Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi has weighed in with the most factual, and dorkiest, explanation of what happened to the clock during Wednesday’s controversial 3-2 win over Columbus.
Here’s what he told ESPN via email (all sic’d):
“Those clocks are sophisticated instruments that calculate time by measuring electrical charges called coulombs -- given the rapidity and volume of electrons that move through the measuring device the calibrator must adjust at certain points which was the delay you see -- the delay is just recalibrating for the clock moving too quickly during the 10 - 10ths of a second before the delay -- this insures that the actual playing time during a period is exactly 20 minutes.
That is not an opinion -- that is science -- amazing devise quite frankly.”
Having re-read Lombardi’s email several times...
1) I’m hoping “The coulombs didn’t recalibrate” catches on. “Hey, did you get my email?” “No.” “Oh weird, guess the coulombs didn’t recalibrate.”
2) Do you think Lombardi offhandedly knew all these intricate details about the Staples Center scoreboard? I like to think so. I also like to think he followed up that email with a 4,569-word missive on the arena’s Wi-Fi capabilities, written entirely from memory.
3) Since when does science prove anything?