Jesse and I break our one-week vow of silence and record a special Hockeywood Insider, thanks to Luc Robitaille getting elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The greatest left winger of all time got the call Tuesday from Toronto, and the city of Los Angeles is rejoicing.

We talk about other sports Halls of Fame and how players decide which team they will represent, whether the nHL should update the names of their trophies, whether fans feel the Gretzky statue is cursed, and discuss why AEG should turn the Star Plaza into a celebration of all sports.

Then we delve into Jesse's proposal of erecting a Luc statue inside STAPLES Center. Doc breaks down every possible reason why it's a great idea (which it is). We talk about how much fans might be willing to part with to help subsidize such an undertaking ($20 for No. 20, anyone?) Basically, we just get real excited over the idea of the fans be able to call the statue their own, since Luc is such a fan favorite. By the way, have you signed the petition?

It's the Hockeywood Insider, brought to you by the letters L, U, C and the number 20.

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So now that Luc Robitaille's place in the Hockey Hall of Fame is secured in Toronto, it's time to talk turkey about the important things, like where to erect The King of Kings' statue.

STAPLES Center already has three statues outside along Chick Hearn Court, opposite of L.A. Live. In 2002, Wayne Gretzky was immortalized in bronze at STAPLES' Star Plaza, followed by Magic Johnson in 2004. In 2008, boxer Oscar De La Hoya was honored. And while each of these athletes are certainly worthy of such an honor, their relationship to the actual building is somewhat tenuous. The building opened in 1999. Johnson retired in 1996, Gretzky never played in STAPLES, and Oscar has taken multiple beatings in fights there.

I have nothing against the statues, though. In a town where we immortalize anyone with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (come on, Jimmy Kimmel is getting one this year), there's nothing wrong by literally putting our sports heroes up on pedestals. The Star Plaza should include other sports as well, such as legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, Fernando Valenzuela for the Dodgers, Marcus Allen for the Trojans/Raiders and Hulk Hogan for professional wrestling to honor what they meant to the culture of southern California in their respective sports.

But once you erect one from a sport, it would seem redundant to include another from the same sport out there. How weird would it look to have a Kobe Bryant next to Magic (assuming he stays a Laker for life and leads the Lakers to several more titles). Until they include more statues outside to encompass the entire world of sports, have two of the same sport out there seems... a bit much. So, getting a statue for Luc Robitaille, the greatest King of all, seems unlikely.

My cohort from the Hockeywood Insider podcast, Jesse, stumbled across a great idea over on LetsGoKings, get fans to donate money to build a statue of Luc. But instead of placing him outside next to the Great One, put him inside STAPLES, a building he actually played and retired in. Jesse points out that there's plenty of room inside, and would be a great start for a new tradition. He started a petition, It's Better to be Lucky Than Great, to rally the troops and raise awareness.

I am fully behind this idea. In fact, I even designed what it could eventually look like. But I don't want to cast Luc in bronze. If the fans get a say in creating a statue, let's go for broke and get one carved out of marble. That's what real statues are made of. Michelangelo's David, the Venus de Milo, and The Discobolus of Myron all come to mind. I'm sure jaded fans will think a marble doppleganger is perfect for a player who wasn't exactly fleet of foot.

Note that I placed this statue facing out toward Figueroa, rather than facing LA Live. I always viewed this side as the real entrance to STAPLES. By placing the statue inside, it seems more appropriate of a sanctioned piece of statuary. My feeble attempts of internet research has turned up a rock-bottom price (heh) of around $50-75,000. Considering the Magic Johnson bronze statue that stands outside of Breslin Center fo Michigan State was made for $250,000 in 2003, that seems like a killer deal.

So please, help us garner up interest in building an appropriate monument to the leading goal scorer in the Kings franchise lengthy history. Sign the petition and rock the vote. Also, join the Facebook group and get the word out there. It's better to be Lucky than Great!

The Lakers celebrated their 15th World Championship by driving from Staples Center to the L.A. Coliseum in front of an estimated 8,000 fans. As the players walked down the stairs of the Coliseum, the view must've been breathtaking. As a sports fan, it was surreal to watch as thousands of people packed the stadium and roar for their world champs.

It brought to mind just how many historic events have taken place in the 86 years since the turnstiles opened. It has hosted two Olympic Games, the second one etched in my memory as Rafer Johnson lit the Olympic Torch. It hosted the first Super Bowl, between the AFC champion Kanasa City Chiefs and the NFC champion and eventual winner Green Bay Packers led by Bart Starr. The L.A. Dodgers played there from 1958 to 1962, winning the World Series in 1959. The Rams, Raiders, UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans have all called 3911 South Figueroa home.

As I watched the Lakers championship ceremony, I was flabbergasted to see the Lakers floor from Staples Center erected on the field, and instantly thought how cool it would be to see a basketball game there. As I drove to work that day, I heard Lakers VP of Business Operations Jeanie Buss say on KLAC570 that the organization had approached the NBA and asked if they could hld an exhibition game there. The league balked, stating it wasn't enough time to bring everything together. (Which I say is crap, seeing all the work they did for the victory ceremony in three days.) Instead, Buss hinted the Lakers will play at the Forum in Inglewood instead.

I instantly thought how cool it would be to see the Kings play a game at the Forum. But then, I started thinking... seeing the Kings back at the Forum would be nice... but why not an outdoor game at the Coliseum? Sure, making ice in 70 degree weather might be a logistical nightmare. But that's not my concern.

Remember, the Kings played the Rangers at Caesar's Palace in 1991... in 80 degree weather on REAL ice. Play it on synthetic ice, and make it an exhibition. Check out the video from this site. Even Alexander Ovechkin took to the synthetic ice on June 16th, in Las Vegas for that matter. There's no excuse why this couldn't work. Not sure how much that would cost, but again... not my problem.
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The Hockeywood Insider wraps up a successful season with our end of year podcast extravaganza! This week, we are joined by two guests, Rich Hammond from the insanely popular Inside the Kings blog for the L.A. Daily News and Greg Wyshynski of the equally successful blog Puck Daddy from Yahoo Sports.

First, we talk with Rich about the RAMPANT BASELESS SPECULATION that surrounded the Kings the past two weeks involving Chris Pronger, Dany Heatley, Vincent Lecavalier and every other free agent and every other player under contract. Sez Hammond about Andy Strickland: "I'd love an explanation" about  his reporting that the Pronger for JMFJ was a done deal. He also talks about Dean Lombardi and what he thinks Dean-o will do with the fifth pick.

We switch gears and talk with Puck Daddy Greg Wyshynski about the just concluded Stanley Cup series between the Penguins and the sucky Red Wings. We talk at length about the officiating, the ratings for the Cup, championship parades, PETA protecting dead octopi, making replicas of the Stanley Cup from items other than foil, bandwagon fans, when should fans switch team allegiances and how Drew Doughty was absolutely jobbed for the Calder trophy. (Agreed!)

Jesse goes all Naysay on how he would improve city's championship parades, an idea that is actually quite credible.

It's a podcast slammed with great conversation, so sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labors. The Hockeywood Insider is on the air!

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The Finals are here, and it's all about Lord Stanley's Cup. We are joined by USA Today's A.J. Perez, as we break down the Wings/Penguins matchups. We touch on whether dynasties are good for the sport, as well as how a national newspaper like USA Today views the NHL's Grandest Series.

Seeing that we reside in Hockeywood, Jesse and I also talk about movies we've seen. Only here can you expect to hear honest discussions about a kid's movie like Up in one breath, then a completely different discussion why the mythology of Terminator is completely flawed.

Yup, the Hockeywood Insider is winding down, but we're bringing the noize!!!

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The Hockeywood Insider welcomes another guest this week, as our tour though the NHL playoffs continue.

Blogger/Dancing Machine Matthew Berry from Hockey Buzz stops by and chats hockey with us. WE touch on a myriad of topics, including a hint of who the Kings might draft later this summer, whether Alexander Frolov will be traded and the Kings' history in the draft.

Jesse and I also crown a rare King of the Week this podcast. "But wait, the Kings aren't playing this deep in May. How can you have a King of the Week?" Patience, young padawans. All will be revealed soon. We talk about the playoffs, news around the league, and why you should join my Mob.

It's all here, so please... give a hoot, don't pollute... your neighbors. Listen to the Hockeywood Insider at a reasonable level. If rash developed, discontinue use. (But still bookmark us at iTunes.)

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What does professional wrestling and the kids stars from Disney do better than the NHL? Apply an armbar? Sing sickening pop songs? You'll just have to listen to this week's podcast.

Jesse and I discuss this puzzling question, as well as why it's good fans call Sidney Crosby "Cindy Crysby." We also talk about the player that 300+ NHL players think is the best player in the league. Jesse also tries to convince me that if I ever move, I should stop being a Kings fan. Bahhhh.

It's the Hockeywood Insider. Sure the Kings aren't playing. That doesn't mean we can't talk puck!

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As has been the case the past three seasons, when the Kings are eliminated from the playoffs, I go back into hibernation and sleep off a long summer.

This season, I was treated to a brief glimpse of the sun, as the Kings actually played meaningful games in April. Even though they failed to make the playoffs, I've been watching from afar.

With no real rooting interest, I just can't get behind any of the playoff teams. The closest team that I could muster up some small support for is Chicago. And that's because I've always felt that the Kings are following the blueprint the Hawks' have implemented. Build from within, encourage your youth to blossom and sign worthy veterans as character guys.

But the NHL wasn't the only hockey that caught my attention this spring. The World Championships were interesting, because the Kings had several players on the U.S. team: Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson and Peter Harrold, as well as former King Patrick O'Sullivan. Team Canada named rookie phenom Drew Doughty to the squad, and Alexander Frolov was named to Team Russia. Last but not least, Michal Handzus played for his home team of Slovakia.

I actually caught most of the semifinal matchup between the U.S. and Russia online with no play-by-play. Which was sublime. Not that I have a problem with announcers, but it was like watching a game at Staples by yourself, with highlights bringing up plays/hits/saves of note. I felt  twinge of national pride to see the boys from the homeland take on the Big Red Machine. But that twinge subsided when Russia scored late to take the hard-fought game.

So now, other than the Stanley Cup playoffs, there's one more hockey tournament that has my attention as well: the Memorial Cup. And the reason is simple: a kid his coaches and teammates call Jimmy Neutron, right winger Andrei Loktionov.<< MORE >>

The playoffs are underway, and Jesse and I are joined by Yahoo's Greg Wyshynski. We touch on a myriad of topics, including the remaining playoff series, the Coyotes filing bankruptcy, how good Ovechkin is for the league and Jesse gets to pitch his North/South Conference. Needless to say, he was rebuffed.

Jesse also admits to going to a Ducks playoff game and bringing back orange Duck towels. Man, how far has he fallen?

It's the Hockeywood Insider, now with more fructose syrup than the leading brand of hockey podcasts.

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This week, Jesse and I bring out the heavy guns and interview Steve Simmons, columnist for the Toronto Sun. Steve was nice enough to join us and discuss his comments about fellow hockey writers who FAILed to give Drew Doughty one of the top 3 spots in the Calder trophy race. In addition, we discuss the type of job Lombardi has done for the Kings and where they should go from here. All in all, an enjoyable interview.

Other than me lamenting that Anaheim is on their way to hoisting Cup Numero Dos, we have a little bit of fun and bring up our top worst five movies of all time. Confused? Just listen and you'll get it. Some of the picks are no-brainers (mostly mine) while others are head-scratchers (mostly Jesse's). But in the end, we talk about 10 really bad movies that you might want to go see, (or see again).

It's the Hockeywood Insider, putting the fun in dysfunctional since 2008.

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