We know you’re busy, so let’s help catch you up on some of the Kings news, notes, and nonsense that perhaps was missed over the past few days. Using our popular 10 Tidbits format, here’s all the latest info you need to know, not only about LA, but the hockey world as a whole:
1. Team 21
We’re happy to report we caught up with former Kings forward Tony Granato earlier this week after he went public with his Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He was in good spirits and shared a great story. His wife Linda was referring to that afternoon as ‘Day 3 of Healing’ instead of treatment. That’s absolutley fantastic and we couldn’t agree more!
— Tony Granato (@TonyGranato) December 11, 2023
2. Stats Check
Sports are known to provide some pretty crazy stats at times. This one may take the cake:
Last night's game between the @LAKings & Rangers was the 1st to feature both teams' full (non-abbreviated) names in their logos.
LA has faced 6 other teams like this:
Wpg (1988-96)
Ott (1992-97)
TBL (1992-98)
Dal (1995-98)
Wsh (1988-95, 2021)
Tor (1988-98, 2021-23)#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/AJNbgbCKIA— LAKingsUniformHistory (@KingsUniHistory) December 11, 2023
3. Moving On Up
Allegedly, the Washington Capitals are on the move. Plans are being made to build a new arena complex in Northern Virginia, followed by the Caps and NBA’s Wizards relocation. Google Maps says it’s only about 10 miles away, yet some fans are up in arms over the idea. That certainly stirs up late ’90s memories of some SoCal hockey fans not liking the idea of moving the Kings from Inglewood to Downtown LA. Now, everybody loves it.
https://twitter.com/Scott7news/status/1735045836185145638
There is reason to believe a deal to bring the Washington Wizards and Capitals across the Potomac River is imminent even as D.C. continues to negotiate an agreement to keep them downtown. https://t.co/PSG1HuZeJ5
— Washington Business Journal (@WBJonline) December 12, 2023
4. If you Build It, They Will Come
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman continues to openly talk about the league expanding in a few years. While he says that nothing is imminemt, it appears Salt Lake City is a shoo-in for one of the two new teams. Where should the other club go — Quebec City, Kansas City, Atlanta, Houston? None of them really seem as much of a perfect slam-dunk candidate as Utah.
Bettman talks Stadium Series concert, international play and expansion on ESPN https://t.co/PDf0e2eYnE
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) December 13, 2023
5. YEAR 3000
Speaking of Bettman, he must be a Jonas Brothers fan. Who else is approving the bands selected to play at league events? We don’t have the official research to prove it, yet our unofficial counts suggest the majority of hockey fans like rock music. Sure, some like country too. However, Jonas Brothers don’t qualify as something that connects with the key demo. As for ‘Year 3000’ – we couldn’t name one Jonas song even if you gave us the winning numbers to this week’s $500-million Power Ball. We had to look it up.
When it comes to brothers, we prefer Dutch or Hansen. We’d even accept Vopat, thank you.
6. Cash Flow
This isn’t necessarily NHL related, but it does bring up something interesting when talking about big money sports contracts.
One of the biggest misconceptions about Shohei Ohtani's contract is that the Dodgers will have an additional ten years to pay him the money.
But that's not how it works.
Major League Baseball's CBA requires teams to fully fund the present-day value of deferred payments within…
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) December 12, 2023
Another interesting aspect of the deal is Shohei Ohtani’s ability to opt out of the contract if either of two members of management leave the Dodgers organization. Here’s a nugget for aspiring journalists to track down — Dwight King may have had a similar clause in his deal with the Kings. Once Darryl Sutter left LA, King was free to leave town.
7. Money, Money, Mon-ey
Forbes just released their annual NHL Franchise Value report and the Kings landed at No. 4 among the league’s 32 clubs. With a valuation of $2 billion, this saw them leapfrog past the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks. Overall, LA had a 54% increase in their value from one year ago.
The full list is available here, along with some additional financial data.
While some might scoff at the Anaheim Ducks sitting No. 25 on the list, they’re still valued at $972 million. In 2005, Henry and Susan Samueli purchased the team from The Walt Disney Company for $75 million. That’s a pretty good return on investment.
8. Kings Prospect on the Move
If you missed it earlier this week, we reported that Kings prospect Jakub Dvorak will be skipping the World Juniors and moving to North America soon, where he will join the Swift Current Broncos (WHL). What’s noteworthy about this update are two key things. First, it leaves the Kings with only one prospect (Otto Salin, Finland) at the sport’s biggest annual tournament. Gone are the days — from as recently as just a few years ago — when LA had more NHL hopefuls than just about any other team represented at the WJC. Two, why didn’t Dvorak go play for Czechia at the tournament and then join Swift Current? That part is a bit of a mystery at this time. He served as the captain of CZE when playing for their U-18 squad and was expected to be a big part of the group looking to build upon their silver medal performance at last year’s tournament. Dvorak would have worn a letter and been anchored on the team’s top defensive unit. So, those answers will have to come at a later date.
Kings World Junior Updates: One Player In, One Out (and on the Move)
In the meantime, Team USA, Canada, Finland, and the other countries will officially begin WJC play in Sweden on Dec. 26. Nearly every game will be broadcast on NHL Network, beginning with some preliminary contests late next week.
9. Birthday Boy
Somewhat lost in all the Lizotte-Vilardi drama this week was the fact it was actually Blake’s birthday on Wednesday. Yes, the same day LA hosted Winnipeg. The 5-foot-9 center turned 26. He’s now played in 278 games since signing his first pro contract in April 2019, when he left St. Cloud State as a sophomore.
10. And Finally…
The Kings will celebrate Anze Kopitar night on Jan, 24 vs. Buffalo. They’ll be recognizing him in what’s being called ‘Milestone Night,’ paying tribute to him being the new franchise leader in regular season games played, passing Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne’s assist record, his 400th career goal and several other marks. All fans in attendance that night will receive a commemorative poster featuring Kopitar. Today only, tickets to the game can be purchased at a special 11% discount. Click here for more info.
If you missed our previous Tidbits article, it’s linked below for your reference.
RELATED CONTENT:
Friday’s 10 Tidbits of LA Kings News, NHL Notes, and Other Nonsense
Lead photo via Daniel Stopani
Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please remember to include a link to www.MayorsManor.com
