EL SEGUNDO, CA — We’re still almost two months away from the start of the 2015-16 National Hockey League season. But for fans of the Los Angeles Kings, their team has not been on the ice since April 11, more than three months ago, a layoff many are no longer accustomed to after seeing their team play until mid-June when they won the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup Championships.
But on August 16, one could hear the vaguely familiar sounds of hockey pucks banging off the boards and clanking off goal posts. One could also hear the sounds of skates cutting into the ice as players tried to stop, of stick blades striking pucks on a slap shot, and of fans cheering loudly when a goal was scored.