Los Angeles Kings Return From Emotional All Star Break
By Ian Smith
It has been an emotional last few days for the Los Angeles Kings. As they return to the ice to play the Arizona Coyotes tonight at 6:00 PM Pacific Time in Glendale, there’s a lot to sort through.
Let’s start with the positives. It was a fantastic celebration for the NHL that the city of Los Angeles hosted this past weekend.
As part of the centennial festivities, the 100 greatest players in league history were announced as an addition to the normal skills competition and All Star game.
There were some terribly unfortunate developments that occurred over the weekend as well, though. Legendary broadcaster Bob Miller was hospitalized after suffering a mild stroke.
The team is saying that he’s recovering and in good spirits, but his return to the booth is unknown at this time.
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Sticking to purely on-ice issues, the Kings are also facing the prolonged absence of Matt Greene. The Kings placed him on injured reserve on Monday.
He has battled through numerous injuries this season, including back and groin ailments. Due to a shoulder injury last season, he played in only 3 games in 2015-2016.
It appears like his career is in jeopardy at this point due to these injuries, which is really a shame. Greene has been a part of both Stanley Cup winning squads during his tenure in Los Angeles, and if this signifies the last time he dons a Kings uniform, we thank him for all he’s done to help the franchise.
While the Kings are dealing with all this adversity in pursuit of a playoff berth, the Coyotes are one of the few teams in the league without much realistic playoff aspirations.
Arizona is just 16-26-6 this year. Their 38 points are the second fewest in the league. Only the Colorado Avalanche have a lower total at 28.
Mike Smith was the lone representative at All Star Weekend for the Coyotes. The goaltender stole the show during the skills competition with his score from the far goal line during the Four Line Challenge.
Next: Los Angeles Kings Well Represented in 100 Greatest NHL Players List
Smith was a first time All Star this season at age 34. He’s currently 11-13-5 with a 2.85 GAA and .917 save percentage.