The Scheduling Guy is a Jerk

by RudyKelly on Jan 22, 2009 4:54 PM PST

The Kings are sending Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty to the NHL All-Star Game in Montreal starting... well, I don't know, probably the night before because why would you want to stay in Montreal any longer than you had to? The game is on Sunday the 24th; they then play the Chicago Blackhawks in Los Angeles on Thursday, January 29th. The Kings then play the Montreal Canadiens, in Montreal,on Saturday.

What. The. Fuck.

In case you're curious, the distance between LA and Montreal is about 2,400 miles. That's a 6-hour flight. The Kings will finish their game against Chicago, probably fly the next day, sleep, and then play the next day. Oh, and the best part? The game in Montreal is at 11 o'clock, our time. Again: what the fuck. This is bullshit. I'm not positive but I am pretty sure Montreal is the farthest city with an NHL team the Kings could possibly travel to and they get 18 hours to do it. I'm guessing the Kings will lose that game.

The real question now is: what do the Kings do with Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown? I don't know, they're not pussies like me, but I don't think I could possibly travel to Montreal and back and then back to Montreal again in one week. The Kings might be better off leaving the two All-Stars in Montreal, just to make sure they're rested for the game against Montreal. What point is having them for the game in Chicago if they're jetlagged? At least this way the Kings would have 2 guys capable of playing against Montreal. Or maybe they bring Brown and Doughty back to LA with the hope of winning at least one game next week.

I don't know, I'm pretty pissed about this whole situation, but maybe I'm just overreacting. It's not like the Kings are going to take a game against Montreal or Chicago anyway, right? What would you guys do?

Poll

What should the Kings do with Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty?

Bring them back to LA to play against Chicago

84 votes

Keep them in Montreal to let them rest

42 votes

126 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Brown should fly back to L.A., and Doughty should go to London, England, and make up for last year’s travel donkeypunch.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Jan 22, 2009 5:00 PM PST reply actions

Something I just came up with

The best players from the Ducks, Kings, Yotes, and Stars combine to form a Pacific All Star team. Are they still worse than the Sharks? It scares me that I’m thinking “Yes”.

And it doesn’t sound THAT horrible, Rudy. Not ideal, but nothing too awful. If the games were on Back-to-Back days it would suck a lot more.

People who save up for a rainy day are like milk. And milk goes good with cookies, so you should have those people over for cookies.

by brokenyard on Jan 22, 2009 6:11 PM PST reply actions

You son of a bitch, now I have to come up with a line-up.

The West Coast is the Best Coast.

by RudyKelly on Jan 22, 2009 6:36 PM PST up reply actions

I’m setting my robot to vote Giguere.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Jan 22, 2009 6:45 PM PST up reply actions

I’m trying to set my robot but I can’t seem to log in.

Oh well. Next year.

Fear The Fin: Where The Second Round Is Overrated

by Mr. Plank on Jan 22, 2009 11:04 PM PST up reply actions

My damn robot keeps voting for Johnny 5, Wall-E, and Patrick Marleau.

Yup, I just made Rudy’s joke for him.

by ievans on Jan 23, 2009 8:33 AM PST up reply actions

An everyone else Pacific division all-star team

would probably kick our trash.

by buddahead9 on Jan 22, 2009 6:37 PM PST up reply actions

NHL Travel's a Bitch

Montreal is only the 3rd-furthest destination from L.A., the Islanders are a few miles further and Boston is about 100 miles past that.

There are 10 instances this year where a team has to play a game, travel >1000 miles, and play another game the very next day. That’s nuts!

More fun than a stick to the face!

by Dirk Hoag on Jan 22, 2009 6:44 PM PST reply actions

Look at the bright side, as Doughty is only 19, plane rides are still fun! I get the window! Weee!

by Nut on Jan 22, 2009 9:41 PM PST reply actions

I’d take them back to play Chicago just because those points matter more in the Kings playoff picture (if you remember what that even is anymore wooooo).

In all seriousness though, the scheduler should be bitch slapped.

Fear The Fin: Where The Second Round Is Overrated

by Mr. Plank on Jan 22, 2009 11:02 PM PST reply actions

Nothing tops the Kings travel schedule in the ’93 playoffs:
Calgary (x2) Vancouver (x2) Toronto (x3) Montreal (x2)

Montreal:
Quebec CIty, Buffalo, Long Island, LA

We all know we’re geographically screwed, but in the spirit of positivity look on the bright side: we still live in California. It’s 9 degrees and snowing all week in Montreal.

Aller et une pelle à neige, de trous de cul.

by GOOLIAN on Jan 23, 2009 1:28 AM PST reply actions

Nothing tops the Kings travel schedule in the ’93 playoffs:
Calgary (x2) Vancouver (x2) Toronto (x3) Montreal (x2)

Yeah, except in the postseason, it’s two teams making the same set of flights. Not a huge disadvantage for either squad.

I’m still not sure I can exhibit shock after the Ducks’ season start last year in England. They ended up playing six games in twelve nights in five different buildings and traveled nearly 12,000 miles.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Jan 23, 2009 7:14 AM PST up reply actions

When did these guys start travelling by train? They fly first-class right? It’s not the most rigorous of travel last time I checked.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Jan 23, 2009 7:06 AM PST reply actions

I heard Phoenix was considering traveling by train after the All-Star Break…….

Fear The Fin: Where The Second Round Is Overrated

by Mr. Plank on Jan 23, 2009 7:24 AM PST up reply actions

Wow this is stupid…First of all you must never have been to Montreal, I can tell you it is many an NHL players favourite city to visit. Secondly, your complaint is that they are playing the all star game in montreal, flying back to LA with 3 DAYS OFF, playing against chicago at home, have another day off before playing montreal again? are you serious? its called a travel day. In your opinion how much time does a team need to travel for a game? fuck

by stallion4 on Jan 23, 2009 10:01 AM PST reply actions

haha

maybe, if the travel time was twice as long, then we could have hockey season all year round.

by buddahead9 on Jan 23, 2009 10:50 AM PST up reply actions

Well, like I said, the game in Montreal is at 2 (11 Pacific time) so the Kings can’t get a good morning skate in. I’d like more than a day when a team is flying cross-country, which is what the league usually gives. fuck

The West Coast is the Best Coast.

by RudyKelly on Jan 23, 2009 10:56 AM PST up reply actions

I don’t think this a commentary on Montreal which is, from experience, a super nice city – except when they win (or lose) a playoff round and torch it – but on the sometimes ridiculous travel schedule west coast teams are faced with. Especially when compared to the east.

Plus it’s a blog. We’re allowed to whine.

by GOOLIAN on Jan 23, 2009 11:07 AM PST up reply actions

I don’t think from a Kings winning/losing stand point it matters one bit whether players like to visit there or not.

by Nut on Jan 23, 2009 2:31 PM PST up reply actions

Has anyone ever noticed...

That this is the typical kind of comment you get from someone who has only been a member of SB Nation for one day? “Scheduling” and “Whining” are certainly appropriate taglines for Rudy’s blog entry here, but I can’t find where it says “Poutine-loving Trolls welcome here!” in the tagline…

Paul Lo Duca is MLB's Pablo Escobar..

by DodgerBlueBalls on Jan 23, 2009 3:29 PM PST up reply actions

Now I think the plan should be

Have the two claim injury and skip out on the ASG — then they’ll be suspended for the next game in L.A. and can wait for their teammates in Montreal (which they won’t be at, because of injury).

Damn, there is no easy solution!

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Jan 23, 2009 2:00 PM PST reply actions

Has the Red Wing blogosphere exploded yet?

The West Coast is the Best Coast.

by RudyKelly on Jan 23, 2009 2:55 PM PST up reply actions

Yes, but damn — I’m steering clear of A2Y for a few days for sure. There’s no talking sense to a Red Wings fan who feels slighted (those last three words might be optional).

I swear — I’d have some legitimate sympathy for some of Detroit’s issues, but there’s always the main stumbling block — their fans. Yes, that’s an overgeneralization, and no, I’m not taking it back.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Jan 23, 2009 3:04 PM PST up reply actions

Hear hear. The A2Y guys love their Wings, and are pretty knowledgeable usually, but this “OH NOES TEH NHL H8S TEH WINGZ” conspiracy is just bizarre, but also as predictable as the tides.

It’s a pretty simple system, ultimately. The Red Wings are always right, even if they are wrong. And everyone from California is gay.

by ievans on Jan 23, 2009 5:22 PM PST up reply actions

Wow, see, I knew there would be something we agree on Earl. The Wings fans, and their horribly misplaced martyr complex, have basically turned me off of the Wings.

They are just bitter because the “cry baby Crosby” they whine about just outclassed their whole organization by going to the game to make a token appearance and hang out with his colleagues while the Wings thought the could have their star players take a long weekend (getting a leg up on the rest and recovery that the star players from the other 29 teams that are not going to get) with no consequences

I mean, seriously, what would they say if the Sharks kept all of their players home to rest while the Wings sent their players out to get exhausted at this crazy weekend? All teams are equally beat up and run down at this point, and all could use the equal amount of rest. I don’t see how anyone could defend one team skipping out while the other 29 put some effort into caring.

by schtimpy27 on Jan 23, 2009 5:48 PM PST up reply actions

Plus, there’s probably 24 teams that have a more legitimate standings-position reason to rest their stars than Detroit does — their playoff cushion looks fine.

Look. In general I am on Detroit’s side of this debate — the NHL shouldn’t be making retroactive rules. This to me is no different than Sean Avery — had the NHL spelled out the consequences ahead of time, probably players would have made different decisions. In both cases I think it’s a bad precedent and just generally bad policy.

But I’ve argued enough against suspensions on this blog for Ducks players — I’m not motivated to really stand up for Detroit’s overplayed sense of victimization.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Jan 23, 2009 5:55 PM PST up reply actions

Apparently they did get notice

That was the thing that kept me on the Wings side this morning… the exact idea of retroactive rules.

But now I read that the teams were told at the governor’s meeting last year that it would be enforced after the league was embarrassed by being basically stood up in front of a national audience by several high profile players.

Other teams obviously got the message, because Crosby said yesterday, before all of this went down, that he was going to be there, injured or not (I remember because I was thinking “look at that little twerp being all classy” which is not a thought I often have about das wünderkid). If the Wings didn’t get that message to the players, or didn’t take it seriously, that is there problem.

by schtimpy27 on Jan 23, 2009 6:07 PM PST up reply actions

Hockey players sleep when they aren’t on the ice anyway. How can you justify benching your two all stars because you are afraid they can’t handle a six hour charter flight between games? If you leave two NHL studs under the age of 25 in Montreal for a week with nothing to do they’ll be so deep in Montreal strippers they won’t be in any shape to play anyway. Montreal strip clubs take at least as much out of a man as a 6 hour charter flight.

by Rob Parker on Jan 23, 2009 3:12 PM PST reply actions

6 hours in a Montreal strip club, or 6 hours on a plane to go play “Kings hockey” in an environment that is all about “pride, passion, and power” (supposedly)… which would you pick? If I’m Doughty, only 19 years old, I think it’s an easy choice!

Fuck you, Denis Gauthier

by Kevin Y on Jan 28, 2009 4:32 PM PST up reply actions