Farewell to Kings Bob Miller

It was pretty much a certainty this game was going to be emotional. Not only were the Kings playing their greatest (in my opinion, feel free to fight me on it) enemy in the Chicago Blackhawks, but it was Bob Miller‘s last home game. A variety of tributes from legendary broadcasters, celebrity fans, and even Cartman, ran on the jumbotron during the game. A large wall fans could write messages to Miller was erected outside Staples Center, and in each seat a Thank You for 44 Years Bob Miller tee-shirt was placed, along with Thank You Bob signs. How could you make it through the game without shedding a tear for the legend?

Of course the a Kings opened up the game relying on Jonathan Quick‘s superior goaltending skills, with a special flurry of saves he made mostly from his stomach. But it wasn’t enough, as Jonathan Towes scored maybe two shifts later, 6:25 into the period on a shot Quick sighed after seeing it bounce awkwardly past him. It wasn’t that the Kings were playing especially badly, but it was clear that while the Hawks have evolved past what won them their Cups of late, the Kings rely heavily on a system that just can’t keep up effectively against heavy or fast teams. Surely enough Johnny Brodzinski took a penalty – had no one warned him the Hawks aren’t the team to take penalties against? At least that part of the Kings game was on point, as usual. They have a stellar penalty kill which was on full display for a few minutes there, Jake Muzzin took one early in the period also which featured more shorthanded breakaways than it did Hawks chances. Dustin Brown had the first chance but the Hawks defense got to him before he could get the shot off. Jeff Carter had the best chance, going 5-hole against Corey Crawford which would usually be a good call. He had another chance he drop-passed to Pearson also to no avail, but still nice to see the Kings trying. When Crawford tripped Anze Kopitar the Kings had their first power play of the evening, which of course went nowhere. Doughty was the next to enjoy the penalty box for 20 minutes, which really tells you the frustration level he’s at at this point in the season. I don’t blame him – for 40 minutes the Kings inability to score was frustrating to say the *least.* After 40 minutes they only had a few Grade-A chances and everything else was just… well you can see why the Kings aren’t making the playoffs this year, and it wasn’t because of Jonathan Quick.

Finally the third period was one worthy of Bob MIller’s last game. The Kings had a power play early up and actually managed to score on it! They certainly took their time, with so many chances in a row that should have made their way past Crawford, finally Tyler Toffoli slips one through several players from the blue line and in the net. Tied 4:52 into the third, it was just enough time to do something stupid. After the initial momentum the Kings got from the goal, the Hawks got the momentum back, prompting another flurry of spectacular Quick saves, but one too few, when Brown couldn’t get the puck out of the zone, it ended up behind the net, Quick looking at the shot on his left, yet somehow it ended up behind the net again and sniped in on his right. An obvious yet crushing goal with 6:07 minutes remaining. For the next at least four minutes it looked like that would be it. They wasted an opportunity to pull Quick with 2 minutes remaining and the puck in the offensive zone, and couldn’t get the chemistry together. (With Sutter’s blender lines having Lewis, Iginla and Shore together that’s hardly surprising but still.) But putting Bob Miller put up on the jumbotron with a little more than one minute remaining gave the Kings the mojo they needed. Brown, who Miller had said earlier would be his ideal choice for the game winning goal considering the friendship he and Nicole had shared with Miller and his wife Judy, sneakily maneuvered the puck around Crawford’s right pad and snapped it up and into the back of the net with 55 seconds remaining. What a tribute to Bob, eh?

And of course in overtime, who else is going to win? There were three rushes in 30 seconds, Kings, Hawks, then Kings, and none other than Drew Doughty scored the Kings game winning goal. No one looks happier than Doughty when he scores or when the Kings win, so the combination was dazzling. Top shelf he beat Crawford, honoring Miller’s final home game in spectacular fashion. Bob, we love you, and we will miss you dearly. Thank you for the last 44 years. You are the voice of the Kings, and we can’t imagine them without you.

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