Los Angeles Kings May Be Done But Kings’ Hockey Is Not Over Yet

ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

What if I asked you what do Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, Trevor Lewis, Tyler Toffoli, Jake Muzzin and Martin Jones all have in common right now?  If you said they’re all playing on the golf course than you are incorrect.  They are actually all still playing RIGHT NOW! (Whhhhhaaattttt????)

That’s right, 6 of our Kings players are playing for their respected countries in the Czech Republic for the annual IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship tournament   A tournament that is known as a bigger deal in Europe then it is here in both the United States and Canada.  A lot of that has to do with the fact that most of the best North American players in the world are still busy playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs and the only players from the NHL from the United States or Canada that can play in the World Championships are ones whose team’s didn’t make the playoffs or were eliminated in the first round. European leagues such as the KHL shut down or end their leagues at this time of year purposely so their top players can play in this competition every season.

So unlike the past 5 winter Olympics or the upcoming 2016 World Cup of Hockey, the United States and Canada never have their “Best on Best” team at this tournament.  Still this is a fun event and a lot of great hockey is played every year so if you can find a way to watch or stream these games live, trust me it is worth checking out, especially if you miss watching our boys play (and with national pride on the line too!)

As of this writing “Lewie” and the Americans are undefeated and leading Group B with a 3-0-0 record while “Top Ti…” I mean Toffoli, “Muzz” and “Joner” are undefeated and leading Group A with a 4-0-0 record.  “Gabbo” and Slovakia just defeated “Kopi” and Slovenia 3-1 (with Gaborik scoring 2 goals) on Tuesday May 5th but both teams are struggling to keep up with the rest as Slovakia is 1-0-2 while Slovenia is winless in 3 games so far.