- 1967
- 1967
- 1987
- 1988
- 1999
- 2012
- 2014
-
Los Angeles Kings Team Formation
Prior to the Kings’ arrival in the Los Angeles area, both the Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL) and the Western Hockey League (WHL) had several teams in California, including the PCHL’s Los Angeles Monarchs of the 1930s and the WHL’s Los Angeles Blades of the 1960s. When the NHL decided to expand for the 1967 – 1968 season amid rumblings ... -
“Fabulous” Forum Opens
Construction on Cooke’s new arena, the Forum, was not yet complete when the 1967 – 1968 season began, so the Kings opened their first season at the Long Beach Arena in the neighboring city of Long Beach on October 14, 1967, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4–2. For the next two months, the Kings played their home games both at Long ... -
Bruce McNall Ownership
In 1987, coin collector Bruce McNall purchased the Kings from Buss and turned the team into a Stanley Cup contender almost overnight. McNall bought a 25 percent stake in the Kings from Jerry Buss in 1986 and bought an additional 24 percent in 1987 to become the team’s largest shareholder. He was named team president that September, and purchased Buss’ ... -
Gretzky to Los Angeles
On August 9, 1988, McNall acquired the league’s best player, Wayne Gretzky, in a blockbuster trade with the Edmonton Oilers. The trade rocked the hockey world, especially north of the border where Canadians mourned the loss of a player they considered a national treasure. McNall also changed the team colors to silver and black. On August 9, 1988, when he ... -
Staples Center Opens
The Kings also made an even bigger move in 1999, along with the Los Angeles Lakers, as they left the Great Western Forum and moved to Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles which was built by Anschutz and Roski. Staples Center was a state-of-the-art arena, complete with luxury suites and all the modern amenities that fans and athletes would want ... -
Stanley Cup Winner 2012
The 2012 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL) 2011 – 2012 season, and the culmination of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs. This was the 119th year of the Stanley Cup’s presentation. The Western Conference playoff champion Los Angeles Kings defeated the Eastern Conference playoff champion New Jersey Devils four games to two, capturing ... -
Stanley Cup Winner 2014
The 2014 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL)’s 2013 – 2014 season and the culmination of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. This was the 121st year of the Stanley Cup’s presentation. The league realigned its divisions prior to the season and changed the structure of the playoffs, but the championship series remained the ...
History of the Kings
The Los Angeles Kings is a professional ice hockey team based in the Greater Los Angeles. Founded in 1967, they have been members of the National Hockey League (NHL) since their inception and are one of two NHL teams in California. The Kings have won two Stanley Cup championships during their 2012–13 season and 2014–15 season, respectively. Throughout its history, the franchise had had some notable moments, such as when Wayne Gretzky was acquired from Edmonton Oilers in 1988 or when Luc Robitaille became an All-Star for eight consecutive seasons between 1989-1997.
Since joining the NHL, the LA Kings have experienced mixed results over time but were able to turn things around with strong leadership from General Manager Dean Lombardi, who led them to back-to-back championship wins during his tenure with help from players like Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Quick among others who brought stability on offense and defense respectively that allowed them to make deep playoff runs each year culminating into those memorable titles mentioned earlier. During this period, they also set records for most points accumulated by any Western Conference team, which is still standing today at 109 points earned during the 2011/2012 campaign, which put them atop the standings throughout the regular season before eventually winning it all come postseasons end as well as having longest home win streak record at 10 games achieved twice firstly between December 3rd, 2011 through January 8th, 2012 then again February 9th, 2013 through March 23rd, 2013 proving how formidable a force they can be even against toughest opponents out there making fans proud every night out no matter what outcome may be just showing why this organization will remain relevant far into future years if the current trajectory continues being followed accordingly moving forward too so that everyone involved can benefit considerably going forward too thus ensuring bright future lies ahead indeed!
Overall, the Los Angeles King's history is filled with good and bad moments. They've gone through periods of success where winning multiple Stanley Cups was possible due to solid leaderships combined efforts across the board alongside legendary players like Wayne Gretzky & Luc Robitaille, paving the way towards brighter days ahead regardless of what challenges may lie down the road because nothing seems impossible anymore now knowing full potential these guys bring forth each night out onto rink allowing us to enjoy thrilling games we love watching while cheering our favorite team on loudest manner imaginable!
Kings Products
Established
1967
City
Los Angeles
League History
1967 – Present / National Hockey League
Team History
1967 – Present / Los Angeles Kings
Nickname
Kings – The Los Angeles Kings are among the most successful National Hockey League (NHL) teams. The franchise has won two Stanley Cups and has been a perennial playoff contender since their inception in 1967. But many fans may not know that their iconic nickname, “Kings,” dates back to before they even entered the NHL.
When Jack Kent Cooke bought an expansion team for Los Angeles from the Western Hockey League (WHL), he called them “the Kings” after his beloved hometown of King City, Ontario. This was fitting as it paid homage to both his roots and referenced royalty, resonating with Californians who had recently experienced rapid growth and success in population size and economic prosperity during this period.
The name stuck with fans throughout California and North America when Cooke sold off ownership rights for an NHL franchise based out of LA, thus officially establishing themselves within professional hockey's highest level competition - The National Hockey League! Since then, 'Kings' have become synonymous with excellence on the ice, representing power & strength through hard work & dedication since those early days under Cooke's leadership all those years ago.
Today, you can find loyal supporters wearing royal purple jerseys at Staples Center cheering on their beloved team every game night while proudly displaying banners featuring 'LA KINGS' emblazoned across them - reminding us all that no matter how far away we might be from Canada or Ontario specifically- our hearts will always remain true blue!
Championship
Stanley Cup 2
2014, 2012
Arena
1999 – Present / Staples Center
1967 – 1999 / The “Fabulous” Forum
Owner
1995 – Present / Philip Anschutz and Edward Roski, Jr.
1994 – 1995 / Joseph Cohen and Jeffrey Sudikoff
1987 – 1994 / Bruce McNall
1979 – 1987 / Jerry Buss
1967 – 1979 / Jack Kent Cooke
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
4 / Rob Blake
16 / Marcel Dionne
18 / Dave Taylor
20 / Luc Robitaille
30 / Rogie Vachon
99 / Wayne Gretzky
*Blue is this team’s history
