LA Kings Remain Committed to Fans Throughout Pandemic

Article originally published in spanish at NHL.com
Hours before the L.A. Kings took the ice to face the Ottawa Senators at Staples Center on Wednesday, March 11th, news started spreading about the effects that an unprecedented and unexpected virus called COVID-19 could cause around of the world of sports.
The thousands of fans that attended Staples Center that night, did not yet imagine that this would be the last game the Kings would play in the 2019-20 season, since the NHL would be forced to suspend activities hours later, to protect the integrity of everyone involved in this sport.
"It was almost impossible getting focused for the game," said Kings star center Anze Kopitar of that day. "You're sitting in the locker room, every T.V. is turned on before the game, and everybody is just kind of only focusing on that, rather on focusing on the game".

And like the other 30 franchises around the league, the past few months have been a period of reflection and learning for the Stanley Cup champions in 2012 and 2014, in a quest to adapt to the "new normal." The pandemic made the Kings organization think about other things beyond performance on the ice or day-to-day operations to maintain a profitable business.
"You have to focus on your staff and your team, making sure they get home safely and stay healthy," said COO Kelly Cheeseman. "We have to make sure that we are available and responsible within our community."
The suspension of activities put an end to the Kings momentum. Despite being far from a postseason spot, they had seven wins in a row. The front office called that last stretch of the season "exciting" due to the arrival of rookie sensations like Mikey Anderson and Gabe Vilardi.

However, the next step for players, coaches and the rest of the staff, was accepting and adaptation to current conditions, thus focusing on other priorities.
"It's been a bit of a shock initially," McLellan said. "A shock turned into reality. From that time on it's been a whirlwind of emotions. We're all obviously disappointed we're not playing, but also from a health perspective, I have older parents, my wife has older parents; we're certainly concerned about their health, as well as everybody else in the Kings world and the hockey world."
The organization has been quite active within all of its departments, devising new ways to find a connection with loyal fans. Among them, more than 300 interview requests were fulfilled and an additional 75 podcasts were produced during the pandemic.
The younger generations have also been a focus group, with 15 virtual games and 11 movie nights on the Twitch app, giving fans the opportunity to interact with team personalities and celebrities during the broadcasts.

"We have learned to integrate with our fans in a different way," said Cheeseman. We have created new ways of interacting for the future. We have not lost a step, technology has helped our business."
Among the plans the team had to put on hold was a trip to Mexico, to implement a youth clinics program, after a successful visit in 2018 when former Kings players were able to share their knowledge with players from the country's capital. The team is already planning other expansion plans with a local rink that they plan to announce in depth at a later date.
"Having the opportunity to expand and reach Mexico is essential for us," said Cheeseman. "We are excited to be there for the second time. We want to connect with the youth and we are excited to go back."
Even with the uncertainty of a start date for next season, the Kings have already been preparing their home arena so that fans can count on the highest sanitary measures.

For example, when the team hosts games again, Staples Center will open as the first venue in the United States with GBAC Star certification, received by complying with the strictest cleaning protocols, disinfectant methods, and disease prevention within the arena.
Other aspects will include touch-less ticketing, improving their food services, making updates to the arena, and changing the admission methods for all attendees.
Despite all the problems caused by the pandemic and two unusual seasons in which the Angelenos have not been able to reach the postseason, the organization has high hopes that something bright is just around the corner.
"We have been very transparent with our fans about what we anticipate for the future," Cheeseman said. "We will create a new experience for everyone. Returning to the ice with a young and exciting team will be very refreshing."