Sports
Kings' top line is one of the NHL's best scoring trios. So why don't they have a nickname?
What’s in a name? Sometimes a lot.
No one, after all, has ever given a nickname to a bunch of guys who hit .225 or a team that finished in the middle of the standings. But do something special and with flair and people start calling you Magic, The Hammer or The Great One.
Hockey was once at the forefront of this naming ritual, with the tradition of stamping memorable monikers on the sport’s most productive scoring lines dating to the 1920s and the New York Ranger threesome of Bun Cook, Frank Boucher and Bill Cook, collectively known as the “A Line” after the subway line that ran under Madison Square Garden.
The names could sometimes get creative, as with the Vancouver Canucks’ “Mattress Line,” which included two twins (Daniel and Henrik Sedin) and a king (center Jason King) and the Buffalo Sabres’ “French Connection” of French-Canadians Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert. Or sometimes ridiculous, as with the “Trio Grande Line” of Clark Gilles, Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy, which took the New York Islanders to four straight Stanley Cup titles.
Which brings us to the Kings’ current top line of left wing Andrei Kuzmenko, center Anze Kopitar and right wing Adrian Kempe. It has set no records and won no Stanley Cups; in fact, it hasn’t even clinched a playoff berth, although that will happen shortly.
But since coming together a month ago, when general manager Rob Blake acquired Kuzmenko from the Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline, the threesome has become one of the hottest trios in the NHL ahead of the Kings’ showdown with the Edmonton Oilers at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.
After getting six or more goals in a game four times in the first 60 games, the Kings did it four times in the next 13 with Kuzmenko. Scoring overall has risen nearly a goal a game and the team has lost just three times in its last 15 games, putting it on pace to open the Stanley Cup playoffs at home, where they have the best record in the Western Conference.
And that has sparked a question: what should the line be called?
“Hadn’t even thought about it,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said.
“It’s not really on the front burner,” added Glen Murray, the Kings director of player development “I haven’t really thought about it a lot.”
OK, so maybe it’s not a burning question. But there are some candidates just the same.
“AK,” Kopitar said. “That’s what I’m going for.”
Kings forward Andrei Kuzmenko celebrates after scoring against the Winnipeg Jets on April 1.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
That one is solid because it works on two levels, using each players’ initials but also highlighting the fact they all have a strong shot.
Patrick O’Neal, who hosts the “LA Kings Live” pregame and postgame shows on FanDuel West, likes Special K. Simple but elegant.
Then there’s the “AAA Line,” inspired by each player’s first initial and the fact that, like the auto club, the line is dependable and the Kings trust it will get them where they want to go.
The odds that any of those will catch on are long since the prevalence of assigning nicknames to top NHL lines has faded in recent years, robbing the game of some of its fun. With line pairings jumbled and players traded so frequently in modern hockey, it has become difficult for fans and the media to develop an association with particular combinations. At the same time, the rise of data and analytics has shifted the focus from the collective performance of a group of players, such as a line, to the performance of individuals.
Murray, who skated on the Boston Bruins’ imposing “700-pound Line,” a name inspired by the collective weight of the three players, said the absence of nicknames doesn’t necessarily represent progress.
“It’s too bad,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with coming up for a name for a line that’s just been put together.”
Hiller believes nicknames can be useful in developing an identity and esprit de corps for young players, who are typically lacking both. But it’s not really necessary on a line centered by someone such as Kopitar, who is fourth among active players in games played.
“For some young players, maybe,” he said. “I’ve seen it when three young players get together and they have energy and stuff like that. But I’m not sure there’s too much that’s going to get Kopi going in a different direction at this stage of his career.”
In any case, it wasn’t a nickname that turned the Kings’ line around but rather the addition of Kuzmenko on the left side.
“It took a few games to kind of understand how Kuzy plays. But they’re dangerous,” Murray said. “This guy is Uber talented. He can make plays all over the ice and it’s fun to watch. The enthusiasm that Kuzy has for the game, it just oozes out and it goes in Kempe and Kopi.”
Into Blake as well. Rumors ahead of the trade deadline linked the Kings to a number of high-profile targets including Pittsburgh’s Rickard Rakell. Chicago’s Ryan Donato and San José’s Luke Kunin. So when Blake settled on Kuzmenko, who scored 39 goals in his rookie season with Vancouver in 2022-23 then spent the next two seasons shuffling among four teams, the news underwhelmed.
Kuzmenko, however, has overdelivered, collecting four goals and six assists in 15 games. As a result, the trade has proven to be among the most consequential in the Western Conference, reinvigorating a team that saw a season-long five-game losing streak end in Kuzmenko’s debut.
“The way he celebrates his goals, it’s like the last one he’s ever going to score,” Murray said of Kuzmenko. “It gives you a little energy, right? They know they’re going to be a threat.”
The question now is what should they be called?
“The playoffs are coming up,” Murray said. “Having this new line, coming up with a unique name for it, I think it’ll just come one day.
“I love it. It makes it fun, too.”
Sports
Fever coach Stephanie White reveals she was fined over apparent criticism of WNBA officiating
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Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White didn’t mince words when sharing her thoughts on officiating in the WNBA, which followed Saturday’s game where Caitlin Clark suffered a quad injury that will sideline the star guard for at least two weeks.
Apparently those strong remarks landed White in some trouble with the league.
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White gives her team direction during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Atlanta Dream, Thursday, May, 22, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
After the Fever suffered a disappointing loss against the Washington Mystics in the team’s first game without Clark, White was asked during the postgame presser whether she believed the league needed to step in to protect top players from “intentionally rough play.”
“Obviously, I think we can get better in certain areas as far as how we call the game, consistency with how we call the game. . . . Are we going to say that we want a free-flowing offensive game, or are we going to have tough, grind-out physical games? And whatever way it is, the players will adjust and coaches will adjust but we can’t have it be one way one quarter and another way another quarter.”
She continued, “I don’t think collectively as a whole the league has to step in and do something, I just think that there has to be some improvements in certain areas.”
But when pushed further on what those areas might be, White revealed that her previous remarks – likely those on Saturday night – resulted in her receiving a fine.
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White looks up on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (IMAGN)
INDIANA FEVER SUFFER WORST LOSS OF THE SEASON IN CAITLIN CLARK’S FIRST MISSED GAME OF CAREER
“Are we trying to get me fined again? Because I did just get fined,” she said with a smirk.
White did not elaborate further, but the fine likely stemmed from her comments following Saturday’s loss to the New York Liberty.
“I think it’s pretty egregious what’s been happening to us the last four games, you know, a minus-31 free throw discrepancy,” White said, adding she believed Clark was fined in the play of the game. “And I might be able to understand it if we were just chucking 3s. But we’re not. We’re attacking the rim and the disrespect right now for our team has been pretty unbelievable.”
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark talks with head coach Stephanie White before the game against the Washington Mystics at Entertainment & Sports Arena on May 28, 2025. (Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images)
White said Monday that she was not sure when Clark sustained the injury exactly.
“Sometimes great players don’t tell you when they’re hurting,” she said. “I’m glad that she did because we need to nip this in the bud.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Charlie Woods has taken a big first step out of his father’s immense shadow in the golfing world.
The 16-year-old son of golf legend Tiger Woods made a huge statement this week by winning the American Junior Golf Association’s Team TaylorMade Invitational at Streamsong Resort in Bowling Green, Fla. He shot a 15-under-par 201 (70-65-66) to finish three shots ahead of a trio of players tied for second place.
“Being able to say to myself that I’ve won in an absolutely amazing event and to say I preformed under some high, high pressure situations is just huge going forward,” Charlie Woods said afterward, “because I haven’t been able to say that I have done that. And now that I can, it is just a big thing for my mental game going forward.”
Currently ranked as the No. 609 boys junior player in the U.S., Woods is expected to move into the top 20 next week, after topping a 71-player field that featured four golfers who currently rank in the AJGA’s top five. That includes top-ranked Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., who finished six shots behind Woods and in seventh place with a nine-under 207.
Playing in his first AJGA invitational, Woods finished the event with 26 birdies — the most ever at an AJGA Invitational, based on information available to the organization — to go with one eagle. He was tied for 14th place after Monday’s opening round but had pulled into a tie for second going into Wednesday’s final round.
“I didn’t look at the leaderboard once today,” said Woods, who gained fully exempt AJGA status with his victory.
A sophomore at Benjamin School in Palm Beach, Fla., Woods finished tied for 25th at the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley (a tournament that counts toward the AJGA rankings but is not an AJGA-sanctioned event) in March.
He and his father have competed in the parent-child PNC Championship every December since 2020. They finished as runners-up in 2021 and 2024, with Charlie Woods notching his first hole-in-one at the most recent event.
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In his first meeting with reporters this year, Caleb Williams immediately addressed “what everybody would love to ask about.”
Earlier this month, it was revealed Williams had preferred going to Minnesota and even tried to avoid getting drafted by the Chicago Bears, who eventually selected him No. 1 overall.
Williams admitted the story had become a “distraction” and felt it was important to talk about the circumstances.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams passes the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at Soldier Field. (Daniel Bartel/Imagn Images)
The second-year quarterback didn’t exactly deny what was said in the book, “but something that keeps getting lost and not being addressed is the fact that” he “wanted to come” to Chicago after visiting with them, which he did after his meeting with the Vikings.
Williams said his “thoughts” about the Bears were “fair,” considering “there hasn’t been a 4,000-yard passer.” Williams’ 4,030 total yards were the most by a Bears quarterback ever.
“But I came here on a visit, and it’s a challenge to be able to try to turn around. And that was the main goal of all of that. Through all of what happened last year and in previous years, I think that was enticing,” Williams added.
“That was something that was glaring to me. I wanted to come here and be the guy and be a part and be a reason why the Chicago Bears turn this thing around. That last thing that was said in all of that, I think, is the most important thing is that I wanted to be here. I love being here.”
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams sits on the bench in the closing minutes of a game. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
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Williams even name-dropped Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron, the since-fired head coach and offensive coordinator, as those he was thankful for.
Former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson became the Bears’ new head coach this offseason. It was a move Williams was “extremely excited” about, to the point he even thanked Bears brass in a phone call.
“Then once I got off the phone, I was driving on the highway, and I don’t know if it was safe or not, but I gave a loud yell and scream of just excitement,” Williams said at the time of the hiring.
“It brings a bunch of clarity to the offseason. It brings a bunch of different things to the offseason. I’m really excited about the Bears and being able to make this happen. And keep Ben Johnson as our coach for a long time.”
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams calls a play at the line of scrimmage during the first half of a game against the Tennessee Titans Sept. 8, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Williams got some additional help in the NFL Draft when Chicago drafted Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick.
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