2012 Stanley Cup Champions
Congratulations to the 2012 Stanley Cup Champions: The Los Angeles Kings.
If you're looking for any more praise for this franchise, please disregard this blog.
I'm selling most of my LA Kings sweaters as I don't want to ever be associated with this franchise ever again. I will never, ever forget the rage and shame I felt during my 8 years as a Kings fan. The fans, players, management, staff and owners have proven to me over and over again that they are not deserving of my money and loyalty and it's better off spent elsewhere. I will never forget waiting in line for over 2.5 hours for an Anze Kopitar autograph, only to have him snatch my program guide, sign it and literally throw it back in my face, all the while glancing behind him at the clock to see when he could leave. I will never forget speaking with ex-King Jack Johnson at a charity golf tournament and watch as he grabbed the free Disneyland passes that I was handing out (for those with the longest drive at my particular hole) all the while complaining that he didn't have 4 friends to share it with. I will never, EVER forget listening to an ex-Kings friend wail, "Do you think the Anaheim Ducks won the 2007 Stanley Cup because of skill, dedication or passion? No! They won it with sheer luck!"
I am a proud Anaheim Ducks fan. I have finally found a franchise I can really, truly be proud of. I'm not going to keep rubbing in the fact that it only took the Ducks 14 years to do what the Kings did in 45 - history speaks for itself.
I will, however, reiterate that it's not everyday that professional athletes such as Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, Teemu Selanne, Toni Lydman, Francois Beauchemin and Saku Koivu (along with many, many other ex-Ducks - Brendan Mikkelson in particular) truly make you, the fan, feel special. I will never forget Mikkelson's encouraging words to me as a budding artist, or Bobby/Getzlaf/Koivu's appreciation of the Axis Powers Hetalia fanart that I had them sign after Anime Expo 2010. I will never forget meeting Scott Niedermayer at "Ducks on a Roll" 2009 and how he remained for a good half hour after the event, loitering with fans at the Tustin District. Being a part of the Anaheim Ducks NHL Premier Fan Road Crew in Helsinki and Stockholm for the 2011-2012 season was only icing on the cake - and meeting the players at Hartwall Areena was an experience in and of itself.
It is truly an honor to be an Anaheim Ducks fan.