Canucks Blogger Bitterly Slams Kings Franchise… But Wants to Like Them Anyway

There was something written courtesy of Vancouver Hockey Blog that caught my eye right away. It was the title: Dear LA Kings, you guys are jerks. After I read that, I had to get my laptop repaired as the professionalism oozing down off the screen ruined the first rows of my keyboard. When I did get to reading the blog, though, I became fascinated with what was written and not because it was articulate and well-versed but because, quite simply, it wasn’t – it was a case of sour grapes and that’s all there was to it.

If you’d like to read said blog: please click here: http://canuckshockeyblog.com/?p=11381

Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

In an effort to put the Los Angeles Kings franchise down for the use of its Twitter and Facebook accounts, blogger Victoria Pattison Denault does a wonderful job underlining the piss-poor attitude of a Vancouver Canucks fan who simply is not willing to let go of a grudge that is now at least eight months old. So, why did she wait until now to scream bloody murder? This hostility couldn’t possibly come from the Kings defeat of the Canucks this past Monday night. After all, the Canucks had a 2-0 lead and had plenty of chances to win the game before the Kings came back to tie and ultimately win in the shootout. There was no deception at play, no underhanded tricks or referees turning blind eyes to help Los Angeles win. The Kings won with great defense and masterful goaltending and they won despite their anemic offense, their horrid power play and their lack of a physical game. So, what do Canucks fans have to say about that? The Kings may not started off Monday night’s game on the right foot but they finished in style – the way a true champion plays the game and, last time I checked, the Kings are the champions and the Canucks never have been.

But this isn’t about putting down the Vancouver Canucks or their fanbase. This is about one blogger expressing her unjustified bitterness in an asinine attempt to condescend the team:

“Dear LA Kings,

Repeat after me:

Social media is an essential way to connect with fans, create more fans and, when it comes down to it, be a voice for your franchise.

Think about that statement. Really think…. Do you get it?  Because judging by whomever you let run your Twitter account and Facebook page, you don’t get it.”

So, let me get me this straight. Social media has formal guidelines as stated above even though many users use “4” instead of “for”, “u” instead of “you”, “dat” or “de” instead of “that” and “the” but now that the Kings use it to put down another team, suddenly it warrants a red flag? Has this girl not followed sports figures on Twitter? If she did, she’d be amazed at the amount of trash talk that goes on in the Twitterverse – but judging by her attitude, it doesn’t seem that way at all, which is odd considering most writers would be practical enough to get their facts before writing such filth.

In addition, Miss Denault had the temerity to take the labeling of Canucks players as divers and fans as rioters and accusing the Kings of calling the kettle black. Fans in Los Angeles have been known to riot, I’ll admit. While I’m not justifying rioting by any means, fans have done so after the Lakers win a championship. When Vancouverites rioted nearly two years ago, it was because their Canucks lost (fairly, mind you) in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. So, what else does this girl have? Los Angeles did have the Watts Riot in 1965 and nearby Ontario had their infamous Chaffey High School race riot a decade later but I digress because anyone who references Kim Kardashian most likely isn’t aware of anything that happened before 2009. I’d say that someone of Miss Denault’s intelligence had the opportunity to write this because former US Vice President Dan Quayle opened the floodgates but again, pre-2009 so nevermind.

With all that said, Miss Denault said that she was going to move to Los Angeles and she wanted to like the Kings. In fact, here’s what she said:

“I should love you guys. You’ve got solid Canadian players, even an ex-Canuck. You’re not dirty, you’re tough and you’ve won a Cup. But your mismanagement of your social media makes it really hard to want to like you.”

This is akin to walking into someone’s house, slapping them hard across the face and ripping the shirts right off their backs only to beg them for food and shelter. Furthermore, what’s this about “mismanagement of social media”? Miss Denault mentioned that the Kings’ Twitter account is “throwing out nothing but stats and facts.” How dare the Los Angeles Kings for educating their fans and keeping them up-to-date with of all things, the truth. After reading her post, I can completely understand why Miss Denault objects to such a thing.

Furthermore, as far as “you’ve got solid Canadian players” go, what difference does it make whether the players are Canadian or not? I’m a Canadian and the fact that much of Los Angeles’ roster is non-Canadian really doesn’t bother me – and it shouldn’t bother anyone else. Their captain is American, as is their Conn Smythe winner, their leading scorer is Slovenian and like that old popular song goes, Jimmy crack corn and I don’t care.

What Miss Denault wrote is laughable. Lest we forget how when before the playoffs started last spring, all the experts and all the Canucks fans laughed at the Kings, claiming they had absolutely no chance against Vancouver. Then, when the series started, those same people were interrupted by a very rude awakening. Then, to prove it wasn’t a fluke, the Los Angeles Kings took Vancouver’s championship runs in 1982, ’94 and ’11 and went one better by actually winning the Stanley Cup – something the Canucks franchise failed to do in each of those three years or, for that matter, any of their 42 years of existence.

If Miss Denault’s reason to move to Los Angeles is because the city has more psychiatrists per capita than Vancouver, then please make the move. After all, for someone who claims to want to like something that not only keeps her awake at night but having the nerve to insinuate that California will sink, then you need all the help you can get while the rest of us will get on with our lives and watch the game we love – and understand.

And Miss Denault, if you don’t like that, just wait until February 19 and you can watch the Kings beat your beloved Canucks again.