The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. The team was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent Cooke was awarded an NHL expansion franchise for Los Angeles on February 9, 1966, becoming one of the six teams that began play as part of the 1967 NHL expansion. The team plays its home games at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, their home since the start of the 1999–2000 season. Prior to that, the Kings played for 32 years at the Forum in Inglewood, California, a suburb of the Greater Los Angeles area.
Barry James Melrose is a Canadian–American retired broadcaster and former professional ice hockey player and head coach. Melrose played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and National Hockey League (NHL). After retiring from playing, he became a head coach and is best known for being the coach of the Los Angeles Kings in their run to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals. Until 2023, he was a long-time commentator and hockey analyst for ESPN as well as a contributor for the NHL Network.
Dustin James Brown is an American former professional ice hockey right winger. Brown spent his entire NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL), who drafted him 13th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He is the Kings all-time games leader and served as team captain from 2008 to 2016; during this time he led the Kings to the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup championships, becoming the first Kings captain and second American captain to win the Stanley Cup. During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, he played for ZSC Lions in the Swiss National League A.
Ryan Alexander Borden Smyth is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played most of his career for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was especially known for playing in the style of a power forward. He has been one of the owners of the BCHL Spruce Grove Saints since 2017.
Luc Jean-Marie Robitaille is a Canadian–American professional ice hockey executive and former player who serves as president of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).
David Andrew Taylor is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Los Angeles Kings from 1977 to 1994. He featured in the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals with the Kings.
Rogatien Rosaire "Rogie" Vachon is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League between 1967 and 1982.
Anže Kopitar is a Slovenian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). The 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL entry draft, Kopitar became the first Slovene to play in the NHL upon making his debut in 2006. Kopitar has spent his entire NHL career with the Kings, has led the team in scoring in all but two seasons and is second in franchise history in points, fourth in franchise history in goals, and first in franchise history in assists. He scored his 1,000th career point in 2021. Following the 2015–16 season, he was named the Kings' captain. Noted for both his offensive and defensive play, Kopitar was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL in 2016, as well as the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly play the same year. He won the Selke Trophy a second time in 2018 and the Lady Byng Trophy in 2023.
The 1968–69 NHL season was the 52nd season of the National Hockey League. Twelve teams each played 76 games. For the second time in a row, the Montreal Canadiens faced the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Finals. Montreal won their second consecutive Stanley Cup as they swept the Blues in four, an identical result to the previous season.
Bernard Irvine Nicholls is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre, who played over 1000 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). His junior career was spent with the Kingston Canadians, where he established himself as a dynamic scorer and a multi-faceted talent. He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the fourth round of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft, 73rd overall. Over his 17-year playing career, Nicholls played 1,127 games for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks, scoring 1,209 points. He is one of only eight players in NHL history to score 70 goals in one season, and one of six to score 150 points. However, he is one of eighteen eligible players with 1,000 points to not be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Nicholls was born in Haliburton, Ontario, but grew up in West Guilford, Ontario.
Tomas Sandström is a Finnish-born Swedish former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1984 to 1999. Born in Finland, Sandström grew up in Fagersta, Sweden. A skilled power forward, he was effective when healthy but his career was marred by injuries due to his physical style of play.
Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. A four-time Stanley Cup winner with the Islanders, he has been cited as a key figure of the Islanders dynasty.
Aaron Michael Miller is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. Over the course of his 14-year career in the National Hockey League (NHL), which lasted from 1994 to 2008, Miller played for the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche, the Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Canucks. In 2002, he was selected as a member of United States hockey team at the 2002 Winter Olympics, where he won a silver medal. Prior to making his professional debut, Miller earned a degree in business from the University of Vermont.
James B. Thomson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 1984 NHL entry draft. Thomson also played for the Hartford Whalers, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in a nine year career spanning from 1985 to 1994.
Joseph Denis Emile DeJordy, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played goal for four National Hockey League teams, most notably the Chicago Black Hawks. In 1966–67, he and Glenn Hall won the Vezina Trophy for the best goals-against average in the NHL.
Kenneth Paul Hammond is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Hammond was born in Port Credit, Ontario. He played as a defenceman in college hockey with the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers, winning the 1985 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament championship and was named a First Team All-American. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the eighth round, 147th overall, in the 1983 NHL entry draft. He played with the Kings, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, and Ottawa Senators in the NHL between 1985 and 1993. He played in both the Sharks and Senators inaugural games. He finished his career in the minor leagues, retiring in 1996.
Norman James Johnson was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He played eight seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Los Angeles Kings from 1964 to 1972. He went on to play three seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA) with the Minnesota Fighting Saints and Indianapolis Racers from 1972 to 1975.
The 1984–85 Los Angeles Kings season, was the Kings' 18th season in the National Hockey League. Following a fifth-place finish the previous season under three different coaches, Pat Quinn was hired as the new head coach of the Kings. In his first season, he returned them to the playoffs after a three-year absence with a 23-point improvement in the standings. But despite the goal scoring brilliance of Marcel Dionne and Bernie Nicholls, the Kings could not duplicate their Miracle on Manchester performance this time, losing to the Edmonton Oilers in three straight games in the Smythe Division semi-finals.
The 1973–74 Los Angeles Kings season was the Kings' seventh season in the National Hockey League.
The history of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League begins in 1966, as the league prepared a major expansion for the upcoming season, and awarded a new team to Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Jack Kent Cooke, who also owned the Los Angeles Lakers. While the Los Angeles Kings awaited construction to be completed on their future home, The Forum in Inglewood, California, they played their first two games during their inaugural 1967–68 season at the Long Beach Arena. The first game in Kings history was played on Oct. 14, 1967 and the Kings defeated the fellow expansion Philadelphia Flyers 4–2 in front of 7,023. They also played 14 games at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena while awaiting the completion of the construction of the Forum. The Kings hosted their first game at the Forum on Dec. 30, 1967, a 2–0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. They went on to play their first 32 seasons at Forum before moving to the Crypto.com Arena in Downtown Los Angeles in 1999.
