Oh right, that team I usually spend every waking day thinking about.  Forgot about them.

Yes, the Kings still exist.  Yes, 5 of their best players are still in the hunt for Olympic gold.  No, that wart down there isn't just going to go away, you should get it checked out.  The Kings had their first practice since the Olympic Break began yesterday and I'm sure it was delightful and no one really cares but me.  A few highlights:

CLICHE WATCH!

Marc-Andre Cliche made his long-awaited debut in a Kings practice uniform.  Cliche (pronounced "Cleesh") is my favorite prospect, as readers and stalkers probably know, because he is a defensive wizard and famously led the Canadian Junior National Team to Gold back in 2007.  (Well, he shared leading duties with Jonathan Toews.)  Ther reasons I like Cliche so much is NOT because I want to make jousting and knight jokes about his name, no sir.  Cliche will hopefully make the team someday as an heir to Michal Handzus and he will save maidens and kill dragons, but for now he is simply filling in a center spot since Handzus is gone.  It kind of sucks for the Manchester Monarchs that the Kings called up one of their better players for a few practices but hey, who gives a fuck about the Manchester Monarchs, right?  Hahaha!

In other, less important news, Justin Williams is skating again.  Good for him.  I miss Williams, surprisingly enough; you didn't really notice how important he was to the Kings until he was gone.  I don't have much hope that Williams will be in any sort of shape to play in the postseason but a man can dream.  Kind of like how I dreamt last night that Ryan Miller and Ryan Kesler were giving me a sponge bath.  At least I think it was a dream; when I woke up my sheets were all wet so maybe it actually happened.  Who's to say?

Finally, JAMIE STORR WA- just kidding, no one is watching Jamie Storr.  The shitty journeyman goaltender is pitching in for the Kings since Jonathan Quick is sitting on a bench in Vancouver at the Olympics and is providing the Kings players with a confidence boost someone to shoot on.  Storr currently works with young goaltenders in the Los Angeles area who are looking for lessons on how to fail spectacularly play goaltender in the NHL.  I'm sure he's doing as well with that as he did in the NHL: terribly acceptably.  Fuck you Good luck, Jamie Storr!*

*My sister's favorite player when I was growing up** was Jamie Storr because she thought he was cute.  Her favorite player now is Anze Kopitar because she thinks he's cute.  Obviously, my sister is unattractive has terrible taste in men.

**She was growing up too, it wasn't just me.  You know what I mean.