Nobody believes me when I tell them this, but it’s true- for the last 5 years I’ve worked for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League.
The genesis for this arrangement started in 2005 when the Owen Sound Attack ” thought ” they were going to play Sault Ste Marie in the second round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs.
The Attack needed to see video of the Greyhounds to prepare, so I brought them some videos I had from the Action Pak.
The following year, the project escalated and I gave the Attack brass VCR tapes and game notes from every OHL game I watched.
At the end of 2007 when Attack General Manager Mike Futa departed to join L.A. as the co-director of amateur scouting, I was asked if the Kings gave me a dvd recorder, would I send them the discs and, just like that, we were off.
To me, the liaison makes good sense. I see anywhere from 70-90 Attack games per year, plus almost that many on cable, so I should have a decent handle on who can play.
In the 4 NHL Entry Drafts since the project began, Los Angeles has drafted 9 OHL’ers; 2 of whom played in the OHL last year, 3 more are with Manchester, the Kings AHL club, and another 3 played in the Stanley Cup- that’s pretty good.
Now, am I an influential voice ? No, not at all. If I were, the Kings would have drafted Matt Martin, or Devante Smith Pelly or Phillip Lane, who I highly recommended.
Still, when the Kings won the Stanley Cup, I couldn’t help but be excited thinking I’d get a ring, get my name on the Cup or have the Stanley Cup for a day in Midland & Owen Sound.
When I called my superiors in El Segundo, California to inquire about this, they responded, ” I’m sorry, who is this ? “
I’m Fred Wallace