Bob Miller - Tales from the Los Angeles Kings Locker Room: A Collection of the Greatest Kings Stories Ever Told

BY
BOB MILLER

Copyright 2006, 2013 by Bob Miller

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Sports Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-61321-360-5

Printed in the United States of America

The Stanley Cup edition of this book is dedicated to the loyal, passionate Kings fans who finally, after 45 years, saw their dream come true. All of us shared their joy, their excitement and their tears as the Stanley Cup was presented at center ice at Staples Center.

To everyone in the Los Angeles Kings organization, both past and present who devoted so much to this accomplishment; the owners, management, coaches, players, trainers, publicity and communications departments and others who worked so hard, sometimes anonymously, to achieve this goal.

To my friend Randy Schultz, who initiated the process for publication of my first book, Tales from the Los Angeles Kings, in 2006.

To Los Angeles Daily News sportswriter Tom Hoffarth for his help in getting this book published, to my son Kevin for his computer expertise, to our talented Fox Sports West television crew, my on-air partners Jim Fox and Patrick ONeal, Producer Steve Hoover Dorfman, Director Mike Hassan, Stage Manager Donna Moskal, Statistician Doug Mann and to the entire camera, videotape, and audio crew who help make our telecast one of the best in the NHL.

To all my on-air partners through the years for their help and cooperation as we enjoyed the peaks and valleys of this franchise.

To my wife of 50 years, Judy, who hardly ever misses a game or telecast, for her love, encouragement and companionship.

To our children, Kristin and Kevin, who began following the Kings when they were 7 and 5 years old and are now adults, who celebrated with us during and after this momentous victory.

To our son-in-law Gilbert and grandchildren, Kaden and Bren-non, who also enjoyed their time with this most famous of all sports trophies.

To Niels Aaboe, Senior Editor at Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., for making the update of this book a reality. Thanks to Julie Ganz of Skyhorse Publishing for her editing skills. It was a pleasure to work with both of you.

B.M.

I hope you enjoy this Stanley Cup edition of Tales From the Los Angeles Kings.

I wanted to write these stories so we can all have a printed record of the most thrilling postseason in Kings history. Im sure as some of you read the stories, memories will come flooding back as to where you were and what you were doing, whether at the games in person or watching on TV or listening on radio and cheering, screaming and crying right along with thousands of Kings fans as this long awaited moment became reality.

Following the Stanley Cup stories, you will find other stories which were not available when the first book was printed. After that you can read once again, or for the first time, some of the incidents which have taken place down through the years. Not all of the stories printed in the first book are repeated here.

I know all of us will forever remember when the final horn sounded and the Kings became STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS.

Enjoy!

Bob Miller

2012

T he date was Monday, June 11, 2012 and as the final 3 minutes and 30 seconds ticked away, 18,858 Kings fans were cheering wildly at Staples Center in Los Angeles as the L.A. Kings led the New Jersey Devils 6-1 in Game Six of the National Hockey League Stanley Cup Final. At that point, it was inevitable that the teams 45-year drought would be over and the Kings would win their first-ever Stanley Cup Championship.

As the final horn sounded, there were hugs and tears of joy among Kings fans, most of whom thought they might never see this happen. The Kings won the series four games to two.

My TV partner, Jim Fox, and I recorded the game for a DVD because due to rights held by NBC we were not allowed to televise the game live. Seconds before the game ended I said, This is for you Kings fans, wherever you may be. The frustration and disappointment of the past is gone. The 45-year drought is over. The Los Angeles Kings are indeed the Kings of the National Hockey League, the 2012 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS.

On his Kings radio broadcast, Nick Nickson closed the final seconds by saying, The Kings have earned their crown, they are the 2012 Stanley Cup Champions.

Then the celebration began with the presentation of the Conn Smythe Trophy to Kings

goalie Jonathan Quick, voted Most Valuable Player of the playoffs, and then the moment Kings fans had waited so long to see, the presentation of the Stanley Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to Kings captain Dustin Brown. The Cup was then handed off to each member of the team to the wild applause from the fans.

Fox and I were at our TV location on a balcony outside STAPLES Center to do a postgame show and we were filled with emotion as we looked down on the fans celebrating the title. I was so proud of Kings fans who behaved responsibly and showed the world that you can celebrate a championship without vandalism or rioting.

I finally got into the Kings locker room and promptly got sprayed in the face with champagne, which stung so much I couldnt open my eyes. The players were yelling and screaming and then several of them said, Bob, you need a drink from the Cup. I couldnt open my eyes so the players lifted the cup to my lips and while I got some champagne in my mouth most of it went down the front of my shirt, tie and suit, but who cared, it was a moment I had been waiting for in 39 years with the team.

After the celebration continued in the arena restaurant, my wife Judy and I got home at 2:30 AM. The next morning we woke and said to each other, Did that really happen, did we see the Kings win the Stanley Cup? The celebrations with the Cup were just beginning.

You could say that the Kings run to the Stanley Cup Championship came out of nowhere. At the start of the 2011-12 season, many of the so-called hockey experts predicted the Kings would be contenders for the Cup. But, as the season progressed, the team wasnt living up to the predictions. They had good defense and outstanding goaltending, but their offense was in the doldrums, they couldnt score more than one or two goals a game, and many nights they struggled on the power play.