Honored In Obscurity: Los Angeles Kings Retired Athletic Trainer Pete Demers

July 29, 2011 by 14 Comments

FROZEN ROYALTY EXCLUSIVE: The Los Angeles Kings have more than twenty people—players, coaches, general managers and broadcasters—who have gained entry to the hallowed halls of the Hockey Hall of Fame. There are also two other members of the Kings family who have been so honored, including former head athletic trainer Pete Demers. But because of how they are recognized by the Hockey Hall of Fame, Demers has been honored in almost complete obscurity, as have fellow athletic trainer and equipment manager honorees. In the final installment of this series on Demers’ career, Frozen Royalty looks at the honor, and what Demers is doing to ensure that future athletic trainers and equipment managers will get to enjoy that bit of the spotlight they deserve.

Los Angeles Kings retired head athletic trainer Pete Demers, circa 2003.
Photo: Demers Family Collection

LOS ANGELES — Fifteen players who have worn the jersey of the Los Angeles Kings have been inducted into the hallowed halls of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Three people inducted in the Builders category also spent time with the Kings organization, and one former head coach, Red Kelly, was inducted as a player, for a total of 19 people affiliated with the Kings who have become honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

In addition, former Kings broadcaster John Kenneth “Jiggs” McDonald, the team’s original play-by-play announcer, and the legendary “Voice of the Kings,” long-time television play-by-play announcer Bob Miller, are media honorees.

But hardly anyone knows that the Kings have two additional people from their family who have earned a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

One is Norm Mackie, who served as the head athletic trainer from their inaugural 1967-68 season through 1971-72. Read more of this post

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Los Angeles Kings: Simon Gagne Hopes To Do A Lot More Than Look Good In Black

July 15, 2011 by 7 Comments

Long-time “Voice of the Kings,” Bob Miller (right) presented newly-acquired left wing Simon Gagne with his jersey number 12 during a media luncheon at the team’s offices in El Segundo, California.
Photo: Gann Matsuda

EL SEGUNDO, CA — After signing a two-year, $7 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 2, 2011, veteran left wing Simon Gagne was in the Los Angeles area with his wife, Karine, looking for a new home for his family, which includes two-year-old son Matthew, and five-month old daughter Lily Ann. But he also took some time to stop by the Kings’ El Segundo offices at the Toyota Sports Center, where he met the local media.

“We’re here for two days, two and a half days,” said Gagne. “We’re not here on vacation. We’re definitely here to spend time looking for a place. We left the kids at home with my mom and her mom right now. We’re spending as much time as we can to find a place for our family.”

“Right now, we like what we see, we like the area a lot,” added Gagne. “We’re really excited about it. Hopefully today, we’ll find what we like, and get a little more time to look around.” Read more of this post

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Retired LA Kings Trainer Pete Demers Dealt With A Cast Of Characters Right From The Start

February 26, 2011 by 15 Comments

FROZEN ROYALTY EXCLUSIVE: Retired head athletic trainer Pete Demers toiled for long hours behind the scenes during his 34-year career with the Los Angeles Kings, along with three years with their minor league affiliate, the Springfield Kings, starting in August 1969. In part four of this series, Frozen Royalty looks at some of the characters Demers worked with from the early days of the Los Angeles franchise, including the eccentric Jack Kent Cooke.

Retired LA Kings trainer Pete Demers, pictured with
daughter Aimee and wife Marilyn in a 1974 photo.
Photo: Los Angeles Kings

LOS ANGELES — In an illustrious 37-year career with the Los Angeles Kings organization—three years with the Springfield Kings, the big club’s American Hockey League affiliate, followed by 34 years with the Los Angeles Kings (for purposes of this story, “Kings” refers to the Los Angeles Kings), retired head athletic trainer Pete Demers bore great responsibility. To be sure, along with assistant athletic trainer John Holmes, Demers wore all the hats of the trainers, equipment managers, strength and conditioning coaches, and the massage therapists.

But even after endless hours treating injured players, sharpening skates, darning socks, ordering new sticks, and much, much more, Demers also had to deal with the demands of the eccentric Jack Kent Cooke, who owned the Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Forum in Inglewood, California, which was the Kings’ home arena from December 30, 1967 to October 20, 1999, when they played their first game at Staples Center. Read more of this post

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LA Kings Trainer Emeritus Pete Demers On The Evolution of Treatment, Strength And Conditioning

February 23, 2011 by 13 Comments

FROZEN ROYALTY EXCLUSIVE: In part three of a multi-part series of stories featuring the career experiences of the Los Angeles Kings’ long-time, now retired, athletic trainer Peter Demers, Frozen Royalty takes a close look at a few of Demers’ memories from his early years with the Kings, along with the evolution of how injuries are treated and how much the emphasis on strength and conditioning has changed over the years.

Los Angeles Kings retired head athletic trainer Pete Demers (1970's photo).
Photo: Los Angeles Kings

LOS ANGELES — Back in the 1970’s when Pete Demers began his 34-year career as the head athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Kings, a career that would see him work in 2,632 consecutive games, as previously reported (see LA Kings Retired Trainer Pete Demers Had To Be A Jack Of All Trades), Demers and assistant athletic trainer John Holmes did the work of the athletic trainers, the equipment managers, the strength and conditioning coaches and the massage therapists that National Hockey League teams have today.

Demers, who retired in 2006, has vivid memories of years past, and even remembers his first road trip with the Kings.

“We went to Pittsburgh on a five or six-game trip,” he reminisced. “That was just a small trip. We’d go on the road for 16 days. We had two or three of those a year.” Read more of this post

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Los Angeles Kings Must Do More Than Honor Legend Rogie Vachon During A Pre-Game Ceremony

January 21, 2011 by 6 Comments

FROZEN ROYALTY EXCLUSIVE: The Los Angeles Kings honored their past last week when they paid tribute to former superstar goaltender Rogie Vachon. But it sounds like the Kings may have even more up their sleeves to honor the Hockey Hall of Fame-worthy netminder.

Former LA Kings superstar goaltender Rogie Vachon (right) was honored by the team (Kings President/Business Operations Luc Robitaille is pictured, at left) during a ceremony prior to the their game against the Edmonton Oilers
on January 15, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Photo: Noah Graham/NHLI via Getty Images and the Los Angeles Kings

LOS ANGELES — Last week, the Los Angeles Kings paid tribute to their past in the first of three “Legends Nights” this season. Rather appropriately, the first legend they chose to honor was their first true superstar and the first Kings player to have his jersey retired, superstar goaltender Rogatien “Rogie” Vachon.

Accompanied by his wife, children and their families, Vachon was honored during a pre-game ceremony, one that brought a visible smile to his face.

“It was very, very well done,” said the 65-year-old native of Palmarolle, Quebec. “[Kings President/Business Operations] Luc Robitaille and the [communications] department did a fantastic job. They planned it very well, and they asked me which people I wanted to invite. Having the whole family on the ice at the same time was very special.” Read more of this post

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Will The NHL’s Winter Classic Ever Come To Southern California?

January 18, 2011 by 2 Comments

LOS ANGELES — Heinz Field in Pittsburgh has long since been converted back into a football stadium after the National Hockey League’s 2011 Winter Classic, played on January 1. But, since then, there has been a lot of talk about other NHL cities that want to host the annual outdoor game.

Logo courtesy National Hockey League

To be sure, a lot of NHL cities, especially in colder regions of the United States, are already lined up, waiting for their chance to host the annual spectacle, and, if you listen to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, only cities with cold weather will host the Winter Classic.

“I think, for the foreseeable future, it’s more likely than not we’ll continue to do it in climates that we hope will be more hospitable, and we saw what happened in Pittsburgh this year,” said Bettman, noting that the NHL had to deal with unseasonably warm temperatures and rain, forcing them to turn a day game into an evening contest, starting at 5:00 PM Eastern time.

Bettman added the league would be open to having teams located in warmer climates participate in the Winter Classic as the visitors. Read more of this post

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