Prediction

I just wanted to go on record with my prediction that the Los Angeles Kings will earn their third Stanley Cup this season. They're not doing so well at the moment, but we've seen that before. The LA Kings have slumped in December before, only to come back swinging, focused and unrelenting. This is their MO. You don't see them play their best hockey until their backs are to the wall.

I BELIEVE.

Baby in the Cup

It's exactly three months and two days since the Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup, the most special award in all of sports. The elation is still with me. I anticipate another glorious season, especially since I'll be attending the game at which they will raise the banner in the Staples Center!

I remember the intense joy I felt when I saw that puck go into the net. I still get chills when I think of it. The on-ice celebration went on for quite a while and I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite images from that.

Here's one showing Alec Martinez and Kyle Clifford shortly after the winning goal. What is sweet about this picture is poor Lundqvist, defeated. I almost feel sorry for him. Almost.

Next, there is nothing cuter than a baby in the Stanley Cup and Kyle Clifford's baby, Brody, was so totally adorable with his fuzzy hair. It's amazing that the little guy was sleeping, but I remember when my kids were babies. They could sleep through a lot. Later, there was a family photo and, man, Clifford's wife is really pretty! She actually looks exactly like how I imagine the heroine of my work-in-progress would look. Her name is Emily Greene. Mrs. Clifford looks like an Emily, doesn't she?

Pure Bliss

The Los Angeles Kings, 2014 Stanley Cup Champions

'Nuff said.

My Guys - Marian Gaborik #12

Marian Gaborik has only been an LA King for a short while. We got him from the Columbus Blue Jackets just before the trade deadline and I have to say, he's fit in with the team perfectly. So much has been said in the media about the ease of his transition and how much of that had to do with the team welcoming him warmly. It's well known how tightly knit the Kings are, how they're friends, not just co-workers.

This is exactly the type of cohesiveness I want to portray in my hockey romances. I want my San Diego Barracudas to be like the Kings, with a work ethic and sense of responsibility to the fans and to each other. I want my guys to love each other like brothers.

There was some doubt about whether Marian would perform well for the Kings. Apparently he had a history of injuries. But he's proven all those naysayers wrong. All he needed were the right teammates.

He's Slovakian and kinda cute.

Here he's posing with Marcel Hossa, shirtless. He has some nice abs even if the picture seems a tad "steam bath buddy."

And then we have him in a tux. Again, a tuxedo immediately increases sex appeal by at least 200%.

In Which Kate Attempts To Be Businesslike...

So, I'm minding my own business watching a Kings game on TV when Patrick O'Neal announces that the LA Kings are putting on two seminars called "The Business of Hockey." I'm like, that sounds interesting. After the game, I check out the website and it sounds really interesting. For $80, they were offering two hours with panels of experts to talk about the business of hockey, two tickets to a game in a VIP box and an LA Kings pad folio and pen. 

All that for eighty bucks? HELLO. I signed up for both days.

But I was askeered when the big day arrived. I expected the event to be populated with a bunch of fresh, young college kids, mostly guys, armed with resumes and confidence. I was certain I'd be the only attendee over 50 and probably one of very few women.

When I arrived at the Regal Cinemas at LA Live where the seminars were to take place, I saw a ton of guys and a few women in full-on business suits. I felt like a fish, not only out of water, but like ten miles from the fish bowl.

I sat in front, because I'm short and even though the theater had stadium seating, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to see. The man I sat next to was very serious. He was in law school. He was about thirty years old and very pretentious. He was proud of the fact that he was the only one in class who ever answered the professor's questions. Yeah. That guy. I bet his classmates love him. Not a big conversationalist.

Anyway, while waiting for it to start, I realized the lock screen picture on my phone was set to display the cover of On the Surface, where Spectacular Bare-Chested Six-Pac Ab Man is drinking his water with his Adam's apple prominently displayed along with his erect nipples. (See sidebar.) Surreptitiously, I changed it to a picture of my Dustin Brown jersey.

Yeah, I know. I probably should have been proud...like, "That's right, Mr. Law School. This is the cover of my contemporary hockey romance novel. Smirk all you want." But I wasn't. I just wanted to fit in and absorb.

It was a great seminar. The opening video made me want to stand up and cheer. (Of course, I didn't, posing as the staid, unflappable "business woman." I think I was the only one who walked in holding a jersey I wanted Luc Robitaille to sign.) I learned a lot and was thrilled when Alex Curry actually asked the panel a couple of the questions I had submitted via the link emailed to the attendees. (Mr. Law School seemed unimpressed when I whispered, "That was my question!" to him.)

Both seminars were great, in fact. I took 9 pages of notes. Luc signed my jersey. I saw the inside of a VIP box. (It was dingier than I expected. Staples Center needs to spruce them up a little.) I learned a bit about agents and that whole side of the business. I learned that social media are playing a huge role in professional hockey right now. I learned that connecting with the fans is almost Job One, because fans buy tickets and drive TV ratings. I found it so interesting and worth every penny, even the $20 bucks I paid for parking.

So, a week or so later, I'm again minding my own business, watching the Kings Live pre-game broadcast and see a segment on the Business of Hockey seminar that I went to! And check it out. I'm in the video! Click here, then click on FS West Feature: The Business of Hockey (Part 1)

About 20 seconds in you'll see a row of heads in the front, then no head, then a bunch of heads. The no-head chair is me! I'm short, remember?

At minute 1:58, you'll see a woman with her head down, scribbling madly. That's me again! My little straw purse is at my feet.

Yeah, that's my claim to LA Kings fame. I was about eight feet away from Luc Robitaille. We breathed the same popcorn-scented air.

What a thrill. It was all worth those few scary moments at the beginning.

When was the last time you were scared and/or intimidated? How did it work out?

Meeting the Kings

The other day I got to meet Willie Mitchell and Slava Voynov, both defensemen for the Los Angeles Kings. It was a blast. They were signing autographs at the Staples store in Burbank, about a 20 minute drive for me. (For those of you who don't know, the Kings play in the Staples Center. The Kings aren't just choosing an office supply store as the ideal place to sign autographs.)

The balloons indicate the signing area

I can imagine how strange we all looked to the regular shoppers.

It was fun to meet other fans and wallow in our geekiness. It's almost like having a secret identity and being allowed to shed the disguise for a couple of hours. In "private", I am a rabid LA Kings fan who owns a card containing a swatch from a Justin William's game-worn jersey. It is encased in plastic. It is a source of both pride and embarrassment. But at a fan event like the autograph session, I am among my peers. It is refreshing and exciting.

The rules of this signing: we could have one signature per player, we could take a photograph but would have to stay in front of the table.

Bummer. My son, who accompanied me, put his longboard and hat back in the car so that I could get my jersey signed by Slava and Willie. I love that boy so much. He knew how important it was to me to have the advent calendar I'd made signed by players.

I got really nervous as the line moved forward after an hour of waiting. The Ice Crew girls liked my  calendar. Slava signed first. I said hi. He said hi. That was the extent of our conversation. Maybe I should have learned a Russian greeting for the occasion. Good idea for next time.

 

Willie signed the back of the calendar and then asked to see it flipped around, because he didn't get a good look at it. I told him what it was and he really liked it. Bailey, the Kings mascot, gave it a thumbs-up. (I had him sign it too. Bailey is terrific.) By then the woman in charge was giving us the evil eye even though it was Willie who had chosen to hold up the line. (Back off, bitch! LOL) 

Here's what my jersey looks like now. (King, Nolan, Muzzin, Voynov, Mitchell)

And here's the front of the advent calendar.

Forfeiting to Harlequin Superromance

I got word today that there's a Harlequin Superromance book coming out with the title IN HER CORNER. Harlequin tries to avoid publishing two books with the same title.

Sigh.

So, since that book comes out first, I have to change my title to...

ACROSS THE LINE

I think ACROSS THE LINE is actually just as nice a title. It fits the story, because both the main characters cross a line with each other, and there are lots of lines in hockey, like the blue line, pictured here with the handsome Jarret Stoll of the LA Kings. And oddly, enough it was on my original list of suggested titles, so I thought of it. LOL

Let's hope that title sticks!

A Brief TV "Appearance"

The LA Kings have a show this season on Fox Sports West called Kings Weekly. It's a fluffy show focusing on a lot of the off-ice activities the Kings are involved in, like charity events, the Father/Son Road Trip--stuff like that. Recently they started a feature called Fan Takeover. Twitter fans request a certain player be interviewed. Then, once the player is chosen, fans tweet questions.

This week, the player was Mike Richards. Love this guy. So down to earth. I submitted a couple of questions and one of them made it! "Does Arnold ever go to practice or on road trips with you?"

I was so excited, my scream freaked out my son who thought I'd cut myself in the kitchen.

What was Mike's answer? Arnold has not been to the rink in a long time. He didn't say whether he'd gone on a road trip, but went on and on about how nice it was to have his dog with him here in California rather than with his parents.

Here's a picture of Mike and Arnold. So cute together.

Photo credit: Me and Mike Richards

The Other Guys - Jason Garrison of the Vancouver Canucks

Although depressed about the Kings recent losing streak, I am optimistic about tonight's game against the Canucks. Not for any hockey specific reason, like stats or having a history of winning against that particular team. I'm just an optimistic person.

When browsing the Canucks' roster for a handsome player to feature today, I saw the name Jason Garrison, which cracked me up because I have a friend whose husband is named Jason Garrison. Needless to say, my friend is not married to an NHL player. Anyway, the Canucks defenseman was pretty cute, so I didn't have to look any further.

It's my day off today and I have some writing to do, so I've got to go.

Photo credit: Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head and Hockey Talk with Courtney

Secret Santa via Travel-Babbles

Recently I found a real honest-to-goodness hockey wife who blogs regularly and shows no sign of stopping. I really love her blog. She has a great sense of style, is so full of life and enthusiasm and more than once she's moved me to tears.

When she proposed a Secret Santa gift exchange, I decided to participate. It was fun shopping for my person, who happened to be an avid Sharks fan. I followed my Santa-ee on Twitter and Instagram and after trading tweets and pix, I feel like I've made a new friend, even though our teams are rivals duking it out for the 2013 Western Conference title. (Um, we beat them last night by the way, 4-1. I'm just saying… ;) We are proof that a Sharks fan and a Kings fan can peacefully coexist.

Anyway, I received my gifts a couple of weeks ago. I figured it was from my Secret Santa, but I wasn't completely sure until I opened it. I really couldn't remember what I'd put down for my interests. But hello! I got Los Angeles Kings stuff to add to my (slightly embarrassing) collection.

First there is this can cooler. Awesome. Pay no attention to my horrid looking hair which sat under a Santa hat all day at work.

My other present was a reversible LA Kings hat, which I promptly wore to the game on December 7 against the New York Islanders. We won, so it must be a lucky hat! I made my hubby take a pic of me after the game with the Staples Center sign behind me, but being a man he didn't pay any attention to the gigantic alien fat blob masquerading as a chin. Thanks, dude.

The hat kept me nice and toasty warm and I love it! I love both my gifts. Thanks, Santa! And thanks, Kym, for organizing it all.

Terms of Endearment #14

The room - (n.) The locker/dressing room.

Players often talk about the room.

"It's good to have veteran guys like that in the room."

"He's a big presence in the room."

"We don't really talk about that stuff in the room."

The room is referenced a lot in interviews. The room is obviously an important place. It's the inner sanctum for the players. A lot of stuff gets said in there, the real stuff, the gritty stuff, the stuff that's not camera-ready or politically correct.

I really hope I can bring my readers into the room with my players, the San Diego Barracudas. One my goals with the IN THE ZONE series is to zero in on a side of hockey that the fans don't normally see. Sure, it's fiction and I'm taking liberties and probably getting a lot of stuff wrong, but one day I may actually get a look at the Kings' locker room, and at least soak in the non-human details.

Personally, I love when the TV cameras go in "the room." I often ignore the players completely and focus on what's behind him. I'm studying the pads, where the hooks are, all the details.

One time, I saw Anze Kopitar nonchalantly hang his cup up on a hook behind him while a reporter was asking a question. Being a woman, I was like, "Wow, that's what a cup looks like." Being an LA Kings fan, I was like, "OMG. THAT'S ANZE KOPITAR'S CUP!" Being a smutty romance writer, I was like, "Since they're only filming him from the chest up, does that mean he hasn't got pants on?"

Revisiting the Glory

Yeah. The book I ordered arrived.

It was a dream run.

They can do it again this year.

Stay healthy, boys. Stay strong.

On a side note, my thumb looks young there. Not wrinkly like usual. LOL

Brownie Bumped Down

The captain of my beloved Los Angeles Kings, Dustin Brown, is one of the best players in the NHL. Unfortunately, he hurt his hamstring at the start of training camp and is only just now coming back from it. This means he missed a lot of camp and so he is "rusty," according the Darryl Sutter, the head coach.

As a result, Brownie isn't on the first line in the Kings' season opener. He's got a place on the third. I'm 100% certain he'll move back up. He just needs a few games under his belt. They've all just come off three months of no hockey. They were all rusty coming into camp, but everyone but Brownie rid themselves of the rust during camp and during those pre-season games.

And you know what? Brown would be the first person to tell you, that's the way it is and that's the way it should be. In professional hockey, you earn your place on the line.

Man, I love this sport.

An Internship, at My Age!

Over the past few months, I've been casually informing John Hoven of MayorsManor.com, an LA Kings blog, when I saw typos in his articles. As you know, I love the Kings, and I often turn to Hoven's site for great interviews and such. 

Hoven has been grateful for my help in proofreading. As any writer knows, it's difficult to proof your own writing, and I've been doing it because I would want someone to do the same thing if I had typos on my website.

Anyway, a couple of days ago, he tweeted jokingly,  

Need you to just start transcribing quotes after the game and I'll really be dialed in!!!

I asked him if he was serious and he was. So, last night, I transcribed two interviews he conducted, one with Colin Fraser and the other with Jeff Schultz. It was more time consuming than I'd anticipated! Sometimes the players don't speak clearly and I had to rewind four, sometimes five times. But it was still fun. 

I'm hoping that in return, since I've volunteered to do this free of charge, that someday in the future, he'll see fit to introduce me to some of the guys on the team and/or give me a little tour of the player areas. That would be SO AWESOME for my research. 

But I'm just keeping my head down right now, doing the job and getting him all beholden and stuff. Heh heh.

Would you work for free in order to meet someone famous? Who would it be?