Facing Wayne Gretzky Takes An In-Depth Look At Hockey’s Greatest Player Like No Other Book Has Done Before

August 23, 2015 by 1 Comment

Photo courtesy Sports Publishing

MONTEREY PARK, CA — Every summer, hockey fans suffer from withdrawal symptoms while their game goes on a long, painful hiatus.

Indeed, once the Stanley Cup Final has been completed and a champion crowned, all that’s left is the annual National Hockey League Draft, usually one week later, followed by the NHL Awards one week after that.

The final off-season events that pique the interest of hockey fans are the July 1 unrestricted free agent signing frenzy, followed shortly thereafter by team development camps for their young prospects.

That usually takes us into the second week of July, maybe the third week. But after that, zilch. Nada. Nothing. There’s a virtual black hole from that point, when there’s almost nothing to read, see, or hear in the hockey world until rookie and training camps begin in early September.

Read more of this post

Filed under Books, Exclusives, History, News Tagged with , , , , ,

LA Kings Luc Robitaille Honored With Statue Erected At Staples Center – In Photos

March 9, 2015 by Leave a comment

LA Kings President/Business Operations Luc Robitaille (left), his family, and “Voice of the Kings” Bob Miller (right)
look on as a statue of Robitaille is unveiled at Staples Center on March 7, 2015.
Photo: David Sheehan, CaliShooterOne Photography/FrozenRoyalty.net

 

LOS ANGELES — The Anschutz Entertainment Group honored former Los Angeles Kings left wing and current President/Business Operations Luc Robitaille by erecting a statue of him in Star Plaza at Staples Center on March 7, 2015.

A large crowd of fans, Kings alumni and honored guests, witnessed the statue unveiling, including former Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Mario Lemieux, and two others with statues in Star Plaza: former Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard and former general manager Jerry West, and former Kings superstar Wayne Gretzky.

Read more of this post

Filed under Exclusives, History, News Tagged with , , , , , ,

Mattias Norstrom Says Rob Blake “Pushed The Bar Higher” For LA Kings

January 17, 2015 by 4 Comments

ROB BLAKE JERSEY RETIREMENT: In part 4 of a multi-part series on the Los Angeles Kings retiring superstar defenseman Rob Blake’s jersey number 4 on January 17, former Kings defenseman and captain Mattias Norstrom spoke exclusively with Frozen Royalty about Blake, both as a player, and as a person.

Former Los Angeles Kings defenseman and
captain Mattias Norstrom

EL SEGUNDO, CA — With the Los Angeles Kings’ retirement of superstar defenseman Rob Blake’s jersey number 4 coming up tonight, Kings alumni, most notably, several of his former teammates, have made their way back to Los Angeles to pay tribute.

As one might expect, Blake’s long-time defensive partner and close friend, Mattias Norstrom, is one of those former Kings who has returned to the Los Angeles area to honor Blake.

“It means a lot to me,” Norstrom said about Blake’s jersey retirement. “I’m probably the player who’s been on the ice the most with Rob Blake. I can’t see that there’s been another player in this league who has been on the ice at same time [as much as Norstrom].”

“I’ve seen it up close, his performance on the ice,” Norstrom added. “But more importantly, I see the behind the scenes—the person that Rob Blake is. That means more to me than the player that he became. But we’ve been in this lovely game where you mesh it with what you accomplish on the ice.”

Norstrom said that he owes much of what he accomplished in the National Hockey League to Blake.

Read more of this post

Filed under Exclusives, History, News Tagged with , , ,

City of Culver City Must Declare Culver City Ice Arena As A Significant City Cultural Resource

July 25, 2014 by 10 Comments

COMMENTARY: Some thoughts on the latest developments surrounding the former practice home of the Los Angeles Kings, the now defunct Culver City Ice Arena.

The landmark sign outside the Culver City Ice Arena.
(click above to view larger image)
Photo: Gann Matsuda/FrozenRoyalty.net

CULVER CITY, CA — Nearly six months after it closed its doors for the last time in its most recent incarnation on February 2, the Culver City Ice Arena is still in limbo.

Today, the only signs of life at the rink, if you can call it that, are automobiles parked in its lot, which was rented to a nearby auto dealer for storage of its inventory.

Indeed, the building is dark, the ice melted away months ago. Despite that, the rink is still “breathing,” as owner Michael Karagozian cannot do anything with the building, other than operate an ice rink, due to zoning restrictions on the property.

The latest development is that on July 28, the City Council of the City of Culver City will consider declaring the property a City Cultural Resource, which, depending on the classification, could prevent the property owner from demolishing, removing or altering the exterior appearance of the building, “…in whole or in part, without first obtaining a Certificate of Appropriateness or a Certificate of Exemption.”

Read more of this post

Filed under Exclusives, History, News Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wayne Gretzky: “I Think Anze Kopitar, Right Now, Is The Third-Best Player In The NHL”

June 6, 2014 by 2 Comments

LA Kings center Anze Kopitar
(click above to view larger image)
Photo: David Sheehan/FrozenRoyalty.net

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Prior to Game 1 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final on June 4, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, told CBC’s Ron MacLean that Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar “…is the third-best player in the National Hockey League.”

“I think Anze Kopitar, right now, is the third-best player in the National Hockey League, only behind [Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney] Crosby and [Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan] Toews, and he’s getting better every game,” said Gretzky, who played for the Kings from 1988-1995.

Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with , , , , , ,

← Older posts