32 NHL Cities in 32 Days: LA Kings

Alexis Bazydola
May 14, 2020
5 min read

The Location: Los Angeles, California

The Staples Center is home to four professional sports franchises including the NBA’s LA Lakers and Clippers, the WNBA’s LA Sparks and the NHL’s LA Kings. Opening in 1999 the Staples Center is known as the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World. It has hosted numerous events including the NBA and NHL All Star games, the Grammy Awards, and entertainers like Kendrick Lamar, Prince, Beyonce, U2, Paul McCartney and so many more. The arena can seat just over 18,000 fans for a home hockey game.

Team History

In the 1967-68 season, Jack Kent Cooke paid the NHL $2 million for an NHL expansion franchise in LA. The name “Kings” was chosen as Cooke wanted the team to represent an “air of royalty and chose the colors of purple and gold to represent the team (colors that were also worn by the LA Lakers which Cooke was also the owner of). The Kings began play at the Long Beach Arena in 1967 as they awaited the construction of their own arena to be completed. The arena was completed in December of that year and was known as the “Fabulous Forum.” Although they were able to make the playoffs their first few seasons in the league, they were not able to gain much momentum towards a championship.

The Kings acquired Marcel Dionne following the end of the 1974-75 season. They were able to progress past the first round for the next two seasons, but were eliminated by the Boston Bruins each year. Following management shifts after the 1976-77 season, Dionne was paired with Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer. This line would become known as the “Triple Crown Line” and would be one of the highest scoring lines in NHL history.

The 1982 playoffs saw the Kings take on the Edmonton Oilers and upset them. They went on to face the Vancouver Canucks, but would lose the series in five games. The next two seasons did not see the Kings return to the playoffs. During the 1987 season, Dionne was traded to the New York Rangers. The 1988-89 season saw the odds turn around for the Kings when they acquired Wayne Gretzky in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers. The team colors were also changed to silver and black this season.

The next few seasons saw some playoff success for the Kings, but they were never able to make it past the second round. During the 1990-91 season, the team won its first division title as a franchise. The 1992-93 season saw the absence of Gretzky from 39 games due to a career-threatening herniated-thoracic disk. Luc Robitaille served as captain in his absence. This year the Kings were finally able to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals after besting the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, and Toronto Maple Leafs. They would face the Montreal Canadians in the finals. While they were able to push the series to five games, they did not win the Cup.

With their first absence from the playoffs since 1986 in 1994, the team fell on hard times. Owner Bruce McNall defaulted on a loan and the bank threatened to force the team in to bankruptcy unless McNall sold the team. The team was sold to Jeffry Sudikoff and Joseph Cohen. Despite the new ownership, the team was still forced in to bankruptcy in 1995 after they were unable to make player payroll. This would lead to many players being traded away including Gretzky who would be traded to the St. Louis Blues in 1996.

The team was repurchased by Phillip Anschutz and Edward P. Roski in 1995. The team looked to rebuild but were not successful. The Kings moved from The Forum after 32 seasons to the Staples Center in 1999. With a hopeful season beginning in 1999, the team was able to return to the playoffs only to be swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round. After another building year for the Kings in 2000-01, the Kings returned to the playoffs to once again face the Detroit Red Wings this time beating them in six games. They faced the Colorado Avalanche in the second round, but lost the series in seven games. While the next season saw the Kings fall again to the Avalanche this time in the first round, the team would not return to the playoffs until the 2010 postseason.

While they would make the playoffs in both 2010 and 2011, they would not make much traction until the 2012 postseason. In 2012, the team faced the Vancouver Canucks in the first round where they would win the series in five games. They then went on to face the St. Louis Blues for their first conference semi-finals since the 2000-01 season. They swept the Blues and advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in franchise history. They were paired with the Phoenix Coyotes and defeated them in five games. The Kings faced the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals and defeated them in six games to win their first ever Stanley Cup.

With the 2012-13 season being shortened due to a lockout, the Kings looked to return to claim the Cup once again. They faced the St. Louis Blues in the first round and won in six games. In the second round they would defeat the San Jose Sharks to once again advance to the Western Conference Finals. While the Kings were able to extend the series to five games, they ultimately lost to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The next season saw the Kings return to the Conference Finals again after beating the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks. They once again faced the Chicago Blackhawks in the Conference Finals. They pushed the series to seven games and beat the Blackhawks on their way to another Stanley Cup Final appearance. They faced the New York Rangers in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals. They won the Cup in five games.

Despite all of this success, the Kings would struggle during the 2014-15 season as they faced injuries, scoring slumps, and frequent road losses. This would result in their elimination from the playoffs that season. They returned to the playoffs in 2015 but were bested by the San Jose Sharks in the first round. With one playoff appearance in 2018 (being eliminated in the first round by the Vegas Golden Knights), the Kings have not been able to regain their spark of the early 2010s. At the season’s pause, the Kings sit at 28th in the league with 64 points.

Fanbase & Traditions

Rivalries are something that empower fanbases. The LA Kings have two notable rivalries with the other California franchises, the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks. The Kings vs. Ducks rivalry is nicknamed the “Freeway Face-Off” as the two teams are separated by Interstate 5.

Since 2005, the Kings have been cheered on by their mascot Bailey the lion. He wears number 72 which is the average temperature in LA. His name honors Garnet “Ace” Bailey who served as the Director of Pro Scouting before passing away in the 9/11 Terrorist attacks. This is the second mascot the Kings have had after Kingston the snow leopard who cheered on the team in the 1990s.