SportsHubLA

Even though Kings fans can’t actually watch the three road games through Western Canada this week (unless you have Center Ice or receive Canadian sports networks) here are a couple things to watch out for:

Player of the Week
Helene Elliot may think Alexander Frolov’s progress has been stalled under Coach Crawford, but on the contrary Frolov has done quite well this season, at least when healthy. Frolov’s production was slow early because he was recovering from an injury. Just as he caught his stride he injured his groin and missed 11 straight games in late November into early December. After rejoining the team, it took Frolov several games to get back on the scoreboard, but since then he has found his scoring touch and he continues to be one of the best Kings players. Yes, that’s a relative term, but still, Frolov is on par to finish the season one point shy off his total from last season, when he played in all 82 games. If he hadn’t gotten injured it’s conceivable Frolov could have given Anze Kopitar a run for the team scoring lead.

Frolov is a natural playmaker and makes his linemates look good. He’s strong on the puck, has amazing stick handling skills, and always looks like he’s having fun. His points-per-game average (35 points in 36 games) leads the Kings and two notorious New York Rangers and he’s not earning anything near $7 million a eason. At a salary of $2.9 mil through the 2009-2010, Frolov is quite the bargain.

Game of the Week
The Kings’ best bet at winning a road game this week is on Saturday, January 19th against the Vancouver Canucks. Surprisingly, the Kings have won both games against the Canucks this season, both with a score of 4-2. So while the Canucks are sitting pretty, tied for fifth in the Western Conference while the Kings are still bringing up the rear, L.A. has proven they can beat the Canucks. Sometimes it’s all about mental toughness and confidence. This game will also be the last of the three road games and the second half of a back-to-back. It’ll be interesting to see how much steam the team has left.

The Puck Bunny Guide
Two weeks in a row Greg Wyshynski has posted puck bunny related posts on Deadspin. For the uninitiated, a “puck bunny” is not an actual animal, but a breed of female particularly interested in, um, snuggling with hockey stars.

Unfortunately, the phenomenon can lead to some confusion. If there’s an advantage to being a female sports fan, this could be it: Tell me you have never been enamored with a particular athlete. We’ve all been there. As a close straight male friend put it, “Straight guys can’t necessarily joke about wanting to sleep with male sports players that we are fans of, but females can and that’s fine.”

We joke about it. But regardless of how we dress or how often “Isn’t he hot!” comes spewing out of our mouths, you can’t judge a girl’s level of knowledge until you get her talking about the sport. So it’s important not to assume that every sign-toting girl in an authentic jersey is looking to shag that player. Don’t confuse us with our more sexually aggressive counterparts. Personally, I’d rather see female fans make an effort to cheer on, as opposed to breed with, every player on the planet.

However, in case you are a Puck Bunny-in-training (PBiT), please read the “5 Rules for Being a Puck Bunny” (Note: I don’t do these things, but I know that they do occur):

1. Go to the practice facility and take pictures of only their faces. Don’t take any action shots because why would you want someone to think you care or, gasp, even know something about the sport?

2. After taking said photos, make a CD of all their headshots and personally hand them to the players. The CDs will make great presents so don’t forget to mark down their birthdays in your calendar or hand them out as Christmas gifts;

3. Make business cards with just your name and number; listing your employer and position title is not necessary because you don’t have an actual job. Remember to carry a handful of cards with you and hand them out to the franchise’s publicity personnel in hopes of somehow getting connected to the team;

4. After watching their practice try to talk to a player as he autographs stuff. When he doesn’t interact with you like he’s your best friend, immediately tell all of your friends that something is going on between the two of you because he was acting strange;

5. When your friend tells you that a player stopped by the juice store where she works, be sure to stop by there as often as possible in hopes of “running into” that player. Nothing beats personal contact.

Like anything, I guess, if it’s worth puck bunny-ing, it’s worth puck bunny-ing right.

Marie Stiles hosts Purple Crushed Velvet, and also contributes to HLOG. She’s an L.A. native, and a bigger Kings fan than you.

Discuss: