From KISS to Vin Scully, the USC marching band to Wayne Gretzky, the palm trees and South Park cartoon characters in Los Angeles Kings' jerseys to the Anaheim Ducks' 3-0 win in a jam-packed Dodger Stadium, it's hard to imagine Hollywood scripting a better start to the NHL's ambitious -- and oft-criticized -- series of regional outdoor games.

If Los Angeles is a big-event city that revels in the glitz, then the NHL proved it can play with the big boys with a lead-up to the game that simply hit all the right notes, including Gretzky's appearance to drop the puck for the ceremonial opening faceoff to a thunderous ovation.

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from Helene Elliott of the LA Times,

The three-ring circus before the game was often excessive, like the league-mandated ticket prices that had to be scaled back to sell more seats, and the exorbitant parking fees set by the NHL. But so much about this Stadium Series game was just right, making the Ducks' 3-0 victory a triumph of the spirit as much as a product of refrigeration and technology.

The shared pregame introduction from Scully and Hockey Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Miller of the Kings hit all the appropriate notes. "Here at Dodger Stadium, we welcome you with open arms," Scully said, and how true the fans made that.

Most welcome of all was the sight of Gretzky entering through the center-field fence, walking down an avenue of palm trees and to center ice, where he belongs.

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Scott Oake of HNIC interviews Vin Scully, who tells a great Jackie Robinson story.