Cataractes prepared for Memorial Cup run despite long layoff (Yahoo! Sports)
SHAWINIGAN, Que. — Unlike his counterparts, Shawinigan Cataractes head coach Eric Veilleux has had a lot of time to sit and think about the MasterCard Memorial Cup. He’s also had time to parse what went wrong when the tournament-host Cataractes were eliminated in the second round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in seven games.
Morgan Ellis and the Cataractes haven’t played in a month. (The Canadian Press)His team will take the ice for the first time in a month to face the WHL-champion Edmonton Oil Kings in the Memorial Cup opener on Friday. “In a short tournament like this it’s very important for us to step in and get our legs going – keep things simple,” Veilleux said. “There’s a way to play intense, play physical and be smart and that’s the way we’ve been preaching… starting with the game [Friday night]. The guys are very aware of the situation right now and they’re ready to go.” In the regular season, the Cataractes (45-16-3-4) were the second-best team in the QMJHL finishing six points behind the defending Memorial Cup-champion Saint John Sea Dogs, who captured their second consecutive President’s Cup trophy with a four-game sweep over the Rimouski Oceanic in the final. There were many who had called for Veilleux’s dismissal after their early ouster, since many had expected a showdown with the Sea Dogs to settle QMJHL supremacy. During the season the Cataractes had bolstered their lineup by adding star defencemen Morgan Ellis (in a trade with Cape Breton) and Brandon Gormley (in a trade with Moncton). They also added highly skilled Russian forward Kirill Kabanov from Blainville-Boisbriand in an early October deal. “There’s a lot of skill with that hockey club,” said Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal. “They’re very explosive and with Gormley and Ellis, they’ve got a great back end.
“I know they didn’t have the playoffs they wanted, but they had a good season and they’re a very worthy opponent. They’ll be playing in front of their home crowd with lots of energy. We’ve got to be ready for the first 10 minutes [of the game] because their kids are going to be excited to play.”
[Scoreboard: Follow the Memorial Cup action]
During their respite, Veilleux had his team play against a squad comprised of former Cataractes, which included members of the 2009 team that lost in Game 7 of the QMJHL final to Drummondville and Buffalo Sabres captain Jason Pomminville. He also said he was a little taken aback by how hard his players were able to go in practice – of which there were many. “The intensity and the [aggressiveness] that the hockey game demands, we pretty much had that in practices,” Veilleux said. “I was very surprised with the guys’ reaction towards [practice].” And while the Cataractes were the first out, Laxdal’s Oil Kings were the last to finish claiming their championship title in a hard-fought seven-game victory over the Portland Winterhawks which ended on May 13, less than a week before heading to Shawinigan. “Our team really answered a lot of questions about the growth of our hockey club in Game 7,” Laxdal said. “Obviously we’re going to use the same formula that we used coming into the Memorial Cup. We want to make sure that we refocus real quick here and revamp our guys to get ready for Friday night.”
This year’s tournament marks the first time since 1996 that the top point-getting teams in the regular season from each of the three CHL leagues have made the tournament. The QMJHL champion Sea Dogs (103 points) were ranked as the top team in the final CHL rankings, OHL champion London Knights (99 points) were third and the WHL champ Oil Kings (107 points) fourth.
[Related: Anything is possible at the Memorial Cup]
The Sea Dogs begin their Memorial Cup title defence on Saturday when they play the Knights at Centre Bionest. “Our expectations were that we were going to be the best team in the Quebec league this year,” said Saint John head coach Gerard Gallant. “We knew we had a lot of guys coming back from last year’s championship team, so we know we have a target on our backs. A lot of teams when they play against Saint John, that’s the level they want to get to. Everybody plays their best games against us.” 
The Knight have Dale Hunter back, though not behind the bench. (Getty Images)The Knights’ biggest acquisition – outside of playoff MVP Austin Watson who came to the team via a trade with Peterborough – might be the return of former head coach Dale Hunter. Current head coach Mark Hunter said his brother, who recently left the NHL’s Washington Capitals, will be a big help even if he won’t be back behind the bench. “It’s going to be nice to have him as part of the team here again,” said Mark Hunter. “He’s a great eye-in-the-sky for us and hopefully he can help us win some games.” More than half of Gallant’s lineup hoisted the Cup last year in Mississauga and there’s no reason to doubt they could repeat close on the heels of the Windsor Spitfires, who won titles back-to-back in 2009 and 2010. They are even stronger this year with the additions forward Charlie Coyle – who left Boston University before the world junior tournament – and defenceman Charles-Olivier Roussel, who was returned to junior after starting the season in the American Hockey League with the Milwaukee Admirals. “Last year was very successful for Saint John and we’re not going to change much,” Gallant said. “We’re not to change much. We’re going to come in here and have some fun, play hard and compete. We’ve got three different teams here this year and it’s going to be battle.”
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Tags: Cataractes, Despite, layoff, Long, MEMORIAL, prepared, Sports, Yahoo | 
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GOAL OF THE YEAR: FINALS
MEMORIAL CUP STARTS FRIDAY
GARTH: Sekera, Satan, Slovaks Sink Canada
Taking a stupid kneeing major that got the Canada captain tossed from a 3-3 elimination game at the Worlds? Slovak Juraj Mikus had to be helped from the ice after the Getzlaf gong show.
The Slovaks were handed a gift-wrapped five minute PP to end the game.
Reggie Sekera wasted little time giving his team the lead.
Michal Handzus won the ensuing faceoff back to the Sabres Dman at the point. Sekera’s blast found Handzus’ twig with 2:28 left in regulation to break a 3-3 tie and take Slovakia to the semi-finals.
It was a historical win for Slovakia. Its their first win against Canada in seven tries, dating back to the 2002 World Championship when Slovakia won its first and only gold.
The Slovaks jumped into an early 2-0 lead by way of two greasy goals.
On the first, Branko Radivojevic took a simple wrist shot from just inside the blue line, but the puck kissed off the pants of Tomas Kopecky as he charged to the net. The puck beat Cam Ward glove-high.
On the second goal, former Sabres Miro Satan, scored on a pinball shot that clunked through a pile of sticks and skates in Ward’s slot.
Former Sabre and Amerk, Milan Bartovic, also scored for the Slovaks, who improve their record to 6-2 in the World Championships.
Evander Kane, Jeff Skinner and Alex Burrows scored for Canada (6-1-1).
****
Sekera’s value continues to rise by virtue of his stellar play for his Slovak squad in Helsinki.
Lots of NHL scouts were in the building to witness the Slovak shocker over Canada.
Sekera has been sizzling hot in this tourney. He has two goals and six assists in eight games. He’s +4 while skating 19 minutes per game.
****
How the Last 13 Stanley Cup Champions Didn’t Repeat, Part 3: Fan’s Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
In the past 13 years, all 13 Stanley Cup champions fell short of raising the Cup another consecutive time. The first part of this series looked at how the champions from 1999, 2000 and 2001 failed to repeat. Last week, part two studied how the 2002, 2003 and 2004 champions missed the chance to win again. This week, part three explains how the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 champions were undone the next year.
2006: Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning entered the 2006 playoffs matched up with the Ottawa Senators and starting the series in Canada’s capital city. The hometown team won Game 1, and though the Lightning rebounded to win Game 2 by just one goal, the Senators soon seized control of the series. They won Game 3 by a score of 8-4, added a Game 4 win and then, in another one-goal game, knocked the defending champions out of the playoffs altogether.
Notable Lightning players included Brad Richards, who is with the New York Rangers now, Paul Ranger and Vincent Lecavalier, who is still on the team today.
Meanwhile in the East, the Carolina Hurricanes were storming (pardon the pun) up to the top of the pile. A sometimes chaotic quarterfinal series against the Montreal Canadiens included a decision to let then-rookie Cam Ward see time after Martin Gerber gave up three goals in the first period of Game 2. Ward became the hot hand for much of the playoffs and is the Hurricanes’ workhorse goalie today. It also included a controversial incident in Game 3 where Saku Koivu‘s face was clipped by Carolina‘s Justin Williams. Koivu got an eye injury; Williams got no penalty. The rest of the six-game series was tight, with all of the games decided by just one goal, and Carolina defeated Montreal in six.
In the semifinals, the Hurricanes met the New Jersey Devils. They opened the series with a 6-0 shutout where all but one goal came on the power play, built on the momentum with a 3-2 overtime win and put together another 3-2 victory. Down a very risky three games to nothing in the series, the Devils made a mark in a 5-1 win, but that wasn’t enough and the Hurricanes downed them in the next game.
They then took on the Buffalo Sabres in the conference final. The first three games were all one-goal affairs, Buffalo taking the first, Carolina nabbing the second and Buffalo getting the third. The Hurricanes responded with a 4-0 shutout, but then the series turned tight again. Game 5 was decided by a Carolina overtime goal and Game 6 by a Buffalo overtime goal. But in Game 7, Carolina came from behind to take a 4-2 win and a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Edmonton Oilers awaited in the Stanley Cup Final, and while the Hurricanes built up a two-game series lead with a hard-fought Game 1 win and a shutout, the series tightened up again. The Oilers avoided a three-nothing deficit via a Game 3 win by a 2-1 score, the Hurricanes got their own 2-1 win and the Oilers took a 4-3 overtime victory. Perhaps tired of suddenly tight series, the Oilers put together a Game 6 shutout and forced a decisive Game 7. Decisive it was-for the Carolina team, who won 3-1 and brought the Stanley Cup to the South again.
2007: Carolina Hurricanes
The 2007 Carolina Hurricanes missed the playoffs altogether. Actually, both teams that were in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final missed the 2007 postseason. So, instead this section will focus on how the Anaheim Ducks made it to the Stanley Cup.
The Ducks began the playoffs against the Minnesota Wild, the team that took them out of the conference final back in 2003. But things were different this time: the Ducks opened the series with a win, added another victory at home and put together a three-game series lead. With the Wild on the brink, they fought to maybe change the tone of the series with a 4-1 win in Game 4. The Ducks replied by beating the Wild by the exact same score in Game 5.
They then faced the Vancouver Canucks in the semifinals, starting things off with a rousing 5-1 win. The Canucks rebounded, though, taking a 2-1 double overtime win to even the series. That would prove to be Vancouver’s only win, though, as the Ducks won Game 3 and Game 4 by a 3-2 score and finished the series with a double overtime victory too.
In the conference final, the Ducks took on perennial playoff team the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings, hoping to repeat the success that came from the last time they made it to the conference final, started things off with a 2-1 win. The Ducks bounced back for a 4-3 overtime win that was followed by the Red Wings putting together a 5-0 win, the biggest playoff loss in Anaheim history. But they used that as inspiration to do better in Game 4, and while one team scored five goals in the 5-3 decision, it was the Ducks notching five this time. They followed up with two tightly-won wins, 2-1 in overtime and then 4-3 to send the Red Wings home.
The Stanley Cup Final was played by two teams without a Cup win to their name: the Ducks and the Ottawa Senators. Anaheim got the 2-0 series lead at home, first with a 3-2 win and then with a razor-thin 1-0 shutout that had the only goal coming in near the end of the third period. Russell Williams, who was in the house when the old Senators won the 1927 Stanley Cup against the Boston Bruins, attended Game 3 in Ottawa. Maybe his presence inspired the home team-they won 5-3. But that would prove to be their only victory in this series. Anaheim extended their series lead by winning 3-2 again and then, in a potentially decisive game at home, they voted out the Senators 6-2 and kept Lord Stanley in a southern city, though this time in the west.
Notable Ducks players included Ryan Getzlaf, current team captain, Corey Perry, who is still a Duck today, and the legendary Teemu Selanne, still a Duck too.
2008: Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks came into the 2008 playoffs matched up against the Dallas Stars, who got things started with a 4-0 shutout that saw every single goal scored on the power play. Anaheim players took 11 different penalties, giving the Stars lots of chances to score on the man advantage. They rode that momentum into Game 2, winning 5-2, though this time only two Dallas goals were on the power play and Anaheim got a PP goal too. The Ducks turned the tide with a 4-2 win, another game with lots of man-advantage scoring, but couldn’t even things up in Game 4, a 3-1 win where their only goal came at 19:52 of the third period. At the risk of elimination, the Ducks did prolong their playoff lives a little more by winning 5-2, but that wasn’t enough and they lost 4-1 in Game 6.
Notable Ducks players this year included Getzlaf, Selanne and Chris Pronger, who is now the captain of the Philadelphia Flyers, though he played just 13 games in 2011-12 and is suffering from post-concussive symptoms, according to his wife Lauren.
Meanwhile, the President’s Trophy-winning Red Wings found themselves facing the Nashville Predators in the quarterfinals. They created a two-game lead at home with a 3-1 and a 4-2 win, but couldn’t go up three games when Nashville beat them 5-3. The Predators proceeded to tie the series with a 3-2 win. However, the pattern of a team winning two in a row continued, this time for Detroit: they beat Nashville 2-1 in overtime and then shut them out 3-0 to advance to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, they met the Colorado Avalanche, but this time the Avs proved to be of little difficulty. The Red Wings won Game 1, Game 2, repeated their Game 1 score and then dominated Game 4 by scoring eight goals to Colorado’s two.
The Stars, who’d dispatched the defending champions, met the Red Wings in the conference final. Detroit continued their winning ways from the previous series, winning Games 1, 2 and 3. But the Stars, maybe not wanting to meet the same fate as the Avalanche, shook things up with a 3-1 win in Game 4. They then kept their hopes alive for one more game by taking a win in Game 5, but their glimmer of hope faded after the Red Wings won Game 6.
Then in the Stanley Cup Final, Detroit opened strong, shutting out the Pittsburgh Penguins in back-to-back games. Pittsburgh replied with a 3-2 win at home, but Detroit answered by winning Game 4. Pittsburgh took Game 5 to the late-night hours, finishing it in triple overtime to make their 4-3 win the fifth longest game in Final history. That wasn’t enough, though, and the Red Wings took home their fourth Stanley Cup in 11 years. Foreshadowing: Mario Lemieux, following the Penguins’ loss, said that his team would know what to do next time.
2009: Detroit Red Wings
In the 2009 playoffs, the Red Wings met the Columbus Blue Jackets in the quarterfinals. This was Columbus’ first trip to the playoffs and it was not a good one for them: Detroit swept the series and put up at least four goals in each game, although Game 4 was harder-fought than the others.
The semifinals saw the Red Wings matched up with the Ducks. Detroit won Game 1 and Anaheim answered by taking Game 2 in triple overtime. In Game 3, the Ducks won 2-1, although it could very well have been tied and sent to overtime if not for a referee’s whistle just before Marian Hossa appeared to score near the end of regulation. The Red Wings bounced back from that by winning Game 4, 6-3, and added a Game 5 victory. The Ducks forced a seventh game by winning Game 6, though the Red Wings would make the decision in Game 7 by one goal.
The conference final series between Detroit and the Chicago Blackhawks started off with Detroit taking a 5-2 win and adding a 3-2 overtime victory. Chicago took their own overtime win in Game 3, which the Red Wings replied to by winning 6-1 in Game 4. This series’ flirtation with overtime was not over, though: Detroit’s decisive win in Game 5 came in extra time too.
The Stanley Cup Final ended up being a rematch of the previous year. Against familiar foes, the Red Wings put together a pair of 3-1 wins to start the series. The Penguins, perhaps fans of patterns too, won Games 3 and 4 by the same score of 4-2. Detroit broke the patterns with a 5-0 shutout in Game 5. But then Pittsburgh started another pattern, this one leading to success: Game 6, a 2-1 win, and Game 7, also a 2-1 win. Lemieux’s prediction turned out to be correct.
Notable Red Wings included Nicklas Lidstrom, Kris Draper and Tomas Holmstrom, who were on the team for the 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008 victories but were not able to go for five in 2009.
Next week, in the last part of this series, the three most recent champions will be studied.
CATCHING UP WITH ANDREJ SEKERA
GARTH: Andrej The Trade Bait
The draft is right around the corner. The UFA market opens July 1. Have you checked out Brad Richards’ act in the first three rounds of the playoffs? Richards is lighting up Broadway with his polish and swagger. Too bad there won’t be a centre man of his ilk available to the Sabres in this Summer’s UFA market. I believe that the Sabres will be taking the trade route in order to secure the scoring centre man they so desperately covet.
Darcy Regier has the organizational assets in the form of draft choices, blue chip prospects, and veteran players that he can/will parlay into a trade bundle in order to entice his fellow NHL GMs to do a deal. Perhaps Regier will want to trade up to the top three positions in this June’s draft in order to make a play for one of the Russian centres. I still believe Regier is training his eye on a centre who is already a proven scorer in the NHL.
One such veteran player is former Owen Sound Attack D, Reggie Sekera.
After a sub-par start to the 2011/12 season in Buffalo, Sekera played like a bat outta Hell in the final two and a half months of the regular season. He defended well while contributing on the score sheet. Sekera was arguably Buffalo’s best D during their frantic dash to the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. The Sabres ran out of runway and were sent abruptly and unceremoniously to cottage country.
While his bros are at the golf course and spending time with their families, Sekera is presently tearing it up for his native Slovakia squad at the IIHF World Championships in Helsinki.
In seven tournament games played at the Worlds, Sekera has two goals and five assists. He recorded three points in his team’s win over France on Tuesday. He has a game winner.
By comparison, Sekera’s D mate, Zdeno Chara, has just two assists in seven games played for Slovakia. Led by Sekera’s heroics at the Worlds, Slovakia’s 1-0 win over Switzerland helped the team get back to the top-9 nations for Sochi 2014. The following nine countries are pre-qualified for the Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament in Sochi 2014: Finland, Sweden, Russia, Czech Republic, Canada, United States, Norway, Slovakia, and Switzerland. (The final order and seeding of these teams will not be known until after the World Championship.) According to the IIHF, Slovakia will make the most significant jump in the World Ranking after reaching the quarter-finals in Helsinki. After last year’s disappointing home-ice showing the Slovaks were only 10th in the Pre-Championship Ranking and out of an Olympic slot, but after adding this year’s World Ranking points, the Slovaks will be at least 8th as will Norway, which was 9th in the Pre-Championship Ranking.
No surprise, really. Sekera played a similar impressive role for his mother country during the Vancouver Olympic hockey tourney. Most observers and media are calling Sekera Slovakia’s best defenseman in recent international play. Can’t say I argue with the assessment of Sekera. He has been stellar at times. What troubles me is that he can dominate games like Phil Housley for long stretches of time, then inexplicably, he can play like Dmitri Kalinin for other long bouts.
Sekera has been terrific. I wish the real Reggie Sekera would once and for all please stand up.
Last Summer, Sekera signed a four year $ 11 million contract. His $ 2.75 million cap hit makes him a very attractive commodity around the NHL.
The Sabres blue line is a crowded house right now. There are too many men for the top six D jobs. Tyler Myers and Christian Ehrhoff are on long term deals and they will be lynch pins for years to come for Lindy Ruff. Robyn Regehr has one year at $ 4,020,000 left on his present deal. Jordan Leopold has one year and $ 3,000,000 left on his present deal. Sekera has three years left at $ 2,750,000, while Mike Weber has another year left at $ 950,000. The “x-factor” on the Buffalo blue line is trade deadline day acquisition, Alex Sulzer, who is set to become a UFA on July 1. Sulzer earned $ 700,00 last season while he impressed the Sabres brass with his heady-and-steady defensive posture. Sulzer, who played well with fellow German bomber Ehrhoff, added offense to add further creedance to Buffalo’s desire to re-sign him. Another wrinkle to consider is that the Sabres are giving serious thought to playing Brayden McNabb full time in Buffalo next season. The kid has proven that he is NHL-ready, and will be looking to solidify his roster spot with a strong exhibition season. Don’t forget about Sekera’s stylistic clone, TJ Brennan.
Here are my starting six and my pick for seventh D moving forward:
#1: Myers
#2: Ehrhoff
#3: Regehr
#4: Leopold
#5: Sulzer
#6: McNabb
#7: Weber
I’m calling Reggie the odd man out because his trade value is a helluva lot higher today than it was in January and February.
Buffalo have a surplus of NHL caliber D and can certainly sweeten a deal for a centre by adding in Sekera to a package that includes Derek Roy and a first round draft choice.
Pittsburgh, NY Islanders and San Jose are three teams said to be very interested in a bonafide puck-mover like Sekera. The Sabres may want to use Sekera to strengthen a trade offer for Jordan Staal, John Tavares or Joe Thornton.
Inside the Los Angeles Kings Twitter feed, social media sensation of NHL playoffs (Puck Daddy)
How many times has Dewayne Hankins been called “classless” during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
“Yes … oh, gosh, a million times,” he said. “It’s so funny what people throw around as classless. But it’s all in good fun. You’re stirring up your fan base.”
Also funny: That those hockey fans on Twitter don’t even know it’s Dewayne Hankins who is drawing their ire. “They chirp us. We tweet back. And then they tell us how much they love us,” he said. “They think it’s the Kings talking to them.”
Hankins (@DewayneHankins) is the director of digital media for the Los Angeles Kings. Along with digital media coordinator Pat Donahue (@patatack), they run the @LAKings Twitter feed that’s become a sensation during the postseason. The Kings had around 70,000 followers when the playoffs began. Thanks to sarcastic, intentionally outrageous messages mixed with practical information about ticket sales and viewing parties, they’re well over 110,000 followers after two rounds.
Along with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Kings have reinvented the way an official feed can be utilized — not just for information, but to develop a unique voice that connects with the fan base, while playfully taunting others.
Like, for example, Vancouver Canucks fans, with the tweet that will live in infamy.
On April 11, the No. 8 seed Los Angeles skated into Vancouver and defeated the top-seeded Canucks in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. The Kings’ Twitter feed celebrated thusly:
Donahue was the author of “the infamous Vancouver tweet” according to Hankins, who knew immediately that this was a game-changer.
“We were so excited about the first game being won, and I see that tweet, and I’m thinking, ‘OK, no matter how this ends up, this is going to be a Hall of Fame tweet,’” he said. “We knew right away we had enraged an entire province, we were starting to get worried. And then they started asking the players about it.”
Media outlets like the Globe & Mail covered the tweet, additional ones sent during the game like “looks like a gust of wind sent Kesler tumbling” during a dive, and soon the Kings were forced to put out a fire.
As Adam Williams of Monarchy Hockey, who also interviewed Hankins, recalled:
What might be most baffling about this entire situation is the apparently widely held belief that official team Twitter feeds should only be used for bi-partisan purposes. Since when is what an NHL team does unbiased? In-game presentations on the jumbotron are decidedly slanted to the hometown fans, commercials and advertisements espouse the virtues of the featured team and the necessity for fans to attend home games, players constantly cite their fans as ‘the best fans in the NHL’. Why should Twitter be treated any differently?
The team had internal discussions about how the Vancouver tweet was covered by the Canadian media, to the point where deleting the tweet was considered. Hankins stepped in and said their apology was sufficient. “We weren’t going to delete. That defeats the point of what we’re trying to do.”
Instead, the team apologized to “anyone who found it offensive.” But as the old playoff tagline said: History was made.
“We had been doing this since last November but that tweet really made people notice that the Kings were doing things differently,” said Hankins.
Hankins/DonahueThe director of digital media for the Kings since November 2010, Hankins arrived from the Minnesota Wild, where he built their digital media outreach. Remember when Cal Clutterbuck’s mustache got its own Twitter feed? That was one of Hankins’ last innovations before heading west.
Hankins signed on with the Kings because they were pumping money into digital media: Hiring former L.A. Daily News beat writer Rich Hammond as their in-house reporter and creating novel videos on their official site. But he made it clear from the start: To find success, the Kings had to develop their own voice.
“Part of the deal for me coming in was that if we’re going to do this, we’re going to go all-in. Be different. Be unique. In L.A., you can do that. We’re the little brother of the other four or five teams here, so we gotta do something to be entertaining,” he said. “If you’re a different team, you can’t do this. The Lakers can’t. Not to the extent that we can.”
Pat Donahue was hired last September, having interned for the Kings earlier in 2011. “I told him, ‘We’re going to give you the keys to this, but we want to make sure that it’s funny, that it remains snarky,’” said Hankins.
Together they can tweet up to 90 items on a Kings gameday, offering news, links, snark and interacting with fans, friend and foe.
“You go back to the Vancouver tweet, and that doesn’t happen if we didn’t have Oilers fans and Flames fans and Canadiens fans all tweeting us and telling us that we’re ‘Canada’s team’ in the playoffs,” said Hankins.
The duo also run the Kings’ website and mobile app, and are helping other AEG teams like the L.A. Galaxy with their social outreach. When it comes to their tweets that target opponents, they will exchange emails until they find the right message and vibe.
“I think most people understand that humor or they don’t,” said Hankins. “We know the line a little bit.”
While the Vancouver tweet pushed the envelope and others have aggravated other fans, the L.A. Kings digital team has support from management to continue running the feed with attitude — partly because you can’t argue with the results.
“It’s an extension of the brand. It’s supposed to be partisan. It’s supposed to be fun,” said Hankins. “It’s no knock on any team, but the other 29 NHL teams can be pretty dry. That’s why celebrities have big followings on social media and brands don’t: Because there’s no personality to a brand.”
Other NHL brands may follow in the Kings’ tradition. The Blue Jackets developed their own self-deprecating brand of humor this season. The Detroit Red Wings have made noise about starting a rivalry with the Kings’ feed next season. Fans across the NHL are asking why their teams can’t have the same connection and personality of the Kings official Twitter — and sometimes that can be irksome for the teams they follow.
“We saw the Buffalo Sabres actually get mad about us being mentioned. Something along the lines of, ‘We’re tired of being compared to the Kings feed. We think we do a good job on our own,’” said Hankins. “It’d be a lot more fun if every team engaged with us the way we engage with them.”
The Kings feed is busier than ever with tweets about the Western Conference final against the Phoenix Coyotes (including mockery of a lucky cactus), while trying to rally support for Anze Kopitar to win the EA Sports NHL 13 cover athlete poll (hence the “character assassination” of Claude Giroux).
In the process, they continue to sparks laughs and connect with fans in a way that’s defining how official social media platforms can be utilized.
“At the end of the day, it’s entertainment. Twitter’s all about saying things that are funny. If you’re not going to do that, then you’re wasting people’s time,” said Hankins.
(Check out more from Hankins at Monarchy Hockey.)
THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER
GARTH: Pegula Investing In Canalside Project
Today, Buffalo Mayor, Byron Brown, unveiled a plan that will see Pegula make a sizable monetary commitment to the beautification of the Central Wharf site that sits directly adjacent to the home of his NHL team’s arena.
Pegula wants to donate landscaping work for unfinished lots around the Central Wharf section of Canalside, according to a city memo.
Its been discussed that Pegula will invest $ 120,000 of his own money, to pay for such things as new sod, other landscaping products , services, and the necessary labor to pay the man power. The City of Buffalo owns the adjacent lots.
According to the Buffalo News, the City of Buffalo’s Department of Public Works has already reviewed preliminary plans for the work, Commissioner Steven J. Stepniak said in a memo to the Common Council, which must vote to accept the donation.
The Council meets today at 2 p.m.