LOS ANGELES – Obviously, the unlicensed merchandise peddlers of Los Angeles have no respect for karma, hubris or the Hockey Gods (tm, Alain Vigneault).
In Hermosa Beach and other locations, Los Angeles Kings 2014 Stanley Cup champions gear was being sold hours before their Game 5 showdown with the New York Rangers at Staples Center on Friday night.
There were shirts, and there were car flags:
Via Facebook, courtesy @Mike Iannaccone
These shirts were found outside of a surf shop in Hermosa Beach. From NJ.com:
“We open at 9 in the morning and as soon as I got here opening the store I saw them,” Jack’s Surfboards manager Matt Walls told NJ.com. “There was a van outside backed up and selling them. I was like, ‘Dude, you’ve got to beat it.'"
“It was just one guy and a van,” Walls said, “Our parking lot is to the north of our store and he just sat in our parking lot. I didn’t see the price. I just told him to beat it.”
Here’s another look at the gear being sold:
Kings Championship shirts on sale "BEFORE THE GAME"? Hope or destiny? pic.twitter.com/5PD0aOB8pC
— DMR (@mrhollio) June 13, 2014
These are probably knockoffs, but who knows? This stuff had to be on hand for local stores earlier in the week in case the Kings swept the Rangers.
LA has a chance to end the series in Game 5, with a 3-1 lead. But probably won’t because some idiot bought a $10 champions shirt from a guy in a van before the puck was dropped. That’s how it works in the Stanley Cup Final.
- Sports & Recreation
- Los Angeles Kings
- New York Rangers
- Alain Vigneault
