Kings Fundraiser Raffle for the NHL Sled Classic

The winner of the cool bag of LA Kings stuff is..... (drumroll please).... Kelsey Del Nero!!!

Thank you to all who bought tickets.

We raised $230 for our team with the raffle.

What did Ms. Del Nero win?

The L.A. Kings Sled Hockey team is raffling off a Sling Bag o' Kings Goodness! This nifty L.A. Kings knapsack contains:

* A 2014 Stanley Cup Champions puck, signed by Jonathan Quick

* An official replica Stanley Cup Championship ring

* A Drew Doughty mini-locker

* An autographed photo of Kings legend and broadcaster extraordinaire Daryl Evans

* A 2012 Stanley Cup Moments Bluray + DVD combo

* A pair of silver-colored L.A. Kings sunglasses

* Four 2014 Stanley Cup Champions stickers

So, is that a bag of awesomeness, or what?! It would be the perfect gift for the Kings fan on your Christmas list (or hey, stuff it in your own stocking and pretend Santa was really happy with you this year.)

The raffle will be conducted online from now until Saturday, November 8th, and announcement of the winner will be made on Twitter and Facebook during the second intermission of the Kings vs. Canucks game that night.

Raffle tickets are only $2.00 each, or three for $5.00. You can do the math...
six tickets for $10
nine tickets for $15
twelve tickets for $20
...and so on (three tickets for every $5 you spend.)

Payment can be made via Paypal to epistrophy@aol.com (remember to select the option "Send Money to Friends or Family" so that Paypal doesn't take a chunk of your donation).

As soon as we receive your Paypal payment, we will email your raffle ticket numbers to you. One winner will be selected at the end of the second period on Nov. 8th and announced immediately.

All funds will help our team boy equipment and attend tournaments. The LA Kings Sled Hockey Team is the only adult competitive sled hockey team in California, and the costs of running the program and attending tournaments can be oppressive. Funds from this raffle will really help a lot.

To find out who the lucky winner is, please follow @SoCalSledHockey on Twitter, or "Like" and watch the L.A. Kings Sled Hockey Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/LAKingsSledHockey. We will also announce the winner right here on this blog.

Remember, the raffle is less than a week away, so grab your tickets now!!

A Fest, A Party, A Spa and Vegas

Help send the LA Kings Sled Hockey Team to the NHL Sled Classic in Washington D.C. Every donation helps, small or big. Even if you can't donate, please share this on social media for us. Click here for our GoFundMe page.

This post is about all of the fun things LA Kings Sled Hockey has been doing lately. September has been a good month for us.

But first, let's talk about October. Specifically, let's talk about October 3 and 5. That is when the LA Kings Sled Hockey Team is hosting the Colorado Avs Sled Hockey Team in Las Vegas.

This is part of Frozen Fury, the pre-season game the Kings and the Colorado Avalanche always play against each other in Las Vegas.

The game on October 3 is at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at 7PM and the game on the 5th is at Sobe Ice Arena in North Las Vegas at 10:30 AM.

If you are going to Frozen Fury, please come out to one or both of our games. It will be fun to have fans cheer, and even if you have other plans for Friday night, the sled hockey game is about an hour long, so when it's over the night will still be young. You'll have plenty of time to do other things afterward.

Above is the flyer for our sled hockey game. Print it out and take it to Vegas with you (or save it on your phone) so you don't forget when and where the sled hockey game is. Also, spread it around to friends, family, and other hockey fans who you know and meet in Vegas.

                                                        

Next, the spa...

We are selling passes to Glen Ivy Hot Springs in Corona.

We sold these last year and they were a big success. Many people loved them. Guess what?! They're Baaack.

The passes are $40 each and that pays for admission. Without the passes, Glen Ivy costs $46 for admission on Tuesday-Thursday and $64 on Friday-Monday, so no matter what day you choose to go, it's a discount. The passes are good for any day Glen Ivy is open.

The passes get you in the door and you can use all the mineral pools, heated pools, hot tubs, etc. You also get to go to "Club Mud" and the saunas, as well as all the classes they're having that day (water aerobics, Tai Chi, etc.).



Food and drinks are extra, as well as massages and other spa treatments.

The passes are good through June 1, 2015, so think ahead. They're great for Christmas and birthday gifts.

The best part is that Glen Ivy donated the passes to us so 100% of the $40 goes directly to sled hockey. You can have a relaxing day at Glen Ivy, get all of your holiday shopping done, and support sled hockey all in one fell swoop. How cool is that?

For more information on Glen Ivy Hot Springs, click here. 

To purchase passes, send an e-mail to LAKingsSledHockey@gmail.com. You can pay by PayPal or check, and if you can meet up with a sled hockey player, you can even pay with cash.

                                                                                      

Now for more fun, let's talk about all the wonderful things the Kings have done for LA Kings Sled Hockey.

On September 13, the sled hockey team did the 5K Hydrocephalus Association walk in Redondo Beach to help raise money and awareness for hydrocephalus. Several LA Kings Sled Hockey members have hydrocephalus, so it is something that is near and dear to our hearts. The team raised $585 to be donated to the Hydrocephalus Association.

Some of our team members and friends with Adam Cracknell of the Kings.

Team members with Kings Mascot Bailey at the 5K.

We didn't get to meet all of them, but several members of the LA Kings were at the 5K walking with us and raising money for hydrocephalus. 

The start of the walk.

At the walk. The guy with the dog waaaay up front is Anze Kopitar.

They gave some of our team members a commemorative puck from the Kings and Daryl Evans.

On September 14, members of the LA Kings Sled Hockey Team played a demo game at LA Kings Hockey Fest at Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo. We played a standing in-house team that we put in hockey sleds. They were good sports, especially since they were no match for our team. We beat them easily, 5-0.

Kyle Clifford and Alec Martinez of the Kings were the guest coaches of the sled hockey game. One person asked Alec Martinez what words of wisdom he gave to the team during the game. He pointed to the athletes and said, "Do they look like they need motivation?"

Alec Martinez "coaching" the sled hockey players.

This picture shows both Alec Martinez (climbing over the wall) and Kyle Clifford (with knee up) on the sled hockey bench.

Ken Freeman played his first sled hockey game and did well. He's a big Kings fan, as you can see.

Zach going for the puck.

Setting up for a goal...

Darlene in the slot, scores. Also note we had one of our youth players in this game, since it was a demo.

Darlene, her son Daniel, and Coach Andrew.

The ending score.

Finally, On September 25, the LA Kings gave the sled hockey team our own special time with the Stanley Cup. All athletes in our program were invited, and though several could not come because of work obligations, we had quite a few athletes and guests there. We also auctioned off some spots at our Stanley Cup party to raise money for sled hockey. People bought raffle tickets for $5 each, and we had three winners who were each able to bring a guest. The raffle raised over $700 for our team.

People brought donuts, cookies, sodas, and other snacks for our party. Oh, and the Stanley Cup is in this shot, of course.

Our team and the Cup.

The Jenkins Family and the Cup.

It was a great time for socializing and just letting some steam off.

Our goalie Brian with the Cup.

Support Your Sled Hockey Team!

Wow! Without missing a beat, it's hockey season again and things are heating up for the LA Kings Sled Hockey team. We have a lot on the agenda for the near future. I want to highlight three events.

1. Our time with the Stanley Cup is on September 25. Yes, you read that right. The team has 50 minutes with the Stanley Cup. This should be a fun time for all on the team.

Jealous? Of course, you can purchase a raffle ticket to join us. Find out more about how to join us here: http://likelovehockey.wordpress.com/

                                          

2. Hydrocephalus Walk- On September 13, the LA Kings Sled Hockey Team will walk and roll for the Walk for Hydrocephalus. To find out about the team, hydrocephalus (which at least 6 members of the LA Kings Sled Hockey Team have), click here.  It's a time for the sled hockey players to give back to the community while raising awareness of an incurable condition a million Americans have but hardly anyone knows about.

                                     

2. HockeyFest- September 14. The combined youth and adult teams of the LA Kings Sled Hockey team will be playing a sled hockey demo game at Toyota Sports Center from 11-noon at the Olympic Rink during LA Kings Hockey Fest. Alec Martinez and Kyle Clifford will the the guest coaches. The team we are playing is a hodge podge of standing hockey players from in-house teams at TSC. They will play in sleds.

For information about HockeyFest, click here. It is a sold-out event at this point, but if you are going, be sure to stop by and watch your sled hockey team.

                                             

3. Frozen Fury. This is an annual pre-season game between the Kings and the Colorado Avs played at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Guess what? The LA Kings have a sled hockey team and the Colorado Avs have a sled hockey team. They will be playing each other at 7PM on Friday night, October 3 at the MGM Grand. The the big clubs of the Kings and Avs are playing each other on Saturday night. If you are going to Frozen Fury, please come out on Friday night and cheer on your sled hockey team. I am pretty sure the sled hockey game will be free.

The Kings and Avs sled hockey teams will also play each other on Sunday, October 5 at 10:30 at Sobe Ice Arena in Las Vegas.

So, come out and support your sled hockey team at these important events.

A little local disabled hockey history

Show of hands: How many of you knew that San Bernardino actually had its own professional hockey team once? And how many of you knew that one of their players might have been the first amputee hockey player in the United States? All of this was new to us until a couple of months ago. While it's not sled hockey, it's a very interesting story that we would like to share with you for inspiration.

Above: Ralph Diminyatz skating for the San Bernardino Shamrocks, from an article in the San Bernardino Daily Sun, Jan. 14, 1955. His right leg is the wooden one.

The Diminyatz brothers, David, Larry and Ralph, grew up on their parents' farm in the tiny town of Rouleau, Saskatchewan, Canada. (If you've ever seen the comedy "Corner Gas" on public television, Rouleau is its filming location.) One day, when Ralph was about 1 1/2 years old, he managed to toddle out to the field where one of his brothers was running a small harvester. The brother didn't see little Ralph until it was too late. The harvester ran over Ralph and cleanly severed his right leg above the knee. He was rushed to the hospital, where it was found that he had no other major injuries. They fixed up the stump of his leg and sent him home several days later.

Resourceful little Ralph figured out how to hop on one leg until he was able to get his first wooden prosthetic at the age of two. Once he got used to the feel of it, he learned to walk almost as well as anyone else. He had been so little at the time of the accident, he barely had any experience walking anyway. In time he learned to skate, obviously a major pastime in frozen Saskatchewan, and then learned to play hockey, tennis and golf alongside his brothers and friends.

In the early 1950s Larry and Ralph decided to head for medical school in California. They got their visas in order and enrolled at La Sierra College, now part of La Sierra University in Riverside. It was a feeder school for the College of Medical Evangelists program at Loma Linda, the brothers' eventual goal.

Shortly after they got to town, the brothers learned about a hockey team in the city of San Bernardino, about 25 miles away from La Sierra. The San Bernardino Shamrocks played in the California Hockey League at the Orange Show's Swing Auditorium. It was about as low-level as "professional hockey" could get, with the players making about ten dollars per game. But they missed being able to play hockey, so they decided to try out for the team in the winter of 1954.

At the first practice, coach Bill Gray was impressed at the speed and skill of the two potential defensemen from Canada. They obviously knew the sport backwards and forwards, and they were better than some of the veterans on the SoCal circuit.

During a scrimmage, Ralph Diminyatz collided with another player and they both fell to the ice. The other player stood right up and skated away, while Ralph got up with an odd rolling motion. Bill Gray commented to Larry Diminyatz about it, wondering whether Ralph might have been hurt. Larry replied, "You'd get up funny, too, if you only had one leg." Coach Gray was astonished, as he hadn't even realized Ralph had a wooden leg.

Ralph became a brief sensation as an AP article about him ran in newspapers around the country. The Diminyatz brothers gave it their all during the season, which turned out to be the Shamrocks' last due to economic concerns. They won most of their games except those against their arch-rivals, the Pasadena Maple Leafs.

Above: On the far right, Ralph Diminyatz supports his teammates during a game vs. the Long Beach Hornets. From The Sun, Feb. 17, 1955.

The brothers went on to finish medical school, and unfortunately never had another chance to play pro hockey. Ralph became an anesthesiologist and enjoyed a five-decade career. He retired at the end of 2013, at the age of 84. He promises to attend a Kings sled hockey game someday, although it's unlikely we'll get him into a sled!

Sleds and Soldiers Game Recap

Follow @SoCalSledHockey

On June 28, the LA Kings Sled Hockey team hosted the Patriots at Ice Chalet in Palos Verdes. The Patriots are a team of active duty military and veterans and usually play on skates (the traditional way ice hockey is played). They agreed to play in hockey sleds for the June 28 game, and they were great sports. The Kings won 4-1 and both teams raised money for their programs. The crowd wasn't counted, but estimates of at least 150 people watched the game.

Ruby's Diner, next door to the rink, was kind enough to donate 20% of receipts as a fundraiser. In addition, sponsors Print Pro Plus printed the programs, and Larry Robinson's Play it Again Sports, Green Roast Coffee Company, Silvio's Brazilian BBQ, and Kathy's Critters helped sponsor the game. In addition, Joe Pro Print Company and Palos Verdes Ice Chalet, and especially Mike Silverman at the rink, were instrumental in making this event happen. Please check out and consider doing business with these sponsors because they trusted the vision for this game  before it existed.

Getting on the ice.

Here is a video of the opening minutes up to the first goal.

Saving a goal.

Hans Blum carries the puck.

Darlene Bradford smiles on a break in play.

Prior to the start of the game, there was a ceremonial puck drop and speech by Olympic Javelin thrower Sherry Calvert. Here is a video of the ceremonial puck drop by Ms. Calvert:



In addition, the Kings had some members of the ice crew there to help with raffles and such.

The players enjoyed themselves from each team, but after the game, they were exhausted.

Tired Patriots player after stretches out on the ice after the game.

The final score.

The Kings show love to their goalie Brian Rathfelder after the game.

Here is the handshake line:


Thank you to Marv Floer and the Patriots for giving our team a game. For those who missed this game, this will become an annual event, so there's always next year. Want to get your sled hockey fix sooner? Catch LA Kings Sled Hockey as they take on Colorado Avs Sled Hockey at Frozen Fury on October 4.

The players in the game. White is Patriots, black is Kings.

LA Kings player Wes Barrientos signs his jersey for a young fan.

Several Patriots players and LA Kings player Wes Barrientos.

Sleds and Soldiers

The Patriots is a hockey team made up of active duty military personnel and veterans. They play many charity games around Southern California, and they raise money for veterans charities.

They are able-bodied and usually play standing up on skates.

LA Kings Sled Hockey is a team of disabled athletes who play hockey. They have conditions like amputations, spina bifida, spinal cord injuries, etc. Three of the athletes are veterans and Purple Heart recipients They play using hockey sleds.

You do not want to miss an exciting opportunity to watch these two teams battle it out in a sled hockey game.

Sleds and Soldiers 2014 

Saturday, June 28

4-6 PM

at

Ice Chalet Palos Verdes (in the Promenade on the Peninsula mall)Address: 550 Deep Valley Dr., Rolling Hills Estates

The best part: it's free to come watch!

But wait- there's more!
Sherry Calvert, an Olympic javelin thrower (javelinist?) will be there to drop the first puck, take pictures, and sign autographs as part of our Olympic Day celebration.

Members of the L.A. Kings ice crew will be there as well.

The biggest question then--Will you be there?

Think about it- you have the opportunity to be inside a cool ice rink to watch a full sled hockey game (something you've never seen before), and you'll be supporting the military and disabled people in the process. You'll get to meet an Olympian and show your Kings pride. You'll have plenty of opportunities to thank a soldier and/or a veteran-- and this is the Saturday before the 4th of July, so think patriotism.

But if that hasn't sold you, consider this: there is a Ruby's Diner right next to the rink that is doing a fundraiser for the two teams in this game. So, you can also have a delicious hamburger and that milkshake guilt free-- because 20% of your meal ticket will be donated to these two teams.

There will be auction items, raffle items, things for sale, and you'll have the opportunity to bid on a game-worn jersey from these very players. Jersey auctions will start at just $20. All money collected will be split between the two teams. Both teams are 501c3 charities and both do excellent work in the community. You will also have an opportunity to make a donation outright to these teams.

However, with all that said, admission to the game is free, and you can come, watch, and have a good time without paying one red cent if you want to.

Recap: Sleds and Soldiers 2014 at Palos Verdes Ice Chalet, June 28 from 4-6 PM. Admission is free. Kings vs. Patriots. it's like it's 1776 all over again. 

Here is our flyer. Please try to get at least 3 other people interested in coming out!

It's Like 1776 All Over Again: Patriots vs. Kings on June 28th

At last, we have another game scheduled in Southern California! Mark your calendars, please.

On Saturday, June 28th at 4:00 PM, the adults of the Los Angeles Kings sled hockey team will play against Patriots Hockey, a team of veterans and active-duty military personnel, at Palos Verdes Ice Chalet in Rolling Hills Estates. The Patriots will man sleds and compete against the Kings in a full-length game. Afterwards we will have some time for interested spectators to try out the sleds for themselves.

The event will be a fundraiser for both non-profit teams. Admission to the game is free, but we will be selling a total of twenty VIP tickets for $25 each that will entitle the bearer to sit on the benches during the game. We will also be selling our "Dread the Sled" thermal coffee mugs, and will have several items available for auction. After the game we will auction the specially designed game jerseys which will be signed by the athletes.

Palos Verdes Ice Chalet is located in the Promenade on the Peninsula shopping center, 550 Deep Valley Drive, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274. The rink's phone number is (310) 541-6630. Seating is limited, but there are seats alongside the rink glass next to Ruby's Diner and plenty of standing room. (And don't forget the VIP seats, right on the benches!)

We would like to thank Patriots Hockey, Mike Silverman and the Palos Verdes Ice Chalet staff, and Norman Hayward of USA Hockey who designed our cool game-day logo. For more information about the event, contact L.A. Kings Sled Hockey at (909) 863-1000 or LAKingsSledHockey@gmail.com.