# 1974–75 Los Angeles Kings season

The 1974–75 Los Angeles Kings season was the Kings' eighth season in the National Hockey League.

## Offseason

Defenseman Barry Long (3G, 19Ast, plus/minus = +25) jumped to the Edmonton Oilers of the WHA.

## Regular season

The Kings were coming off their first playoff appearance in 5 years and the season before finished with a .500 record and scored more goals than they allowed for the first time in club history. Still, they were placed in a division with the powerful Montreal Canadiens in the 1974–75 realignment and hockey experts joked that Montreal would clinch 1st place by Christmas. But the Kings started fast, losing only twice in their first 26 games. The Canadiens finally overtook them and clinched first place with only 3 games to play. In addition, the Kings had allowed the fewest goals in for most of the season (which would have earned their goaltender tandem of Rogie Vachon and Gary Edwards the Vezina Trophy under 1975 rules). But they faltered just enough at the end and the Philadelphia Flyers earned that honor by a mere 4 goals.

## Playoffs

With the 4th best record in the league, the Kings were hopeful of a deep playoff run. But because they finished 2nd in the division, they had to play in the dangerous 2 out of 3 mini series. Their opponent was the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were under .500 on the season, finishing 27 points behind the Kings. But a hot goalie can carry a team and Toronto's Gord McRae got hot at the wrong time for the Kings. Toronto scored a late goal in game 1 but the Kings won in overtime, 3–2. Toronto won game 2 in overtime by the same 3–2 score, and won game 3 in L.A. 2–1. Three of the four higher seeded teams lost in the mini series.

### Final standings

Norris Division vte :
| | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts |
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 47 | 14 | 19 | 374 | 225 | +149 | 113 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 42 | 17 | 21 | 269 | 185 | +84 | 105 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 37 | 28 | 15 | 326 | 289 | +37 | 89 |
| 4 | Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 23 | 45 | 12 | 259 | 335 | −76 | 58 |
| 5 | Washington Capitals | 80 | 8 | 67 | 5 | 181 | 446 | −265 | 21 |

### Record vs. opponents

Norris Division record vs. opponents :
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Campbell Conference
Vs. Norris Division
1974–75 NHL records
Team
DET
LAK
MTL
PIT
WSH
Total
Detroit
—0–5–10–4–22–45–17–14–3
Los Angeles
5–0–1—1–2–33–1–25–0–114–3–7
Montreal
4–0–22–1–3—4–1–16–016–2–6
Pittsburgh
4–21–3–21–4–1—5–111–10–3
Washington
1–50–5–10–61–5—2–21–1
Vs. Adams Division
1974–75 NHL records
Team
BOS
BUF
CAL
TOR
Total
Detroit
1–41–3–12–2–11–3–15–12–3
Los Angeles
3–23–1–12–1–24–0–112–4–4
Montreal
3–0–20–4–15–01–2–29–6–5
Pittsburgh
1–2–20–3–24–0–14–19–6–5
Washington
0–4–10–52–31–43–16–1
Vs. Patrick Division
1974–75 NHL records
Team
ATL
NYI
NYR
PHI
Total
Detroit
2–22–21–2–11–2–16–8–2
Los Angeles
1–2–10–1–31–1–21–2–13–6–7
Montreal
3–0–10–2–22–0–21–2–16–4–6
Pittsburgh
1–1–22–22–21–36–8–2
Washington
0–3–10–41–2–10–41–13–2
Vs. Smythe Division
1974–75 NHL records
Team
CHI
KCS
MIN
STL
VAN
Total
Detroit
1–2–13–10–2–20–3–11–35–11–4
Los Angeles
2–23–14–03–0–11–1–213–4–3
Montreal
3–0–14–04–01–2–14–016–2–2
Pittsburgh
2–1–12–0–23–11–1–23–111–4–5
Washington
1–31–30–3–10–40–42–17–1 :

## Schedule and results

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | W | October 10, 1974 | 5–3 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | T | October 12, 1974 | 4–4 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1974–75) | 1–0–1 |
| 3 | W | October 13, 1974 | 4–1 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1974–75) | 2–0–1 |
| 4 | T | October 15, 1974 | 1–1 | @ Washington Capitals (1974–75) | 2–0–2 |
| 5 | T | October 16, 1974 | 1–1 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75) | 2–0–3 |
| 6 | W | October 19, 1974 | 3–0 | Kansas City Scouts (1974–75) | 3–0–3 |
| 7 | L | October 22, 1974 | 2–4 | Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) | 3–1–3 |
| 8 | W | October 24, 1974 | 7–2 | Buffalo Sabres (1974–75) | 4–1–3 |
| 9 | W | October 26, 1974 | 5–1 | California Golden Seals (1974–75) | 5–1–3 |
| 10 | W | October 28, 1974 | 2–0 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75) | 6–1–3 |
| 11 | T | October 31, 1974 | 1–1 | St. Louis Blues (1974–75) | 6–1–4 |
| 12 | W | November 2, 1974 | 5–1 | Detroit Red Wings (1974–75) | 7–1–4 |
| 13 | W | November 5, 1974 | 4–3 | @ St. Louis Blues (1974–75) | 8–1–4 |
| 14 | W | November 7, 1974 | 5–3 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75) | 9–1–4 |
| 15 | T | November 9, 1974 | 2–2 | New York Rangers (1974–75) | 9–1–5 |
| 16 | W | November 13, 1974 | 4–0 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75) | 10–1–5 |
| 17 | T | November 15, 1974 | 2–2 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) | 10–1–6 |
| 18 | L | November 16, 1974 | 1–2 | Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) | 10–2–6 |
| 19 | T | November 20, 1974 | 3–3 | Montreal Canadiens (1974–75) | 10–2–7 |
| 20 | T | November 23, 1974 | 0–0 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75) | 10–2–8 |
| 21 | W | November 24, 1974 | 4–1 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1974–75) | 11–2–8 |
| 22 | T | November 27, 1974 | 3–3 | New York Islanders (1974–75) | 11–2–9 |
| 23 | W | November 30, 1974 | 2–0 | Boston Bruins (1974–75) | 12–2–9 |
| 24 | W | December 4, 1974 | 4–1 | Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) | 13–2–9 |
| 25 | W | December 7, 1974 | 6–2 | Atlanta Flames (1974–75) | 14–2–9 |
| 26 | W | December 11, 1974 | 4–1 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75) | 15–2–9 |
| 27 | L | December 12, 1974 | 1–8 | @ Boston Bruins (1974–75) | 15–3–9 |
| 28 | L | December 14, 1974 | 0–3 | @ New York Islanders (1974–75) | 15–4–9 |
| 29 | T | December 15, 1974 | 3–3 | @ New York Rangers (1974–75) | 15–4–10 |
| 30 | W | December 18, 1974 | 6–0 | @ Kansas City Scouts (1974–75) | 16–4–10 |
| 31 | W | December 19, 1974 | 4–1 | Washington Capitals (1974–75) | 17–4–10 |
| 32 | T | December 21, 1974 | 2–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1974–75) | 17–4–11 |
| 33 | W | December 26, 1974 | 5–1 | Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) | 18–4–11 |
| 34 | L | December 28, 1974 | 2–3 | California Golden Seals (1974–75) | 18–5–11 |
| 35 | W | December 30, 1974 | 3–2 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1974–75) | 19–5–11 |
| 36 | W | December 31, 1974 | 3–1 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) | 20–5–11 |
| 37 | L | January 2, 1975 | 2–5 | Boston Bruins (1974–75) | 20–6–11 |
| 38 | T | January 4, 1975 | 2–2 | Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) | 20–6–12 |
| 39 | W | January 8, 1975 | 4–2 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) | 21–6–12 |
| 40 | W | January 9, 1975 | 5–2 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1974–75) | 22–6–12 |
| 41 | W | January 11, 1975 | 7–5 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75) | 23–6–12 |
| 42 | W | January 14, 1975 | 6–2 | @ Washington Capitals (1974–75) | 24–6–12 |
| 43 | W | January 16, 1975 | 4–1 | @ Boston Bruins (1974–75) | 25–6–12 |
| 44 | L | January 17, 1975 | 0–5 | @ Atlanta Flames (1974–75) | 25–7–12 |
| 45 | W | January 19, 1975 | 6–3 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1974–75) | 26–7–12 |
| 46 | W | January 23, 1975 | 8–0 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75) | 27–7–12 |
| 47 | T | January 25, 1975 | 5–5 | @ New York Islanders (1974–75) | 27–7–13 |
| 48 | L | January 26, 1975 | 2–3 | @ New York Rangers (1974–75) | 27–8–13 |
| 49 | W | January 28, 1975 | 5–2 | New York Rangers (1974–75) | 28–8–13 |
| 50 | W | January 30, 1975 | 6–4 | Washington Capitals (1974–75) | 29–8–13 |
| 51 | L | February 1, 1975 | 3–5 | Montreal Canadiens (1974–75) | 29–9–13 |
| 52 | L | February 5, 1975 | 2–3 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75) | 29–10–13 |
| 53 | L | February 7, 1975 | 1–3 | @ Atlanta Flames (1974–75) | 29–11–13 |
| 54 | W | February 9, 1975 | 2–1 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) | 30–11–13 |
| 55 | T | February 12, 1975 | 2–2 | Atlanta Flames (1974–75) | 30–11–14 |
| 56 | W | February 15, 1975 | 8–2 | Detroit Red Wings (1974–75) | 31–11–14 |
| 57 | W | February 18, 1975 | 6–1 | @ Washington Capitals (1974–75) | 32–11–14 |
| 58 | T | February 19, 1975 | 2–2 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75) | 32–11–15 |
| 59 | W | February 22, 1975 | 6–0 | Boston Bruins (1974–75) | 33–11–15 |
| 60 | T | February 23, 1975 | 2–2 | @ California Golden Seals (1974–75) | 33–11–16 |
| 61 | W | February 26, 1975 | 2–1 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1974–75) | 34–11–16 |
| 62 | L | February 27, 1975 | 0–5 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1974–75) | 34–12–16 |
| 63 | W | March 1, 1975 | 7–4 | Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) | 35–12–16 |
| 64 | W | March 4, 1975 | 7–4 | Kansas City Scouts (1974–75) | 36–12–16 |
| 65 | T | March 6, 1975 | 2–2 | New York Islanders (1974–75) | 36–12–17 |
| 66 | L | March 8, 1975 | 1–6 | Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) | 36–13–17 |
| 67 | T | March 11, 1975 | 2–2 | Buffalo Sabres (1974–75) | 36–13–18 |
| 68 | T | March 13, 1975 | 5–5 | Detroit Red Wings (1974–75) | 36–13–19 |
| 69 | L | March 15, 1975 | 0–3 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1974–75) | 36–14–19 |
| 70 | L | March 16, 1975 | 0–3 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) | 36–15–19 |
| 71 | W | March 18, 1975 | 5–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) | 37–15–19 |
| 72 | W | March 20, 1975 | 3–2 | St. Louis Blues (1974–75) | 38–15–19 |
| 73 | W | March 22, 1975 | 4–0 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75) | 39–15–19 |
| 74 | W | March 26, 1975 | 5–1 | Washington Capitals (1974–75) | 40–15–19 |
| 75 | L | March 28, 1975 | 2–4 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) | 40–16–19 |
| 76 | T | March 29, 1975 | 3–3 | Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) | 40–16–20 |
| 77 | L | April 1, 1975 | 1–3 | @ Kansas City Scouts (1974–75) | 40–17–20 |
| 78 | W | April 2, 1975 | 5–2 | @ St. Louis Blues (1974–75) | 41–17–20 |
| 79 | W | April 5, 1975 | 5–3 | California Golden Seals (1974–75) | 42–17–20 |
| 80 | T | April 6, 1975 | 1–1 | @ California Golden Seals (1974–75) | 42–17–21 |

## Playoffs

* Maple Leafs 2 at Kings 3 (OT)
* Kings 2 at Maple Leafs 3 (OT)
* Maple Leafs 2 at Kings 1

## Awards and records

Jack Adams Award – Bob Pulford, Coach
All-NHL 2nd team – Rogie Vachon, Goalie

## Transactions

The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 1974–75 season.

### Trades

| July 28, 1974 | To Los Angeles KingsCash | To Washington CapitalsBill Lesuk |
| February 5, 1975 | To Los Angeles KingsCash | To Kansas City ScoutsDoug Buhr |
| February 10, 1975 | To Los Angeles KingsKen Murray | To Kansas City ScoutsCash |
| March 3, 1975 | To Los Angeles KingsBill Mikkelson | To Washington CapitalsCash |
| March 10, 1975 | To Los Angeles KingsCash | To St. Louis BluesJim McCrimmon |

### Free agent signings

| June 10, 1974 | From Vancouver Blazers (WHA)Dave Hutchison |
| July 9, 1974 | From Michigan Tech Huskies (NCAA)Lorne Stamler |
| August 1, 1974 | From Ohio State Buckeyes (NCAA)Jim Witherspoon |

### Free agents lost

| June 27, 1974 | To Kansas City ScoutsJim McElmury |

### Expansion draft

| June 12, 1974 | To Washington CapitalsGord Smith |
| June 12, 1974 | To Kansas City Scouts Norm Dubé |
| June 12, 1974 | To Kansas City ScoutsRandy Rota |

## Draft picks

Los Angeles's draft picks at the 1974 NHL amateur draft held in Montreal.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 3 | 48 | Gary Sargent | United States | Fargo Sugar Kings (MWJHL) |
| 4 | 66 | Brad Winton | Canada | Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL) |
| 5 | 84 | Paul Evans | Canada | Kitchener Rangers (OMJHL) |
| 6 | 102 | Marty Matthews | Canada | Flin Flon Bombers (WCHL) |
| 7 | 120 | Harvey Stewart | Canada | Flin Flon Bombers (WCHL) |
| 8 | 137 | John Held | Canada | London Knights (OMJHL) |
| 9 | 154 | Mario Lessard | Canada | Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL) |
| 10 | 169 | Derrick Emerson | Canada | Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge (QMJHL) |
| 11 | 184 | Jacques Locas | Canada | Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) |
| 12 | 197 | Lindsay Thomson | Canada | University of Denver (WCHA) |
| 13 | 207 | Craig Brickley | United States | University of Pennsylvania (ECAC) |
| 14 | 217 | Brad Kuglin | Canada | University of Pennsylvania (ECAC) |