Kuznetsov (39, 0) and Sean Avery (36, 0) — both of whom were traded to the Kings the following season — Jesse Wallin (15, 0), Uwe Krupp (8, 2), and Ladislav Kohn (4, 0). The decision not to petition Krupp, who actually played in the playoffs, is unusual in the history of these petitions, but at least the Red Wings were consistent in that they didn’t petition for anyone.
2003 – The Devils chose not to petition on behalf of Christian Berglund (38, 0), who had been sent to the AHL midway through the season.
2004 – The Lightning successfully-petitioned on behalf of Darren Rumble (5, 0) and Stanislav Neckar (0, 2).
2006 – The Canes petitioned on behalf of Andrew Hutchinson (38, 0), Josef Vasicek (23, 8), Anton Babchuk (22, 0), and those petitions were granted. They chose not to petition on behalf of Keith Aucoin (7, 0) or David Gove (1, 0).
2007 – The Ducks successfully petitioned on behalf of George Parros (32, 5). Petitions on behalf of Mark Hartigan (7, 1) and Aaron Rome (1, 1) were denied. They chose not to petition on behalf of seven players who did not appear in a playoff game.
2008 – The Wings successfully petitioned on behalf of Mark Hartigan (23, 4), and Derek Meech (32, 0), and chose not to petition on behalf of six players who did not appear in the playoffs, all of whom played in 8 or fewer regular season games.
2009 – The Pens successfully petitioned on behalf of Mike Zigomanis (22, 0), but chose not to petition on behalf of thirteen players who did not appear in a playoff game and who played in 20 or fewer regular season games. Harsh, if you’re Chris Minard (20, 0) or Dany Sabourin (19, 0), but at least it’s consistent.
2010 – The Blackhawks successfully petitioned on behalf of Bryan Bickell (16, 4), and chose not to petition on behalf of four players who did not appear in the playoffs and who played no more than 8 regular season games.
2011 – The Bruins successfully petitioned on behalf of Marc Savard (25, 0). The Bruins’ petitions on behalf of Shane Hnidy (3, 3) and Steve Kampfer (38, 0) were denied by the league. The Bruins chose not to petition on behalf of four players who did not appear in a playoff game and played fewer than 23 regular season games.
2012 – The Kings successfully petitioned on behalf of Kevin Westgarth (25,0) and Davis Drewiske (9,0), but chose not to petition on behalf of Andrei Loktionov (39,2) or Scott Parse (9,0).

The Kings offered two different rationales for this decision. The first was that Westgarth and Drewiske had been with the team all year, whereas Loktionov had not. Looking back at the history of petitions, that rationale had been used both to include players who were frequent healthy scratches and to exclude by not petitioning players who spent most of the year in the minors, or who were sent to the minors mid-way through the season never to return. As far as I can tell, that rationale had never before been used to exclude a player who had actually appeared in playoff games that season.

Excluding the Stars’ apparently-accidental omission of Lukowich and Lidster, the 2002 Wings were the only previous team not to petition a player who appeared in the playoffs, but that player — Uwe Krupp — had only played in 8 regular season games in addition to the 2 playoff games, and the Wings didn’t petition any players that year, so — as I said earlier — they were consistent.

Chart Fun for You

Here are the 18 players since 1994 who played in at least one playoff game and did not meet the criteria for inclusion. All but four (Lidster, Lukowich, Loktionov and Krupp) were petitioned by their teams. Even ignoring the fact that Lidster and Lukowich were excluded by accident, none of those players played more games than Loktionov did that season.

Kings Anagrams: I am a bold nerd

Quisp — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:55:32 +0000

Having established the true identity of toenail crud, we’re moving on to someone in the current Kings organ-EYE-zation. This mystery man’s name is an anagram of many things, among them:

I am a bold nerd.
Odd lamebrain.
Bad old marine.
Born amid deal.
Admirable Don.
Mad bandolier.

Are the Kings “screwed”? (And is it news?)

Quisp — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:49:42 +0000

I told you all many months ago that the Kings would have to get rid of two of their $3MM+ contracts in order to get under the cap. I gave a short list of (pick two of) Justin Williams, Jarret Stoll, Willie Mitchell and Matt Greene. This was of course long before we all knew that Willie Mitchell was done for the season, and maybe longer. My argument back in January was that the Kings can’t get rid of Justin Williams because they have trouble scoring, so the obvious solution is to get rid of Jarret Stoll, who is over-paid for a 3rd or 4th line center anyway. Everybody knew that Slava Voynov was up for a new contract this summer. Since his ascendency in 2011-12, a very large pay-raise for Voynov has been budgeted in for 2013 on, just as a huge hike is in the cards for Dustin Brown the following season. Why was Dustin Penner signed to a one-year deal? Because everyone could see that the Kings needed the cap-room for 2013-14. Re-signing Penner again this summer — unless he somehow managed to score like Jeff Carter in 2012-13 (he didn’t) — was never going to happen. Losing one of Mitchell, Scuderi or Greene was always going to happen (now add Robyn Regehr to the list of expensive old defensemen — at least one must go).

The twin facts of (1) the Kings scoring problems and (2) needing to produce a steady stream of NHL-ready prospects to take the place of those $3MM+ contracts, were the reasons I lobbied so hard and long for keeping Andrei Loktionov in lieu of Jarret Stoll. If Dean Lombardi hadn’t bizarrely and short-sightedly traded Loktionov to New Jersey for almost-literally nothing, it would be fairly obvious to everyone what needs to happen now. And I won’t even mention how nice it would have been to have an actual NHL-caliber offensive center to step in when Mike Richards and Jarret Stoll both went down in the playoffs with injuries. Who could have foreseen the increased potential of injuries after last year’s extended playoffs, long lay-off, and compressed schedule of the shortened season? (Hint: everyone.)

Whatever. Loktionov is gone. Going to have to trade Stoll and let Trevor Lewis return to his original center position. Or give Linden Vey a shot. Maybe not this summer, but certainly by next (when Dustin Brown’s cap hit doubles, folks).

But I started this post to look at the Mayor’s assessment of the Kings’ current cap situation. So let’s do that.

Mayor’s Manor: Why the Kings Can’t Bring Everybody Back

Unless you were a math major in college, the NHL salary cap likely bores you once the conversation gets past a certain surface level.

I wasn’t a math major. But I can add.

Putting it as simple [sic] as possible, the LA Kings are screwed.

But, per above, this day has been marked on the calendar for years.

[...] Let’s assume Clifford, Lewis and Muzzin are absolutely coming back. How much will that cost? Perhaps they could get more than what it takes to ‘qualify’ them.

I assume it will cost more than the required minimum qualifying offer.

[...]

Next, let’s assume Bernier is traded and his replacement will cost you $1.5M for next season.

That’s an odd assumption since for not much more than $1.5MM you can re-sign Bernier. If Lombardi intends to ride Quick into the sunset, why not get some old veteran goalie for $750K and save yourself a million dollars?

There is of course another option. I brought it up before, and nobody liked the idea then. I assume it will be just as unpopular now.

Trade Quick for an elite left-winger. Hand the reigns to Bernier. That’s the whole point of having Bernier, to go to him when Quick gets too expensive and buy yourself a few more years of prudent cap management.

I’m not advocating for this, really. Just saying, if we’re not simply following our hearts, we have to consider the options.

Knowing that LA will need money to take a run at Unrestricted Free Agents Rob Scuderi and/or Dustin Penner, we might as well pencil Jordan Nolan into the roster. He’s the least expensive option among all the Kings RFAs, as it would only take $577K to qualify him.

Penner is gone. Or, to put it another way, if you want to keep Penner, you’re going to have to get rid of one of Williams, Richards or Carter, and — no.

[...] Next…

Everybody knows that ‘open D4′ spot is reserved for Voynov. [...] The only other players left to deal with at this point would be Ellerby, Martinez, Penner and Scuderi. It would take $735K to qualify Ellerby and $774K to do the same with Martinez.

I don’t know why we’re even talking about Keaton Ellerby. There’s no room for him, is there? Doughty, Scuderi (yes, re-sign him at whatever price — yes, he’s more important than Jarret Stoll), Voynov, Muzzin, Greene, Martinez, Regehr. That’s seven. What’s the big deal?

Willie Mitchell will either be on LTIR or bought-out. His trade value is minimal. Actually, if anyone thinks he’s really healthy, I would prefer to trade Regehr and keep Mitchell. Either way. One of those two must go.

[...] The 2013-14 LA Kings line-up would look as follows:

Dustin Brown – Anze Kopitar – Justin Williams
Mike Richards – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Dwight King – Jarret Stoll – Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford – Colin Fraser – Jordan Nolan

Robyn Regehr – Drew Doughty
Willie Mitchell – Slava Voynov
Jake Muzzin – Matt Greene

Jonathan Quick
Back-up Goalie

[...]

What happened to Penner? There’s no money left to pay him.

What happened to Scuderi? There’s no money left to pay him.

[...]

Want to bring Scuderi back? Well, if Mitchell goes on Long Term Injured Reserve, he could possibly be a replacement for that slot.

But, Mitchell’s status isn’t expected to be known by July 1st. Meanwhile, Scuderi’s likely to be offered a long-term, big-money deal from another team once the free agency window opens (i.e. four years, $16M from the Islanders). Thus, that’s a very slippery road to travel.

Want to bring back Penner? Same thing. The money is going to have to come from somewhere. And in his case, keeping him may be a necessity because the organization is woefully thin at left wing.

Now, there is another option.

If you trade a player currently signed to a contract, that would free up some cap space to sign Scuderi and/or Penner.

That’s just reality.

My own take is not too different. I guess I would just back off the adjective “screwed.”

FORWARDS

Dustin Brown ($3.18MM) / Anze Kopitar ($6.8MM) / Justin Williams ($3.65MM)

Tyler Toffoli ($870K) / Mike Richards ($5.75MM) / Jeff Carter ($5.27MM)

Dwight King ($750K) / Jarret Stoll ($3.25MM / Trevor Lewis ($1MM)

Kyle Clifford ($900K) / Colin Fraser ($825K) / Jordan Nolan ($700K)

Tanner Pearson ($925K) / Linden Vey ($900K)

DEFENSE

Robyn Regehr ($3MM) / Drew Doughty ($7MM)

Slava Voynov ($3.9MM) / Rob Scuderi ($3.4MM)

Jake Muzzin ($850K) / Matt Greene ($2.95MM)

Alec Martinez ($750K)

GOALIES

Jonathan Quick ($5.8MM)

Jonathan Bernier ($1.75MM)

LTIR, RETIREMENT or COMPLIANCE BUY-OUT

Willie Mitchell

CAP HIT

$64.17MM

CAP SPACE

$130K

ROSTER

Bottom line:

Lose one of Mitchell, Scuderi or Regehr. I chose Mitchell because I don’t think Lombardi would get rid of Regehr, having just signed him. But I would take a healthy Mitchell over Regehr, if such a creature exists.
Lose one of Penner, Stoll, or Williams. I chose Penner because he’s a UFA and he has regular season “issues.”
Pearson, Andreoff, Clifford, Nolan and King are five guys fighting for three spots, and an additional one in the press box. Depending on DL’s confidence in Pearson’s and Andreoff’s development, one of Nolan or…well, Nolan, could be dealt, I guess.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Colin Fraser got moved in an attempt to get the fourth line back to a place where it can play real minutes. Maybe Vey (too small?) is ready to play center between Clifford and somebody. He already plays on a line with Pearson in Manchester.
I will make my annual suggestion of thinking about shipping out Jarret Stoll. But I’m not all that interested in arguing about it. My response to counter-points will be from the archives.

Kings Anagrams: Acne Turd Oil

Quisp — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:38:22 +0000

The following four “phrases” are all anagrams of the name of the same ex-King:

Acne turd oil.
Do it nuclear.
Eclair donut.
Toenail crud.

2013 NHL CBA 10.2-10.4: Qualifying Offers, Offer Sheets, Compensation

Quisp — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:56:46 +0000

Yesterday (I think it was yesterday), we looked at which Kings RFAs have arbitration rights this summer, with a brief tour of the CBA language (Article 12) on the topic. A pdf of the actual CBA should always be the go-to resource for anyone wanting to see all the legalese I have chopped out and simplified. But I think it’s useful to attempt to boil this stuff down. Today, we look at qualifying offers, offer sheets, and draft pick compensation.

10.2 Restricted Free Agents

(a) [a.k.a.] Group 2 Players [a.k.a. “RFAs”] […].

(i)

(A) […] Any [RFA can] negotiate and […] sign an SPC with any Club, and any Club [can] negotiate and sign an SPC with any [RFA] […].

[A player is eligible for RFA status according to this chart.] [“Age”] means a Player’s age on September 15 of the calendar year in which he signs [his first] SPC […].

An SPC is a contract. “Standard player contract.” I know you all know that, but I’m trying to be thorough and idiot-proof.

SPC Signing Age Group 2 (RFA) after:

18 – 21 3 years professional experience

22 – 23 2 years professional experience

24 or older 1 year professional experience

[A] Player aged 18 or 19 earns a year of professional experience by playing ten [...] NHL Games in a [season], and a Player aged 20 or older […] earns a year of professional experience by playing ten [...] Professional Games […] in a [season].

SPC Signing Age	Group 2 (RFA) after:
18 – 21	3 years professional experience
22 – 23	2 years professional experience
24 or older	1 year professional experience

As with Article 12, NHL games means NHL games, and “Professional” games means NHL, AHL, and any other pro league games.

(B) [If an RFA] or a Club requests salary arbitration, [per] Article 12, such Player [cannot] negotiate with any [other] Club […] or sign an Offer Sheet […] except as provided in Sections 12.3(a) and 12.10.

12.3(a) says that players who made $1.75MM or more the previous season and who are being taken to Club-elected (but not player-elected) arbitration, can still sign an offer sheet up until July 5.

12.10 lays out the general guidelines for eligibility for salary arbitration.

(ii) In order to receive a Right of First Refusal or Draft Choice Compensation, the […] Club [must make qualifying offer by] 5:00 p.m. […] on the later of June 25 or the first Monday after the Entry Draft […].

In 2013, the draft takes place on June 30. The following Monday is July 1.

[A] “Qualifying Offer” [is] an offer of [a contract], for one [season], which is subject to salary arbitration if such Player is otherwise eligible for [it, per] Section 12.1, on [these] conditions:

Related posts:

Shea Weber CBA offer sheet compensation CHEAT SHEET

NHL 2013 CBA: ARTICLE 12 – SALARY ARBITRATION

Weber Offer Sheet: CIRCUMVENTION?

News Article Devils Must Demand Compensation if this Occurs – HFBoards

NHL 2013 CBA: ARTICLE 12 – SALARY ARBITRATION

Quisp — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 05:31:05 +0000

Well, RFA season is upon us, with questions about offer sheets, arbitration eligibility, arbitration deadlines, qualifying offers, etc..

ARTICLE 12 – SALARY ARBITRATION

12.1 Eligibility for Player or Club Election of Salary Arbitration

a) A Player is eligible for salary arbitration if the Player meets the qualifications set forth in the following chart and in Section 12.1(b) below:

First SPC Signing Age Minimum Experience Req.

18-20 4 years professional experience

21 3 years professional experience

22-23 2 years professional experience

24 and older 1 year professional experience

A Player aged 18 or 19 earns a year of professional experience by playing ten (10) or more NHL Games in a given season. A Player aged 20 or older (or who turns 20 between September 16 and December 31 of the calendar year in which he signs his first SPC) earns a year of professional experience by playing ten (10) or more Professional Games under an SPC in a given season.

Super important distinction. If you sign at 18 or 19, only NHL games count. If you sign at 20 or older, AHL and all other professional games count, too. See Jonathan Bernier and Trevor Lewis in the list below (not eligible), compared to Alec Martinez and others the same age (eligible). Martinez’s AHL seasons count for him. Bernier’s and Lewis’s don’t.

(b) Only Players who […] who have not signed an Offer Sheet are eligible either to elect salary arbitration or be subject to a Club-elected salary arbitration.

(c) As used in this Article, “age,” including “First SPC Signing Age,” means a Player’s age on September 15 of the calendar year in which he first signs an SPC regardless of his actual age on the date he signs such SPC.

Another important distinction. For the entire year of 2013, you are the age that you are on September 15, 2013. A player born on 9/15/93 is 20 this year. A player born the next day is 19 this year.

Kings RFA Class of 2013

Player	Age Signed	2013 age	Experience	Eligible	By Club
Alec Martinez	21	26	5 (PRO)	Yes	No
David Meckler	21	26	6 (PRO)	Yes	No
Trevor Lewis	19	26	3 (NHL)	No	No
Jonathan Bernier	18	25	3 (NHL)	No	No
Brian O’Neill	24	25	2 (PRO)	Yes	No
Andrew Bodnarchuk	20	25	5 (PRO)	Yes	No
Jordan Nolan	21	24	3 (PRO)	Yes	No
David Kolomatis	21	24	4 (PRO)	Yes	No
Jake Muzzin	21	24	3 (PRO)	Yes	No
Stefan Legein	18	24	0 (NHL)	No	No
Keaton Ellerby	19	24	4 (NHL)	Yes	No
Brandon Kozun	20	23	3 (PRO)	No	No
Slava Voynov	18	23	2 (NHL)	No	No
Martin Jones	18	23	0 (NHL)	No	No
Kyle Clifford	18	22	3 (NHL)	No	No

12.2 Notice of Player Election of Salary Arbitration

A Player […] electing salary arbitration must do so by […] 5:00 p.m. […] on July 5 […].

12.3 Eligibility for Club-Elected Salary Arbitration

[…] a Club will have the right to elect to take a Player to salary arbitration under the following conditions:

a) Players [making more] Than $1,750,000 In The Prior League Year

None of the Kings’ RFAs make this much. So none of them are eligible for club-elected arbitration

i.         a Club may elect to file for salary arbitration […] in lieu of making a Qualifying Offer […].

ii.         […] the Salary Arbitrator may not award the Player […] less than [85] percent of [the previous year’s salary].

iii.         The dollar amount of $1,750,000 [is tied to average club salary and presumably goes up every year].

iv.         A Player subject to a Club-elected salary arbitration [per] 12.3(a) […] remain[s] eligible to […] sign an Offer Sheet […] by no later than 5:00 p.m. […] on July 5 […].

b)    Club-Elected Salary Arbitration For Players Who Receive Qualifying Offers.

i.         If [the player] has not accepted [the] Qualifying Offer, nor filed […] for […] salary arbitration […], the Club may elect to file […].

ii.         If a Club elects salary arbitration [per (i)], the Club’s offer […] must be equal to or higher than the Player’s [previous year’s salary].

c)     A Player will be subject to only one Club-elected salary arbitration in his career. [A] Player [whose] Club has [previously] elected salary arbitration [re his contract], regardless of whether a hearing took place […], is no longer eligible for Club-elected salary arbitration. […]

d)    […] a Club may […] elect salary arbitration […] twice per League Year. […]

12.4 Notice of Club Election

a)     A Club electing salary arbitration [per 12.3a above] must do so by […] not later than 5:00 p.m. […] on the later of June 15 or 48 hours after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals […].

The earliest that deadline can be this year is June 21 (2 days after game 4). The latest is June 28 (2 days after game 7).

b) A Club electing salary arbitration [per] Section 12.3(b) above must do so […] [within] 24 hours [of the player’s election of salary arbitration] […].

Next up: OFFER SHEETS.

Whimsical NHL Realignment by Expansion Eras

Quisp — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 20:30:57 +0000

Found this on my hard drive. Meant to post it during the realignment debate. This is not a serious suggestion. It wouldn’t work for any number of pesky real-world practical reasons. Still, it’s fun, at least for me, maybe for you.

Original Six

Montreal Canadiens

Toronto Maple Leafs

Boston Bruins

New York Rangers

Chicago Blackhawks

Detroit Red Wings

The 67s

Los Angeles Kings

Philadelphia Flyers

Pittsburgh Penguins

St. Louis Blues

Dallas Stars (Minnesota North Stars)

The 70s East

Washington Capitals

New Jersey Devils (Kansas City Scouts)

Buffalo Sabres

New York Islanders

Carolina Hurricanes (Hartford Whalers)

The 70s West

Vancouver Canucks

Calgary Flames (Atlanta Flames)

Edmonton Oilers

Colorado Avalanche (Quebec Nordiques)

Phoenix Coyotes (Winnipeg Jets)

Bettman East

Tampa Bay Lightning

Ottawa Senators

Florida Panthers

Nashville Predators

Bettman West

San Jose Sharks

Anaheim Ducks

Winnipeg Jets (Atlanta Thrashers)

Minnesota Wild

Columbus Blue Jackets

It’s here: the 2013 NHL CBA!

Quisp — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 04:25:45 +0000

2013 NHL CBA (NHL/NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement PDF)

I am perversely excited to dive into this massive document, which is officially titled “Collective Bargaining Agreement between National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association, September 16, 2012 – September 15, 2022.”

Tyler Toffoli is on the cover of Sports Illustrated

Quisp — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 04:01:29 +0000

2012 was the year of 3-0; let’s hope 2013 is the year of 2-2

Quisp — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:43:08 +0000

The Kings opened a 3-0 lead in all four rounds of the playoffs last year. And they’ve managed to be tied at 2 after four games in each of their first two series in 2013. Now, they sit one game back, game four tonight. And tomorrow morning, the Kings will either be locked up at 2 once again.

Or they’ll be down 3-1.

In which case, I’ll be writing the “one game at a time” post. And I will be optimistic, because, well, because I prefer to be. But it would be oh-so-much better to win tonight and erase the Blackhawks’ dominance of the first two games. Game five with a clean slate. Please, do that.

I’m also hoping this turns out to be the coming out party for Tyler Toffoli, who has been handed his golden chance and so far is running with it. This post-season has been huge for Toffoli in any case, but tonight would be a good time for it to become legendary.

I should also point out that the Kings have only allowed one goal since I started watching with the sound off (after the fourth goal in game two).

First SPC Signing Age	Minimum Experience Req.
18-20	4 years professional experience
21	3 years professional experience
22-23	2 years professional experience
24 and older	1 year professional experience