For the loyal hockey fans who work hard all week and don’t have time to follow the key stories, here are the ten things you need to know before the game tonight…
* Yesterday was Ozzy Osborne’s 62nd birthday. Tonight, the other Ozzy – Chris Osgood, will start in goal for the Detroit Red Wings. He has a career record of 19-10-4 vs. the Kings, including 7-3-0 at Staples Center. Jonathan Quick will be in net for LA.
* Quick ran away with the October Player of the Month poll, capturing 51% of the votes. Who won the November poll this week? Results available here.
* Is AEG thinking of selling the Kings? That’s what money gurus Forbes say in this article. (h/t to Royal Half)
* The Montreal Canadiens are having their game-used equipment sale today. If you’re still looking for a smelly Mike Cammalleri jersey, you better hurry.
* While Cammy continues to thrive since leaving Los Angeles, the same can’t be said for one Mr. Alexander Frolov. This week he played just eight minutes for the Rangers on Thursday and was limited to only two shifts in the third period of Monday’s game. Forget the goals, he hasn’t had a single point in seven straight games. Ouch!
* In other Russian related news, yesterday was the 50th birthday for The Professor, Igor Larionov. He won three Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and now serves as mentor / advisor to Kings prospect Andrei Loktionov.
* What do Matt Greene, Rob Scuderi, Jack Johnson, Peter Harrold and Davis Drewiske all have in common? Yes, besides the fact they play defense for the LA Kings. They all played college hockey. And last night two potential future additions to that group faced off for the first time. Recent draft picks, 6’5″ Derek Forbort (2010 first round) played 6’4″ Kevin Gravel when UND hosted SCSU. What happened? Quick recap available here.
* Another former college hockey player (and one of the greatest Kings of all-time), Dave Taylor celebrates his 55th birthday today. Let’s test your Kings knowledge. Where did he go to school? (answer at the end of this article)
* It appears The Hockey News Curse is alive and well. After claiming injuries to Drew Doughty and Mike Modano over the last two months, it’s now bitten young defenseman PK Suban. He’s been a healthy scratch lately after appearing on the cover a few weeks ago. The names of people linked to this curse are a true who’s who of the hockey world. Just take a look, you’ll be amazed.
* Grab your mit. This guy did – here’s an actual picture taken from inside Staples Center at a Kings game (it’s one of my all-time favorites). The team will host another Dodgers night on January 13 vs. the St. Louis Blues. Past guests for the ceremonial face-offs have included Eric Karros and Andre Either. The Kings returned the favor a few months ago when Dustin Brown went to Dodgers Stadium and shared some goaltending duty with Dodgers catcher Russell Martin.
And now you’re caught up.
The Mayor
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ANSWER: Dave Talyor went to Clarkson University. If you happen to also know that’s where Craig Conroy, Randy Jones and Willie Mitchell went to school, you need need to get out more. That’s too much information.
