Hot off the presses! The Los Angeles Kings just fired their head coach, Marc Crawford! Kings fans rejoice!

Yes, this was probably a long time coming, as things just weren’t working out between Crawford’s system and the youngsters in L.A. - but now that the situation has presented itself to select an able and fitting coach, where does one look?

The likes of John Tortorella, Joel Quenneville, Dave Lewis, and even the longshot Barry Melrose are all out there.

However, I bring someone even better than Barry or even his mullet into the spotlight: Coach Gordon Bombay.

Yes that’s right. We pay Emilio Estevez to play the role full-time and coach an actual NHL team.

Estevez was the face of the Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks franchise for many of their early years, so Kings fans may shriek “BLASPHEMY!” at anything quack-related. But hear me out…

The Ducks DID go on to win the Stanley Cup, something the Kings have not yet done. Perhaps he is a good luck charm.

Bombay has big game experience, taking out the Hawks in a title game and leading Team USA against Team Iceland in the Junior Goodwill Games. This experience will be key in trying to knock off the San Jose Sharks and the Dallas Stars in the Pacific Division.

Furthermore, Coach Bombay was clearly good with youngsters like Charlie Conway and Greg Goldberg. He even managed to get the speedy Luis Mendoza to stop properly in D2. What’s to tell you he can’t get the most out of the Kings young players and develop them soundly?

He’s typecast in the role anyways, so why not embrace it? You wrote/directed the historical drama Bobby, but besides that, what have you done with yourself lately, Emilio?

We need you and you need us. Let’s do this thing.

I’ve posted a few sports commercials on this site in the past, and I figured it was time to expand upon the topic (even more there are about to be some repeats in here). Here are some of the best I’ve seen so far in 2008:

5. Shaq the Jockey

Shaquille O’Neal and his horse, Chunk of Love, win in a photo finish in this Vitamin Water spot. This originally debuted during the Super Bowl and I’m sure it caught everyone by surprise. Nice touch with the crotch pat at the end.

Note: no horses were euthanized in the making of this commercial.

4. NBA - Where Amazing Happens

This campaign has been going for a while now, but is totally worth mentioning in the top 5. Although the concept has gotten a bit played out as the season has gone on, no one disagrees how great these have been. Even through May, we are still getting some good ones, particularly the spots personalized by athletes, such as this one by Dwight Howard:

Don’t forget Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash’s questionable haircuts:

We’ve all seen the original spots before, but have you checked out YouTube in the past months? There are countless other versions created by fans that are good unto themselves. The simplicity of the commercials makes it easy for anyone to make their own. Some fans have even taken it upon themselves to do crossover ads into other sports to showcase their favorite teams:

A Philadelphia Eagles example:

Or how about a New York Yankees version recounting moments and figures in their fabled ballpark:

Ok enough of these… you get it. On to the next one…

3. 2008 NBA Playoffs - There Can Only Be One

The original split screen that debuted with Shaq and Kobe was incredible. Everyone knows their history and their story, and it was interesting to see them as one once more. Seeing this definitely got me amped for the playoffs.

Needless to say, several people within the NBA marketing department undoubtedly got huge raises this year for these two ad campaigns.

EDIT: PhDribble just posted this one and I had to include it as well:

Although not as simple as the Where Amazing Happens commercials, these too are clearly customizable and versatile. Hell, its even been extended out to movie advertisement for Adam Sandler’s new flick:

Oh, split screen goodness…

2. Sidney Crosby - League of Clutch

I included this Gatorade spot starring Sidney Crosby in an earlier post, but due to its significance to the sport, I’m placing it this high on the list.

It’s great to see Sid the Kid’s success in this postseason. Hockey is coming back big.

1. Nike Soccer in the first person

Another recent post, I’m still clearly not over this ad.

I’m aware the division is actually Nike Football. I’m a fan of the sport and all, but sorry purists (cough, Devin, cough) - for all intents and purposes, its known as soccer on this site.

Sure its a bit shaky, but Guy Ritchie did good work. This isn’t exactly Cloverfield or anything.

Soak that one in, tsarist subjects. This commercial is pure perfection.

I can has post-playoff series handshake? NO WAI!!!

Sean Avery, goaltender screener and general pest extraordinaire, after “going to war” against Martin Brodeur, wasn’t even greeted with so much as a handshake after the New York Rangers beats the new Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs.