#TEAMTRH
THE ROYAL HALF
The Royal Half has been a Los Angeles Kings fan since 1988 and a Half-Season Ticket Holder since 2002. He has seen the following goaltenders play in person for the Los Angeles Kings… Kelly Hrudey, Grant Fuhr, Byron Dafoe, Jamie Storr, Stephane Fiset, Felix Potvin, Cristobal Huet, Roman Cechmanek, Mathieu Garon, Adam Hauser, Jason LaBarbera, Barry Brust, Sean Burke, Dan Cloutier, Yutaka Fukufuji, Jean-Sebastien Aubin, Erik Ersberg, Jonathan Bernier, Jonathan Quick, Ben Scrivens and Martin Jones.
HALF SEASON TICKET HOLDER BUDDY (HSTHB)
When he isn’t stealing armrests around Staples Center, HSTHB spends his time working on his magnum opus, The Culinary Corridor: From Camacho’s Nachos to Popcornopolis to the Victory Knot, One Half-Season Ticker Holder’s 17 Minute Intermission Exploration of Staples Center Concessions or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Wetzel Dog (Revised 2013 Edition with One Extra Bonus Intermission Minute).
PUMPERNICHOLL
PumperNicholl is the Managing Editor of The Royal Half and a lifelong LA Kings fan. He actually learned how to speak English from Bob Miller by watching LA Kings games… and the Police Academy movies.
Follow @pumpernicholl
JESSE COHEN FROM ALL THE KINGS MEN PODCAST
Of all the members of Team TRH Jesse Cohen probably comes closest to actually hating the Kings. Having become a fan during the late 80’s, Jesse has seen the Kings franchise make misstep after misstep and unlike most well-balanced individuals… he refuses to forgive any of them. Whether we’re discussing the 1998 sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Blues, the Erik Rasmussen experiment or that time the Kings thought they could fool the fans by dressing Randy Robitaille for 18 games, Jesse harbors a deep-seeded resentment towards his formative years spent rooting for a terrible franchise. Only now that the Kings have finally won the Stanley Cup does Jesse feel his time may have been well spent.
INDIANA MATT
From humble beginnings in the corn fields of Indiana, Matt never dreamed of the day he would be a hockey fan amongst the bright lights of Tinseltown.
Some call him the “modern day jesus of hockey photoshops” others call him “mildly talented”… but we can all agree that Matt knows WAY more about putting players heads on random bodies than he does about the history of the LA Kings.
IRONSIGHT DESIGN
Ironsight Design is TRH’s professional photoshopper and aficionado of retro design. He is only on Twitter to follow the LA Kings.
Follow @ironsightdesign
JACK A. WILSON
Jack A. Wilson is the official TRH Ombudsman. This is a fancy way of saying Jack’s job is to make sure #TeamTRH checks itself… before it wrecks itself. One of his earliest sports memories is the 1993 Stanley Cup Final… which is why he can never truly love. Claim to fame: he has set foot on hockey’s most hallowed grounds…The Sutter Family Barn.
JERSEY BRIAN
Brian was born and raised in New Jersey, where the first things he was taught to say were his exit number, the lyrics to “Born To Run and “Rangers Suck!” After moving to LA 15 years ago and due to the time difference… he has spent far more time watching and following the LA Kings than the New Jersey Devils. On quiet nights, Brian pulls out his 1995, 2000 and 2003 Stanley Cup VHS tapes and smiles awkwardly.
FLUBBER MCGEE
Flubber McGee is TRH’s resident Kansas City correspondent, and has survived as a Kings fan long before the dawn of Internet streaming sites. He has seen the Kings win exactly zero non-exhibition games in person. Have you ever achieved enlightenment? Flubber has, because he once witnessed Kevin and Brett Westgarth fight in, and get kicked out of, the same game (they didn’t fight each other, unfortunately). In addition to being a part of TRH, Flubber runs a Kansas City hockey blog. It’s exactly what you think it is.
KING TUFFICULT
As a child, King Tufficult liked to hang out at Iceoplex to watch his dad’s summer skating group that included many gloriously mulleted individuals. Some of the people attached to those mullets played for the early 90’s LA Kings. It was destiny. Since then, King Tufficult is best known for extensively traveling in Europe during the Cup Finals and writing “The Post” after Game 6 of the 2014 WCF.
HRUDEY CAN’T FAIL
A rambling man, Hrudey can’t be tied to any one team. But because he’s too cheap for NHL Gamecenter, his NHL universe consists only of Ducks and Kings broadcasts. What he lacks in knowledge of the actual sport of hockey, he makes up for in snark and pop culture references.
Follow @HrudeyCantFail
LA QUEEN OF MEME
LA Queen of Meme is the self-appointed Queen of Meme. Yeah, yeah, you didn’t get to vote on it, but relax, this is a benevolent dictatorship. She’s a recent (but pre-Stanley Cup) Kings fan, an LA native and a 12th level PhotoShop sorceress (but spelling and tpyos continue to keep her humble). Likes: Shiny things, giveaway nights, whiskey. Dislikes: Other people. Especially the ones who can’t take a joke.
BRIAN ROWLAND
Brian Rowland has been in love with the LA Kings ever since he saw Mike Krushelnyski score in Double OT to eliminate Calgary in the first game he ever attended in person in 1990. He’s been interested in uniform and equipment details for nearly that long. He’s also the official Spanish translator for #TeamTRH and lives in Ducks territory with his wife and two sons.
KNICK RICKLE
Knick Rickle was a former junior and college goaltender and is a current aspiring journalist and mediocre adult league goaltender. While growing up in Minneapolis, he learned how to play by attending Robb Stauber’s goalie school, which unbeknownst to him at the time was the first step in becoming a Kings fan. The rest of the steps came when became probably the first person ever to move to California from Minnesota to play hockey. He currently is unemployed, holds an English degree, while contributing to #TeamTRH, so you be the judge how his hockey career turned out.
SHAWNZE KOPITAR
After hearing a female Kings fan shriek, “C’mon Kopi, make a goal!” in 2010, Shawnze rolled up her sleeves and set out to rebrand the notion of lady hockey fan in the streets and Late Romantic Era classical music devotee in the sheets. She has a Masters Degree in Sports Management (no really, it’s a thing) which means she’s really good at paying for things she’ll never use, and credits her dad’s lucky red shorts (and Trevor Lewis) for the success of the Kings’ Cup run in 2012.
RYAN MCKENZIE
I cheer for the Edmonton Oilers. Have since I can remember, which is 1987. I know more about pain and suffering than you will hopefully ever have to experience as a hockey fan. Except for Canuck fans. Those guys are jerks.
MIKE COMMITO
Professor Mike hails from Sudbury, Ontario (4 hours north of Toronto) a place that has more Kings connections than you’d think. The city’s northern boundary reaches as far as the community of Levack, hometown of Kings great Dave Taylor. As a child, Mike once met Taylor in a gravel pit, as you can imagine, he was thoroughly impressed. He has also spent more than a few bleary-eyed nights at the Beef n Bird, a tavern founded by Justin Williams’ great uncle Jerry Toppazzini. Mike’s only wish is that one day people will call him “the Professor” with the same adoration bestowed upon Ben Scrivens.
JBTZ4
A photoshop wizard (in-training), an Edmonton Oilers fan in Ontario, and a lover of all things hockey, Josh still believes that his Ryan Smyth hockey card is a bringer of good in-game fortune. This LA Kings fan by proxy is proud to supplement #TEAMTRH articles with his photoshop talents.
DUKE OF LA HOCKEY
The Duke has been an LA Kings fan for a short while, so he’s been very spoiled by the recent success of the team. He shares a ticket package with Indiana Matt and has managed to do the bare minimum to stay on Team TRH. However, if you do like Shots on Goal stats, obvious hockey knowledge and a few funny hockey one liners then Duke’s your guy!
