Los Angeles Kings And Sharks Head For Collision Course
- Updated: February 21, 2015
“You want the title? Want to wear the heavyweight crown? Nose broke, jaw smashed, face busted in. You ready for that? Is that you? ‘Cause you are facing a man who will die before he let you win.” – Will Smith as Muhammad Ali in the film “Ali” (2001)
The defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings have won 6 straight games after defeating the Colorado Avalanche and now find themselves right back into the playoff hunt. The rival San Jose Sharks on the other hand, have dropped from second place in the Pacific Division and now find themselves struggling to keep up with the rest of the Western Conference. Both teams are currently neck and neck in points and all signs point to an epic collision between the hated rivals starting with today’s outdoor NHL Stadium Series game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara (the second outdoor game in California history but the first between the Kings and the Sharks). This game is what I will call “round 1” of this season’s heavyweight battle between the two franchises that are not shy to admit that they completely loathe each other with a passion just like boxing legends Muhammad Ali and George Foreman did, before their epic “Rumble in the Jungle” fight in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) back in 1974.
In that historic bout, Muhammad Ali was furiously pounded by Foreman. It seemed like a complete mismatch as Foreman went on an unrelenting and brutal attack while Ali was constantly trapped against the ropes, taking what looked like a serious beating for round after round. Ali looked washed up and showed no signs of strategy, passion or determination. He looked finished ….. but little did anyone except him know that he actually wasn’t even close to being finished. As it turned out, Ali only wanted Foreman and the world to think that he was. After delivering 7 straight rounds of heavy crosses and hooks to Ali’s head and body, Foreman started to wear down with fatigue in the 8th round. Smelling blood and putting his madly brilliant plan to action, Ali then “flicked a switch” and decided to finally start fighting back. With nothing left in his tank and his confidence fully disappearing, Foreman knew he was in trouble and Ali took full advantage of it. After a 5 punch combination that Foreman had no answer for, Ali connected with a left hook that positioned Foreman’s head for the following straight right cross that knocked the giant Foreman down, while Ali (in a vision that still gives me goosebumps to this day) slowly followed the spinning Foreman down to the canvas by slowing spinning himself above the falling Foreman (but never losing eye contact with him) while his right hand was still fully loaded and ready to strike if needed. It wasn’t needed as Foreman was done and the fight was over. Ali did the impossible by shocking the world and making history by regaining the (at the time) coveted World Heavyweight Championship while seemingly having no chance in hell to win this fight. His strategy is now famously known as the “Rope a Dope.”
or if you’re the romantic type,
Last year in 2014, during the first round of the playoffs, The Los Angeles Kings successfully pulled off the hockey version of the “Rope a Dope” strategy against the San Jose Sharks and went on to win the (still coveted) Stanley Cup (and lets all say it together) for the second time in 3 years! When the series started, the Sharks seemed faster and more determined to win while the Kings were looking pathetic and washed up. It looked like another mismatch. After losing the first 2 games to the Sharks in complete blowouts of 6-3 and 7-2, the Sharks beat the Kings in overtime 4-3 to take a 3 to NOTHING lead in the series. What happened next was equal to Muhammad Ali “flicking the switch” as the Kings finally decided to start playing and went on to win 4 straight games in dominating fashion, including on the road for the game 7 finale in San Jose. The Kings became only the fourth team in NHL history to accomplish a victorious comeback after being down 0-3 in a series and only the 5th team in North American sports history to accomplish it as well. Like George Foreman before them, the Sharks went home in a confused, embarrassed and depressed state (hmm, I wonder if we will ever see any Joe Thornton sponsored grills being sold in stores in the near/far future???)
Drew Doughty while speaking to LA Kings insider Jon Rosen after the playoffs were completed last year (and the Cup was conquered),
“Once we won that first game in the San Jose series, we kind of had a feeling we were going to come back and win that series, and you could see it in their eyes and their team and their captains and leaders that they were worried about us coming back, so we don’t want to give these guys any life.”
And like in the Ali fight, the rest was history.
After the heartbreaking and soul crushing loss, there was much speculation that a house cleaning was needed for the San Jose Sharks. Long time head coach Todd McLellan along with long time GM Doug Wilson were in jeopardy of losing their jobs. Veteran players like Joe Thornton (who was stripped of his Captain’s “C”), Patrick Marleau and goaltender Antti Niemi were going to be shipped out but in the end nothing was done. Everyone and everything stayed the same (well except for Thornton’s “C”) as the Sharks higher-ups believed it was smart to keep the same core intact, including the coach and GM so that the same team would be competing in the 2014-15 season. In current hindsight (which is always 20/20) this may have not been the wisest decision. After another great start to the season, the Sharks are now dropping points like its going out of style while the Kings are “flicking the switch” back on and gaining some serious momentum.
George Foreman was a talented beast of a boxer but in 1974 he lacked, and this is what cost him the World title in the fight against Muhammad Ali, the mental and physical fortitude that Ali had an abundance of. Some say this “fortitude” can be taught and learned while others say you are either born with it or not and it can’t be properly taught but whatever the true answer is, the 2014 roster of the Los Angeles Kings had it in spades while the 2014 San Jose Sharks had none whatsoever.
Unlike the Sharks this season, The Los Angeles Kings have had a poor start. In fact it’s been a poor year period. Some argue that its due to fatigue as the Kings have played the most hockey games in the last 3 years (especially if you include the Kings players that have played in the 2014 Winter Olympics), or it is due to the defensive core being changed after Willie Mitchell was not re-signed and with Slava Voynov still being on suspension by the NHL. Others blame the inconsistent goaltending or more specifically the inconsistency of Jonathan Quick but with the 6 game win streak presently in full effect, it seems the regular season switch has finally been flicked. The mental and physical fortitude of these Los Angeles Kings has returned and just in time for another few rounds with the their old nemesis Sharks.
Automatic California rivals when the expansion Sharks showed up for the first time in 1991, the Kings and Sharks never battled in an all out war until the 2011 playoffs. The Kings lost (while without the injured Anze Kopitar) in 6 games but the Sharks ended up fizzing out in the Western Conference Final for what was the second year in a row, this time losing to the Vancouver Canucks (the Sharks had lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010 WCF). In 2013 they had a trench war like re-match but the Kings took this one in 7 games. The third and best known battle was the historic series last year that I mentioned previously. This present collision course is a different one than the ones in the past as this current one is a different type of war all together. This time it’s a race, battle and war for a playoff position.
So here are my questions regarding this San Jose Sharks team. With 70,000 people watching live at the outdoor game and millions more watching around the world (including the millions of Canadians watching on the iconic “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcast), do the Sharks want to win this game bad enough? Even if they win today’s outdoor game, do they even have what it takes deep inside themselves to do what is necessary to make the playoffs? Do they even have the mental and physical fortitude to go all the way and win the prestigious Lord Stanley’s Cup? A Cup the Sharks have never come close to winning in their 24 year history while the Kings (and the Anaheim Ducks) have earned the honor of winning and then lifting the majestic chalice above their heads and have their names engraved on it forever. Are the Sharks willing and able to get in those corners and get their noses broke, jaws smashed and faces busted in? Do they even have the guts (or intestinal fortitude?) to scratch and claw their way through in an exhausting fight to the bloody finish no matter how torturous a fight it may be? Are they willing and ready to do all that because that is what it is going to have to take and has to happen for them to successfully pull this off. Is that who you truly are San Jose? Is it?
I ask all this about the Sharks because starting today, they are on a collision course with a Los Angeles Kings team that plays at their absolute best when they are “trapped against the ropes” and have to claw and scratch their way to victory. A team that after looking so badly defeated, are the ultimate masters of “flicking the switch” and turning the tide to go for the winning knockout. A team that is not get fazed or distracted when their noses are broken, jaws are smashed or when their faces are busted up (which is usually always). That is the modus operandi of this 2 time Stanley Cup winning Los Angeles Kings team and they would rather die before they let the Sharks come even close to taking a playoff spot from them. So you better prepare yourselves for war San Jose because the Kings are coming … and that means the rope a dope from hell is coming with them.
********
I look at my watch and nod to my beautiful wife. It’s finally time. We pick up our wonderful cat Abigail and sadly hug and kiss her goodbye. After grabbing our packed suitcases we jump in the car and head straight to the airport. In hours the minus below zero freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall of our native Canada will be nothing but a forgotten memory. We arrive to the airport safely but before stepping onto the plane, I look out into the distance towards the west and close my eyes. Mentally I can hear the sights, sounds and fun craziness that is about to occur. I see the 9-year-old boy version of me and we smile to each other, both of us sharing the same excitement and anticipation. I am still smiling as we walk onto the plane, pass the overly friendly flight attendants and take our seats. While holding my wife’s soft hand, the plane lifts off and starts heading towards the motherland of the Kingdom. Our daily routine of California dreaming has ended and the living and breathing version is now taking its place. We are Los Angeles Kings fans … and we are coming home.
STAY TUNED!!!
or for you romantic types,
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