12.11.2002

 

I am guessing that, as a big hockey fan like me, Eric McErlain is glad to see the return of Jason Allison and Adam Deadmarsh to the Los Angeles Kings' lineup. When the two of the join my Ziggy Palffy up front, they form what is probably the most dangerous line in hockey. Please note that given my 14-year allegiance to the LA Kings, this post contains no bias whatsoever.

The three forwards reunited three games ago after Allison returned a month early from a brutal knee injury that, given the fact that Allison is clearly the powerful cog that makes the Kings' offense extremely effective, had LA fans worrying if their team's playoff chances had been dashed a month into the regular season. The extremely tough and yet often fragile Deadmarsh had been out with a wrist injury and then a concussion. Palffy had missed a few games early in the year with back problems, but his scoring touch is starting to show again.

The Kings have shut out their opponents on two consecutive nights, with the big line generating 5 of the 6 goals scored in those two games. Tonight, on the road against the Dallas Stars, the Kings gave Dallas their first regulation loss of the season and became the first team this year to deny the Stars of any points from a home game. The Allison line simply controlled the game while they were on the ice, scoring three pretty goals, each of which was generated by fluid passing and solid skating to the holes on the ice.

As a Kings fan, I'm clearly glad to see my line back together. The three of them can the hockey team, and suddenly their chances at a successful season seem more brighter than just a few games ago (I must admit that even in Allison's absence, as well as that of a few other key players, the Kings have done an admirable job of treading water and staying a game or two above .500). They have their entire roster back from injury. As a fan of the game of hockey, it's pleasing to see three guys play together who can take over again and control the flow down low and through the neutral zone. Fans remember these special combinations, the Gretzky-Kurri-Anderson, Lemieux-Stevens-Francis and Lindros-Renberg-LeClair lines that, while they stay together and hot, put up up numbers like nobody's business.

For the rest of you who never expected me to post something so unlike everything else I write here, my apologies. I'm excited about my favorite team in the world playing my favorite game in the world well.