Open Forum about L.A. Kings

We made good use of the concourse, cursing for girls or looking for celebrities at the intermissions between periods. We would often stop in front of the press area to listen to what veteran announcer Bob Miller was saying about the contest. Sometimes we would climb into the stands to say hello to Joe Tripoli as he tickled the ivories on the Forum Organ, or try to elicit a comment by shouting to owner Jerry Buss, who was always accompanied by a bevy of beauties in his private suite.

After the game, we would stick around and hunt for Goal magazines that were left behind, or wait to get players' autographs at the tunnel that led out of the Forum.

It wasn't very rewarding to be a Kings fan back then. Many seasons the team didn't even qualify for the NHL playoffs, and when it did, it usually suffered a quick exit. But we loved the team nevertheless, and we loved the players.

We were enthralled with the "Triple Crown Line" that included Dionne, Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer, and we respected standout players like Bernie Nicholls, Larry Murphy, Mike Murphy, Jerry "King Kong" Korab, Mario Lessard, Jay Wells, Jim Fox, and Mark Hardy.

However, where were also forgettable players like Don Howse, Dave Morrison, Mike Blake, Warren Holmes, Dave Gans, Gary Laskoski, Markus Mattsson, Darren Eliot and Allan Tuer.

Although I attended my share of memorable Kings games over the years, one contest will forever be elevated above the rest. It occurred on April 10, 1982 and it is known as "The Miracle on Manchester." The Kings completed the biggest comeback in NHL playoff history, going from being down, 5-0, to winning the game, 6-5, in overtime against the Edmonton Oilers on a goal by Daryl Evans. What followed was the most deafening, most exuberant and most fulfilling experience I have ever experienced in sport.

Those are the kinds of memories I think about with the Kings on the cusp of winning the Cup.

If the Kings do indeed take home Lord Stanley's Cup for the first time — which they can do with a win in Game 4 tonight against the New Jersey Devils — it will mark the culmination of years of strife and a tremendous relief for throngs of Kings fans. Although a clinching win at Staples would be fulfilling, those of us who grew up watching the team will never forget the years and the joy we derived from seeing the Kings compete in their first home — the Forum.