Los Angeles Kings

Lore & Background

The Kings were founded after Jack Kent Cooke paid the NHL $2 million for an expansion franchise. Cooke chose the name Kings to evoke royalty and selected purple (or 'Forum Blue') and gold as team colors, colors later adopted by the Los Angeles Lakers, which Cooke also owned. The team opened its first season at Long Beach Arena on October 14, 1967, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4–2, before moving into the Forum on December 30, 1967.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, the Kings had strong regular seasons but early playoff exits. Highlights included the goaltending of Rogie Vachon and the 'Triple Crown Line' of Charlie Simmer, Dave Taylor, and Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne. In 1982, the Kings upset the rising Edmonton Oilers in a playoff game known as the Miracle on Manchester. In 1988, the Kings traded for Oilers captain Wayne Gretzky, which raised hockey's popularity in Los Angeles and helped elevate the sport's profile in the American Sun Belt. Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, and Rob Blake led the Kings to their only division title in 1990–91 and the franchise's first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1993, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens.

After the 1993 Final, the Kings entered financial problems, including a bankruptcy in 1995, leading to the franchise being acquired by Philip Anschutz and Ed Roski Jr. A period of mediocrity followed until the team broke a six-year playoff drought in 2009–10 with a core of Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty, Dustin Brown, Anže Kopitar, and Justin Williams. Under coach Darryl Sutter, 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. Quick and Williams each won the Conn Smythe Trophy. Since then, the team has had mixed success, qualifying for the playoffs from 2022 to 2026 but not advancing past the first round.

Reader's Guide

The Los Angeles Kings are notable as one of the six original expansion teams from the 1967 NHL expansion, bringing professional hockey to Southern California. Their significance lies in their role in popularizing hockey in a non-traditional market, particularly after acquiring Wayne Gretzky in 1988, which boosted the sport's profile across the American Sun Belt. The Kings' first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1993, though a loss to the Montreal Canadiens, marked a high point before financial troubles and a bankruptcy in 1995 led to a change in ownership. The team's resurgence in the 2010s, culminating in Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014, established them as a modern powerhouse. The 2012 title, won over the New Jersey Devils, and the 2014 victory over the New York Rangers, with Conn Smythe winners Jonathan Quick and Justin Williams, respectively, cemented the franchise's legacy. However, since 2014, the Kings have not advanced past the first round of the playoffs, despite qualifying from 2022 to 2026. The team's history includes iconic figures such as Marcel Dionne, Wayne Gretzky, and Luc Robitaille, as well as the Miracle on Manchester playoff upset in 1982.

Did You Know?

• The Kings were originally named by owner Jack Kent Cooke to evoke 'an air of royalty,' with team colors of purple (Forum Blue) and gold.
• The Kings' first home game was played at Long Beach Arena on October 14, 1967, before moving to the Forum later that season.
• In 1982, the Kings erased a 5–0 third-period deficit to defeat the Edmonton Oilers in overtime in a game known as the Miracle on Manchester.
• The Kings won their first Stanley Cup in 2012, defeating the New Jersey Devils, and repeated in 2014 by beating the New York Rangers.