6 Keys to Surviving and Thriving at Tip-A-King 2018

New year, several new players, new Tip-A-King!
Thanks to so many changes since last season, it turns out that our tips from 2017 don't totally apply anymore. We crashed the LA Kings' party again this year, and we've got new rules. Let's count them:

1. The Early Bird Gets All The Behind the Scenes Action

With Tip-A-King held outside this year, the players had to walk through the same area as fans who bought the VIP experience to reach the Kings' crew tent. This meant that people with early entry were among their favorite guys as soon as they entered the event. Watching everyone double take as they realized, yes, that was Tyler Toffoli or Anze Kopitar walking by them made for plenty of quality reaction moments.
It also means we all had an opportunity to see our favorite Kings' players pause to orient themselves as well.

Right after this photo, Dustin Brown took a moment to wrangle a troop of children that presumably belonged to him and directed them elsewhere. Please note his largest son, Drew Doughty, also in the background. He followed, too.
Every player is noticeable during Tip-A-King simply because they're taller than almost everyone. One or two of the Chicago Blackhawks even cut through the area to get out of dodge after stealing a win right from the Kings' hands.
You literally never know who you'll see, so:
From there, if you want to talk to Kopitar, Doughty or Jonathan Quick, get in their lines first. That hasn't changed since last year. They stay busy the entire night, and you'll have the longest waits for them. This year, Jeff Carter was ONLY available prior to general admission. He made an early exit for medical maintenance as the Kings organization makes sure he stays healthy. But, his line would've been long the entire time, too, if he'd been able to stick around.
On the bright side, while you wait in those longer lines you might get to see the coaches have a little fun with the players.

Then, once you get the signatures and photos from the core guys, you can coast through every other table efficiently.
Look at that winning face! We can't wait to tell kids in 30 years that we once exhaled carbon dioxide with Kopitar at the same time.

2. Reach Enlightenment With Puppies

The players aren't the only breed of celebrity at Tip-A King. Bark Madness has turned the players' dogs into small, furry stars in their own right.
In years past, fans could spend tips on an opportunity to pet and smooch Gustl Kopitar and leave with a copy of the We Are All K-9s calendar. This year, fans got double their money's worth with the chance to hang out with Lily and Lulu Muzzin.

Check out their regal gazes! Pet their soft, soft fur! Be overcome by how cute, chill, well trained and wonderful they are!
…maybe be TOO overcome with how wonderful they are.

What can we say ... after the frustrating loss earlier at the hands of the Blackhawks, we really needed some sweet dog therapy. Tip well spent.

3. Achieve Your Memes

An important thing to know about us is that we adore the affectionate, running Derek Forbort memes posted to the Kings' Instagram story this season.

Obviously this meant we had to take the opportunity to meet our personal hero of the night.

Derek Forbort for The Bachelor, to be honest.
The second important thing to know about us is that we've been rooting for Trevor Lewis to exceed his career highs this season and score 20 goals. If Tip-A-King is the only chance for fans to ask their most pressing questions, then we knew we couldn't waste the opportunity. The one problem with our hopes for Lewis is he can't accomplish them while he's injured, so why not scoop the reporters?
Our exchange went like this:

From the man himself, folks. Succinct. Eloquent. Trevor Lewis.

4. Dress Warm! No, Warmer Than That

Once the sun set, the temperature dropped and the B plot of Tip-A-King became seeing who could stick it out and who needed to cling to their patio heat lamp.

The real MVP.
Early in the evening, Quick tried to shrug off the chill. "You forget where we're from," he told some people in line with us. But he later had his hoodie pulled up very 8-mile style - his palms are chilly, knees cold, arms are shivering.

Kopitar kept his heater at a distance, but Doughty had his practically on top of him, Andy Andreoff hid in his sleeves, and Alec Martinez picked up little hand warmers between every signing. Torrey Mitchell kept it very real when we got the chance to meet him and Tanner Pearson.
"How are you guys doing?"
"We're cold."

A picture is worth a thousand words about freezing outside.
Survive the cold and save a few tips for the end of the night. As Tip-A-King winds down, items in the garage sale get discounted. If there's a surplus of goodie bags and food, fans who linger can nab a bunch of extras for the road.
Meanwhile, the coaches basically started rigging their spin-the-wheel game and gave us mystery bags of swag no matter what we landed on.

If you have additional questions for players, this is also the time when the lines for most of the players - excluding Kopitar, Quick and Doughty - start to thin. Use an extra tip to talk to them again or have something else signed.
Tip-A-King is obviously a chance for folks to meet and chat with the team they watch for 82 games a year, but it's also a great opportunity for fans to meet with and share stories with each other. If you've ever encountered the glazed look of disinterest from non-hockey friends as you talk at them about the finer points of the Kings' offense, don't fret because you've found your people here! Standing in line and waiting to meet the players becomes a mini Kings fan convention of its own.

We overheard fans greeting each other like old friends even though they only just met 20 minutes ago in a different line. Having the same player line priorities apparently makes you instant BFFs! We saw little kids making new friends with another kid wearing the same jersey. There were people who only knew each other from the internet meeting for the first time in person. Nothing gives away a first time IRL meeting like introducing yourself by your name followed by your Twitter handle.
And it wasn't only Kings fans' friendships on display!
You got to see that the Kings players themselves are genuine pals as well. As if it wasn't enough spending the day with each other playing in a game and participating in a charity event, the guys continued their hangout sesh by going out or grabbing dinner or playing a whole different game.

Nothing like cosmic bowling to cement the bonds of friendship.
If you brave the lines and atypical Los Angeles chill, you're rewarded with a magical evening of meeting your favorite players, but also fun and friendship and dogs. It doesn't get much better than that.