# 1983–84 Los Angeles Kings season

The 1983–84 Los Angeles Kings season, was the Kings' 17th season in the National Hockey League. It saw the Kings miss the playoffs, finishing fifth in the Smythe Division. It was the last season of the Triple Crown line of Marcel Dionne, Charlie Simmer and Dave Taylor as Simmer would be traded before the next season. All three would be named to the NHL All-Star game.

## Regular season
### Final standings

Smythe Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 57 | 18 | 5 | 446 | 314 | 119 |
| Calgary Flames | 80 | 34 | 32 | 14 | 311 | 314 | 82 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 32 | 39 | 9 | 306 | 328 | 73 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 31 | 38 | 11 | 340 | 374 | 73 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 23 | 44 | 13 | 309 | 376 | 59 |
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

### Record vs. opponents

Smythe Division record vs. opponents :
Vs. Campbell Conference
Vs. Smythe Division
1983–84 NHL records
Team
CGY
EDM
LAK
VAN
WIN
Total
Calgary
—0−7−14−3−15−2−14−1−313−13−6
Edmonton
7−0−1—6−26−1−18−027−3−2
Los Angeles
3−4−12−6—4−3−10−5−39−18−5
Vancouver
2−5−11−6−13−4−1—5−2−111−17−4
Winnipeg
1−4−30−85−0−32−5−1—8−17−7
Vs. Norris Division
1983–84 NHL records
Team
CHI
DET
MIN
STL
TOR
Total
Calgary
2−11−22−12−0−11−0−28−4−3
Edmonton
2−13−02−0−11−22−110−4−1
Los Angeles
3−02−0−11−1−11−1−10−2−17−4−4
Vancouver
1−22−11−1−11−21−0−26−6−3
Winnipeg
2−10−1−21−22−13−08−5−2
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Adams Division
1983–84 NHL records
Team
BOS
BUF
HFD
MTL
QUE
Total
Calgary
0−2−10−32−0−11−21−24−9−2
Edmonton
2−12−12−12−13−011−4−0
Los Angeles
0−30−2−11−22−10−33−11−1
Vancouver
0−2−10−33−02−12−17−7−1
Winnipeg
1−20−32−0−11−1−12−16−7−2
Vs. Patrick Division
1983–84 NHL records
Team
NJD
NYI
NYR
PHI
PIT
WSH
Total
Calgary
2−0−13−01−21−21−0−21−29−6−3
Edmonton
2−0−10−32−10−2−13−02−19−7−2
Los Angeles
1−20−2−10−1−21−22−10−34−11−3
Vancouver
2−10−31−1–12−12−11−28−9−1
Winnipeg
2−12−11−21−22−11−29−9−0 :

## Schedule and results

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | T | October 5, 1983 | 3–3 OT | Minnesota North Stars (1983–84) | 0–0–1 |
| 2 | L | October 8, 1983 | 3–6 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1983–84) | 0–1–1 |
| 3 | L | October 10, 1983 | 1–2 | @ New York Rangers (1983–84) | 0–2–1 |
| 4 | L | October 11, 1983 | 2–5 | @ New York Islanders (1983–84) | 0–3–1 |
| 5 | L | October 13, 1983 | 4–7 | @ St. Louis Blues (1983–84) | 0–4–1 |
| 6 | T | October 15, 1983 | 3–3 OT | Detroit Red Wings (1983–84) | 0–4–2 |
| 7 | W | October 20, 1983 | 7–2 | Edmonton Oilers (1983–84) | 1–4–2 |
| 8 | W | October 22, 1983 | 8–3 | New Jersey Devils (1983–84) | 2–4–2 |
| 9 | L | October 25, 1983 | 5–8 | Hartford Whalers (1983–84) | 2–5–2 |
| 10 | T | October 28, 1983 | 3–3 OT | @ Buffalo Sabres (1983–84) | 2–5–3 |
| 11 | T | October 29, 1983 | 5–5 OT | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1983–84) | 2–5–4 |
| 12 | L | November 1, 1983 | 4–8 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1983–84) | 2–6–4 |
| 13 | W | November 3, 1983 | 6–5 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1983–84) | 3–6–4 |
| 14 | L | November 5, 1983 | 1–2 | @ Hartford Whalers (1983–84) | 3–7–4 |
| 15 | L | November 6, 1983 | 3–7 | @ Boston Bruins (1983–84) | 3–8–4 |
| 16 | T | November 8, 1983 | 5–5 OT | St. Louis Blues (1983–84) | 3–8–5 |
| 17 | W | November 10, 1983 | 6–2 | St. Louis Blues (1983–84) | 4–8–5 |
| 18 | W | November 12, 1983 | 6–4 | Montreal Canadiens (1983–84) | 5–8–5 |
| 19 | W | November 16, 1983 | 5–2 | Vancouver Canucks (1983–84) | 6–8–5 |
| 20 | W | November 18, 1983 | 5–2 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1983–84) | 7–8–5 |
| 21 | L | November 20, 1983 | 3–8 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1983–84) | 7–9–5 |
| 22 | L | November 21, 1983 | 4–7 | @ Calgary Flames (1983–84) | 7–10–5 |
| 23 | L | November 23, 1983 | 3–7 | Edmonton Oilers (1983–84) | 7–11–5 |
| 24 | L | November 26, 1983 | 1–4 | Calgary Flames (1983–84) | 7–12–5 |
| 25 | L | November 29, 1983 | 5–6 | Winnipeg Jets (1983–84) | 7–13–5 |
| 26 | L | December 1, 1983 | 5–6 OT | Winnipeg Jets (1983–84) | 7–14–5 |
| 27 | L | December 3, 1983 | 3–7 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1983–84) | 7–15–5 |
| 28 | L | December 4, 1983 | 5–7 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1983–84) | 7–16–5 |
| 29 | T | December 7, 1983 | 4–4 OT | New York Islanders (1983–84) | 7–16–6 |
| 30 | L | December 10, 1983 | 4–6 | Quebec Nordiques (1983–84) | 7–17–6 |
| 31 | W | December 13, 1983 | 7–5 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1983–84) | 8–17–6 |
| 32 | W | December 14, 1983 | 6–5 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1983–84) | 9–17–6 |
| 33 | W | December 17, 1983 | 6–5 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1983–84) | 10–17–6 |
| 34 | L | December 18, 1983 | 0–5 | @ Washington Capitals (1983–84) | 10–18–6 |
| 35 | W | December 21, 1983 | 7–4 | Calgary Flames (1983–84) | 11–18–6 |
| 36 | W | December 26, 1983 | 5–4 OT | @ Vancouver Canucks (1983–84) | 12–18–6 |
| 37 | L | December 28, 1983 | 5–6 OT | New York Islanders (1983–84) | 12–19–6 |
| 38 | W | December 30, 1983 | 9–3 | @ Hartford Whalers (1983–84) | 13–19–6 |
| 39 | L | December 31, 1983 | 3–5 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1983–84) | 13–20–6 |
| 40 | L | January 3, 1984 | 3–4 | Vancouver Canucks (1983–84) | 13–21–6 |
| 41 | T | January 4, 1984 | 3–3 OT | Vancouver Canucks (1983–84) | 13–21–7 |
| 42 | W | January 7, 1984 | 7–1 | Calgary Flames (1983–84) | 14–21–7 |
| 43 | L | January 11, 1984 | 2–4 | Washington Capitals (1983–84) | 14–22–7 |
| 44 | T | January 13, 1984 | 7–7 OT | @ Winnipeg Jets (1983–84) | 14–22–8 |
| 45 | T | January 15, 1984 | 4–4 OT | @ Winnipeg Jets (1983–84) | 14–22–9 |
| 46 | L | January 16, 1984 | 3–9 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1983–84) | 14–23–9 |
| 47 | L | January 18, 1984 | 0–4 | Buffalo Sabres (1983–84) | 14–24–9 |
| 48 | L | January 20, 1984 | 5–7 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1983–84) | 14–25–9 |
| 49 | L | January 21, 1984 | 3–6 | Edmonton Oilers (1983–84) | 14–26–9 |
| 50 | L | January 25, 1984 | 2–5 | Philadelphia Flyers (1983–84) | 14–27–9 |
| 51 | T | January 27, 1984 | 2–2 OT | @ Calgary Flames (1983–84) | 14–27–10 |
| 52 | W | January 28, 1984 | 4–2 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1983–84) | 15–27–10 |
| 53 | W | February 2, 1984 | 4–2 | Vancouver Canucks (1983–84) | 16–27–10 |
| 54 | T | February 5, 1984 | 3–3 OT | New York Rangers (1983–84) | 16–27–11 |
| 55 | W | February 8, 1984 | 1–0 | Chicago Black Hawks (1983–84) | 17–27–11 |
| 56 | T | February 11, 1984 | 6–6 OT | New York Rangers (1983–84) | 17–27–12 |
| 57 | L | February 13, 1984 | 3–5 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1983–84) | 17–28–12 |
| 58 | L | February 14, 1984 | 4–6 | @ New Jersey Devils (1983–84) | 17–29–12 |
| 59 | L | February 16, 1984 | 2–4 | Washington Capitals (1983–84) | 17–30–12 |
| 60 | W | February 18, 1984 | 5–3 | Montreal Canadiens (1983–84) | 18–30–12 |
| 61 | W | February 20, 1984 | 3–2 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1983–84) | 19–30–12 |
| 62 | L | February 22, 1984 | 3–6 | Boston Bruins (1983–84) | 19–31–12 |
| 63 | L | February 24, 1984 | 3–5 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1983–84) | 19–32–12 |
| 64 | L | February 26, 1984 | 2–5 | Calgary Flames (1983–84) | 19–33–12 |
| 65 | L | February 28, 1984 | 1–9 | @ Calgary Flames (1983–84) | 19–34–12 |
| 66 | L | March 1, 1984 | 3–4 OT | @ Boston Bruins (1983–84) | 19–35–12 |
| 67 | L | March 3, 1984 | 3–4 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1983–84) | 19–36–12 |
| 68 | L | March 4, 1984 | 3–5 | @ New Jersey Devils (1983–84) | 19–37–12 |
| 69 | L | March 6, 1984 | 3–7 | Winnipeg Jets (1983–84) | 19–38–12 |
| 70 | L | March 8, 1984 | 1–4 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1983–84) | 19–39–12 |
| 71 | L | March 9, 1984 | 3–7 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1983–84) | 19–40–12 |
| 72 | W | March 11, 1984 | 4–3 | Chicago Black Hawks (1983–84) | 20–40–12 |
| 73 | W | March 14, 1984 | 7–6 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1983–84) | 21–40–12 |
| 74 | L | March 16, 1984 | 4–5 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1983–84) | 21–41–12 |
| 75 | L | March 17, 1984 | 1–9 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1983–84) | 21–42–12 |
| 76 | L | March 20, 1984 | 1–3 | Quebec Nordiques (1983–84) | 21–43–12 |
| 77 | W | March 24, 1984 | 9–7 | Detroit Red Wings (1983–84) | 22–43–12 |
| 78 | T | March 27, 1984 | 3–3 OT | Winnipeg Jets (1983–84) | 22–43–13 |
| 79 | W | March 29, 1984 | 6–3 | @ Calgary Flames (1983–84) | 23–43–13 |
| 80 | L | March 31, 1984 | 3–4 | Edmonton Oilers (1983–84) | 23–44–13 |

## Player statistics

Regular season :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Bernie Nicholls | C | 78 | 41 | 54 | 95 | 83 | -21 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
| Charlie Simmer | LW | 79 | 44 | 48 | 92 | 78 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 4 |
| Marcel Dionne | C | 66 | 39 | 53 | 92 | 28 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 2 |
| Jim Fox | RW | 80 | 30 | 42 | 72 | 26 | -12 | 10 | 0 | 5 |
| Dave Taylor | RW | 63 | 20 | 49 | 69 | 91 | -3 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| Brian MacLellan | LW | 72 | 25 | 29 | 54 | 45 | -21 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Mark Hardy | D | 79 | 8 | 41 | 49 | 122 | -30 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Doug Smith | C | 72 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 28 | -33 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike McEwen | D | 47 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 14 | -12 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Anders Hakansson | LW | 80 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 41 | -7 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Terry Ruskowski | C | 77 | 7 | 25 | 32 | 89 | -24 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Brian Engblom | D | 74 | 2 | 27 | 29 | 59 | -9 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Wes Jarvis | C | 61 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 36 | -7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| John Paul Kelly | LW | 72 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 73 | -34 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jay Wells | D | 69 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 141 | -10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Russ Anderson | D | 70 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 126 | -30 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ken Houston | RW | 33 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 11 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Christoff | C | 58 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 13 | -19 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Marc Chorney | D | 71 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 58 | -24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin LaVallee | LW | 19 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Harris | RW | 21 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dean Kennedy | D | 37 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 50 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Murphy | D | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fred Barrett | D | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marco Baron | G | 21 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob LaForest | RW | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Blake | G | 29 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daryl Evans | LW | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Heidt | D | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dan Brennan | LW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Warren Holmes | C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dean Jenkins | RW | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary Laskoski | G | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mario Lessard | G | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Markus Mattsson | G | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill O'Dwyer | C | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Phil Sykes | LW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
| Mike Blake | 1634 | 29 | 9 | 11 | 5 | 118 | 4.33 | 0 |
| Markus Mattsson | 1101 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 79 | 4.31 | 1 |
| Gary Laskoski | 665 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 55 | 4.96 | 0 |
| Marco Baron | 1211 | 21 | 3 | 14 | 4 | 87 | 4.31 | 0 |
| Mario Lessard | 266 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 26 | 5.86 | 0 |
| Team: | 4877 | 80 | 23 | 44 | 13 | 365 | 4.49 | 1 |
    Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
    Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

## Transactions

The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 1983–84 season.

### Trades

| June 8, 1983 | To Los Angeles Kings4th round pick in 1984 – Doug Wieck | To Detroit Red Wings4th round pick in 1983 – Dave Korol |
| June 20, 1983 | To Los Angeles KingsKevin LaVallee Carl Mokosak | To Calgary FlamesSteve Bozek |
| September 9, 1983 | To Los Angeles KingsAnders Hakansson | To Pittsburgh PenguinsKevin Stevens |
| October 3, 1983 | To Los Angeles KingsFred Barrett Steve Christoff | To Minnesota North StarsDave Lewis |
| October 15, 1983 | To Los Angeles KingsMarc Chorney | To Pittsburgh Penguins6th round pick in 1985 – Stuart-Lee Marston |
| October 18, 1983 | To Los Angeles KingsBrian Engblom Ken Houston | To Washington CapitalsLarry Murphy |
| November 17, 1983 | To Los Angeles KingsMike McEwen | To New York Islanders4th round pick in 1984 – Doug Wieck |
| December 20, 1983 | To Los Angeles KingsJohn Goodwin | To Montreal CanadiensDan Bonar |
| January 3, 1984 | To Los Angeles KingsMarco Baron | To Boston BruinsBob Laforest |
| February 15, 1984 | To Los Angeles KingsBilly Harris | To Toronto Maple LeafsCash |

### Free agent signings

| August 10, 1983 | From Detroit Red WingsMark Lofthouse |
| August 10, 1983 | From Minnesota North StarsWes Jarvis |
| August 29, 1983 | From Hartford WhalersArchie Henderson |
| September 2, 1983 | From Hartford WhalersRuss Anderson |

### Free agents lost

| September 12, 1983 | To Pittsburgh PenguinsBob Gladney |
| October 17, 1983 | To Minnesota North StarsJerry Korab |

### Waivers

| May 24, 1983 | To Boston BruinsDoug Keans |
| October 3, 1983 | From Edmonton OilersDon Nachbaur |

## Draft picks

Los Angeles's draft picks at the 1983 NHL Entry Draft held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 3 | 47 | Bruce Shoebottom | Canada | Peterborough Petes (OHL) |
| 4 | 67 | Guy Benoit | Canada | Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 87 | Bob LaForest | Canada | North Bay Centennials (OHL) |
| 5 | 100 | Garry Galley | Canada | Bowling Green University (CCHA) |
| 6 | 107 | Dave Lundmark | United States | Virginia High School (USHS-MN) |
| 6 | 108 | Kevin Stevens | United States | Silver Lake High School (USHS-MA) |
| 7 | 127 | Tim Burgess | Canada | Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
| 8 | 147 | Ken Hammond | Canada | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (ECAC) |
| 9 | 167 | Bruce Fishback | United States | White Bear Lake High School (USHS-MN) |
| 10 | 187 | Thomas Ahlen | Sweden | Skelleftea AIK (Sweden) |
| 11 | 207 | Jan Blaha | Czechoslovakia | České Budějovice (Czechoslovakia) |
| 12 | 227 | Chad Johnson | United States | Roseau High School (USHS-MN) |