Here’s to the LA Kings, a New Season and a New Hope

LA Kings (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
LA Kings (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

The LA Kings begin the 2021 season with a fresh slate and a ton of hope.

When describing the past 10 months, almost every adjective imaginable is applicable

Watching our society — and our planet — go through an unprecedented transition, all we wanted was a distraction

Unfortunately, the hockey world was not immune to said transition

While we were given a dose of hockey in the summer, the Los Angeles Kings did not take part

They were sorely missed, leaving fans longing for their team, for their players

Those who donned the silver-and-black are those whose names we carry on jerseys

Those whose pictures we have on our walls, our phones, and our computers

Those who we name our children and our pets after

And those we live vicariously through, no matter if we’re 6-foot-5 or 4-foot-11

No matter if we’re full of muscle or full of flab

And no matter if we’re expert skaters or barely able to stand on blades

It has been far too long since our Los Angeles Kings took to the ice

We’ve had to say so long to some of our favorites including Trevor Lewis

But we say welcome back to more of our favorites including Anze Kopitar

We identify with so many who don the uniform of our favorite team

We identify with Dustin Brown for his unwavering loyalty

We identify with Jonathan Quick for his laidback, SoCal-like persona

And we identify with Drew Doughty for his determination to prove others wrong

The Los Angeles Kings are much more than our favorite team

They are our escape and even a part of our identity

Whatever stresses we deal with in our lives, we wake up on game days excited for the evenings

We may be disappointed, even disgruntled, when our team loses

Like a close friend or a loved one, however, we forgive and move on

Making the victories all the more worthwhile

When the puck drops, any and all personal or political differences we have with others fall by the wayside

When the puck drops, we are all on the same team; cheering as one or booing as one

Whether you were a fan for 50 years or 50 days, the Los Angeles Kings are the common ground that unites us as fans of hockey but also of friendship and of life

We may not be able attend live games for the foreseeable future

But our current circumstances have given us ways to adapt, to connect in new ways

For however bleak things may seem right now, we can take comfort knowing that our team can provide us with an escape

Once and for all, the Los Angeles Kings are back

Let us all don our jerseys, our hats, our shirts, our scarves and our flags

And let us celebrate the team we have been waiting 10 long months for

To the Los Angeles Kings, we have missed you dearly

And we embrace you and your return

So, let us drop the puck on a new season

Giving us a reason to leave our troubles behind

Here’s to the Los Angeles Kings and its ever-loyal fanbase

Cheers to a new season and a new hope

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