LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Monday was an emotional night for Kings fans who finally got to see their beloved hockey team take home a Stanley Cup Championship.

Longtime fans Andrea and Steven Calhoun saw history being made from their seats at the STAPLES Center — section 117, row 60.

“I think I was shedding a few tears,” Andrea said.

The couple have been die-hard fans since the early 90′s. They used to live in Los Angeles but moved to Hawaii a few years ago. They said the hardest part of leaving L.A. was parting with their favorite sports team.

“It’s like this vast weight has been lifted. And, I don’t know, I’m speechless. We were just sitting there and our mouths were hanging open for half the game. We were like, ‘WHAT?’ We not only won it, we killed them,” Andrea said.

Other fans expressed the same sort of shock and delight.

“I can’t believe it. It’s just too good to be true,” said Kings fan Marlene Cook.

“Our section just teared up, we just teared up,” said Kings fan Cecile Wynn. “It’s uncanny because usually it’s the Canadians or an East Coast team. But not this time. This time we wanted the cup.”

The Calhouns and other fans said they were looking forward to the celebratory parade and rally at the STAPLES Center this Thursday.

Courtesy of allthings-hockey.tumblr.com

I became a fan of the Los Angeles Kings a few weeks before the 2012 All Star Game. I was so shocked at how good Jonathan Quick, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, was and how powerful the Kings played. I don’t know exactly why I chose them from the beginning to win in the Western Conference. They were the 8th seed. They had a rocky season. But they had heart and they had Jonathan Quick. I know now how right I was to choose them.

One of the best things about the Stanley Cup Finals is how happy everyone is. Even Coach Darryl Sutter cracked up a few smiles every once in a while. But I don’t think anyone was happier than Jonathan Quick. I’m proud of Quick. He’s got so much talent for a guy who is only 26. His fantastic skills all through the Playoffs has shown that anyone can be a star. He’s definitely been the hero of Los Angeles. Jonathan Quick is the Conn Smythe Winner for a reason: because he’s so damn good.

I’m extremely excited for a few special players on the L.A. Kings. First off, I’m super happy for Dustin Brown. The second American Captain to hoist Lord Stanley. Ever. How freaking impressive. He scored a goal and got two assists in this huge game. He’s definitely the #1 star for a reason. Secondly, I’d like to share how much Drew Doughty has impressed me this entire Playoff run. He’s created plays and has definitely been the best defenseman by far. He even got two assists in the game. Another player that impressed was definitely Jarret Stoll. He was the best King during Game 5, creating plays constantly. Even though he got an assist, I wish he did get a goal. Others I would like to point out include the leading goal scorer of the game, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne and Anze Kopitar.

I guess it’s my turn to talk about the New Jersey Devils. I really don’t like them. Granted, my personal opinion of certain players on the Devils overrides my entire opinion about the team in general. In particular, I really dislike Mr. Marty Brodeur. However, as much as I dislike him, I feel extremely bad for him. He has played extremely well the entire post season, not including tonight’s 6-1 loss. The team’s biggest downfall was the hit on L.A.’s Rob Scuderi by New Jersey’s Steve Bernier. This 5 minute major penalty caused the first three goals, shifting the momentum to the Kings, where it stayed. There’s only two sad moments in the Stanley Cup Finals: it’s the end of the season and one team has to lose. New Jersey, although good almost the entire post season, lost the last game tonight and I honestly do feel very bad for them.

There’s nothing better than to see somebody hold the Stanley Cup. There’s nothing better than to hear the crowd screaming. There’s nothing better than to watch a team celebrate their tremendous victory. There’s nothing better than to watch a team go from almost not getting into the Playoffs to winning the Stanley Cup. The L.A. Kings are the 2012 Stanley Cup Champions. And I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.

That big fire means he has to take a big dump

Now onto what matters in the upcoming week or two…Kairosoft Week.

As I watching the Press Conferences on Day 1 of E3, I redownloaded Game Dev Story and while in the search section of the App Store, I redownloaded Grand Prix Story and three lite versions, Epic Astro Story, Venture Towns & Pocket Academy.

I can already tell you that Game Dev is one of my favourite games available for iOS, because I’ve always wanted a game that lets you make games. Gameception anyone? Seriously though, I’m going through it again and it’s…well I don’t wanna ruin it here so just wait til Kairosoft Week kicks off! It won’t be the first game I review I can tell you that now haha!

But because 3 of the games are lite versions and the lite versions don’t last long in playability, this week will most likely be happening next week but if not, I’ll keep you guys updated! For now, check out their site and see what games that Kairosoft has available now! http://kairopark.jp/iphone/en/

Sorry for the late posts. This was a busy weekend and didn’t have time till today to write.

Well with the Game 5 win in New Jersey Saturday the devils improved their record in games 4 through 7 to 10-1 in these playoffs.  The Devils are the third team in NHL history since 1945 Detroit Red Wings to rally back from a 0-3 deficit in a Stanley Cup Final to force a game 6. However, the devils will hope to be the first team since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to win the cup after being down 0-3. Let’s see what the Devils did right in game 5 and what both teams need to do to win game 6.

Game 5 was Saturday night and goals from Bryce Salvador and Zach Parise gave the New Jersey Devils a 2-1 win.  The biggest thing was the Devils scored first! The team that has scored first has one each game in these finals. Second New Jersey finally got a powerplay goal, something they have been lacking throughout all these playoffs. The penalty call on Willie Mitchell of the L.A Kings was a bad call, but in every game there are questionable calls what’s important is being able to capitalize on those opportunities when they are given to you. Third The Devil’s increased their physical play on the ice.  They out hit the Kings by a margin of 11 hits and they were able to get their bodies in the way of the LA shooters and passers. The Devils blocked a total of 20 shots! Which is almost equal to the 26 shots the Kings got on net. Which bring us to the last reason the Devils won the game. Martin Brodeur kept his team alive for most of the night. He stopped a number of breakaway chances and big moment scoring  chances by the Kings especially in the third period when the Devils only managed 3 shots on net and the Kings increasing pressure as he managed to make 25 out of 26 saves.  All these factors plus a lucky bounce for Salvador’s game winning goal contributed to a Game 5 Devils win.

Game 6 is tonight in LA and the Kings are looking to finally capture the cup while the Devils will be hoping for one more game in NJ.

Key factors for both teams will be :

New Jersey:
1) Martin Brodeur need to continue being spectacular. He has allowed 1 goal in each of the two devils wins, and has been the lifeline of the devils in clutch moments when they have been pushed against the wall by the Kings.

2) The devils need to carry over their powerplay success from last game into this game. The Devils were 0-2, 0-4, 0-6, and 0-3 in their first 4 games before being 1-2 in game 5. The Devils need to score first to have a stronger chance to win, and they can’t afford to not capitalize on these chances they are being given.

3) Maintain physical pressure in offensive and defensive zones. In the last two games the Devils had won more face-offs, out hit the devils and won the battle for the pucks, and have muscle guys off the puck in their defensive zones and have blocked more than half the total number of shots the Kings take.  If they keep playing this physical style they can negate the Kings offense and get ready for Game 7 in NJ.

LA
1) Just as the Devils main factor is Brodeur, the King’s need JonathanQuick to continue his game play. He has a 1.43 GAA and a .946% save percentage that lead the league in both categories and beat Broduer’s 2.00 GA and .922% save percentage. Those are staggering playoff numbers and the reason the Kings have gotten this far. If they want to win the Cup Quick will have to shine once again tonight.

2) LA’s captain Dustin Brown needs to find his scoring touch. He has 17 points in the playoffs, but record only 1 assist in this series. If the captain isn’t going that will affect the team.

3) Capitalize on breakaway and odd-man rushes. The Kings did this well in Games 1 and 2 in OT, but since then haven’t had much luck. They were able to split the Devil’s defense a couple of times in game 5 to get these chances only to be rejected by Brodeur. The Kings have the scoring ability but just like the Devils need to be able to finish on their powerplays to increase their chances of winning, the kings need to score on their breakaways and rushes to increase their chances of hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Prediction:

It will be another tightly fought contest and both goalies will shine.  However, in the end the Devils will get the bounce they need to put it away. 1-0 Devils final to force a game 7 Wednesday night in NJ.

Next is Anze Kopitar’s Because It’s The Cup ad.

Aside from that, I always thought of L.A. as a place for outdoor sports like surfing, beach volleyball, skateboarding, etc. so I was very surprised when I heard about the L.A. Kings and their prospects of winning the Stanley Cup. I had no idea L.A. had a hockey team, let alone a good one! Since I was introduced to hockey in St. Paul, Minnesota, I always associated the game with cold places and never imagined Angelenos would be excited about it.

I love watching hockey. It’s fast-paced, exciting, and I can understand what’s going on (it’s soccer on skates!) so it wasn’t hard to jump on the Kings bandwagon. Hopefully they’ll manage to do it on the 6th game of the playoffs and bring the much-coveted Stanley Cup to their adoring fans in Los Angeles.

Update: Monday, June 11, 2012

AND THEY WON!

We had two great sporting events going on simultaneously last night.
In one, the L.A. Kings tried to complete one of the most remarkable playoff runs to a championship of any sports team ever. They tried to win a Stanley Cup in front of their home fans, which is extremely cool and surprisingly rare.

Watching the Cup get skated around is one of my favorite moments in all of sports (see above video and try not to get goosebumps).

But alas, the bums from New Jersey (yes I’m still bitter over the Rangers’ defeat) stole a game and prevented an L.A. celebration.  It was, incredibly, only the third loss of the entire playoffs for the Kings.

It wasn’t that exciting of a game, to be frank, which is why I found myself watching much more of the second great sporting event last night.

I’ve had a man-crush on Kevin Durant since his transcendent freshman year at University of Texas; it was the single best season I’ve ever seen for a freshman. So it was great to see Durant, as nice and classy a kid as you’ll find in the NBA, lead his team to the NBA Finals for the first time, beating the San Antonio Spurs.

Truly amazing how fast this series turned; a week ago the Spurs had won a ridiculous 20 straight games and it seemed like nothing could stop them from winning the NBA title. And now a week later, they’re toast. Going home for the summer.

I don’t care if Miami or Boston wins the East, neither one of them is beating Oklahoma City. Great to see new teams step up and demand to be recognized, and I love seeing a talent like Durant getting to be on a national stage this spring.

And check out the cool video above at the :24 mark, when Durant walks over and hugs his Mom. So sweet.

**From something great to something that turned my stomach. Check this out: A high school senior in Ohio named Anthony Cornish has been denied a diploma he rightfully earned.

Why? Because Mt. Healthy High School officials said his family cheered too loud when his name was called at graduation.
Seriously, I’m not making this shit up. The school wants Cornish to do 20 hours of community service to make for the disruption caused by his family making too much noise when Cornish’s name was called.

I know this sounds like I made it up or stole it from The Onion, but click here for all the details (with video of the graduation).

What an absolute disgrace.

**Finally, I know it’s a Presidential election year, and I know candidates lie all the time, but this Mitt Romney whopper continues to piss me off. Here’s what he said the other day, brought to my attention by the great Andrew Sullivan’s blog:

“With America in crisis, with 23 million people out of work or stopped looking for work, he hasn’t put forth a plan to get us working again. Now I know we’re getting close to an election so he’ll come out with one soon, but three and a half years later, we’re waiting.”

Are you freaking kidding me, you pompous blowhard? How about TARP, and the jobs bill in January that your fellow Republicans kept voting down or even refused to debate in Congress?

Mitt Romney cannot be elected President. I keep telling myself no one this phony, this completely full of crap, could really lead the free world.

Then I remember W., and I start to shudder.

We’re all for honouring milestones of unelected figureheads of diminished empires who still adorn our currency, but the wall-to-wall coverage of the event in Vancouver’s daily papers struck us as a tad overkill, or as those quaint Brits would say, a smidgen of bluster, eh guv’ner? Or is that how chimney sweeps talk. Same diff, if you ask us.

We leafed through one newspaper’s commemorative tome, suffering carpal tunnel syndrome in the process. With five sections, 15 pages and countless images dedicated to Queen Elizabeth and all things royal, we were impressed the paper quelled the urge to rename itself The Daily Crumpet for the auspicious event.

Thankfully, Saturday has come and gone, we limited ourselves to only one blood sausage for breakfast and now we can get back to perusing media websites for what we and thousands of readers really come for: extensive and ongoing coverage of Paulina Gretzky’s revealing wardrobe.

k&k@vancourier.com
Twitter: @KudosKvetches

Goalie Jonathan Quick and winger Jeff Carter celebrate the Kings' win in Game 3. Photo: Los Angeles Kings.

They can only cram so many people, of course, into Staples Center for Game 4 today between the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings, with the puck dropping about 5:15 p.m.. But I’m guessing that interest in this afternoon’s game will draw a big crowd to L.A. Live and the surrounding area as it could be the last game of the 2011-12 season for both teams.

If that happens — and it’s a big ‘if’ and really shouldn’t be discussed further at the risk of angering the Hockey Gods — one of the teams will earn a trophy.

Which is all a long way of saying: Take Metro Rail to the big game tonight. The Blue Line and Expo Line both stop two blocks from Staples Center (the Pico Station) and the Red/Purple Line subway at 7th and Figueroa, where you can transfer to the Blue or Expo lines or enjoy an easy stroll to Staples.

For those new to the Metro Rail system, here’s the skinny:

Need to plan your transit trip? Try Metro’s Trip Planner or Google Transit.

•The new Expo Line runs from the La Cienega/Jefferson station to 7th/Metro Center at the intersection of Figueroa and 7th streets, with a stop at Pico — two short blocks from L.A. Live and Staples Center. There is free parking available at the Metro garage at La Cienega/Jefferson, as well as many paid parking options at Exposition Park. Timetable and parking info

•The Red Line subway runs from North Hollywood to Union Station. There is free parking at the North Hollywood station, Universal City station and numerous paid parking lots around stations in Hollywood. There is also paid parking at Union Station — it’s $6 for the day. Timetable and parking info.

•The Orange Line busway runs between Warner Center and the North Hollywood Red Line station and has free parking in several lots. Timetable and parking info

•The Blue Line runs between downtown Long Beach and 7th/Metro Center at 7th and Figueroa, with a stop at Pico, two short blocks from L.A. and Staples Center. There are free parking lots along the route, as well as paid parking in downtown Long Beach. Timetable and parking info

•The Green Line runs between Redondo Beach and Norwalk and offers transfers to the Blue Line. There is also free parking at several lots at stations. Timetable and parking info

•The Gold Line runs to Union Station from both Pasadena and East Los Angeles. There are several free parking lots or garages along the route, as well as street parking and paid parking in downtown Pasadena. Timetable and parking info.

•Metrolink and Amtrak trains serve Union Station, with connections to the Red/Purple Line subway to reach downtown L.A. destinations. Metrolink has service on the Antelope Valley, San Bernardino and Orange County lines on Sundays. Metrolink schedules and Amtrak.com

A single ride on Metro Rail is $1.50; tickets are available at ticket vending machines at all rail stations. If you need to transfer, the best choice is a day pass for $5, also available at all ticket vending machines. Fares can also be stored on electronic TAP cards, which cost $2 and are available at all ticket machines.

On the go and need rail and bus arrival/departure times from your current location? Try Metro’s new app for smartphones. Android version and iPhone version

]]> http://beyondthehockeystars.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/l-a-kings-win-game-3/ Wed, 06 Jun 2012 02:27:33 +0000 Kristin http://beyondthehockeystars.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/l-a-kings-win-game-3/ The L.A. Kings have thankfully won Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, leading the series 3-0. They won last night’s game 4-0, with goals by Martinez, Kopitar, Carter and Williams.

I started liking the L.A. Kings when I discovered the amazingness that is Jonathan Quick. It was, I believe, January or February. I was sitting in the middle of the couch watching the L.A. Kings face off against the San Jose Sharks, I think. I was just sitting there, mouth open like a fish, not believing how good a goalie could be. Jonathan Quick deserves every single award. He’s a machine with one goal in mind: the Stanley Cup. And now look! He, along with the L.A. Kings, are one game away, hopefully, to winning the cup!

I’m so glad they’ve made it this far. Whatever happens on Wednesday, whether they win or lose, I’m proud of how far they’ve come. They haven’t lost one away game. They’ve breezed through Round 1, 2, and 3. They’re the true underdogs. They have proven they belong in the Stanley Cup Finals.

But there is still the New Jersey Devils. They have proven to be a team with a solid goaltender, solid forwards and a solid defensive line. I’m not a fan of the Devils myself but they’re a worthy opponent and they’ve made it this far. Nobody should count them out. With the experienced Marty Brodeur in between the posts, the Devils have an edge. They also have some of the biggest and most underrated players in the league including Kovalchuk and Parise. The Devils can do it. If they forget about the loss from yesterday’s game, they have the ability to win the series.

The Kings have won 14 of 16 playoff games and find themselves two wins away from hoisting the Stanley Cup. So the Finals is all but over right? Wrong. This is sports and there is a reason that we play them. The Devils are very close to getting one win and completely changing the dynamic of this series.

The Kings have lost only two games all playoffs long, both of them at home, both of them while up 3 games to none. So what happens to this young Kings team if they lose tonight? Get put back on their heels for the very first time this entire playoffs. What happens if the Kings go into game 4 with only a one game lead and the bright lights of LA and the bright lights of the finals shining down on them?  The Devils are hoping that maybe they can be the first team to test the Kings, put some pressure on them for the first time since the playoffs started.  Make them rethink their “immortality,” make them have a fraction of doubt.  Sometimes, that is all is needed for a team to collapse and I think this is a very good possibility for the Kings.

The first two games were ugly games, no doubt about that.  Neither team played the way they should and converted the way they should’ve.  The Kings were lucky to get out of New Jersey with two wins.  One or two bounces and it could have easily been the Devils going to LA with two wins.  Game one was a wash, neither team should’ve won that game but someone has to and the Kings did with Kopitar’s breakaway in the first overtime.  But game 2 as much different.  Game 2 was the Devils game, they controlled play, had lots of chances and had the home crowd behind them.  The crowd at the Rock let so many “oohs” and “ahhs” out as the Devils came close to scoring numerous times.

The Kings only goal in regulation was a weak lazy play by the entire Devils team and you can imagine with their backs against the wall more than ever, something like that will not happen again. Brodeur was his usual self in net in game 2. When the lights shine brightest is when he brings is best game and that has been true his entire career and you can imagine it will be the same tonight and for the rest of the series.  Kovalchuk has been almost non existent this entire series after having a great first 3, so expect him to step up his game tonight. When Kovalchuk steps up, so does the rest of the team.  Not only do they step up but they have more chances, more lanes open up, more rebounds and more chances for Quick to make a mistake.  For anyone that thinks this series is over, think again.  This series is just getting started and I think everyone is going to see that tonight.

The New Jersey Devils now trail the L.A Kings by two games after Jeff Carter scored with 6:18 remaining in overtime on Saturday night to give LA its second straight 2-1 OT win.

After last night the L.A. Kings are now 10-0 on the road this postseason. Furthermore, they are 4-0 in OT and will have the chance to possibly sweep the New Jersey Devils and capture their first Stanley Cup at home with wins in Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, in California, a state where the Devils are 0-3 all time in the final round.

Game 2 was a must win for New Jersey who failed to convert on several chances to win the game including a shot by Ilya Kovalchuk who rung a shot off the crossbar behind Jonathan Quick after he stole the puck in the slot. For the second straight game The Devils blew their scoring chances—except for Ryan Carter’s third-period deflection. Just like in their series against the New York Rangers low scoring one goal games proved to be their undoing.

Down 2-0 History isn’t exactly on the Devils’ side. Teams dropping the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals in the last 11 years have gone 2-9 in those series. However, Boston rewrote history last year after also losing both games by a difference of one-goals in Vancouver.

Unfortunately, the 2011 Canucks aren’t playing like this years Kings. L.A. has a perfect record on the road, has a defense that dismantled the offense of the top 3 seeds, forechecks very well and has a netminder whose .947 save percentage and 1.44 Goals against average ranks 1st in the playoffs. Factor in that they have only lost twice and haven’t trailed a single series and you have an almost unstoppable team.

Game 3 will be on Monday in LA. The Devils will need to find a way to re-energize their offense the way they did against the defense-minded New York Rangers if they don’t want to fall down 3-0 and at risk of being swept. For starters they need to screen Jonathan Quick. They need to make life difficult for him. The most likely way they are going to get goals against this goalie is either through deflections or dirty rebound goals. Secondly, the devil’s forwards need to be able to hang onto the puck better and stop turning over the puck. They had 10 giveaways in game 1 and 7 giveaways in game 2 while the Kings only had 1 giveaway the entire game. If they can hold onto the puck and screen the goalie they will be able to set up and hopefully have goals.

And on a final note. . . . .

Penncakes anyone ?  A buddy of mine came up with that term in reference to Dustin Penner ( Ask any Kings fan about the pancake story and Dustin Penner. . . )  Great time to be an L.A. sports fan huh  ?  Go Dodgers  !!!  And of course. . . GO! KINGS! GO!  2 More ’till Lord Stanley comes to L.A.  !!!

The L.A. Kings did it again, win on the road, and win game one. This win moves the eighth seed in the west to 9-0 on the road these playoffs.  The Devils felt going into this game they could be the first ones to knock the Kings off…while at home…but they were wrong.

Some may have expected the Kings to come out slow due to the long layoff, but it looked like the Devils who had the layoff as they were sluggish, slow, and could not get many shots off for a majority of the first period.  The Kings were the ones that came out fast and were able to get on the Devils by forcing a bad turnover in the Devil’s zone and scored first.  The Devils did eventually start to get it going and it started on the power play where they recorded two shots, both which were saved by Quick but they were no easy task for him.  The Devils were able to get a bit of momentum back and even up the shots at five before the period ended.

The second was the same story as the Kings held the Devils to zero shots for over half the period. Zubrus took an elbowing penalty and I think all Devil’s fans held their breath as they saw the way the game was going, however, killing off that penalty gave the Devils some extra legs. The Devils were able to get some pressure but it was not until Quick had a tussle with Parise in his own crease, one that resulted in Quicks arm being in the back of Parise’s helmet and taking it off while Parise was pinned that the Devils really got some momentum.  After that play the crowd and the team seemed to get more into it as the place got loud and the Devils got fast. Ripping shots and banging at rebounds the Devils finally got a goal and fully put the Devils in the driver seat but just then, the period ended, and the Kings could not have been happier it ended when it did.

The third period was probably the most even of the game as both teams had plenty of chances to win the game but both goalies came up with big saves.  Brodeur had a sequence where he made 3 or 4 big saves in a matter of minutes one where he stacked his pads and got the entire crowd loud and on their feet.  Parise was actually able to score but it was with his hand so the goal was not allowed, a good call by the referee.

Overtime was back and forth as it usually is since both teams are desperately trying to finish the other off.  About half way through the period Kopitar was released on a wide open breakway by a beautiful pass from Williams and Kopitar did not miss to get his seventh of the playoffs and to give the Kings a 1-0 series lead.

The Kings certainly did not play as well as they have all playoffs long but they played good enough. The Devils had a few wide open nets, two missed by Clarkson and one by Fayne in the third which could have proved to be the game winner if either could have put them home.  Plenty of bodies were being thrown and plenty of back and forth hockey as it was an exciting game from start to finish.  The Kings get the best of the Devils in game one but I fully expect the Devils to take game two. Why? Because it’s the cup, and neither team is going down without a fight.  Game 2 is on Saturday, in New Jersey at 8pm EST.

Devils in 7

Christopher George Emrich: Born and Raised in Voorheesville, New York. A crazed Montreal Canadiens fan and current season ticket holder. Favorite players include Pacioretty, Subban, Price, and Gorges. Proud Providence College alum alongside Hal Gill, Mark Fayne, and Lou Lamoriello. Firar 4 Ever!

 Devils in 7!

The Central Pacific and Union Pacific meet at Promontory Point, Utah, in 1869. Photo: U.S. National Archives.

TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD: There’s a good exhibit at the Huntington Library though July 23 on the planning and construction of the 1,776-mile railroad between Sacramento and Council Bluffs, Nebraska.

To be more specific, that’s 1,776 miles of rail built between 1863 and 1869. To put that in perspective, it took about five years to build the first phase of the Expo Line between downtown L.A. and Culver City. The planning process for both the Westside Subway Extension and Regional Connector took about five years and was recently completed. The 1.9-mile Connector is scheduled to open in 2019 and the first 3.9 miles of the Westside Subway to La Cienega is targeted for a 2020 opening.

Hmmm.The above numbers don’t exactly suggest we’re building things faster these days, eh?

Of course, the Transcontinental Railroad didn’t just happen in six years. There was talk of it going back to the 1830s, many different routes were explored and advocated and the project was only made possible with massive federal help in the form of money and property grants as well as cheap labor.

Workplace safety — or the lack thereof — was not much of a concern and an unknown number of immigrant and minority workers died building the railroad. Not-in-my-backyarders along the route — i.e. Native Americans — were killed or cruelly relocated. The Union Pacific was driven to bankruptcy in the Credit Mobilier scandal, causing great harm to the American economy for years. In the rush to get the project done, much of the work was sloppy and had to be re-done.

Still, the project was finished and by the early 1870s a trip that once required weeks or months to get from one side of America to the other was reduced to as little as four days.

Back to the big question: Are we a lesser nation now because of the time it takes to plan and build transit projects? I think so.

Funding is a constant issue, of course. The other problem is the exhaustive environmental impact studies required under state and/or federal law for most projects. Would the Transcontinental Railroad have been built if the railroads had to study “growth inducing impacts? — which was exactly the point of the endeavor.  And is it really necessary in the modern era to try to calculate how many vehicle miles won’t be driven if such-and-such project is built? And isn’t that also beside the point, given that the very premise of public transit is to simply provide an alternative to driving?

Look, people. A project’s impacts on citizens and natural resources should absolutely be studied, whether it’s a planned clear-cut in a national forest or a local light rail project. At some point, however, unless these studies are reigned in, we’ll be stuck in paralysis-by-analysis mode, never actually building anything because there will always be someone asking for more study. There has to be a way to compress the planning process and inform the public on the impacts of a project and the expected mitigations.

I’m not sure you can say the Transcontinental Railroad reflected the best of American ideals. I do think it’s fair to say that it still was quite an achievement and one that should raise this question: have we become a nation of planners rather than doers?

(Note: The Huntington is not super convenient to mass transit, situated in a residential neighborhood in San Marino. It is, however, a short 1.5-mile bike ride from the Gold Line’s Allen station or, a little farther, from the Fillmore station. The nearest bus line is 78/79/378, which stops at Huntington Drive and Sierra Madre Boulevard, about a .5-mile walk uphill to the Oxford and Stratford entrance to the Huntington. The 264/267 stops at Del Mar and Allen, about a mile north of the Huntington).

MEASURE R EXTENSION: The Metro Board’s discussion of a possible Measure R extension didn’t happen at last week’s meeting because several other items ran long and a quorum was lost.

That means the discussion will occur in June on whether to ask Los Angeles County voters to extend Measure R to accelerate transit and road projects. If the Board should decide to put the issue to voters in this November’s election, they would need to act by their July meeting.

EXPO LINE’S ONE-MONTH ANNIVERSARY: Regular service began a month ago today. I’m curious to hear observations from readers who have using the line on a regular basis. Use the comment board please.

On a related note, we should know soon when the line will open to Culver City. Stay tuned on that one.

STANLEY CUP PREDICTION: Kings in five games, with many Kings fans using Metro to reach Games 3 and 4 at Staples Center.

Here’s video of the Kings playing the Blackhawks in Oct. 1967 in their first season in the NHL.