from Helene Elliott of the LA Times,
Instead of being rocked by cheers Friday night, Staples Center will be silent. The ice, laid down last month and begging to be skated on, will be covered by a protective overlay. The newly lettered banner will stay in storage. Players who became so close during their playoff run have scattered around the U.S., Canada, and Europe, awaiting word on the fate of the season.
It's cruel that fans who waited 45 years to claim hockey supremacy must now wait indefinitely for a final celebration. Almost like being victimized by the only bit of bad, old karma the Kings didn't obliterate last spring.
"We certainly feel bad for our fans, as they have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to see us culminate our first Stanley Cup championship by raising a banner into the rafters at Staples Center," said Luc Robitaille, the Kings' president of business operations.
"We know one day this will eventually take place, and we remain hopeful that it is sooner rather than later."
Sooner … as in next month? After the Jan. 1 Winter Classic, a popular guess? A year from now? The Kings can recycle the script for their banner-raising ceremony, but a delayed celebration probably won't pack the same emotional punch as it would have had Friday.
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