As everyone who’s ever even heard of Los Angeles is aware, this has not always been the case. My neighbor Matthew, who’s currently living in New Jersey, sent me a message earlier today. In it, he asked me how much of this sudden pride in the Los Angeles hockey team came directly from the fact that the Lakers had been eliminated early last month.
Even from across the country, he brings up a question that many Angelenos are currently debating. Where on Earth did the sentiment of beloved pride come from, and how did we place it onto a Kings team that many of these same “fans” could not identify less than three months ago?
Jonathan Quick stood confidently in the goalie’s box during Game 6 of the NHL Finals, as the fans at Staples Center showered him with chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!” so booming that only Kobe Bryant could identify with the mood of the arena. The Slovenian-born Anže Kopitar reached an instant celebrity status in the city that few ever acheive. Captain Dustin Brown hoisted up the Stanley Cup trophy, and the city of Los Angeles was full of an excitement so rich that it felt like it may have been exploding.
Suddenly, the Los Angeles Kings owned the world, as the historically celebrated Los Angeles Lakers watched from home.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who moved to the city in 1960, have 16 championship banners in their name. The Los Angeles Kings entered Monday’s game against the New Jersey Devils with zero instances of their name etched into the Stanley Cup trophy. Yet when the Devils pulled their goalie after the Kings took a 4-1 lead and the Kings managed one more score to put the nail in the coffin, the city of Los Angeles acted as an integral character and let their cheers rain over ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
