# 1993–94 Los Angeles Kings season

The 1993–94 Los Angeles Kings season was the Kings' 27th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team finished in fifth place in the Pacific Division with a record of 27–45–12 for 66 points and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1986. The Kings played their home games at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood.
This season saw Kings captain Wayne Gretzky become the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer. He also won his 10th and final Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer with 130 points. Despite Gretzky's achievements, the defending conference champion Kings regressed on the ice. They finished in 10th place in the newly-rebranded Western Conference, 16 points behind the San Jose Sharks, who clinched the eighth and final playoff spot. Notably, the Kings also finished five points behind their new local rivals, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who were then in their first year of existence.

## Regular season
### Wayne Gretzky's goal scoring record

* March 20, 1994 – At 19:11 of the third period in a game against the San Jose Sharks, Gretzky scored the 801st goal of his career, tying the NHL's career goals record held by his idol, Gordie Howe. Gretzky jammed a rebound past San Jose goaltender Artūrs Irbe after a shot by Los Angeles defenceman Alexei Zhitnik had glanced off Irbe. The goal was the second of the game for Gretzky, who had earlier scored at 6:16 of the first period by stealing the puck from Sharks defenceman Sandis Ozoliņš and backhanding it through Irbe's legs. The record-tying goal, scored after the Kings had pulled their own goaltender, Kelly Hrudey, for an extra attacker, tied the game at 6-6. The game ended as a tie with the same score.
* March 23, 1994 – At 14:47 of the second period in a game against the Vancouver Canucks, Gretzky scored the 802nd goal of his career against Canucks goaltender Kirk McLean to break Howe's career NHL goals record. The goal came on a Kings power play, with Marty McSorley and Luc Robitaille picking up assists. Robitaille had started the play during a rush toward the Vancouver net with a drop pass to Gretzky, who passed across the ice to McSorley; McSorley fed the puck back to Gretzky, who shot the puck into an almost empty net. Gretzky's teammates poured onto the ice to congratulate him, and the game was halted for a ceremony to honour both Gretzky and Howe. Unfortunately for the Kings, the record-breaking goal came in a losing effort, as Vancouver defeated Los Angeles, 6-3.

### Final standings

Pacific Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 3 | Calgary Flames | 84 | 42 | 29 | 13 | 302 | 256 | 97 |
| 2 | 7 | Vancouver Canucks | 84 | 41 | 40 | 3 | 279 | 276 | 85 |
| 3 | 8 | San Jose Sharks | 84 | 33 | 35 | 16 | 252 | 265 | 82 |
| 4 | 9 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 84 | 33 | 46 | 5 | 229 | 251 | 71 |
| 5 | 10 | Los Angeles Kings | 84 | 27 | 45 | 12 | 294 | 322 | 66 |
| 6 | 11 | Edmonton Oilers | 84 | 25 | 45 | 14 | 261 | 305 | 64 |
Note: No. = Division rank, CR = Conference rank, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
 Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Western Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | y- Detroit Red Wings * | CEN | 84 | 46 | 30 | 8 | 356 | 275 | 100 |
| 2 | x- Calgary Flames * | PAC | 84 | 42 | 29 | 13 | 302 | 256 | 97 |
| 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | CEN | 84 | 43 | 29 | 12 | 280 | 243 | 98 |
| 4 | Dallas Stars | CEN | 84 | 42 | 29 | 13 | 286 | 265 | 97 |
| 5 | St. Louis Blues | CEN | 84 | 40 | 33 | 11 | 270 | 283 | 91 |
| 6 | Chicago Blackhawks | CEN | 84 | 39 | 36 | 9 | 254 | 240 | 87 |
| 7 | Vancouver Canucks | PAC | 84 | 41 | 40 | 3 | 279 | 276 | 85 |
| 8 | San Jose Sharks | PAC | 84 | 33 | 35 | 16 | 252 | 265 | 82 |
| 9 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | PAC | 84 | 33 | 46 | 5 | 229 | 251 | 71 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Kings | PAC | 84 | 27 | 45 | 12 | 294 | 322 | 66 |
| 11 | Edmonton Oilers | PAC | 84 | 25 | 45 | 14 | 261 | 305 | 64 |
| 12 | Winnipeg Jets | CEN | 84 | 24 | 51 | 9 | 245 | 344 | 57 |
Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific
bold – Qualified for playoffs; x – Won division; y – Won Conference (and division); * – Division leader

## Schedule and results

1993–94 regular season :
October: 6–5–2 (home: 4–1–1; road: 2–4–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1LOctober 6, 19932–5Vancouver Canucks (1993–94)0–1–0Recap
2WOctober 9, 199310–3Detroit Red Wings (1993–94)1–1–0Recap
3WOctober 10, 19935–2San Jose Sharks (1993–94)2–1–0Recap
4WOctober 12, 19937–5New York Islanders (1993–94)3–1–0Recap
5TOctober 14, 19934–4 OTEdmonton Oilers (1993–94)3–1–1Recap
6WOctober 16, 19938–4Calgary Flames (1993–94)4–1–1Recap
7TOctober 19, 19932–2 OT@ Florida Panthers (1993–94)4–1–2Recap
8WOctober 20, 19934–3@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1993–94)5–1–2Recap
9LOctober 22, 19933–6@ Washington Capitals (1993–94)5–2–2Recap
10LOctober 24, 19932–3@ New York Rangers (1993–94)5–3–2Recap
11LOctober 26, 19930–7@ New York Islanders (1993–94)5–4–2Recap
12LOctober 27, 19933–8@ Detroit Red Wings (1993–94)5–5–2Recap
13WOctober 29, 19934–3 OT@ Winnipeg Jets (1993–94)6–5–2Recap :
November: 3–8–0 (home: 3–2–0; road: 0–6–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
14WNovember 3, 19933–2New Jersey Devils (1993–94)7–5–2Recap
15WNovember 6, 19938–3Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94)8–5–2Recap
16LNovember 9, 19932–3@ Calgary Flames (1993–94)8–6–2Recap
17LNovember 10, 19930–4@ Vancouver Canucks (1993–94)8–7–2Recap
18WNovember 13, 19936–3St. Louis Blues (1993–94)9–7–2Recap
19LNovember 18, 19932–3Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94)9–8–2Recap
20LNovember 20, 19931–4@ St. Louis Blues (1993–94)9–9–2Recap
21LNovember 21, 19934–7@ Dallas Stars (1993–94)9–10–2Recap
22LNovember 25, 19936–8@ Quebec Nordiques (1993–94)9–11–2Recap
23LNovember 27, 19930–4@ Montreal Canadiens (1993–94)9–12–2Recap
24LNovember 30, 19936–8Winnipeg Jets (1993–94)9–13–2Recap :
December: 5–7–1 (home: 3–3–0; road: 2–4–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
25WDecember 2, 19933–2Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94)10–13–2Recap
26LDecember 4, 19934–5Tampa Bay Lightning (1993–94)10–14–2Recap
27LDecember 8, 19935–6Florida Panthers (1993–94)10–15–2Recap
28WDecember 11, 19939–1St. Louis Blues (1993–94)11–15–2Recap
29LDecember 13, 19932–5@ Ottawa Senators (1993–94)11–16–2Recap
30LDecember 14, 19932–4@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94)11–17–2Recap
31LDecember 17, 19930–2@ Buffalo Sabres (1993–94)11–18–2Recap
32LDecember 18, 19931–4@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94)11–19–2Recap
33WDecember 20, 19935–4 OT@ Calgary Flames (1993–94)12–19–2Recap
34LDecember 23, 19931–2Dallas Stars (1993–94)12–20–2Recap
35WDecember 26, 19933–2@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94)13–20–2Recap
36WDecember 28, 19936–5Vancouver Canucks (1993–94)14–20–2Recap
37TDecember 31, 19934–4 OT@ Detroit Red Wings (1993–94)14–20–3Recap :
January: 5–5–3 (home: 3–2–1; road: 2–3–2)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
38WJanuary 1, 19947–4@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94)15–20–3Recap
39WJanuary 4, 19945–1Quebec Nordiques (1993–94)16–20–3Recap
40LJanuary 8, 19943–6Detroit Red Wings (1993–94)16–21–3Recap
41TJanuary 11, 19942–2 OT@ San Jose Sharks (1993–94)16–21–4Recap
42WJanuary 12, 19946–4Hartford Whalers (1993–94)17–21–4Recap
43WJanuary 15, 19945–3@ New Jersey Devils (1993–94)18–21–4Recap
44LJanuary 16, 19942–5@ Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94)18–22–4Recap
45LJanuary 18, 19943–5@ Dallas Stars (1993–94)18–23–4Recap
46TJanuary 24, 19943–3 OT@ Calgary Flames (1993–94)18–23–5Recap
47TJanuary 25, 19944–4 OTWinnipeg Jets (1993–94)18–23–6Recap
48LJanuary 27, 19944–5 OTNew York Rangers (1993–94)18–24–6Recap
49WJanuary 29, 19945–1Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94)19–24–6Recap
50LJanuary 31, 19941–3@ Vancouver Canucks (1993–94)19–25–6Recap :
February: 2–8–3 (home: 1–5–2; road: 1–3–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
51LFebruary 2, 19944–6@ Edmonton Oilers (1993–94)19–26–6Recap
52LFebruary 5, 19944–5 OTCalgary Flames (1993–94)19–27–6Recap
53WFebruary 9, 19944–2Chicago Blackhawks (1993–94)20–27–6Recap
54WFebruary 11, 19945–3@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94)21–27–6Recap
55LFebruary 12, 19941–6Washington Capitals (1993–94)21–28–6Recap
56LFebruary 14, 19942–3 OTBoston Bruins (1993–94)21–29–6Recap
57LFebruary 18, 19943–4Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94)21–30–6Recap
58LFebruary 19, 19943–4@ San Jose Sharks (1993–94)21–31–6Recap
59LFebruary 21, 19944–6Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94)21–32–6Recap
60TFebruary 23, 19940–0 OTDallas Stars (1993–94)21–32–7Recap
61TFebruary 25, 19945–5 OT@ Edmonton Oilers (1993–94)21–32–8Recap
62LFebruary 26, 19942–4@ Calgary Flames (1993–94)21–33–8Recap
63TFebruary 28, 19943–3 OTMontreal Canadiens (1993–94)21–33–9Recap :
March: 4–7–2 (home: 2–4–0; road: 2–3–2)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
64WMarch 2, 19944–1@ Hartford Whalers (1993–94)22–33–9Recap
65LMarch 3, 19944–6@ Boston Bruins (1993–94)22–34–9Recap
66TMarch 6, 19943–3 OT@ Chicago Blackhawks (1993–94)22–34–10Recap
67LMarch 9, 19940–4Chicago Blackhawks (1993–94)22–35–10Recap
68LMarch 12, 19943–5Buffalo Sabres (1993–94)22–36–10Recap
69WMarch 15, 19947–0Ottawa Senators (1993–94)23–36–10Recap
70LMarch 16, 19942–5@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94)23–37–10Recap
71WMarch 19, 19942–1San Jose Sharks (1993–94)24–37–10Recap
72TMarch 20, 19946–6 OT@ San Jose Sharks (1993–94)24–37–11Recap
73LMarch 23, 19943–6Vancouver Canucks (1993–94)24–38–11Recap
74WMarch 25, 19944–3 OT@ Edmonton Oilers (1993–94)25–38–11Recap
75LMarch 27, 19943–4@ Vancouver Canucks (1993–94)25–39–11Recap
76LMarch 30, 19942–5Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94)25–40–11Recap :
April: 2–5–1 (home: 2–2–1; road: 0–3–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
77LApril 2, 19943–5Edmonton Oilers (1993–94)25–41–11Recap
78WApril 3, 19946–1Edmonton Oilers (1993–94)26–41–11Recap
79LApril 5, 19941–2San Jose Sharks (1993–94)26–42–11Recap
80LApril 7, 19942–6@ St. Louis Blues (1993–94)26–43–11Recap
81LApril 9, 19943–4@ Winnipeg Jets (1993–94)26–44–11Recap
82LApril 10, 19941–2@ Chicago Blackhawks (1993–94)26–45–11Recap
83WApril 13, 19946–4Calgary Flames (1993–94)27–45–11Recap
84TApril 14, 19942–2 OTEdmonton Oilers (1993–94)27–45–12Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

## Player statistics
### Regular season
#### Scoring

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Wayne Gretzky | 81 | 38 | 92 | 130 | 20 |
| Luc Robitaille | 83 | 44 | 42 | 86 | 86 |
| Jari Kurri | 81 | 31 | 46 | 77 | 48 |
| Rob Blake | 84 | 20 | 48 | 68 | 137 |
| Alexei Zhitnik | 81 | 12 | 40 | 52 | 101 |
| Mike Donnelly | 81 | 21 | 21 | 42 | 34 |
| Tomas Sandstrom | 51 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 59 |
| Darryl Sydor | 84 | 8 | 27 | 35 | 94 |
| John Druce | 55 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 50 |
| Pat Conacher | 77 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 71 |
| Shawn McEachern | 49 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 24 |
| Tony Granato | 50 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 150 |
| Warren Rychel | 80 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 322 |
| Robert Lang | 32 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 10 |
| Charlie Huddy | 79 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 71 |
| Jimmy Carson | 25 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 2 |
| Kevin Todd | 12 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 8 |
| Marty McSorley | 18 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 55 |
| Tim Watters | 60 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 67 |
| Dixon Ward | 34 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 45 |
| Doug Houda | 54 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 165 |
| Dave Taylor | 33 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 28 |
| Gary Shuchuk | 56 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 30 |
| Dominic Lavoie | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| Brian McReynolds | 20 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Mark Hardy | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
| Dan Currie | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Jim Paek | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Phil Crowe | 31 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 77 |
| Keith Redmond | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| Brent Thompson | 24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 81 |
| Kelly Hrudey | 64 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Bob Jay | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Guy Leveque | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Rob Murphy | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| Donald Dufresne | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| David Goverde | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Hocking | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rick Knickle | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marc Potvin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| Robb Stauber | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Dave Thomlinson | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |

#### Goaltending

| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV | SV% | SO |
| Kelly Hrudey | 3713 | 64 | 22 | 31 | 7 | 228 | 3.68 | 2219 | 1991 | .897 | 1 |
| Robb Stauber | 1144 | 22 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 65 | 3.41 | 706 | 641 | .908 | 1 |
| Rick Knickle | 174 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3.10 | 71 | 62 | .873 | 0 |
| David Goverde | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 7.00 | 37 | 30 | .811 | 0 |
| Team: | 5091 | 84 | 27 | 45 | 12 | 309 | 3.64 | 3033 | 2724 | .898 | 2 |

## Awards and honors

* Wayne Gretzky, Art Ross Trophy
* Wayne Gretzky, Lester Patrick Trophy

## Transactions

The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 1993–94 season.

### Trades

| June 26, 1993 | To Los Angeles Kings5th round pick in 1993 - Jason Saal | To New Jersey DevilsCorey Millen |
| August 27, 1993 | To Los Angeles KingsShawn McEachern | To Pittsburgh PenguinsMarty McSorley |
| November 2, 1993 | To Los Angeles KingsFuture considerations | To Edmonton OilersJeff Chychrun |
| November 3, 1993 | To Los Angeles KingsDoug Houda | To Hartford WhalersMarc Potvin |
| January 8, 1994 | To Los Angeles KingsDixon Ward | To Vancouver CanucksJimmy Carson |
| January 28, 1994 | To Los Angeles KingsBrad Tiley | To New York Rangers11th round pick in 1994 - Jamie Butt |
| February 15, 1994 | To Los Angeles KingsMarty McSorley Jim Paek | To Pittsburgh PenguinsShawn McEachern Tomas Sandstrom |
| March 19, 1994 | To Los Angeles KingsDonald Dufresne | To Tampa Bay Lightning6th round pick in 1994 - Dan Juden |
| March 21, 1994 | To Los Angeles KingsKevin Todd | To Chicago Blackhawks4th round pick in 1994 - Steve McLaren |

### Free agent signings

| July 15, 1993 | From Hartford WhalersBrian Chapman |
| July 16, 1993 | From Fort Wayne Komets (IHL)Bob Jay |
| July 16, 1993 | From Edmonton OilersDan Currie |
| July 16, 1993 | From Boston BruinsDominic Lavoie |
| July 22, 1993 | From New York RangersDave Thomlinson |
| July 29, 1993 | From New York RangersBrian McReynolds |
| August 2, 1993 | From Winnipeg JetsJohn Druce |
| August 2, 1993 | From Ottawa SenatorsRob Murphy |
| October 13, 1993 | From Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)Eric Lavigne |
| November 8, 1993 | From Fort Wayne Komets (IHL)Phil Crowe |

### Lost in expansion draft

| June 24, 1993 | To Anaheim Mighty DucksJim Thomson |
| June 24, 1993 | To Anaheim Mighty DucksLonnie Loach |

## Draft picks

Los Angeles' draft picks at the 1993 NHL entry draft held at the Quebec Coliseum in Quebec City, Quebec. The Kings first pick, in the second round, was used to choose Shayne Toporowski from the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League. Their first-round pick had been dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in the Wayne Gretzky trade.
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2 | 42 | Shayne Toporowski | Canada | RW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 3 | 68 | Jeff Mitchell | United States | RW | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 4 | 94 | Bob Wren | Canada | C | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 105 | Frederik Beaubien | Canada | G | | | | | |
| 5 | 117 | Jason Saal | United States | G | | | | | |
| 5 | 120 | Tomas Vlasak | Czech Republic | LW | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 6 | 146 | Jere Karalahti | Finland | D | 149 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 97 |
| 7 | 172 | Justin Martin | United States | RW | | | | | |
| 8 | 198 | Travis Dillabough | Canada | LW | | | | | |
| 9 | 224 | Martin Strbak | Slovakia | D | 49 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 46 |
| 10 | 250 | Kimmo Timonen | Finland | D | 1108 | 117 | 454 | 571 | 654 |
| 11 | 276 | Patrick Howald | Switzerland | LW | | | | | |