Kings Gameday: You Could See it Coming

Los Angeles Kings (blargh!) @ Edmonton Oilers (21-21-4, 13th in West)

6:00 PST, FSN West?*

[Earl has a post below about how Pronger and Niedermayer are douche bags or something. I don't know, I just kind of skimmed. Also, do the Ducks ever not play? Jesus.]

Last year, in one of my early posts as your humble Kings correspondent, I wrote this about Mathieu Garon:

"I can already see Garon, in an interview with The Hockey News this time next year, discussing how great it is to be playing good hockey again after all the injuries with the Kings the two previous years. That’ll be the same day that Jason LaBarbera pulls a Shaun Livingston on both knees and when I’ll be sentenced for Dan Cloutier’s murder." [Author's note: Consider yourself lucky, Dan, that you were sent down to Manchester. Yes, very lucky.]

Flash forward to last week, where this was written in something called Canada East Online:

"Garon went 13-10-6 with a 2.66 GAA and .907 save percentage [last year], but it became obvious he'd have to look elsewhere for his opportunity. Enter the Oilers.

'I thought going to LA would be my chance,' Garon said. 'They changed the coach and the GM. I was not the guy any more. I knew I would not get a chance, so it was best for me to get out of there.'"

That's the worst part: I knew this would happen. Mathieu Garon is a very good goalie who tended to get hurt at inopportune times. If we had just re-signed him instead of "Je m'appelle Suck" Aubin, the Kings would be in much better shape. Part of me is happy for Garon because he seems like a good guy, but another part of me wants to just fucking strangle Dave Taylor for that trade 3 summers ago. To recap:

-Kings trade Radek Bonk and Cristobal Huet for Mathieu Garon

-Garon gets two seasons to prove himself, gets hurt twice when he has the starting job wrapped up, and is then let go for nothing

-Huet wins 50 games for the Canadiens and becomes the toast of the town

-Bonk scores 62 points

-Rudy Kelly throws himself off a bridge

***

Don’t expect too much from either Purcell or Harrold tonight (if they play). Remember that they both have a fairly limited upside and they shouldn’t be expected to win games by themselves. Both are older than Kopitar, Johnson, Brown, and O’Sullivan, and there is a reason they’re just getting their shot now. I know, I think they’ll be productive members of the Los Angeles Kings for a few years to come as well, but it may be two years before we see it. Don’t get too excited just yet.

***

Holy shit:

Prediction: Garon plays awesomely and the Kings lose, 3-1. After the game, Garon separates his shoulder lifting his bag and never reclaims the starting job. Goal by O’Sullivan.

*I guess Bob and Jimmy said in their last telecast that they won't be making the Western Canada swing and it's not showing a Kings game on FSN West on my TV's program guide, so the game might not be on local TV tonight. NHL.com, however, says the game will be on. Will the game be on tonight? Dun-dun-dun!