Pranksters in Crime: Cammalleri and Kostopoulus With some Trade Talk on the Side

[Carla Muller]

Last weekend, in XM’s Saturday show, “Live from Wayne Gretzkys”, Tom Kostopoulos came on to talk about his season with the Canadiens, life in the NHL and some dirt since he is known as a prankster.

Lucky for me, I had my Dictaphone with me and taped it for everyone’s mutual enjoyment – especially since the examples he gave were from when he was with the Kings. (He did say that as to the Canadiens, he would never try a prank on Koivu – something to the effect of he would never go there with his Captain.)

While there are current doubts as to how good a teammate Cammalleri actually is and how long he will remain a King (fans want to clock it through the draft – the Kings are silent on the matter). Once upon a time, Cammalleri and Kostopoulos pulled a sweet prank on Crawford and Cammalleri got Kostopoulos pretty good.

Enjoy:

“Two summers ago, Marc Crawford gets hired as the coach of L.A. and I (Kostopoulos) get a call on my cell phone. “Hi Tom, this is Marc Crawford. I am calling I just wanted to talk to you a little bit about the year and stuff...” (Tom responds) “Hi Marc, how is it going?” I am trying to be nice, talk to him, have a good voice, trying to turn down my car radio. I pull over. So we talk, and he is asking me about the players, their training, my training, my role, where I think I should play. (We) have a 20 minute conversation. Just when I am about to ask another question, he starts laughing his head off! (I ask) “What is so funny Marc?” Mike Cammalleri was on the other end laughing. (He says to Tom) … “You’re an idiot.” (Tom continues) I was just laughing it up.

“When we got back to camp that year that got around the room pretty quickly. It was funny. I had to laugh it up. He had me going for a good 20 minutes on the phone so it was pretty good.”

As to one of Kostopoulos’ physical pranks:

“One practice, we all know how particular Marc Crawford is about his hair. He has a bottle of gel right beside his gloves that he has at every practice. His hair his perfectly spiked. It never moves.”

“One day a few of us switched the gel for shampoo. We forgot about it because we hadn’t been home for awhile. We hadn’t practiced at home. We come home from a road trip and we went out for practice and his (Crawford)’s hair was flat to his head. None of us picked up on it. So he comes out and he tells us the first couple drills and all of us are chuckling because of his hair but we don’t realize how it happened.”

“We go through all practice laughing and laughing about his hair. After practice he comes up and says, ‘The So and So that put shampoo in my gel …#%!@!!!’ I was dying laughing. It was pretty funny.”

My Take:

Speaking solely for myself, I knew Crawford and referee, Kerry Fraser, were probably considered some of the most particular about their hair in the NHL. As to Crawford, who knew that he kept gel with him at all times…. Egad!!

Anyway, with all the seriousness of my blogs from the Town Hall Meeting, I wanted to provide a bit of levity.

Question of the Day:

Near all fans see Cammalleri gone. That is a no brainer about if, the only question is when. After him, who is the next King(s) you want gone, and what do you realistically think any King will bring in return?

As to Eklund's source and rumors about Spezza and Pitkanen, I don’t see either happening. The former makes $8 million per year and those dollars are reserved for Kopitar and Johnson’s extensions. As to the latter, no way do the Kings give him the $5 million per annum he is demanding. It makes no long term cap sense.

Have at it!

Carla Muller

Carla.hockeygal@att.net

[wngr2552]

I heard this Sat. coming home from the round table.
I was laughing so hard when I heard this!

I would have LOVED to seen Crawfords hair not stand up

Edit: Hubby and I are two of those fans that would LOVE to see Cammy *coughpuckhogcough* gone.
We are like we dont care where he goes as long as long as he is gone

[Carla Muller]

Originally Posted by wngr2552

I heard this Sat. coming home from the round table. I was laughing so hard when I heard this! I would have LOVED to seen Crawfords hair not stand up

Me too!! (I never would have guessed he had hair gel with him at all times, though. )

Originally Posted by wngr2552

Hubby and I are two of those fans that would LOVE to see Cammy *coughpuckhogcough* gone.
We are like we dont care where he goes as long as long as he is gone

We are all of like minds! (Just go.... )

[Royal P.I.T.A.]

Originally Posted by CarlaMuller

Near all fans see Cammalleri gone. That is a no brainer about if, the only question is when.

That's the problem right there Carla... fans see him gone.

[Carla Muller]

Originally Posted by Royal P.I.T.A.

That's the problem right there Carla... fans see him gone.

For some reason today, my brain is on slow-mode, are you saying that the fans want him out but the Kings don't? If so, that could very likely be the case. If he leaves for nothing after next season, that would be a real waste of an asset. I just don't see him re-signing.

[TONGA]

C. Bloggy Blog needs to get a jobby job.

Cammy can go for the first large, mobile defenseman that comes along, I'll throw in a bag of pucks.

[Carla Muller]

Originally Posted by TONGA

C. Bloggy Blog needs to get a jobby job.

Huh?

[TONGA]

Originally Posted by CarlaMuller

Huh?

YouTube - snoop - gin and juice

YouTube - snoop - gin and juice

[Carla Muller]

Originally Posted by TONGA

You Tube Clip of Someone Not Working

I will say to you in this thread the same thing I said the prior time we had this exchange. Since you are a moderator on this site, some respect is due since I am an invited blogger/guest at letsgokings.com. As for employment, I am an employed successful attorney.

[For the record, I am up to the task of whatever you want to throw my way, but I know I shouldn't have to and won't. So if this is doing something for you.... that would be a reflection on you and just you.]

[TONGA]

Originally Posted by CarlaMuller

I will say to you in this thread the same thing I said the prior time we had this exchange. Since you are a moderator on this site, some respect is due since I am an invited blogger/guest at letsgokings.com. As for employment, I am an employed successful attorney.

[For the record, I am up to the task of whatever you want to throw my way, but I know I shouldn't have to and won't. So if this is doing something for you.... that would be a reflection on you and just you.]

I'm just saying that anyone that thinks that some online written piece inspired a team to victory needs to have a little air let out of their balloon once in a while. As for my respect, it is earned not given just because you show up ask Jack Johnson Fan. While a lot of the board was on his jock because he knows Jack personally I gave him no slack whatsoever. Either way this sounds more like a YOU problem than a ME problem, you're the one putting yourself out there on "the most active hockey rumor site in the world" or whatever you called it in the last exchange.

I'll let you be for now, but big brother is always watching.

[King Ludwig]

Let's see...I don't KNOW who I want to see gone...

*coughDANBEACHBALLCLOUTIERcough*

As for Cammy...if he can bring us a decent defensive defenseman in return...THEN I wouldn't mind seeing him gone... I won't have any bad feelings towards him as he'd actually be doing something to benefit the team...

[Royal P.I.T.A.]

Originally Posted by CarlaMuller

For some reason today, my brain is on slow-mode, are you saying that the fans want him out but the Kings don't? If so, that could very likely be the case. If he leaves for nothing after next season, that would be a real waste of an asset. I just don't see him re-signing.

I can't speak as to the Kings intentions but I think that lends to my point. In the Kings staff, we have a very candid group who are very outspoken and forthright. The ONLY time we've heard of them speak of Cammellari in a unfavorable way was during or pertaining to the arbitration, which would be the job of the organization; to point out that players flaws. (Of course I may have missed something, and I'm more than positive that someone here at LGK will remind me of it if I did.) So in saying that, your statement that "nearly all fans see him gone" in the manner it was presented seemed as if factual, when it's nothing more than the contemplations of a few arm-chair GM's and numerous fans who are for unrealistic reasons bitter with Cammellari due to the arbitration case.

I don't think he's gone. I think if he stays it will probably be at a higher number than will make anyone around here happy. I think hes an integral part of the core of this team, however I'll agree that no one is "untouchable" for the right deal. I think he knows the team is about to turn a corner and he wants to stay.

However all of that holds as much water as me or anyone else saying he's gone on draft day (Which by the way would be foolish after the season he had last year) or at the trade deadline.

[KINGSFAN1]

Lmfaooo..................

[Carla Muller]

Originally Posted by KINGSFAN1

Lmfaooo..................

Thank you!!!! I was beginning to wonder if the humor that transmitted over radio just didn't transfer at all to the written word.