Kings-Coyotes NHL West final about to heat up

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Happy Mother’s Day and happy hockey day from the desert, where the temperature is forecast to peak at 106 degrees today. Where better to cool off than in a hockey rink?

Here are a few programming notes in advance of the opener of the Kings’ Western Conference final series against the Phoenix Coyotes later today.

The game will be seen at 5 p.m. Pacific time on NBCSports Network, with Dave Strader doing play-by-play and Brian Engblom and Darren Pang providing commentary. The Kings’ usual radio outlet, KTLK-AM (1150), will have coverage starting at 4:30 with KLAC-AM (570) doing a simulcast. The game broadcast will be followed by an edition of the “Kings Talk” call-in show.

Also, FS West is scheduled to air a post-season version of “Kings Live” featuring TV broadcasters Bob Millerand Jim Fox reporting fromJobing.com Arena.

Earlier this week, in honor of the Kings’ first conference finals appearance since 1993, FS West aired replays of their epic finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs from that season. Current King Kevin Westgarth watched the replays and tweeted about them (@KWesty19) and loved every minute.
“It was cool. It was great. I was impressed with how fast it was, to be honest,” he said.

But he saw a lot of things that are best left on film and not repeated.

“It was also hilarious to see guys water skiing behind guys and the clutching and grabbing,” he said, referring to the old tactic of players grabbing opponents from behind, not moving their feet and just going along for the ride.

“It was amazing, that series. I grew up with that. It was funny to go back in time like that.”

Westgarth also said he enjoyed Fox’s postgame interviews and seeing past Kings Dave Taylor and Luc Robitaille as their younger selves. Taylor went on to become the Kings’ general manager and now works for St. Louis, while Robitaille is the Kings’ president of business operations.

“It was funny to see Luc there, almost a kid,” he said of Robitaille, who was 27 at the time but still had a baby-face look. “Seeing him and Dave Taylor talking and laughing was really cool. Those are guys that are working up top now and you get reminded that they played some pretty good hockey.”

Will the Kings’ conference final against the Coyotes be considered a classic someday? Tune in.

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Kings-Coyotes NHL West final about to heat up