50 Fun Facts About Los Angeles Kings

Which Canadian entrepreneur paid $2 million to put one of the 1967 expansion teams in Los Angeles?

He also owned the Lakers and built the Forum after feuding with the Coliseum Commission.

Why did Cooke choose purple and gold as the original colours?

The purple was officially called 'Forum Blue'; the Lakers actually adopted the scheme from the Kings.

Where did the Kings play their first game in October 1967 while the Forum was still unfinished?

They beat fellow expansion club Philadelphia 4-2.

Which goaltender's 1971 arrival from Montreal turned the Kings into a contender?

He later became general manager and his number hangs in the rafters.

Which two wingers flanked Marcel Dionne on the 'Triple Crown Line'?

Simmer had been a career minor-leaguer; Taylor was the playmaker.

Which owner bought the Kings, the Lakers and the Forum for $67.5 million in 1979?

He sold the Kings to coin dealer Bruce McNall in 1987.

In the 1982 'Miracle on Manchester', what deficit did the Kings erase in the third period?

They won in overtime and upset an Oilers team that had finished 48 points ahead of them.

Which coach was suspended in 1986-87 for signing with Vancouver while still under Kings contract?

Marcel Dionne was traded to the Rangers the same season.

Bruce McNall, who bought the Kings in 1987, made his fortune in what?

He defaulted on a Bank of America loan and the club went bankrupt in 1995.

The Kings' 1988 switch to silver and black mirrored which NFL team then playing in the city?

The enclosed banner logo drew comparisons to the Chevrolet bowtie.

How many points did Gretzky score in his first Kings season, winning his ninth Hart Trophy?

Los Angeles then knocked his old Oilers out of the 1989 playoffs.

In which season did the Kings win their only division title?

They lost a second-round series to Edmonton in which four games went to overtime.

Which coach, hired from the AHL's Adirondack Red Wings, took the Kings to the 1993 Final?

Gretzky missed 39 games with a herniated disk; Luc Robitaille captained in his absence.

Which Kings defenseman's illegal stick curve in Game 2 of the 1993 Final turned the series?

Eric Desjardins tied it on the ensuing power play and won it in overtime; the Kings lost the next three.

Whose record did Gretzky pass with his 802nd goal in March 1994?

It came in a season the Kings missed the playoffs.

Which team did Gretzky force a trade to in 1996 as the bankrupt Kings unravelled?

Philip Anschutz and Ed Roski had bought the club out of bankruptcy for $113.5 million.

Fans nicknamed the unpopular 1995-96 alternate sweater's bearded crowned figure after which fast-food chain?

It was scrapped after a single season.

Why did the Kings switch to a purple-based scheme in 1998?

The new shield logo featured a sunglass-wearing lion, a crown and the Sun.

Which two players from the 2001 Rob Blake trade with Colorado became key Kings?

The Kings then upset Detroit for their first series win since 1993.

Which four future core players did the Kings draft between 2003 and 2008?

Kopitar and Quick were both taken in 2005.

Which coach replaced Terry Murray in December 2011 and won two Cups in three years?

Jeff Carter arrived by trade midway through that first season.

Whose overtime goal in Game 5 against Phoenix sent the 2012 Kings to their first Final since 1993?

LA became the first eighth seed to beat the top three seeds in its conference.

Whom did the Kings beat in six games to win the 2012 Stanley Cup?

Jonathan Quick won the Conn Smythe and signed a ten-year extension weeks later.

The 2012 Kings were the first champion in any major North American league to enter the playoffs as what?

They also became the second California team to win the Cup at home.

Which Sharks player's hit on Jarret Stoll drew a suspension for the rest of the 2013 second-round series?

LA won in seven, then lost to Chicago on a Patrick Kane double-overtime goal in Game 5.

In 2014 the Kings became only the fourth NHL team to win a series after trailing 3-0, against whom?

They won Game 7 in San Jose, then another Game 7 in Anaheim.

Whose overtime goals won both Game 7 of the 2014 conference finals and Game 5 of the Final?

The Kings faced elimination a record seven times in that 26-game run.

Which 'Mr. Game 7' won the 2014 Conn Smythe Trophy?

He had points in all three Game 7s that spring.

Whom did the Kings beat in five games in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final?

Their 26 playoff games tied the record set by the 1987 Flyers and 2004 Flames.

Which distinction did the 2014-15 Kings earn by missing the playoffs?

A loss to Calgary in the penultimate game did it.

Who succeeded Dustin Brown as Kings captain in June 2016?

Kopitar announced in September 2025 that his 20th season would be his last.

Which defenseman did Vegas take from the Kings in the 2017 expansion draft?

The Golden Knights then swept LA in the 2018 first round.

Who scored the first hat trick in an outdoor regular-season NHL game, at the 2020 Stadium Series?

He was traded to Vancouver two days later.

Which forward's 2023 arrival from Winnipeg on an eight-year, $68 million deal lasted a single season?

He was flipped to Washington for goalie Darcy Kuemper.

The Kings opened 2023-24 with 11 straight wins away from home, breaking which team's record?

Buffalo had held the mark; the season collapsed in January and Todd McLellan was fired.

Which team eliminated the Kings in the first round four straight years from 2022 to 2025?

A failed 2025 goalie-interference challenge by Jim Hiller became the turning point of that series.

Which former Oilers executive replaced Rob Blake as Kings general manager in 2025?

Peter Laviolette became head coach in June 2026.

Which dubious NHL record did the Kings break on April 2, 2026, with their 19th of the year?

D. J. Smith was interim coach after Jim Hiller's March firing.

Bailey the lion wears No. 72 for what reason?

He is named for scout Ace Bailey, who died in the September 11 attacks.

Which snow leopard preceded Bailey as Kings mascot and later joined the Ontario Reign?

He dates to the early 1990s.

Which 'Voice of the Kings' called games from 1973 to 2017 and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

He received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2000.

Under what name did the Kings' downtown arena open in October 1999?

It was the only NBA arena shared by two teams until the Clippers left in 2024.

Which music ceremony has Crypto.com Arena hosted most often since opening?

AEG owns and operates the building.

In which round of the 1984 draft did the Kings take Luc Robitaille?

He went 171st overall because scouts doubted his skating, then won the Calder Trophy.

Robitaille's 668 career goals set the NHL record for which position?

His 63 goals in 1992-93 stood as the left-wing single-season mark until Ovechkin.

With which team did Robitaille finally win the Stanley Cup, in 2002?

He had turned down a pay-cut offer from the Kings the previous summer.

Which 1970 acquisition from Toronto later became the Kings' head coach before feuding with owner Jack Kent Cooke?

Pulford left after the 1976-77 season along with general manager Jake Milford.

Who holds the Kings' single-season goals record with 70 in 1988-89?

Gretzky holds the franchise records for assists (122) and points in a season.

Which two buyers did Bruce McNall sell the Kings to after a federal investigation into his finances?

Sudikoff founded IDB Communications; Cohen was a former Madison Square Garden president.

Which three Kings broadcasters have won the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award?

They were honoured in 1990, 2000 and 2015 respectively.