The overlapping eras of LA Kings history  Video from Saturday's
ceremony at Staples Center  To see time as progressing in a
smooth line from past to present is to buy into the theory of
history that is so common in the West. The Western view of
history carries with it a sense of inevitability. Since the past
pointed us to this present, this must be the one ordained to
happen, we often think. We got here for a reason. This makes
sense.  By that measure, it's the normal thing for SoCal hockey
fans to say what so many are saying about about the LA Kings:
They've waited 45 years for "this" to happen. "This," of course,
is the moment where the Stanley Cup championship banner is
raised. Fans have, for years, believed that if they just hung on
faithfully, eventually they'd get their Cup. Now they have it,
seemingly paying off this notion of how time works.  Strictly
speaking, that's correct, and the moment happened Saturday
afternoon with both the braintrust of the team and some of the
team's greatest heritage playe