History of the Los Angeles Kings
The history of the Los Angeles Kings of the
During the 1970s and early 1980s, the Kings had many years marked by impressive play in the regular season only to be washed out by early playoff exits. In 1988, the Kings traded with the Edmonton Oilers to get their captain Wayne Gretzky, leading to a successful phase of the franchise that raised hockey's popularity in Los Angeles. Gretzky, fellow Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille and defenseman Rob Blake led the Kings to the franchise's sole division title in 1990–91, and the Kings' first Stanley Cup Finals in 1993, lost to the Montreal Canadiens.
After the 1993 Finals, the Kings entered financial problems, with a bankruptcy in 1995 that was only solved with the acquisition by
Background and NHL expansion
Prior to the Kings arrival in the Los Angeles area, both the
As the Lakers played at the Memorial Sports Arena, Cooke applied for both a long-term NBA lease and the right to sign a lease for hockey in case he won the NHL franchise. But the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission, which managed the Sports Arena and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, had already entered into an agreement with the Blades, and only offered a two-year deal for the Lakers.[3] Frustrated by his dealings with the Coliseum Commission, Cooke said, "I am going to build my own arena...I've had enough of this balderdash."[3] Thus he was the only Los Angeles applicant with plans for his own stadium, something that made the NHL favor his bid.[2]
In February 1966, Cooke was awarded one of the six new NHL expansion franchises, which also included the
Following a contest to name the team, Cooke picked the name Kings, and chose the original team colors of purple (or "Forum Blue", as it was later officially called) and gold – the same worn by the Lakers – because they were colors traditionally associated with royalty.
The "Forum Blue and Gold" years (1967–1975)
The Forum was not yet complete when the
The Kings made the Forum their home for the next 32 seasons.[10] Players like Bill "Cowboy" Flett, Eddie "The Jet" Joyal, Eddie "The Entertainer" Shack and Real "Frenchy" Lemieux helped introduce the Los Angeles area to the NHL in the team's first few seasons.[1] Such player nicknames were the brainchild of none other than Cooke himself.[1]
In their first season, the Kings finished in second place in the Western Division, just one point behind the Flyers.[11] The Kings were the only expansion team that had a winning record at home, but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota North Stars, losing the seventh game at The Forum on April 18, 1968, 9–4.[12] In their second season behind Red Kelly, the Kings finished fourth in the West Division—the final playoff berth.[13] But after eliminating the Oakland Seals in the first round of the playoffs in seven games, the Kings were swept out of post-season play in the second round by the St. Louis Blues.[12]
After two fairly successful seasons, the Kings hit upon hard times, mostly due to poor management. Kings general managers established a history of trading away first-round draft picks, usually for veteran players (many of them NHL stars on the downside of their careers), a problem that would hinder the development of the franchise for years to come.[14] The Kings' attendance also suffered during this time, leading Cooke to muse that the reason so many Northeasterners and Canadians moved to Southern California was that "they hated hockey."[5]
In 1972, the Kings made two key acquisitions. First, the rise of rookie goaltender
Marcel Dionne and the "Triple Crown Line" (1975–1988)
After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in both 1973–74 and 1974–75, the Kings moved to significantly upgrade their offensive firepower when they acquired center Marcel Dionne on June 23, 1975, in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings. Dionne was already a superstar in the NHL and he made an immediate impact in the 1975–76 season, scoring 40 goals and adding 54 assists for 94 points in 80 regular season games.[17] He led the Kings to a 38–33–9 record (85 points), earning them a second-place finish in the Norris Division.[17][18]
Behind Dionne's offensive prowess, the strong goaltending of Rogie Vachon, and the speed and scoring touch of forward Butch Goring,[19] the Kings played two of their most thrilling seasons yet, with playoff match ups against the then-Atlanta Flames in the first round, and the Boston Bruins in the second round. In the 1976 playoffs, the Kings swept the Flames in two close games decided by one goal. When matched against the Bruins, the Kings were heavy underdogs against the big and powerful Bruins. Game one went just as predicted and Boston outmatched the Kings 4–0. Game two saw stellar goaltending by Vachon, who helped keep the game close until Goring shocked the Boston crowd with the overtime winner. The momentum stayed in game three on home ice with the Kings winning 6–4 thanks to Dionne's hat trick (three goals), which shocked the Bruins as they were now behind in a series they were predicted to sweep. Boston took control of games four and five by outscoring the Kings 10–1. When the Kings returned on home ice for game six, the Kings home crowd treated them to one of the loudest crowds ever heard at the Forum, a five-minute standing ovation that delayed the start of the game; players from both sides would later say they never saw anything like it. Boston would jump to a 3–1 lead into the final five minutes, but the Kings would come back thanks to two goals by Mike Corrigan, the tying goal scored after he was tripped by Boston goalie Gerry Cheevers, and still somehow swiped at the puck while lying on his stomach and put the puck into the net to tie the game. The comeback then was completed near the final minute of overtime thanks to Goring again, tying the series. However, Boston controlled game seven with a 3–0 shutout and won the series.
In the first round of the 1977 playoffs, the Kings needed three games to defeat the Flames in the opening round, winning both games at home and losing on the road. In the second round, Boston controlled the first two games, and while the Kings put a better effort in game three, the Bruins still won 7–6 to go up three games to none. The Kings finally answered back in game four with a 7–4 win. Game five in Boston saw a game where the Kings were badly out-shot, but in the words of Boston goalie Gerry Cheevers, "Vachon did everything but stand on his head to make great save after great save." The Kings ended up winning 3–1. Game six at home saw the Kings fall behind 3–0 only to tie the game in the third period, but the comeback would end on a sour note as Kings defenseman Dave Hutchison went to clear the puck on a Boston power play but broke his stick on the ice and turned the puck over; and Boston scored to win the game 4–3 and the series four games to two.
Bob Pulford left the Kings after the 1976–77 season after constant feuding with then owner Jack Kent Cooke. Pulford wanted to become general manager as well as coach, or at least have a bigger role in player personnel decisions. Cooke however, often meddled in player personnel matters, which also caused another key component for the Kings, general manager Jake Milford, to leave as well and join the Vancouver Canucks. Now without Pulford and Milford, the Kings struggled in the 1977–78 season as they finished below .500 and were easily swept out of the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Afterwards Vachon would become a free agent and sign with the Detroit Red Wings.
On January 13, 1979, Kings coach Bob Berry tried juggling line combinations, and Dionne found himself on a new line with two young, mostly unknown players: second-year right winger Dave Taylor and left winger Charlie Simmer, who had been a career minor-leaguer.[9] Each player benefited from each other, with Simmer being the gritty player who battled along the boards, Taylor being the play maker, and Dionne being the natural goal scorer. This line combination, known as the "Triple Crown Line", would go on to become one of the highest-scoring line combinations in NHL history.[9][20]
After the Triple Crown Line's first season together, Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the Kings, the Lakers, and the Forum for $67.5 million.[1]
As the 1970s came to a close and the 1980s began, the Triple Crown Line dominated the NHL, scoring 146 goals and 182 assists, good for 328 points. Marcel Dionne was also awarded the
In the
The 1981–82 Kings saw the team slump to 17th overall and fourth in their division with 63 points, only making the playoffs due to being in the same division as the Colorado Rockies, who finished with 49 (in those days, the top four teams in each division were guaranteed a playoff berth). During that time, the team replaced head coach Bob Berry with assistant coach Parker MacDonald. After coaching 42 games, MacDonald resigned and retired, and was replaced by Don Perry, who just weeks into his tenure was suspended for six games for ordering enforcer Paul Mulvey to join a fight. One of the few brighter spots came late in the season when rookie Bernie Nicholls was called up from the minors, and debuted with 32 points in 22 games.
The Kings opened the 1982 playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers, who were led by a young but fast-rising star by the name of Wayne Gretzky. By the 1981–82 season, he was already the most dominant player in the league, and had made the Oilers one of the elite teams in the NHL, on their way to winning four Stanley Cup championships in the 1980s.[21] The Oilers finished with 111 points.[22]
Therefore, few expected the Kings to stand a chance against the upstart Oilers, especially in their hometown. At first, the Oilers jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first period, until the Kings managed to cut their lead to 4-3 to end the first. In the second period, The Kings managed to outscore the Oilers 5-2 to give them a 8-6 lead. While the Oilers would tie the game 8-8 midway through the third, Charlie Simmer scored the gamer winner and Bernie Nichols capped an empty net goal to stun the Edmonton home crowd with a 10-8 win. This blow for blow game would set the NHL record as the highest-scoring Stanley Cup Playoff game ever.[23] Game 2 was a much tighter game, with the Kings even having a 2-1 lead until Jari Kurri tied the game late in the third, and Gretzky winning the game in overtime for the Oilers to tie the series.[12]
At the Forum, game three would be one of the most amazing in hockey history and was later dubbed the "
Bozek's goal set the stage for what was to come. At 2:35 of the overtime period, Kings left winger Daryl Evans fired a slap shot off a face-off in the right circle of the Edmonton zone, passing Oilers goaltender Grant Fuhr over his right shoulder to give the Kings an incredible come-from-behind, overtime victory, 6–5.[24][25] The Miracle on Manchester, the greatest comeback in NHL playoff history,[26] and the greatest moment in Kings franchise history until 2012.[9] Game 4 however, saw the Oilers bounce back with a 3-2 win, sending the series for a 5th and deciding game in Edmonton. This time, the Kings jumped ahead with a 2-0 lead, and went on to win the game 7-4, completing the miraculous comeback and upset. However, in the second round, the Kings would lose in to the Vancouver Canucks in five games.
Despite Dionne's leadership, the Kings missed the playoffs in the next two seasons. On January 30, 1984, Rogie Vachon became general manager of the Kings. During the 1983–84 season, he coached the team for two games in 1984 after replacing Don Perry and Roger Neilson coached the team's final 28 games. After the season the team named Pat Quinn head coach. The 1984-85 Kings improved to a playoff spot, But they were quickly swept out of the playoffs by the Oilers in 1984–85, when the Oilers won their second-straight Stanley Cup championship.[12] Vachon also became the first player in team history to have his jersey retired on February 14, 1985. Dionne's time with the Kings ended on March 10, 1987, when he was traded to the New York Rangers.[27] By this time, the Kings had new skaters to help lead them into the next decade, including star forwards Bernie Nicholls, Jimmy Carson, Luc Robitaille, and defenseman Steve Duchesne.[24]
Even before the Dionne trade, the Kings were sent reeling when coach Pat Quinn signed a contract to become coach and general manager of the Vancouver Canucks with just months left on his Kings contract.
Despite these shocks,
For most of the 1980s, unlike their shared basketball tenant at the Forum, the Kings struggled at the box office, being among the lowest attended teams in the league. The league's 1981 realignment and the departure of the
However, the 1988–89 season would be a big turning point for the franchise.[12]
McNall brings Gretzky to LA (1988–1996)
In 1987, coin collector Bruce McNall purchased the Kings from Buss and turned the team into a Stanley Cup contender almost overnight. On August 9, 1988, McNall acquired the league's best player, Wayne Gretzky, in a blockbuster trade with the Edmonton Oilers. The trade rocked the hockey world, especially north of the border where Canadians mourned the loss of a player they considered a national treasure.[32] McNall changed the team colors to silver and black.[7]
In Gretzky's first season with the Kings, he led the team in scoring with 168 points on 54 goals and 114 assists, and won his ninth
The next season saw Gretzky become the league's all-time leading scorer. On October 15, 1989, in Edmonton, he assisted on a Bernie Nicholls goal to tie Gordie Howe's career record of 1,850 points, then broke it late in the contest on a game-tying goal against Bill Ranford. The goal forced overtime, where Gretzky capped a spectacular night by scoring again to win the game for Los Angeles.[35] At season's end, the Kings finished fourth and faced the defending champion Flames in the first round. This time, they defeated Calgary in six games, two of which had dramatic overtimes — game three was won with a short-handed goal by Tony Granato and game six ended with a strange goal by Mike Krushelnyski while he was flat on his back. However, the Kings were swept in the second round by the eventual champion Oilers, who were seeking revenge for the loss of the previous year.[31]
Gretzky spearheaded the Kings to their first regular-season division title in franchise history in the 1990–91 season with a 46–24–10 record (102 points, the second-best point total in franchise history). Notably, it was the first time in ten years that a team from Alberta had not finished first in the Smythe.[36] However, the heavily favored Kings struggled in the playoffs, winning the first round against the Vancouver Canucks in six games but losing a close series against Edmonton in the second round that saw four games go into overtime.[37]
The 1991–92 season, the Kings' 25th as a franchise, witnessed seven Kings players score over twenty goals;[38] Gretzky, who missed the first month of the season due to a back injury suffered from the 1991 Canada Cup, had a then-career low in scoring yet had the most assists in the league and finished third in points behind Pittsburgh Penguins stars Mario Lemieux and Kevin Stevens;[39] Gretzky was also reunited with his former Edmonton Oiler teammates Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, and Charlie Huddy.[40] But even with more former Oiler dynasty teammates on Gretzky's side, Los Angeles again failed to thwart their Edmonton rivals in the post-season, losing to them in a six game upset.[37] This marked the third-straight year that the Gretzky-led Kings were eliminated from the playoffs by his former team, and at the end of the season, Tom Webster was relieved from head coach, and general manager Rogie Vachon was moved to a different position in the organization and named Nick Beverley as his successor. Beverley hired coach Barry Melrose, then at the Adirondack Red Wings.[41]
As contenders now with Gretzky's fame and stardom, the Kings generated excitement about hockey and the NHL that had never been seen before in Southern California. Virtually overnight, as soon as Gretzky donned a Kings jersey, the buzz made Kings home games the hottest ticket in town, with many Hollywood celebrities and well known public figures frequently seen attending. The Kings had gone from generating the lowest attendance figures in the league in 1985-86 to selling out every home game in 1991-92. The popularity of Gretzky and the Kings also led to the NHL awarding an expansion team to Anaheim, California in 1993; the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (later renamed to Anaheim Ducks in 2006) would become the Kings nearest rival, just 35 miles (56 km) to the south.[42] Gretzky's popularity in Southern California also led to the NHL expanding or moving into other Sun Belt cities such as Dallas, Phoenix, Tampa, Miami, Atlanta (now in Winnipeg since 2011), and Nashville throughout the 1990s.[43]
First trip to the Stanley Cup Finals (1992–1993)
The Kings would reach new heights in the 1992–93 season, but the season started badly when it was learned that Gretzky had suffered a career-threatening herniated thoracic disk before the season began. But even without their captain and leading scorer, the Kings got off to a 20–8–3 start,[44] led by Luc Robitaille, who filled in as captain as Gretzky missed the Kings' first 39 games.[45] Although Gretzky came back to score 16 goals and 49 assists, good for 65 points in just 45 games, Robitaille still lead the team's scoring with 63 goals and 62 assists (125 points) in 84 regular season games, setting new NHL all-time records for goals and points scored by a left winger in a single season.[44] The Kings finished with a 39–35–10 record (88 points), clinching third place in the Smythe Division.[46]
The 1993 playoffs began with the Kings' offense in full force, scoring 33 goals as they beat the Flames 4–2.[47] In the second round, the Kings faced the heavily favored Vancouver Canucks, a team that had beaten the Kings seven times in nine games during the regular season,[46] and had not lost to the Kings in their four meetings in Vancouver. But the Kings would go on to eliminate the Canucks in six games, with the pivotal victory coming in Game 5 at Vancouver, where the Kings took the series lead as winger Gary Shuchuk scored at 6:31 of the second overtime period.[48]
In the Campbell Conference Finals, the Kings were even more of an underdog against the
In the Stanley Cup Finals, the Kings faced the Montreal Canadiens. After winning the opening match 4–1, the Kings suffered a turnaround during Game 2. Late in the contest, with the Kings leading by a score of 2–1, Canadiens coach Jacques Demers requested a measurement of Kings defenseman Marty McSorley's stick blade.[52] His suspicions proved to be correct, as the curve of blade was too great, and McSorley was penalized.[52] The Canadiens pulled their goalie, Patrick Roy, giving them a two-man advantage, and Eric Desjardins scored on the resulting power play to tie the game.[52] Montreal went on to win the game in overtime on another goal by Desjardins,[52] and the Kings never led in the series again. They dropped the next two games at home in overtime, and lost Game 5, 4–1, giving the Canadiens the 24th Stanley Cup in franchise history.[49][53]
Bankruptcy and decline (1993–1997)
The next chapter after the 1993 playoff run for the Kings was tough for Kings fans. Wayne Gretzky returned to his All-Star form for the 1993–94 season, and continued to lead the team with 38 goals and 92 assists for 130 points, winning his final Art Ross Trophy as the league's leader in points that season. On March 23, 1994, Gretzky surpassed Gordie Howe's NHL record for goals and became the all-time NHL leader in goals, assists and points. But despite Gretzky's leadership, and the individual efforts by Robitaille, Kurri and Blake, the Kings never recovered from a sluggish November and December and slumped to fifth place in the Pacific Division with only 66 points. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 1986. To add insult to injury, their newly established cross-freeway rivals, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, finished ahead of them in their division (both in attendance and standings) and their cross-state rivals the San Jose Sharks advanced to the second round in their first post-season appearance by upsetting the upstart Detroit Red Wings.
By 1992, Bruce McNall was elected chairman of the NHL's board of governors, the second-most powerful post in the league. His support of Gary Bettman tipped the scales in favor of Bettman's election as the league's first commissioner. However, in December 1993, McNall defaulted on a loan from Bank of America, who threatened to force the Kings into bankruptcy unless he sold the team. McNall sold the team to IDB Communications founder Jeffrey Sudikoff and former Madison Square Garden president Joseph Cohen in the wake of a federal investigation into his financial practices. He also resigned from his position on the NHL board of governors. He ultimately pleaded guilty to five counts of conspiracy and fraud, and admitted to obtaining $236 million in fraudulent loans from six banks over ten years.[54]
It later emerged that McNall's free-spending ways put the Kings in serious financial trouble. At one point, Cohen and Sudikoff were even unable to meet player payroll, and were ultimately forced into bankruptcy in 1995.[55] They were forced to trade many of their stronger players: Tomas Sandstrom would be traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the return of McSorley (who had been traded to Pittsburgh before the beginning of the 1993–94 season), and Luc Robitaille would be traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1994 for Rick Tocchet; in 1995, key defensemen Alexei Zhitnik and Charlie Huddy would be sent to Buffalo for several lowly players and an aging Grant Fuhr. While the Kings still had some talent on their roster in the forms of Gretzky, Blake, Kurri and McSorley, they had little else. Before the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season, general manager Nick Beverley left the Kings to work as a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs and his replacement was Sam McMaster. However, the team continued to stumble, and a late season cold streak hindered their playoff chances, putting the Kings within one game of clinching the 8th playoff spot, but losing the final game that season to finish in ninth place with 41 points, one point under the eighth seeded Dallas Stars. During that time, the Kings fired Barry Melrose, leaving Rogie Vachon to coach the team's final seven games in the 1994–95 season. After the season, Larry Robinson who played three seasons for the Kings from 1989 to 1992, was named head coach after winning the 1995 Stanley Cup as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils.
On October 6, 1995, one day before the
Now approaching the twilight years of his career, Gretzky wanted another chance to win a title before retirement. However, frustrations led to Gretzky pressuring management by demanding the Kings acquire suitable talent - a high scoring forward and an offensive defenseman to play alongside him, or he would seek to play elsewhere when his contract expired at the end of the season. But the ongoing bankruptcy issues made it near fiscally impossible given the chances of players checks bouncing. On February 27, 1996, Gretzky was traded to the St. Louis Blues, for young forwards
Shortly after Gretzky was traded, Rob Blake was named team captain, and the Kings then traded Marty McSorley, Jari Kurri and Shane Churla to the New York Rangers for Mattias Norstrom, Nathan LaFayette, Ian Laperriere, Ray Ferraro, and a draft pick. The oft-maligned general manager Sam McMaster, nicknamed by fans “McMaster the Disaster,” was fired and replaced by former Kings winger Dave Taylor.[58] But the rebuilding phase for Taylor was a tough one, as the Kings suffered one more forgettable season in 1996–97.[49]
Playoff contention years, and the move to Staples Center (1997–2002)
In the
Taylor turned to
The Kings, along with the Los Angeles Lakers, made an even bigger move in
With a new home, a new coach, a potential 50-goal scorer in the fold and players such as Rob Blake, Luc Robitaille, Glen Murray, Jozef Stumpel, Donald Audette, Ian Laperriere and Mattias Norstrom, the Kings improved dramatically, finishing the season the 1999–2000 season with a 39–31–12–4 record (94 points), good for second place in the Pacific Division. But in the 2000 playoffs, the Kings were again eliminated in the first round, this time by the Detroit Red Wings in a four-game sweep.
In the
In that deal, the Kings sent Blake and center
The heavily favored Red Wings — many predicted another four-game sweep — made easy work of the Kings in games one and two at the Joe Louis Arena, but the Kings got back in the series with a 2–1 win in game three at Staples Center.[49]
In game four, the Red Wings took a commanding 3–0 lead after two periods. This set the stage for yet another unbelievable playoff comeback for the Kings, highly reminiscent of the "Miracle on Manchester", back in 1982. Seldom-used forward
In the second round, the Kings went up against another elite team, the Colorado Avalanche, led by superstars Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque, playing in his last NHL season, and former teammate Rob Blake. The Kings won game one by a score of 4–3 in overtime, but then lost the next three games. Down three games to one and facing elimination, the Kings bounced back with two 1–0 shut-out victories, including the most memorable game of that series being game six where goalies Patrick Roy of Colorado and Felix Potvin of the Kings battled to a scoreless tie after regulation and into the second overtime; finally after 64 shots on goal that were saved between both goalies, a slap shot by Kings Glen Murray found the back of the net for the win and thus tied the series. Game seven saw a 1–1 tie after two periods, however Colorado dominated the third period with four unanswered goals to win the game 5–1 and the series. Colorado would eventually win the Stanley Cup that year.
Afterwards, during the off-season, Luc Robitaille turn down a one-year deal with a substantial pay cut and ended up signing with Detroit, as the Red Wings represented his best chance at winning the Stanley Cup, and like Tomas Sandstrom before him in 1997, Robitaille won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2002.[64]
The
Rebuilding (2002–2009)
The next two seasons would be major disappointments as the Kings hit another major decline. While Zigmund Palffy led the team in scoring with 85 points in the 2002–03 season, his two L.A.P.D. linemates, Jason Allison and Adam Deadmarsh, both suffered concussions and missed the majority of the season. Despite being at 15–10–4–3 in mid-December, the Kings lost 14 of their next 19 games and never recovered. They eventually finished the season tenth in the West and missed the 2003 playoffs. During the subsequent off-season, Luc Robitaille returned to the Kings after two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings,[66] and would go on to lead the team in scoring for the 2003–04 season. However, Palffy suffered shoulder injuries of his own and sat out the majority of the season, while his two L.A.P.D. linemates sat out the entire season, with Deadmarsh later retiring after the 2004–05 NHL lockout and Allison playing one last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs before ultimately retiring. With a record of 28–20–16–7 and 81 points and 11 games left in the season, the Kings looked to be in contention for the 2004 playoffs, and Head Coach Andy Murray was just one win away from becoming the coach with the most wins in franchise history. Los Angeles, however, lost all 11 remaining games, squandering their playoff chances and delaying Murray's eventual record.[67] Statistically, for the 2002–03 season, the Kings lost a franchise-record 536 man-games (number of games missed by individual players) due to injury; in comparison, for the 2003–04 season, they broke a previous NHL record with 629 man-games lost to injury.[68]
The team drafted
The first game of the 2005–06 season, in which the Kings jumped to a 4–0 lead only to let it slip away in a 5–4 loss to the Dallas Stars, would ultimately forecast how the remainder of the season would progress; Los Angeles began the season strongly, but the campaign's second half saw the team stumble, free-falling from second place in the Western Conference in early January to seventh place by the Olympic break in the middle of February. While the Kings still looked to be in contention for the 2006 playoffs, injuries again played a factor during and after the 2006 Winter Olympics, of which the Kings had six players representing. Defensemen Mattias Norstrom and Aaron Miller suffering from a concussion and a back injury, respectively, prevented the two from even participating in the Games; Frolov separated his shoulder during a round robin game and missed ten games after, and the Kings' leading goal-scorer, Pavol Demitra, missed six games after being struck in the face with a puck in the tournament quarterfinals. Afterwards, the Kings lost 12 of their remaining 22 games left in the season, and eventually finished tenth in the West. On March 21, 2006, the team fired head coach Andy Murray, replacing him on an interim basis with John Torchetti. With three games left in the season, Luc Robitaille, the team's all-time leading scorer and the NHL's all-time highest-scoring left winger, announced that, at the end of the year, he would retire.[69]
Just one day after the end of the Kings' 2005–06 regular season, AEG decided to clean house. On April 18, 2006, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Dave Taylor and Director of Player Personnel Bill O'Flaherty were relieved of their duties, and Vice President and Assistant General Manager Kevin Gilmore was reassigned to other duties within AEG. Interim Head Coach John Torchetti and assistant coaches
On April 21, 2006, the Kings hired Philadelphia Flyers scout and former San Jose Sharks general manager
There were few highlights for the Kings during the 2006–07 season, where the Kings had their worst performance in a decade with 68 points and finishing as the second-to-last in the West while their cross town rivals became the first team in California to win the Stanley Cup. They finished second to last by defeating the worst in the west, the Phoenix Coyotes, in the last game of the season.[70] On January 13, 2007, the Kings made hockey history by putting Yutaka Fukufuji in goal for the third period of a game with the St. Louis Blues. This marked the first time in hockey history that a Japanese-born player played in an NHL regular season game.[71] On January 20, 2007, the Kings retired Luc Robitaille's jersey in an hour-long ceremony prior to a game with the Phoenix Coyotes. It was the fifth Kings jersey to be retired.[72]
Before the
During the
On July 17, 2008, the Kings hired Terry Murray to become the 22nd head coach in franchise history.[75] Shortly before the commencement of the 2008–09 season, on October 8, 2008, Dustin Brown was named the Kings' 15th captain in franchise history.[76] Brown, at just 23 years of age, became both the youngest captain and the first American-born captain in Kings' history.[76] Late into the season, in March 2009, Los Angeles acquired Justin Williams from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Patrick O'Sullivan. While the 2008–09 Kings still finished last in the Pacific Division and 14th overall in the Western Conference, the 79 points they finished with was seen as an improvement, compared to their two previous seasons of 68 and 71 points, respectively.
Return to the playoffs (2009–2014)
During the 2009 off-season, the Kings traded for forward
The Kings were very successful during the 2009–10 season,[78] finishing sixth overall in the West despite being in the midst of a rebuild. They established a franchise record with a nine-game unbeaten streak, and finished the season with 101 points, just the third 100-plus point season in franchise history. However, they lost to a highly skilled Vancouver Canucks team in six games in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The Kings initially led the series two games to one, and were ahead 3–2 after the second period of Game 4 only to let the game slip away in part due to excellent goaltending by Roberto Luongo and late goals by Henrik and Daniel Sedin. The Canucks would then easily win the next two games to eliminate the Kings.[79] Despite the series loss, many considered the season to be an outright success due to the age of the team and the setbacks from injuries to key players Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams. Forward Anze Kopitar spent most of the first half of the season in the top ten in the league in scoring, ultimately finishing 20th overall in points. Drew Doughty was one of three finalists for the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's top defenseman and also received the King's Best Defenseman award. The season marked the first time in eight years that the Kings made it to the playoffs.
During the 2010 off-season, the Kings signed veteran and former Vancouver on-ice captain
The Kings entered the 2011 playoffs as the seventh seed in the West and played San Jose in the first round. Unfortunately, there were more setbacks as the team's high scorer, Anze Kopitar, was injured and unavailable for the playoffs. On the road, the Sharks would win Game 1 in overtime, 3–2, whereupon the Kings responded with a 4–0 shut-out in Game 2. On home ice for Game 3, the momentum for the Kings appeared to continue as they jumped to an early 4–0 lead, only to let it slip away as the Sharks fought back and eventually won the game in overtime, 6–5. The Sharks then made easy work of the Kings in the next game, prevailing 6–3. Facing elimination, the Kings won Game 5 3–1 on the road, and kept the score a tie by the end of regulation in Game 6 at home, though failing capitalize on a five-minute power-play late in the game up to overtime would prove to be the fatal blow, as moments after the Sharks' penalty finished, Joe Thornton would win the game 4–3 for San Jose, thereby eliminating the Kings.[82]
First Stanley Cup victory (2011–2012)
In the 2011 off-season, the Kings acquired
The Kings began the 2011–12 season with a 5–1–1 record in their first seven games, but went 8–11–3 over the next 22, resulting in a 13–12–4 overall record after the first 29 games. This resulted in coach Terry Murray being fired. He was replaced on an interim basis by John Stevens for four games before on December 17, 2011, the team hired Darryl Sutter as their new head coach. Before the trade deadline, the Kings acquired another former Philadelphia Flyer in Richards' friend and former teammate Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jack Johnson and a conditional first-round draft pick. The Kings were much improved under Sutter, going 25–13–11. They also narrowly missed clinching their second divisional title in franchise history.
The Kings lost both of their final two games to the San Jose Sharks in overtime, allowing San Jose to edge them out by one point for the seventh seed in the Western Conference, while a five-game winning streak gave the Phoenix Coyotes their first Pacific Division championship. The Kings settled for the eighth seed, having rounded out the season with a 40–27–15 record for 95 points. The Kings then headed into the 2012 playoffs against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks. After playing two games in Vancouver and one in Los Angeles, the Kings were up 3–0 in the series, a franchise first. By winning Game 5 in Vancouver, the Kings advanced to the Conference Semifinals for the first time since the 2000–01 season, whereupon they swept the second-seeded St. Louis Blues, advancing to the Western Conference Finals for only the second time in franchise history. In doing so, the Kings also became the first NHL team to enter the playoffs as the eighth seed and eliminate the first- and second-seeded teams in the Conference. They then defeated Phoenix in five games to reach the Finals, culminating in an overtime goal by Dustin Penner in Game 5, and thus becoming the second team in NHL history to beat the top three Conference seeds in the playoffs (the Calgary Flames achieved the same feat in 2004, ironically also under Darryl Sutter) and the first eighth seed to accomplish the feat.[84]
Los Angeles faced the New Jersey Devils in the Final, defeating them in six games to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.[85] With the Game 6 victory happened on home ice at Crypto.com Arena, the Kings became the first team since the 2007 Anaheim Ducks to win the Stanley Cup at home, as well as the second Californian NHL team to do so.[86] The Kings were also the first eight seed champion in any of the North American major leagues, the first Stanley Cup champion that finished below fifth in its conference, and the third to finish below second in its division (after the 1993 Canadiens and the 1995 Devils).[84] Goaltender Jonathan Quick was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player during the playoffs, and soon after signed a ten-year contract extension on June 28.[87]
Defending champions (2012–2013)
Due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout, the 2012–13 Los Angeles Kings season began on January 19, 2013, and was shortened to 48 games. Due to the shortened season, teams only played teams within their own conference. Before the season began, the team traded Kevin Westgarth to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Anthony Stewart.[88] They lost their home opener to the Chicago Blackhawks and lost the next two games, only securing a single point in overtime against the Edmonton Oilers. Their first victory came against their Pacific Division rival Phoenix Coyotes.[89]
With Willie Mitchell out for the season and Matt Greene injured after the season opener, the Kings made some moves to improve their defense and acquire draft picks. They traded
The Kings finished the season as the fifth seed in the West and began the defense of the Cup on the road against the St. Louis Blues, who they swept in the 2012 playoffs.[92] After losing the first two games, the Kings won four in a row to eliminate the Blues in six games.[93] In the second round, they then played a very tough San Jose Sharks team, this time with home ice advantage. In the first game, Jarret Stoll suffered an injury from the Sharks' Raffi Torres, who ended up being suspended for the rest of the series. The Kings eventually won in seven games. In the Western Conference Finals, they faced the number one seed in the West and Presidents' Trophy winner, the Chicago Blackhawks. After dropping the first two games, the Kings won Game 3 with Jeff Carter suffering an injury from Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith, who was suspended for Game 4 as a result. After losing Game 4, the Kings battled the Blackhawks through two overtime periods in Game 5, with Patrick Kane eventually scoring the game-winning goal that won the game and the series, sending the Blackhawks to the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals and ending the Kings' season.[94]
Second Stanley Cup victory (2013–2014)
During the 2013–14 season, the Kings acquired another Blue Jackets goal scorer in Marian Gaborik, and qualified for their fifth-straight playoffs.[95] The season also had the Kings hosting the first NHL outdoor game in a warm weather city, receiving the Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium as part of the 2014 NHL Stadium Series.[96]
In the first round of the 2014 playoffs, the Kings played their in-state rivals, the San Jose Sharks. After losing the first three games to the Sharks, the Kings became the fourth team in NHL history to win the final four games in a row after initially being down three games to none, beating the Sharks in San Jose in the deciding Game 7. In the second round, the Kings played another in-state rival, Anaheim. After starting the series with two wins, the Kings lost three-straight games, trailing the series three games to two. For the second time in the first two rounds of the playoffs, however, the Kings were able to rally back after being down in the series and defeated the Ducks in Anaheim in Game 7.[84]
In the third round, the Kings jumped out to a three games to one lead against Stanley Cup-defending Chicago, but were unable to close out the series in the fifth and sixth games. On June 1, 2014, the Kings advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in three years after winning Game 7 5–4 in overtime via a goal from Alec Martinez, clinching their third Western Conference title in franchise history.[97] The Kings became the first team in NHL history to win three Game 7s en route to a Stanley Cup Finals berth. Not only were the Kings the first team in history to accomplish this feat, they also managed to win all game sevens on opposing ice. In the Final, the Kings faced the Eastern Conference-winning New York Rangers, who had defeated the Montreal Canadiens in six games in the Eastern Finals.[98]
The Kings won the Stanley Cup in five games, culminating with an Alec Martinez goal in the second overtime of Game 5 at Staples Center. The championship run had a record 26 playoff games, with the Kings facing elimination a record seven times.[99] With their Game 7 victory in the Conference Finals and wins in the first two games of the Cup Finals, they became the first team to win three consecutive playoff games after trailing by more than one goal in each game.[100] Justin Williams, who scored twice in the Finals and had points in all three Game 7s throughout the playoffs, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.[101]
Playoff struggles and return to contention (2014–present)
Having won two Stanley Cup championships in the last three years, the Kings entered the 2014–15 season as the early favorites to retain their title.[102] However, the Kings struggled often, with scoring slumps, defensemen losing games to injury and suspensions and frequent road losses.[103][104] A defeat to the Calgary Flames in the penultimate game of the season eliminated the Kings from playoff contention, while qualifying Calgary, which coincidentally missed the postseason during the Kings' five-season playoff streak. Despite finishing with a record of 40–27–15, the Kings became the first defending Stanley Cup champion to miss the postseason since the 2006–07 Carolina Hurricanes and only the fourth overall since the 1967 NHL expansion season.[105][106]
At the start of the 2015–16 season, the Kings were expected to make the playoffs. They entered the playoffs as the fifth seed in their conference and second seed in their division. They faced the San Jose Sharks, but lost to them in five games. On June 16, 2016, the Kings named Anze Kopitar the 14th captain in team history, replacing Dustin Brown, who had led the team for the past eight seasons.[107]
The Kings celebrated their 50th anniversary during the 2016–17 season along with the other still active 1967 expansion teams (the St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins), and for the first time since 2002, they hosted the
On November 4, 2018, the Kings fired Stevens as head coach after the team started the 2018–19 season 4–8–1, and replaced him with Willie Desjardins.[112][113] In Desjardins' debut on November 7, the Kings defeated the Ducks 4–1.[114] The Kings finished the 2018–19 season in last place in both the Pacific Division and Western Conference with 71 points and they missed the playoffs for the third time in five seasons.
The Kings hired
In the
In the lead up to the 2021–22 season, the Kings acquired forwards Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson during the offseason. They also signed defenseman Alexander Edler in an effort to bolster their blue line presence. The Kings qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 4 seasons, despite losing Drew Doughty to injury. This season would also prove to be Dustin Brown's last, as the forward announced on April 28, 2022, he would retire following the 2022 playoffs. They were defeated by the Edmonton Oilers in seven games in the First Round.
During the off-season, the Kings acquired Kevin Fiala from the Minnesota Wild, to replace Brown on the first line.[115] The 2022–23 season would start off well, as Fiala would lead the team in points for much of the season and be elected to the 2023 All-Star Game. Clinching the 2023 playoffs, the Kings once again faced the Edmonton Oilers in the First Round, and the Kings were defeated, this time in six games.
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