Los Angeles Kings

Lore & Background

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. Their highlights in those years included the strong goaltending of Rogie Vachon, and the 'Triple Crown Line' of Charlie Simmer, Dave Taylor and Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne. The entire team pulled off a famous upset of the rising Edmonton Oilers in a 1982 playoff game known as the Miracle on Manchester.

In 1988, the Kings traded with the Oilers to get their captain Wayne Gretzky, leading to a successful phase of the franchise that raised hockey's popularity in Los Angeles, and helped elevate the sport's profile in the American Sun Belt region. Gretzky, fellow Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille, and defenseman Rob Blake led the Kings to division titles in 1990–91 and 1992–93, and the Kings' first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1993, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens.

After the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, the Kings entered financial problems, with a bankruptcy in 1995, which led to the franchise being acquired by Philip Anschutz (the owner of Anschutz Entertainment Group and the operators of Crypto.com Arena) and Ed Roski Jr.. A period of mediocrity ensued, with the Kings only resurging as they broke a six-year playoff drought in the 2009–10 season, with a team that included goaltender Jonathan Quick, defenseman Drew Doughty, and forwards Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, and Justin Williams.

Under coach Darryl Sutter, who was hired early in the 2011–12 season, and with the acquisition of Jeff Carter, the Kings won two Stanley Cups in three years: 2012 over the New Jersey Devils, and 2014 over the New York Rangers, while Quick and Williams respectively won the Conn Smythe Trophy. The team has had mixed success since then as they have qualified for the playoffs from 2022 to 2026, but have not advanced past the first round – a feat they have not achieved since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014.

Reader's Guide

NHL expansion and the 'Forum Blue and Gold' years (1967–1975): When the NHL decided to expand for the 1967–68 season, Canadian entrepreneur Jack Kent Cooke paid the NHL $2 million to place one of the six expansion teams in Los Angeles. Following a fan contest to name the team, Cooke chose the name Kings and picked the original team colors of purple (or 'Forum Blue') and gold. Construction on Cooke's new arena, the Forum, was not yet complete when the 1967–68 season began, so the Kings opened their first season at the Long Beach Arena on October 14, 1967, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers, 4–2.

The Forum finally opened on December 30, 1967, with the Kings being shut out by the Flyers, 2–0. While the first two seasons had the Kings qualifying for the playoffs, afterwards poor management led the Kings into hard times. Eventually the Kings made a few key acquisitions to resurge as a contender. By acquiring Bob Pulford in 1970, Juha Widing in a trade from the New York Rangers, and Rogie Vachon in 1971, the Kings went from being one of the worst defensive teams to one of the best, and in 1974 they returned to the playoffs.

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 acquired center Marcel Dionne from the Detroit Red Wings. Behind Dionne, Vachon, and Butch Goring, the Kings played two of their best seasons yet. Bob Pulford left after the 1976–77 season, and General Manager Jake Milford left as well. This led to struggles in the 1977–78 season.

Afterwards, Vachon became a free agent and signed with the Red Wings. The following season, coach Bob Berry juggled line combinations, and Dionne found himself on a new line with Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer. This line combination, known as the 'Triple Crown Line', would go on to become one of the highest-scoring line combinations in NHL history. During the first three seasons of the Triple Crown Line, the Kings were eliminated in the first round.

The Kings regressed in 1981–82 finishing 17th overall, but made the 1982 Stanley Cup playoffs. Los Angeles upset the second overall Edmonton Oilers, led by Wayne Gretzky, in a series that included the 'Miracle on Manchester', but they were eliminated by eventual finalists Vancouver Canucks in five games. The Kings missed the playoffs in the next two seasons.