Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles Kings, American professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles that plays in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Kings have won two Stanley Cup titles (2012 and 2014) and three conference championships (1993, 2012, and 2014).

The Kings were one of the expansion teams that the NHL added to its so-called “Original Six” in 1967. Their first years were mostly undistinguished, with losing records in each of the team’s first six seasons—although the Kings did twice qualify for the postseason and even won a first-round series in 1968–69 despite having the worst record of all playoff teams that year. Behind the standout play of goaltender Rogatien (Rogie) Vachon (1971–78), centre Marcel Dionne (1975–87), and right wing Dave Taylor (1977–94), the Kings ran off nine consecutive playoff berths between 1973–74 and 1981–82, though they advanced past the first round just three times during that span. The 1981–82 season also marked the beginning of seven straight seasons during which the Kings finished in either last or second-to-last place in their division.

Although the team had not made much of an impact on the NHL for most of its existence, that situation changed dramatically in 1988. That year, in one of the most significant trades in hockey history, the Kings acquired superstar Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers, instantly turning the Kings into one of North America’s most-talked-about teams. Gretzky won the Hart Memorial Trophy (league Most Valuable Player award) in his first season in Los Angeles, and he led the Kings to the team’s first division title in 1990–91; however, the Kings did not advance any farther than the second round of the postseason during his first four years with the team. The Kings—with a roster featuring Gretzky, left wing Luc Robitaille, and defenseman Rob Blake—broke through in 1992–93, winning a conference championship before ultimately losing to the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup finals. The Kings’ play fell off precipitously the following season, however, resulting in a fifth-place divisional finish and the beginning of a four-season playoff drought. By the time the Kings returned to the postseason in 1997–98, the team’s roster had been significantly revamped, most notably by trading Gretzky to the St. Louis Blues in 1996.

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The first decade of the 21st century saw Los Angeles miss the playoffs each season from 2002–03 to 2008–09. The Kings, led by centre Anže Kopitar and right wing Dustin Brown, returned to the postseason in 2009–10 and 2010–11 only to lose their first playoff series each season. However, in 2011–12 the Kings, who qualified for the postseason as the eighth (lowest) seed in the Western Conference, went on one of the most remarkable playoff runs in ice hockey history. The team upset the three highest-seeded teams in the conference (the Vancouver Canucks, the St. Louis Blues, and the Phoenix Coyotes), winning an NHL-record eight consecutive postseason road games along the way, to advance to the Stanley Cup finals. There the Kings ultimately extended their playoff road winning streak to 10 and defeated the New Jersey Devils in six games to become the lowest-seeded team to ever win the Stanley Cup.

The Kings returned to the conference finals in 2012–13 (a loss to the Chicago Blackhawks) for the first back-to-back appearances in that playoff round in franchise history. The following season, the Kings went on a remarkable playoff run. In the opening round, Los Angeles became the third team in NHL history to come back from a 3–0 series deficit to win the series, as the team defeated the rival San Jose Sharks. The Kings followed this feat by winning two more seven-game series to advance to the Stanley Cup finals, each (as was also the case against the Sharks) with the deciding seventh game taking place in the opponents’ home arena. Los Angeles continued its thrilling play in the finals, where it dispatched the New York Rangers in a five-game series that featured three overtime victories for the Kings. The team finished two points outside of playoff qualification in 2014–15 to end its five-year postseason streak. The Kings returned to the playoffs the following season but were upset by the Sharks in the opening round. After missing the postseason the next year, the Kings returned to the playoffs following the 2017–18 season but were swept in the first round by the upstart expansion team Vegas Golden Knights. Los Angeles struggled during the next several seasons and failed to make the playoffs.