With Love: Five LA Kings Players Who Deserve Valentines
Five LA Kings players who deserve Valentines.
In honor of February 14, we have showcased the five LA Kings (in no particular order) who deserve Valentines so far this season.
Enjoy and GO KINGS GO!!
Here they are:
With Love #5 Gabe Vilardi
Our Dearest Gabe,
The future may be bright, but you got off to a slower-than-expected start to the season.
No matter.
In recent weeks, you have dazzled us with ingenuity and creativity to help the LA Kings put on a competitive showcase, even if the end result isn’t a win. Still, your three goals have helped the silver-and-black thus far, and while said showcase could be more consistent, you have shaken off that slow start to show your team and your opponents that you are not to be taken lightly.
With love!
Dustin Brown
Our Dearest Dustin,
You have received a fair deal of criticism over the years when the LA Kings struggled mightily on the ice. Some of that criticism may have been justified, but most has been unwarranted.
For 18 years, you have been with the LA Kings, and during that time, you have exemplified what being a King really means: tough, hard-working, committed, and loyal.
You were never the biggest, the most fear-inducing, or even the most ostentatious of players, but your contributions have always put you above the fray, and this season is no exception.
Having an integral part of your team’s pivotal rebuild a decade earlier, you are just as crucial this time around. You are helping to lead a young, promising LA Kings team through your exceptional leadership skills but also by example. After all, your six goals and 12 points this season is nothing to scoff at. In fact, it only further underlines what an invaluable asset you continue to be. It doesn’t even matter if you don the “C” or not, and that speaks volumes about your character.
When speaking of the greatest LA Kings of all-time, there should never be a conversation without your name.
With love!
Adrian Kempe
Our Dearest Adrian,
This was, to some, at least, a make-or-break season for you. For your struggles in recent years, you have kicked those to the proverbial curb to show the Kings, their opponents, and even the rest of the NHL what Adrian Kempe is truly made of.
Your four goals and five assists thus far are certainly noteworthy, but it’s your creativity and your relentless determination that helps the LA Kings compete every night. Not every game will result in two points, and not every game will give the greatest collective effort, but for any critics you had, you have certainly shown them what you are capable of when doubted.
You may not have the lineage that Dustin Brown or Anze Kopitar have, but your leadership is nonetheless a solid asset at a time when the LA Kings need it most.
With love!
Cal Petersen
Our Dearest Cal,
Your emergence as an NHL-caliber goaltender is admittedly a bittersweet one.
While the “bitter” may have fans wondering about your comrade-in-goal Jonathan Quick and his future with the team, the “sweet” establishes your trajectory for the LA Kings’ No. 1 spot in between the pipes.
If this season was your test, if you will, it has been so far, so good. Nay, so far, so great!
Posting a 2.49 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage, you have not hesitated to show those who believe in you — and even those who doubt you — that you have what it takes to be a starting goaltender in this league, not just temporarily but long-term.
The only blemish to your numbers is a 2-4-1 record, which, in fairness, can be attributed more to your team’s lack of scoring than your athletic prowess.
You have taken the ball, and you are running to paydirt. The only thing left to do now is to just keep running.
With love!
Anze Kopitar
Our Dearest Anze,
With the exception of Dustin Brown, you are the longest-serving LA Kings player — and that is no fluke.
Your future play — and even your future commitment — were questioned by some after you signed that mammoth contract extension in early 2017. Nevertheless, you have been a consummate leader for the LA Kings, showing the way for the next generation of the team.
Additionally, you have led by example, scoring four goals and 13 assists this season. The latter total is even among the best in the entire NHL. But, whichever way you look at it, the future of the LA Kings could not be in better hands than they are with you.
From your experience, wisdom, and offensive abilities, you are what the LA Kings need to rise above the fray and succeed. You are what the LA Kings need now, just like they did a decade ago, again in 2012, and once again in 2014.
Trending. Three Jonathan Quick trades with Penguins. light
Like Dustin Brown, you will go down as one of the greatest LA Kings of all-time. And again, that is no fluke.
With love!