Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Kings joined the NHL in the 1967–68 season, as one of six new franchises that were added to double the size of the league to 12 teams. The Kings previously played at their home ice arena in Inglewood, California called "The Forum", later known as "The Great Western Forum", in a suburb of Los Angeles, for 32 years. The Kings moved to the Staples Center as their new home in Downtown Los Angeles at the start of the 1999–2000 season. The Kings have won 2 Stanley Cup championships in the (2011–12, 2013–14) seasons.
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Affiliates and notable players
The Kings are currently affiliated with the Ontario Reign in the American Hockey League, who play in nearby Ontario California.
Left unprotected in the June 1967 expansion draft, future hall of famer Terry Sawchuk was the first player selected, taken by the Los Angeles Kings where he played one season before being traded back to Detroit.
Dick Duff, a future hall of fame Left Winger, played for the Kings for a part of the 1969–70 season and then just 7 games for the following 1970–71 season before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres.
Harry Howell, a stay at home defensman and hall of fame player played three seasons with the Los Angeles Kings from 1970-1973 eventually jumping over to the WHA professional league the following year.
Future Hall of fame goalie Billy Smith was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 5th round of the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft making his debut with the Kings in February 1972. Smith was then drafted in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft by the New York Islanders to go on and eventually win four Stanley Cups there.
Future Hall of fame goalie Rogie Vachon was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Los Angeles Kings Early in 1971–72 season after demanding a trade. He was named the team MVP four times between 1973 and 1977 during which the he was runner-up for the Vezina Trophy in 1974–75.
Marcel Dionne signed with the Kings on June 23, 1975 and became their franchise player. At the time, it was the richest deal in hockey history. Dionne played eleven and a half seasons and formed the famed "Triple Crown Line", centering Charlie Simmer and Dave Taylor.
Dave Taylor played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Los Angeles Kings from 1977 to 1994. Until 2019, he held the Kings record for games played with 1,111 and served as team captain from 1985-1989. Taylor served as the Kings' general manager from 1997 to 2006.
Luc Robitaille, In his rookie season of 1986-87, Robitaille captured the Calder Trophy. The highest-scoring left winger in NHL history, Robitaille compiled 1,394 points setting the NHL record which also is attributed to another NHL record for goals by a left winger, (with 668). Robatille is also the Kings' franchise record holder for goals, (with 577).
"The Trade", as it came to be known, on August 9, 1988, in a move that heralded significant change in the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers traded future hall of famer Wayne Gretzky (along with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski) to the Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gélinas, $15 million in cash and the Kings' first-round draft picks in 1989, 1991 and 1993.
Future Hall of fame defensman Rob Blake, selected in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Kings played 11 seasons in Los Angeles. Blake joined the Colorado Avalanche late in the 2000–01 season, he would return to the Kings in 2006 until 2008. After a stint with the San Jose Sharks Blake retired. In 2017, the Kings named Blake the vice-president and general manager of the team.
In 1989, Goaltender Kelly Hrudey was traded to the Los Angeles Kings and would play there for eight seasons. His most notable achievement was playing in the 1993 Stanley Cup finals, but the Kings lost to Patrick Roy's Montreal Canadiens.
From 1989-1992 at the end of his hall of fame career, Larry Robinson played defense for the Kings. Together with Nicklas Lidstrom, Robinson holds the NHL record for most consecutive playoff seasons with 20, 17 of them with the Canadiens. After winning the Stanley Cup in 1995 with the Devils, he was hired as head coach of the Kings.
After a season in Milan, Italy, Jari Kurri's rights were traded to the Philadelphia Flyers and then to the Los Angeles Kings on the same day. For the first time since the 1988 trade, Kurri was reunited with Wayne Gretzky during the 1991–92 season.
Hall of fame Defensemen Paul Coffey, a former Oilers teammate of Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri and Marty McSorley, joined the Kings after a trade during the 1992 season. Coffey only played for the Kings for parts of two seasons.
During the 1994–95 season hall of fame goaltender Grant Fuhr played 14 games for the Los Angeles Kings.
In 2003 the L.A. Kings drafted Dustin Brown, eventually Brown would lead the Kings as captain to two Stanley cup Championships.
In 2005 Jonathan Quick was drafted by the Kings. The two-time Vezina Trophy nominee goaltender started both Stanley Cup championship winning games for the Kings.
Drafted in 2005, Anze Kopitar, the future Captain, would play an integral part of helping the Kings win 2 Stanley cup championships. Kopitar returned to form in the 2017–18 season scoring a career high 35 goals and 57 assists for 92 points.
On March 1, 2017, Jerome Iginla was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for a 2018 conditional fourth-round pick. He chose to wear the number 88, as number 12 was already taken by Marián Gáborík.
Roster
Goaltenders
- 31 - Erik Ersberg
- 32 - Jonathan Quick
Defensemen
- 8 - Drew Doughty
- 21 - Denis Gauthier
- 2 - Matt Greene
- 5 - Peter Harrold
- 3 - Jack Johnson
- 6 - Sean O'Donnell
- 42 - Tom Preissing
- 27 - Kyle Quincey
Forwards
- 7 - Derek Armstrong
- 23 - Dustin Brown
- 19 - Kyle Calder
- 67 - Marc-Andre Cliche
- 24 - Alexander Frolov
- 26 - Michal Handzus
- 41 - Raitis Ivanans
- 11 - Anze Kopitar
- 61 - Trevor Lewis
- 15 - Brad Richardson
- 54 - Teddy Purcell
- 17 - Wayne Simmonds
- 10 - Justin Williams
- 13 - John Zeiler
Team's Official Website
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