From the beginning of the playoffs until they paraded in downtown LA, the Kings’ players were all the rage in the NHL. The season may be over, but that doesn’t mean eyes aren’t still popping at the team’s training facility.
On Saturday, some ambitious hockey fans gave up their early-weekend plans to converge at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, for a shot at being part of the newest championship team in Los Angeles — sort of.
They took their shot at the team’s auditions for the 2012-13 LA Kings Ice Crew.
Think the Laker Girls on skates.
The Ice Crew fulfills all the traditional roles of a professional spirit team. They act as ambassadors for the organizations at promotional and charity events. They pump up the crowd. And they look great doing it.
Except they have to do it while wearing skates and cleaning up the ice during commercial breaks.
But unlike traditional professional spirit teams, many of the potentials members don't have traditional dance team and cheer backgrounds. Some of them don't even know how to skate.
Take current member Emma, for instance.
"I had skated, but at school parties or when my family would go out, so not that much," said Emma. "No dance, no cheer. I was a soccer player."
Her sister Taylor, however, was a hockey player. So when they found out about the Ice Crew auditions a year ago they decided to go together.
Both girls, who had grown up watching the Kings and remember going to games when the team played at The Forum, made it. And Emma now knows how to skate.
They were back again today with about double the turn out from the year before. And amongst the crowd of young, lovely ladies were a few good men. The Ice Crew is actually a co-ed team. They just don't include the men in swimsuit calendar.
But the auditions provide equal opportunity and one young man by the name of Stephen Eith was planning to take advantage of it.
Eith grew up playing competitive hockey until he was 21 years old. The longing to be a part of the game he loves drew him out on Saturday.
"Ever since I moved out to LA, I haven't been able to be around it much," said Eith who moved from New York a year ago. "I had never followed the LA Kings until I moved out here. All a sudden, I play pick-up hockey and talking to all the guys on the bench, they just got me really into them."
Of course getting crowned the Kings of Hockey didn't hurt the cause either.
Everyone wants a chance to be a part of royalty.
