Tag Archives: Ilya Kovalchuk

Winnipeg Jets – Jet Stream

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Throughout the year, the Sip Advisor will alphabetically travel the National Hockey League (NHL), discovering the best and worst each team has to offer in a variety of subjects. We will also feature a drink based off the franchise. Today, we brave frosty temperatures to fly with the Winnipeg Jets:

Establishment Story: Version 2.0 of the Jets was born when the Atlanta Thrashers were relocated to the Manitoba capital in 2011. The Thrashers had joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1999. After some debate, new Jets owner Mark Chipman/True North Sports & Entertainment decided to return to the Jets nickname, which had been given to the previous World Hockey Association/NHL franchise that had relocated to Phoenix in 1996.

Stanley Cups: The Jets have yet to win a Stanley Cup, coming closest in 2018, when they were eliminated in the Western Conference Final by the Vegas Golden Knights. As for the Thrashers, they only qualified for the playoffs once in their existence, being swept in the first round by the New York Rangers in 2007. The original Jets won the WHA Avco World Trophy three times, but that legacy belongs to the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes.

Celebrity Fan: Professional wrestler Chris Jericho is such a big Jets fan (original and 2.0) that the Winnipeg native has donned his team gear at opponent rinks, including his current home of Tampa Bay, even when he’s been given free tickets by Lightning employees. When jokingly told “You can’t do that,” Jericho simply replied “Watch me!” Jericho also once appeared on WWE Monday Night Raw in a Jets t-shirt.

Thrashers to Jets

Super Fan: Len ‘Kroppy’ Kropioski was often featured on the Winnipeg scoreboard, as the World War II veteran sang the Canadian national anthem and saluted the country’s flag. Kroppy had been a season ticket holder since the Jets returned in 2011, making a 2.5-hour trek from Kenora, Ontario for each home game. Sadly, Kroppy passed away in 2016, at the age of 98. In 2018, Kroppy was immortalized with an Upper Deck hockey card release.

Mascot: Mick E. Moose was the mascot of the minor league Minnesota Moose, moving with the team to Manitoba in 1996. When the Jets returned to the NHL in 2011, Mick E. was called up to the big leagues. He now represents both the Jets and Moose. Benny, the mascot of the original Jets, was resurrected at the 2016 Heritage Classic, becoming a secondary mascot for the Jets 2.0. While in Atlanta, the team’s mascot was Thrash, a brown thrasher, the state bird of Georgia.

Tradition: The Winnipeg White Out was first used for the opening round of the 1987 playoffs, when fans were encouraged to wear all white, as a counter to their opponents, the Calgary Flames, whose fans created a ‘C of Red’. When the Jets won the series, fans continued the tradition. Fans are also known to emphasize the “true north” portion of the Canadian national anthem, an homage to Winnipeg’s geographic location.

Appearances in Media: On the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, character Robin Scherbatsky was occasionally seen wearing a Vancouver Canucks jersey. That all changed in a later season episode, when she is shown wearing a Thrashers jersey, with the logo removed. All this, despite the team having moved to Winnipeg years earlier. Also, the Jets 2.0 franchise is profiled in a series of documentary shorts called Jets Legends, on the Crave streaming service.

White Out

Events/Scandals: When an entire article is devoted to a timeline of a player’s behavioural incidents with a team, you might call said player a problem. Despite his obvious talent, drafted fourth overall in 2009 by Atlanta, Evander Kane caused many headaches during his time with the Jets, including issues around his social media use, relationships with local businesses, angering his own teammates, allegations of faking injuries, benchings by coaches, and even legal matters.

Rivalry: While the new incarnation of the Jets shares some minor rivals with their original predecessors (Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks), these battles aren’t what they used to be, given they no longer all share the same division. The honour of current top rival would likely go to the geographically close Minnesota Wild, with the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators being other options.

Tragedy: On September 29, 2003, Dany Heatley crashed his Ferrari with his Thrashers teammate Dan Snyder in the vehicle with him. Heatley suffered a number of injuries, but eventually made a full recovery. Sadly, Snyder never awoke from his coma, succumbing to septic shock on October 5, 2003. Despite the team’s relocation, the Jets continue to present the Dan Snyder Memorial Award for perseverance, dedication and hard work, in his memory.

Player Nicknames: Nikolai Ehlers earned the nickname Fly thanks to his speed and finesse. Ehlers has spent his entire career with the Jets, drafted ninth overall in 2014 by the team. Friend and former teammate Patrik Laine also once dropped the moniker ‘Little Buddy Nik’ towards Ehlers in an interview. The 6’5” Laine is definitely big, but Ehlers holds his own at a respectable 6’0”.

Dan Snyder

Line: One notable line from Jets history was the checking unit of Tanner Glass, Jim Slater and Chris Thorburn, dubbed the GST Line, a reference to the Canadian Goods and Services Tax. Going back to the Thrashers days, Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk were a dangerous combo, even as freshmen. The duo were both nominated for the 2001-02 Calder Trophy (rookie of the year), playing on a line together.

Captain: Blake Wheeler was named captain of the Jets prior to the 2016-17 season. He remained in the role until September 2022, when he was stripped of his captaincy, with Winnipeg electing to go into the season with no selected captain. New head coach Rick Bowness stated he wanted to go with a committee leadership approach, with a number of assistant captains, rather than one particular captain.

Enforcer: Chris Thorburn holds the Jets/Thrashers franchise record for career penalty minutes with 832, while Jeff Odgers tops the list for most penalty minutes in a single season with 226. Had Dustin Byfuglien not surprisingly retired at the age of 35 (more on that later), he certainly would have surpassed Thorburn, as he sits second on the Jets all-time list with 826 penalty minutes. Big Buff is best remembered for his bone-crunching hits and not shying away from the rough stuff.

Family Values: Father and son, Dave and Adam Lowry, enjoyed a coach/player relationship from November 2020 to April 2022. Adam was drafted by the Jets in 2011, with Dave joining the team as an assistant coach in 2020. Dave was named interim head coach just over a year later, with the departure of Paul Maurice, leaving the team at the end of the season to join the Seattle Kraken as an assistant coach.

Dustin Byfuglien

Returning Players: Paul Stastny first joined the Jets at the 2018 trade deadline, brought in to be the team’s second line center. Despite being a perfect fit with the club and the team having a successful playoff run, Stastny signed with the Vegas Golden Knights in the off-season. After two season with Vegas, Stastny was again traded to Winnipeg, where he resumed his spot on the team’s second line for two campaigns.

Short Stint: When Hall of Fame member Chris Chelios retired in August 2010, at the age of 48, he held the record for most games played by a defenseman, with 1,651. The last seven NHL contests of his lengthy career were spent with the Atlanta Thrashers. Chelios had signed a 25-game tryout contract with the minor league Chicago Wolves, being recalled by the Thrashers to close out the 2009-10 season.

Undrafted: Brandon Tanev was signed by the Jets out of college in 2016, joining the team for their final three games of that season. Tanev remained with the organization until 2019, when he was lured away by a six-year, $21 million contract offer by the Pittsburgh Penguins. For much of his time with Winnipeg, Tanev was used in a checking line role, often playing with Adam Lowry and Andrew Copp.

Trade: The organization’s final season in Atlanta saw the Thrashers take great advantage of the Chicago Blackhawks, who had serious salary cap issues. In two separate moves, the Thrashers brought in Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd (among others), who were coming off the Blackhawks 2010 Stanley Cup championship and would be important members of the franchise once moved to Winnipeg.

Chris Chelios

Signing: The Jets don’t often dip their toe into the big name free agent market, preferring to draft and develop their players, while acquiring others via trade. In this vein, one of the biggest moves the organization has ever made was re-signing center Mark Scheifele and goalie Connor Hellebuyck to identical seven-year, $59.5 million contracts, when everyone in the hockey world assumed the players were as good as gone from Winnipeg and would be dealt for packages of draft picks, prospects and other pieces.

Draft Pick: The Thrashers/Jets franchise has had the first overall pick twice, taking Patrik Stefan in 1999 and Ilya Kovalchuk in 2001. Stefan proved to be one of the biggest draft busts of all-time, while Kovalchuk enjoyed some success with Atlanta, before being traded. Mark Scheifele, taken seventh overall in 2011, was the first-ever pick of the franchise after it relocated to Winnipeg. A definite draft steal was selecting goalie Connor Hellebuyck at 130th overall in 2012.

Holdouts: A number of top Jets players have staged holdouts with the organization. Both Josh Morrissey in 2018 and Patrik Laine in 2019 missed training camp, but put pen to paper before the start of the season. Jacob Trouba was a different story, missing the first month of the 2016-17 season and even requesting a trade out of Winnipeg, before finally coming to terms with the organization.

Buyouts: Blake Wheeler played 12 seasons in Winnipeg, the last remaining player to come over from Atlanta. In 2023, the Jets bought out the last season of Wheeler’s five-year, $41.25 million contract, leading to the player being owed $5.5 million over two years. Wheeler left the organization as its career leader in games played (897), assists (550) and points (812). He signed a one-year deal with the New York Rangers for the 2023-24 campaign.

Blake Wheeler

Unique Game: The Jets have been involved in two Heritage Classic games, facing the Edmonton Oilers at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg in 2016, and the Calgary Flames at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan in 2019. The Jets were shutout 3-0 at home against Edmonton, while they defeated the Flames 2-1 in their neutral site game, although they were listed as the hosting team.

Goal: On November 24, 2018, Patrik Laine scored five goals against the St. Louis Blues. Even more impressive, the Finnish sniper only had five shots in the game. The feat earned a Winnipeg man $1 million, as part of a promotional contest. Another notable tally in team history was Nik Antropov scoring the first goal of Jets 2.0 history, giving fans their first chance to erupt for an NHL marker in 15 years.

Fight/Brawl: While the original Jets had their fair share of melees, version 2.0 hasn’t shied away from scuffles with opposing teams, particularly against divisional rivals such as the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues. A memorable one-on-one tilt, saw unlikely fighters Blake Wheeler and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins drop the gloves, as Wheeler looked to avenge an elbow to the head by Malkin during the teams’ previous meeting.

Injury: In an injury that would make all men squeamish, former Jets captain Blake Wheeler suffered a ruptured testicle when hit with a friendly fire shot during a December 15, 2022 game against the Nashville Predators. Amazingly, Wheeler finished the contest, quipping afterwards: “There’s a difference between being hurt and being injured. I didn’t know I was injured until the next day.” He missed five weeks of action to heal.

Patrik Laine

Penalty: During the second round of the 2021 playoffs, the underdog Montreal Canadiens were on the verge of winning Game 1, when Jets center Mark Scheifele decided to take his frustrations out on Canadiens forward Jake Evans, who had just scored an empty net goal, with a massive hit. Evans had to be stretchered off the ice and missed multiple games recovering from a concussion. Scheifele was handed a four-game suspension for the infraction.

Wildest Story: Dustin Byfuglien was among the Jets top defensemen coming into the 2019-20 season. As training camp was set to begin, news broke that Byfuglien had been granted a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. Then, the popular player just never returned, being suspended by the team, so his contract wouldn’t affect Winnipeg’s salary cap. Byfuglien never played again, his contract mutually terminated in April 2020. In retirement, Byfuglien became a professional fisher.

Blooper: During an October 6, 2013 game between Winnipeg and the Anaheim Ducks, Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian retrieved the puck from behind his own goal line. When he attempted to pass the puck up the ice, he fanned on it, sending it straight to Ducks center Corey Perry, who promptly put it past Jets netminder Ondrej Pavelec for an easy goal. Worst of all, the marker was a 3-2 game-winner for Anaheim.

Miscellaneous: Although technically not connected to the original franchise, whose history belongs to the Arizona Coyotes, Jets 2.0 has honoured those jerseys retired by the first club. This includes Bobby Hull, Dale Hawerchuk and Thomas Steen. The team has also built a Hall of Fame, annually recognizing members of the original Jets, such as Randy Carlyle, Teemu Selanne and Teppo Numminen.

Winnipeg Jets: Jet Stream

Jet Stream

  • 1.5 oz Crown Royal
  • 0.5 oz Crème de Violette
  • 0.5 oz Sweet Vermouth
  • Splash of Lime Juice
  • Dash of Agave Syrup
  • Dash of Angostura Bitters
  • Garnish with a Lemon Slice

I found this cocktail on a Jets Reddit page. Crown Royal is produced in Gimli, Manitoba, so I appreciate its inclusion in the beverage. This wraps the year-long NHL project. I hope you’ve enjoyed travelling the best sports league in the world with me!

New Jersey Devils – Dance with the Devil

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Throughout the year, the Sip Advisor will alphabetically travel the National Hockey League (NHL), discovering the best and worst each team has to offer in a variety of subjects. We will also feature a drink based off the franchise. Today, we head to the swamplands of New Jersey and make a deal with the Devils:

Establishment Story: The Devils came to exist when the Colorado Rockies were relocated to New Jersey in 1982. The franchise had previously moved from Kansas City – where it had been founded in 1974 as the Scouts – to Colorado in 1976. Even while winning their first Stanley Cup in 1995, rumours were circulating that the team could move yet again, this time to Nashville. In response, the state pledged to fund a new arena for the franchise.

Stanley Cups: The Devils have won three Stanley Cups, from five appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals. They were triumphant in 1995 vs. the Detroit Red Wings, in 2000 vs. the Dallas Stars and in 2003 vs. the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Their losses came at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche in 2001 and the Los Angeles Kings in 2012. In a seven year span, from 1995 to 2001, New Jersey appeared in four championship series.

Celebrity Fan: Kevin Smith, creator of the View Askewniverse movies (Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma, etc.), is from New Jersey and has been a lifetime fan of the Devils. He has even blogged about the team for NHL.com. Smith can often been seen in Devils gear and hockey is featured in nearly all of Smith’s movies in some form, including the Devils jersey making appearances in the Clerks film franchise.

Kevin Smith

Super Fan: Mark Baumann, known simply as Baumann, is a long-time season ticket holder and is credited with creating the D-E-V-I-L-S chant in 1995. He wears a Devils jersey with his last name and the number 00 on it. The Devils also have two well-known supporters’ sections at their home games, the Crazies (Section 233) and the Diablos (Section 122), both recognized for their chants and other conduct.

Mascot: NJ Devil is about what you’d expect as a representative of the team. He’s meant to have a resemblance to the mythical Jersey Devil, which is said to inhabit the state of New Jersey. The franchise’s previous mascot was Slapshot, a large puck, but the man inside the suit was accused of touching three women inappropriately and agreed to counselling to settle the lawsuit. As a result, the mascot was retired in 1993.

Tradition: In the mid-1990s, the Devils became known for their implementation of the neutral zone trap, a defensive system which stifles offensive production and led to what is now called the Dead Puck Era (lack of scoring, also resulting from penalties for clutching and grabbing not being called). The trap’s success led to three Stanley Cups for New Jersey in a nine-year span, so the results were there, even if the exciting on-ice product wasn’t.

Appearances in Media: In the May 1995 episode of Seinfeld, titled The Face Painter, character David Puddy reveals his eccentric support of the Devils while taking Elaine Benes to a New Jersey-New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden. His face is painted in the team’s colours and he behaves wildly, removing his shirt and clashing with rival Rangers fans. When Benes says he can’t paint his face anymore, he starts painting his chest.

David Puddy

Events/Scandals: After already being moved from Kansas City to Colorado and then onto New Jersey, the Devils organization continued to struggled. Things were so bad, following a 13-4 Edmonton Oilers victory over the Devils in 1983, Wayne Gretzky called the team “a Mickey Mouse operation” that was “ruining the whole league”. Although Gretzky later apologized for his statements, for the next game between the two clubs, fans showed up wearing Mickey Mouse apparel.

Rivalry: The Devils have two main rivals, largely based on geographic location. First, their feud with the New York Rangers is known as the Battle of the Hudson River, the body of water which separates the states. Second, there’s the Philadelphia Flyers, with the grudge known as the Battle of the Jersey Turnpike, with the Flyers even having their practice rink located in New Jersey. All three teams currently play in the Metropolitan Division.

Tragedy: Pat Burns coached the Devils for two seasons (2002-2004), leading the team to their 2003 Stanley Cup championship, before he was forced to resign his position and focus on his health, following colon and liver cancer diagnoses. Sadly, the cancer returned in 2009 and had metastasized to Burns’ lungs. He passed away on November 19, 2010 and was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.

Player Nicknames: Ken Daneyko played his entire NHL career with New Jersey, earning the nickname ‘Mr. Devil’. Following his retirement, the three-time Stanley Cup winner has even moved into a colour analyst role for Devils game broadcasts. Daneyko holds the franchise records for games played (1,283) and penalty minutes (2,516), with his jersey being retired by the team in 2006.

Mickey Mouse Operation

Line: While some lines scored more, the Crash Line, consisting of Bobby Holik, Randy McKay and Mike Peluso, is fondly remembered for their aggressive checking, neutralizing the top stars of opposing teams. The trio played a very important role in the Devils 1995 Stanley Cup championship, providing secondary scoring to go along with their combined intimidation factor.

Captain: Scott Stevens is the longest-serving captain in franchise history, holding the role for 12 seasons from 1992 until his retirement in 2004. Stevens originally refused to report to the team, following his 1991 trade to the Devils, as compensation for the St. Louis Blues signing away restricted free agent Brendan Shanahan. In the end, his decision to finally play for the organization was a good one, resulting in three Stanley Cup wins.

Enforcer: Nicknamed ‘The Polish Hammer’, Krzysztof Oliwa holds the Devils single-season record for penalty minutes with 295. Oliwa patrolled the ice for New Jersey for parts of four seasons, after being drafted by the team 65th overall in 1993. Oliwa is the only player from Poland to win a Stanley Cup, which he did as a member of New Jersey’s 2000 championship squad.

Family Values: Brothers Jack and Luke Hughes were both high draft picks of the Devils, being selected first (2019) and fourth (2021) overall, respectively. Jack is already a superstar with the team, while Luke is among the club’s top prospects, having made his NHL debut late in the 2022-23 season. Twin brothers Patrik and Peter Sundstrom played part of the 1989-90 season together with New Jersey, while Patrik’s son Alexander was drafted by the Devils in 2005, but never played in the NHL.

Scott Stevens

Returning Players: Brendan Shanahan was drafted by the Devils second overall in 1987. When he became a restricted free agent in 1991, he signed an offer sheet from the St. Louis Blues, which New Jersey elected to not match. 17 seasons later, after not playing for the first half of the 2008-09 campaign, Shanahan returned to the Devils for what would be the final season of his Hall of Fame career.

Short Stint: High-scoring defenseman Phil Housley bounced around the NHL quite a bit over his 21-season career, including 22 games played with the Devils in 1996. He performed well, recording 16 points in those games, but left for the Washington Capitals as a free agent. Somehow, Housely’s time in New Jersey wasn’t the shortest stint of his eight NHL teams, as he only played a single game for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2003.

Undrafted: In 1999, the Sporting News named Brian Rafalski the best hockey player outside of the NHL. The 25-year-old defenseman was signed by the Devils and would go on to be a member of their 2000 and 2003 Stanley Cup championship teams, largely playing with Scott Stevens. Rafalski left New Jersey in 2007, joining the Detroit Red Wings for back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances, before retiring in 2011.

Trade: When the Devils traded defenseman Tom Kurvers to the Toronto Maple Leafs one game into the 1989-90 season, they received a 1991 first round draft pick in return. Little did they know that selection would turn into the third overall choice, bringing Scott Niedermayer to New Jersey. Niedermayer would be an integral member of three Stanley Cup championship teams, winning a Norris Trophy in 2004, his final season with the club.

Scott Niedermayer

Signing: Among the Devils worst signings of all-time was their 17-year, $102 million deal to retain the services of Ilya Kovalchuk, who they had traded for a few months earlier. Since the deal was ruled to have violated the NHL’s salary cap, it was nullified and New Jersey was punished with a $3 million fine and the loss of draft picks. A 15-year, $100 million pact was eventually given to Kovalchuk, who bolted for Russia anyway after three seasons.

Draft Pick: The Devils have benefitted from two first overall selections in recent years, taking Nico Hischier in 2017 and Jack Hughes in 2019. Other top picks that have worked out well for New Jersey include John MacLean (6th overall in 1983), Brendan Shanahan (2nd overall in 1987), Scott Niedermayer (3rd overall in 1991). It’s also hard to believe they landed Martin Brodeur at 20th overall in 1990, given his legendary run with New Jersey.

Holdouts: Scott Niedermayer had two significant contract disputes with the Devils during his tenure with the team. First, Niedermayer missed the first month of the 1998-99 season after rejecting an initial offer of $3.25 million. Niedermayer also sat out the first two months of the 2000-01 season, wanting to be paid an average salary comparable to the best defensemen in the NHL. He finally settled for a four-year, $16 million pact.

Buyouts: The Devils biggest buyout came in 2020, when they bought out the remaining two years of goalie Cory Schneider’s seven-year, $42 million contract. Schneider came to New Jersey to be the heir to Martin Brodeur’s goaltending throne and for a time, he was an apt replacement to the legend. Sadly, a string of injuries hampered Schneider’s performance, including a 21-game losing streak, spanning over a year.

Kovalchuk

Unique Game: The Devils took part in a trio of Super Series exhibition matches against teams from the USSR in the late 80s and early 90s. New Jersey took part in the 2018 NHL Global Series, playing a single game against the Edmonton Oilers in Gothenburg, Sweden, to open their 2018-19 season. The Devils also took part in a 2014 Stadium Series contest versus the New York Rangers. A decade later, they will face the Philadelphia Flyers, as part of the 2024 Stadium Series.

Goal: With Game 6 of the 2000 Stanley Cup finals tied, the contest entered double overtime. A win earned the Devils their second Stanley Cup in franchise history. Jason Arnott provided the heroics, putting away the Dallas Stars. Also, Martin Brodeur holds the NHL record for goalie goals, with two scored in the regular season and one in the playoffs. Only one of his tallies was a shot on goal, while the other two, including one game-winner, were own goals by the opposing team.

Fight/Brawl: While the Devils have participated in a number of brawls over the course of their history, a one-on-one fight has become part of hockey folklore, thanks to its spread on social media. During Brendan Shanahan’s early years in the NHL, he once attacked Buffalo Sabres veteran Rick Vaive after a faceoff. Vaive had no clue what he did to deserve being jumped, but it was soon revealed a 14-year-old Shanahan had asked Vaive for an autograph, but was turned down and this was the long-awaited revenge.

Injury: During an October 2014 game, Devils forward Martin Havlat was hit by Jason Chimera of the Washington Capitals. Havlat fell into referee Darcy Burchell, as well as the boards, which caused the visor of his helmet to push into his face. The result was severe lacerations to his nose and upper lip, requiring numerous stitches to close the wounds. Havlat joked about the incident, saying he didn’t need any mask for upcoming Halloween celebrations.

Jason Arnott

Penalty: In one of the most infamous confrontations in hockey history, Devils coach Jim Schoenfeld got into an argument with referee Don Koharski following his team’s loss in the 1988 playoffs. Koharski fell, but accused Schoenfeld of pushing him. Koharski stated he hoped the incident was caught on video, to which Schoenfeld replied: “Good, ’cause you fell, you fat pig! Have another doughnut! Have another doughnut!” Schoenfeld was suspended one game and fined $1,000, while the team was fined $10,000.

Wildest Story: On January 22, 1987, an extreme blizzard in New Jersey resulted in only 334 fans (of an expected 11,247, based on tickets sold) showing up to a Devils game versus the Calgary Flames. Those that did manage to make the dangerous trek and attend the contest, where New Jersey won 7-5, were all made members of the 334 Club. Each fan was later sent a badge commemorating the unique game.

Blooper: During the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, legendary Devils goalie Martin Brodeur came out of his net to play a dumped in puck. Unfortunately, Brodeur lost the handle on his stick and as it fell to the ice, the puck deflected off it and into the net. It was a rare mistake for one of the best puck playing goalies of all-time. The Devils still managed to win the Stanley Cup, so no harm, no foul, I guess.

Miscellaneous: When New Jersey won the 1995 Stanley Cup, a new tradition was born. For the first time, each player (and some other members of the organization) got to spend a day with the trophy. Since then, children have been baptized in it, dogs have eaten meals out of it, kids have [accidentally] used it as a toilet, and it has travelled the globe, including to some of the most famous sites in the world.

New Jersey Devils: Dance with the Devil

Dance with the Devil

  • 1.5 oz Bourbon
  • 0.75 oz Triple Sec
  • Top with Passionfruit Juice
  • Splash of Lemon Juice
  • Dashes of Tabasco Sauce
  • Garnish with a Maraschino Cherry

It floors me how difficult finding drinks for each NHL team has been throughout this project. Perhaps I’m being too picky, but I thought that aspect would be the easy part of my 2023 mission. Anyway, I was curious about the combo of ingredients in this cocktail, so wanted to see how it all came together.

Los Angeles Kings – The Kings Ice

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Throughout the year, the Sip Advisor will alphabetically travel the National Hockey League (NHL), discovering the best and worst each team has to offer in a variety of subjects. We will also feature a drink based off the franchise. Today, we hit the bright lights of Hollywood… or Hockeywood as it has come to be known, with a look at the Los Angeles Kings:

Establishment Story: The Kings joined the NHL in the 1967 expansion from six to 12 teams. Along with the Oakland Golden Seals, they became the first west coast teams in the league. A fan contest was held to name the team, with the winning entry being Kings, thanks to owner Jack Kent Cooke wanting the franchise to have “an air of royalty”. This is also why the team’s original colour scheme was purple and gold.

Stanley Cups: The Kings have won two Stanley Cups, in 2012 and 2014, defeating the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, respectively. Prior to that, they had only appeared in one Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. The Wayne Gretzky years were supposed to bring more success, but the 1993 Finals appearance was preceded by playoff struggles and followed by not making the post-season at all.

Celebrity Fan: With the arrival of Wayne Gretzky in 1988, the Great Western Forum in Inglewood was the place to be, drawing many Hollywood celebrities to games. Actors such as John Candy and Alan Thicke (both transplanted Canadians) could regularly be seen at games, while Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts were spotted on occasion. Today, the likes of Will Ferrell and Snoop Dogg are supporters of the Kings.

Will Ferrell

Super Fan: Original fans who greeted the team at the airport as they arrived to move into their new Los Angeles home dubbed themselves the Kings Court. Supporters groups are still part of the Kings fan experience today, with an official club known as the Royal Army. Royal Army membership perks include a gift from the Kings, access to exclusive events and various discounts.

Mascot: Bailey is a lion, who debuted for the Kings in 2007. He wears jersey number 72, a reference to Los Angeles’ average temperature and was named after Garnet ‘Ace’ Bailey, who was the Kings Director of Pro Scouting, when he was aboard one of the flights crashed into the World Trade Center on 9/11. Previously, the Kings mascot was a snow leopard named Kingston, but it was introduced and retired within the same year in 1990.

Tradition: For a team that has existed since the 1967 expansion, I had a surprisingly tough time finding content to fill this section. The Kings current goal song is called Hey Hey by Twilight Trio, while a former track used to celebrate scores was Randy Newman’s I Love LA. For a time, each player on the Kings had their own goal song, with a mix of rap, country, pop and rock songs comprising the list.

Appearances in Media: The Kings have appeared in a couple of movies, including Tooth Fairy and The Love Guru, making Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Justin Timberlake fictional members of the team, as Derek ‘Tooth Fairy’ Thompson and Jacques ‘Le Coq’ Grande, respectively. Wayne Gretzky also rocked Kings paraphernalia in a couple skits as part of his Saturday Night Live hosting gig in May 1989.

Bailey

Events/Scandals: On October 20, 2014, defenseman Slava Voynov was arrested for domestic violence against his wife. He was immediately suspended by the NHL and later charged with a felony count for “corporal injury to a spouse”. In July 2015, Voynov plead guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years probation. In order to avoid deportation, Voynov voluntarily returned to Russia. His six-year, $25 million contract signed in June 2013 was terminated.

Rivalry: The Kings two biggest rivals are their fellow California clubs. First, there’s the Anaheim Ducks, as both teams play within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Their feud is known as the Freeway Face-Off, as Interstate 5 separates the two locales. Next, is the San Jose Sharks, with the team’s rivalry being part of a Northern vs. Southern California comparison. The Kings beat both teams en route to the 2014 Stanley Cup.

Tragedy: During the 1978-79 season, forward Scott Garland played six games for the Kings, along with 45 contests for their American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Indians. That off-season, Garland was killed while driving in Montreal, Quebec, when he blew a tire and crashed into a retaining wall. Garland was only 27 years old. He had previously played for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Player Nicknames: There are some pretty good nicknames from the Kings history. For example, Luc Robitaille was dubbed Lucky, while Bernie Nicholls – a personal favourite of mine from childhood, after he winked at me while watching the Kings warm up for a game against the Vancouver Canucks – was called Pumper, a reference to pumpernickel bread. More recent memorable monikers include The Colonel for Kyle Clifford and Mr. Game 7 for Justin Williams.

LA Rivals

Line: One of the most prolific lines in NHL history was the Triple Crown Line, comprised of Dave Taylor, Charlie Simmer and Marcel Dionne. The trio played together from 1979 to 1984, with the 1980-81 season being their most successful, as the unit combined for 328 points. They became the first line in NHL history with each player recording a 100-plus point season.

Captain: Dustin Brown played his entire 18-season career with the Kings, after being drafted 13th overall by the team in 2003. Brown was named captain in of the Kings in 2008 and held the mantle for both of their Stanley Cup championships. In 2016, the captaincy was passed to Anze Kopitar. In April 2022, Brown announced plans to retire following the playoffs and was named captain for his final regular season contest. He was honoured with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena on the night of his jersey retirement.

Enforcer: When Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Kings, he requested Marty McSorley be part of the deal, ensuring he had someone to watch his back coming along with him to Los Angeles. McSorley knew his role well, piling up a franchise single-season record 399 penalty minutes in 1992-93. McSorley also holds the Kings all-time penalty minute record with 1,846 over two stints with the club.

Family Values: From 1996 to 1998, brothers Jan and Roman Vopat were members of the Kings organization together. Similarly, brothers Mario and Adrian Kempe were both signed with the Kings in 2019, although Mario only played 16 games in the minors, before having his contract mutually terminated, while Adrian has been an NHL mainstay since 2017-18.

triple-crown-line

Returning Players: Luc Robitaille had three stints with the Kings. Drafted by the team in 1984, he spent the first decade of his career with the franchise. After stints with the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, Robitaille returned to Los Angeles for four more seasons. Robitaille would then move to the Detroit Red Wings for two years, before retiring with the Kings in 2006, wearing the captain’s ‘C’ in his final game.

Short Stint: Jarome Iginla wrapped up his celebrated career with a 19-game stint with the Kings, after being traded to Los Angeles on March 1, 2017. Although he produced six goals and three assists in those contests, Iginla was not re-signed following the season. He announced his retirement on July 30, 2018. The run with the Kings allowed him a final appearance against the Calgary Flames, allowing fans to cheer for the former face of the franchise one more time.

Undrafted: Steve Duchesne was signed by the Kings in October 1984, debuting for the team for the 1986-87 season, where he would be named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. Duchesne played five seasons with Los Angeles, before bouncing around the league for a number of years. He played another 60 games with the Kings in 1998-99. Duchesne’s final three campaigns were spent with the Detroit Red Wings, where he would retire after winning the 2002 Stanley Cup.

Trade: Well, the deal that brought Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles not only shook the NHL’s foundation, it also changed the entire North American sports landscape. So, I think that has to go here. Gretzky was acquired, along with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski, in exchange for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, $15 million and three first-round draft picks. The deal is cited as the reason the NHL was able to expand into much of the U.S. over the next decade.

Gretzky Trade

Signing: The Kings best free agent signing was Willie Mitchell, who they landed in 2010. Mitchell’s rugged defensive play greatly helped Los Angeles on their road to both the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cups. Among the team’s worst signings were Simon Gagne and Ilya Kovalchuk. Gagne was signed to a two-year, $7 million deal, but only managed to appear in 45 games over those two seasons. Kovalchuk returned from Russia to join the Kings, before a messy contract termination in the second season of his three-year pact.

Draft Pick: The Kings have only selected first overall once in franchise history, when they picked Rick Pagnutti in 1967. Pagnutti never played in the NHL. The team has done well with the second overall pick, selecting Jimmy Carson (1986), Drew Doughty (2008) and Quinton Byfield (2020). Carson was used as part of the package to bring Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles, while Doughty was a leader for the team’s two Stanley Cup championships. Byfield comes to the Kings as a highly-touted prospect.

Holdouts: Speaking of Drew Doughty, prior to the 2011-12 season, the star defenseman needed a new contract. A sticking point in the negotiations was the team not wanting to pay Doughty more than Anze Kopitar’s $6.8 million per year. With the regular season fast approaching – Doughty missed most of the Kings pre-season – the sides finally settled on an eight-year, $56 million deal ($7 million per year), going on to win the 2012 Stanley Cup.

Buyouts: After two seasons with the Kings, defenseman Dion Phaneuf was bought out of the final two seasons of his seven-year, $49 million contract, signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 31, 2013. The buyout was split between Los Angeles and the Ottawa Senators, who had retained 25 per cent of Phaneuf’s salary, when they traded him to Los Angeles. The Kings paid Phaneuf $4.25 million over four years.

Drew Doughty

Unique Game: On September 27, 1991, the NHL staged an outdoor pre-season game in Las Vegas, Nevada. The contest took place between the Kings and the New York Rangers, played on a rink constructed on the parking lot of the Caesars Palace resort. This was the NHL’s first outdoor game and it saw the Kings win 5-2. Temperatures reached as high as 95 °F (35 °C). A rematch between the teams was scheduled for two days later in Charlotte, North Carolina, but was cancelled due to unsafe ice conditions.

Goal: A number of Wayne Gretzky goals remain highlights for the franchise. These include breaking Gordie Howe’s all-time points (1989 – assisting on a Bernie Nicholls marker) and all-time goals (1994) records. There’s also Alec Martinez’s double overtime winner, clinching the 2014 Stanley Cup for the Kings and Daryl Evans OT tally, completing the 1982 Miracle on Manchester triumph, the largest comeback victory in NHL playoff history.

Fight/Brawl: During Game 2 of the Kings 1981 playoffs series against the New York Rangers, a bench-clearing brawl broke out at the end of the first period. The resulting chaos included players not dressed for the game getting involved, such as Nick Fotiu of the Rangers coming down from the stands in a suit to join the fray. Fotiu wasn’t in the lineup because he was serving an eight-game suspension for previously going into the stands to fight fans. The Kings won the game, but the Rangers won the series.

Injury: Tony Granato’s career was almost ended in January 1996, when following a game against the Hartford Whalers, bleeding was discovered on his brain. It did mark the end of Granato’s time with the Kings, but the winger was able to return with the San Jose Sharks the following season. Sadly, head injuries did prematurely end the career of Adam Deadmarsh during the 2002-03 campaign.

Caesars Palace Game

Penalty: During Game 2 of the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, the Kings were up 2-1 in the game and 1-0 in the series. All was going well until Montreal Canadiens coach Jacques Demers asked for a check of Marty McSorley’s stick. McSorely’s stick had an illegal curve and he was given a minor penalty. Montreal scored the tying goal on that power play and won the game in overtime, going on to win Game 3-5 and clinch the Stanley Cup.

Wildest Story: The Kings went through some serious turmoil in the mid 1990s, when owner Bruce McNall was levied with conspiracy and fraud charges after he swindled six banks of $236 million over 10 years. McNall was sentenced to 70 months in prison, with the Kings ultimately forced to declare bankruptcy in 1995. In the end, you can’t the guy too much, given he was partly responsible for bringing the movie Weekend at Bernie’s to the world as a producer.

Blooper: Although Jonathan Quick is arguably the greatest goalie the Kings have ever had, we all make mistakes. On October 7, 2013, against the New York Rangers, Quick came out of his net to play a puck dumped in from his own zone by Ryan McDonagh of the Rangers. As Quick lost his stick, the puck ricocheted off his blocker and into the net, making for an easy goal. Quick was understandably upset at the gaffe, which became the insurance tally in a Rangers 3-1 win.

Miscellaneous: In September, the Kings will take part in the first ever NHL games to take place in the Southern Hemisphere, when they play two pre-season contests against the Arizona Coyotes in Melbourne, Australia, as part of the 2023 NHL Global Series. Los Angeles has also played international games – mostly exhibition matches – in Austria, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and China.

Los Angeles Kings: The Kings Ice

The Kings Ice

  • Rim glass with Sugar
  • Sage Leaves
  • 1.5 oz Vodka
  • 0.5 oz Elderflower Liqueur
  • Splash of Lime Juice
  • Dash of Simple Syrup
  • Garnish with a Sage Leaf

This cocktail comes from the Tipsy Diaries blog. I haven’t worked a whole lot with sage as an ingredient, but I liked the earthiness it brought to this cocktail. The drink can be served either on the rocks or martini style.