# 1990–91 Los Angeles Kings season

The 1990–91 Los Angeles Kings season, was the Kings' 24th season in the National Hockey League. It saw the Kings finish first in the Smythe Division with a 46–24–10 record for 102 points. This was the first (and as of 2024, only) regular season division title in Kings history. It also served as the second-best regular-season finish in franchise history. The team defeated the Vancouver Canucks in the Smythe Division Semifinals in six games before falling to the Edmonton Oilers in the Division Finals in six games.

## Offseason
### NHL Draft

Los Angeles's draft picks at the 1990 NHL Entry Draft held at the BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 7 | Darryl Sydor | Canada | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) |
| 2 | 28 | Brandy Semchuk | Canada | Canadian National Team |
| 3 | 49 | Bob Berg | Canada | Belleville Bulls (OHL) |
| 5 | 91 | David Goverde | Canada | Sudbury Wolves (OHL) |
| 6 | 112 | Erik Andersson | Sweden | Danderyds HC (Sweden) |
| 7 | 133 | Robert Lang | Czechoslovakia | HC CHZ Litvinov (Czechoslovakia) |
| 8 | 154 | Dean Hulett | United States | Lake Superior State University (CCHA) |
| 9 | 175 | Denis LeBlanc | Canada | Saint-Hyacinthe Laser (QMJHL) |
| 10 | 196 | Patrik Ross | Sweden | HV71 (Sweden) |
| 11 | 217 | Kevin White | Canada | Windsor Spitfires (OHL) |
| 12 | 238 | Troy Mohns | Canada | Colgate University (ECAC) |
| S | 12 | Peter Sentner | United States | University of Massachusetts Lowell (Hockey East) |

## Regular season
### Final standings

Smythe Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 46 | 24 | 10 | 340 | 254 | 102 |
| Calgary Flames | 80 | 46 | 26 | 8 | 344 | 263 | 100 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 37 | 37 | 6 | 272 | 272 | 80 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 28 | 43 | 9 | 243 | 315 | 65 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 26 | 43 | 11 | 260 | 288 | 63 |
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.
Campbell Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | p – Chicago Blackhawks | NRS | 80 | 49 | 23 | 8 | 284 | 211 | 106 |
| 2 | St. Louis Blues | NRS | 80 | 47 | 22 | 11 | 310 | 250 | 105 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Kings | SMY | 80 | 46 | 24 | 10 | 340 | 254 | 102 |
| 4 | Calgary Flames | SMY | 80 | 46 | 26 | 8 | 344 | 263 | 100 |
| 5 | Edmonton Oilers | SMY | 80 | 37 | 37 | 6 | 272 | 272 | 80 |
| 6 | Detroit Red Wings | NRS | 80 | 34 | 38 | 8 | 273 | 298 | 76 |
| 7 | Minnesota North Stars | NRS | 80 | 27 | 39 | 14 | 256 | 266 | 68 |
| 8 | Vancouver Canucks | SMY | 80 | 28 | 43 | 9 | 243 | 315 | 65 |
| 9 | Winnipeg Jets | SMY | 80 | 26 | 43 | 11 | 260 | 288 | 63 |
| 10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NRS | 80 | 23 | 46 | 11 | 241 | 318 | 57 |
Divisions: NRS – Norris, SMY – Smythe
bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy

## Schedule and results

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | W | October 4, 1990 | 4–1 | New York Islanders (1990–91) | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | L | October 6, 1990 | 3–6 | Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 1–1–0 |
| 3 | W | October 9, 1990 | 6–2 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 2–1–0 |
| 4 | T | October 11, 1990 | 5–5 OT | Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 2–1–1 |
| 5 | W | October 13, 1990 | 7–1 | Boston Bruins (1990–91) | 3–1–1 |
| 6 | W | October 14, 1990 | 4–1 | St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 4–1–1 |
| 7 | W | October 17, 1990 | 5–2 | Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) | 5–1–1 |
| 8 | W | October 19, 1990 | 5–2 | Hartford Whalers (1990–91) | 6–1–1 |
| 9 | W | October 23, 1990 | 6–4 | Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 7–1–1 |
| 10 | L | October 26, 1990 | 2–6 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 7–2–1 |
| 11 | W | October 28, 1990 | 6–2 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 8–2–1 |
| 12 | W | October 30, 1990 | 4–1 | @ New York Islanders (1990–91) | 9–2–1 |
| 13 | L | October 31, 1990 | 4–9 | @ New York Rangers (1990–91) | 9–3–1 |
| 14 | L | November 2, 1990 | 3–4 | @ Washington Capitals (1990–91) | 9–4–1 |
| 15 | W | November 4, 1990 | 2–0 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 10–4–1 |
| 16 | W | November 8, 1990 | 5–1 | Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) | 11–4–1 |
| 17 | W | November 10, 1990 | 7–4 | Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 12–4–1 |
| 18 | W | November 14, 1990 | 4–2 | Buffalo Sabres (1990–91) | 13–4–1 |
| 19 | W | November 17, 1990 | 2–1 OT | Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91) | 14–4–1 |
| 20 | W | November 20, 1990 | 5–4 | New Jersey Devils (1990–91) | 15–4–1 |
| 21 | L | November 22, 1990 | 3–6 | @ Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 15–5–1 |
| 22 | W | November 24, 1990 | 4–2 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1990–91) | 16–5–1 |
| 23 | T | November 25, 1990 | 4–4 OT | @ Quebec Nordiques (1990–91) | 16–5–2 |
| 24 | L | November 27, 1990 | 3–4 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) | 16–6–2 |
| 25 | T | November 29, 1990 | 4–4 OT | @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 16–6–3 |
| 26 | L | December 1, 1990 | 3–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 16–7–3 |
| 27 | T | December 5, 1990 | 3–3 OT | Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 16–7–4 |
| 28 | T | December 8, 1990 | 4–4 OT | Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 16–7–5 |
| 29 | L | December 11, 1990 | 4–6 | New York Rangers (1990–91) | 16–8–5 |
| 30 | L | December 13, 1990 | 1–4 | Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 16–9–5 |
| 31 | W | December 15, 1990 | 8–3 | Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 17–9–5 |
| 32 | L | December 18, 1990 | 3–4 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 17–10–5 |
| 33 | W | December 20, 1990 | 4–3 OT | @ Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 18–10–5 |
| 34 | L | December 22, 1990 | 3–4 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 18–11–5 |
| 35 | L | December 27, 1990 | 5–7 | Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91) | 18–12–5 |
| 36 | L | December 29, 1990 | 2–3 | Montreal Canadiens (1990–91) | 18–13–5 |
| 37 | W | December 31, 1990 | 4–2 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) | 19–13–5 |
| 38 | L | January 2, 1991 | 1–4 | @ New York Rangers (1990–91) | 19–14–5 |
| 39 | W | January 3, 1991 | 6–3 | @ New York Islanders (1990–91) | 20–14–5 |
| 40 | W | January 5, 1991 | 4–2 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 21–14–5 |
| 41 | W | January 6, 1991 | 3–1 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 22–14–5 |
| 42 | W | January 8, 1991 | 4–3 OT | Hartford Whalers (1990–91) | 23–14–5 |
| 43 | W | January 10, 1991 | 5–2 | Buffalo Sabres (1990–91) | 24–14–5 |
| 44 | W | January 12, 1991 | 6–2 | Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 25–14–5 |
| 45 | W | January 14, 1991 | 6–1 | @ New Jersey Devils (1990–91) | 26–14–5 |
| 46 | L | January 16, 1991 | 3–4 | @ Hartford Whalers (1990–91) | 26–15–5 |
| 47 | L | January 17, 1991 | 3–5 | @ Boston Bruins (1990–91) | 26–16–5 |
| 48 | L | January 22, 1991 | 2–4 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 26–17–5 |
| 49 | W | January 25, 1991 | 5–1 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 27–17–5 |
| 50 | W | January 26, 1991 | 5–4 | Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 28–17–5 |
| 51 | L | January 30, 1991 | 2–4 | New Jersey Devils (1990–91) | 28–18–5 |
| 52 | W | February 2, 1991 | 9–1 | Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 29–18–5 |
| 53 | W | February 4, 1991 | 6–4 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) | 30–18–5 |
| 54 | W | February 5, 1991 | 3–2 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91) | 31–18–5 |
| 55 | T | February 8, 1991 | 4–4 OT | @ Buffalo Sabres (1990–91) | 31–18–6 |
| 56 | L | February 9, 1991 | 4–5 | @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 31–19–6 |
| 57 | T | February 12, 1991 | 4–4 OT | Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 31–19–7 |
| 58 | W | February 14, 1991 | 4–2 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 32–19–7 |
| 59 | L | February 16, 1991 | 4–5 OT | Boston Bruins (1990–91) | 32–20–7 |
| 60 | W | February 18, 1991 | 5–2 | Washington Capitals (1990–91) | 33–20–7 |
| 61 | W | February 20, 1991 | 6–1 | Quebec Nordiques (1990–91) | 34–20–7 |
| 62 | W | February 22, 1991 | 6–4 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 35–20–7 |
| 63 | W | February 24, 1991 | 5–3 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 36–20–7 |
| 64 | W | February 26, 1991 | 8–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91) | 37–20–7 |
| 65 | W | February 28, 1991 | 4–2 | Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 38–20–7 |
| 66 | W | March 2, 1991 | 6–3 | Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 39–20–7 |
| 67 | T | March 5, 1991 | 3–3 OT | @ Washington Capitals (1990–91) | 39–20–8 |
| 68 | L | March 7, 1991 | 2–3 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91) | 39–21–8 |
| 69 | W | March 9, 1991 | 3–0 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1990–91) | 40–21–8 |
| 70 | T | March 10, 1991 | 4–4 OT | @ Montreal Canadiens (1990–91) | 40–21–9 |
| 71 | W | March 12, 1991 | 6–0 | Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91) | 41–21–9 |
| 72 | L | March 14, 1991 | 3–6 | Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 41–22–9 |
| 73 | W | March 16, 1991 | 4–3 | @ Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 42–22–9 |
| 74 | L | March 17, 1991 | 4–5 OT | @ Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 42–23–9 |
| 75 | T | March 20, 1991 | 4–4 OT | Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 42–23–10 |
| 76 | W | March 23, 1991 | 8–4 | Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 43–23–10 |
| 77 | W | March 24, 1991 | 4–3 OT | @ Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 44–23–10 |
| 78 | W | March 26, 1991 | 2–0 | Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 45–23–10 |
| 79 | W | March 28, 1991 | 6–5 | Minnesota North Stars (1990–91) | 46–23–10 |
| 80 | L | March 31, 1991 | 3–5 | @ Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 46–24–10 |

## Playoffs
### Round 1: (S1) Los Angeles Kings vs. (S4) Vancouver Canucks

* Los Angeles won series 4–2

### Round 2: (S1) Los Angeles Kings vs. (S3) Edmonton Oilers

* Edmonton won series 4–2

## Player statistics

Regular season :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Wayne Gretzky | C | 78 | 41 | 122 | 163 | 16 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 5 |
| Luc Robitaille | LW | 76 | 45 | 46 | 91 | 68 | 28 | 11 | 0 | 5 |
| Tomas Sandstrom | RW | 68 | 45 | 44 | 89 | 106 | 27 | 16 | 0 | 6 |
| Tony Granato | RW | 68 | 30 | 34 | 64 | 154 | 22 | 11 | 1 | 3 |
| Steve Duchesne | D | 78 | 21 | 41 | 62 | 66 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 3 |
| Todd Elik | C | 74 | 21 | 37 | 58 | 58 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Dave Taylor | RW | 73 | 23 | 30 | 53 | 148 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| Rob Blake | D | 75 | 12 | 34 | 46 | 125 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 2 |
| Marty McSorley | D | 61 | 7 | 32 | 39 | 221 | 48 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bob Kudelski | RW | 72 | 23 | 13 | 36 | 46 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Brian Benning | D | 61 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 127 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| John Tonelli | LW | 71 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 49 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Steve Kasper | C | 67 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Larry Robinson | D | 62 | 1 | 22 | 23 | 16 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brad Jones | LW | 53 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 57 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jay Miller | LW | 66 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 259 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| John McIntyre | C | 56 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 115 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mike Donnelly | LW | 53 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 41 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Rod Buskas | D | 57 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 182 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Bjugstad | RW | 31 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mike Krushelnyski | LW/C | 15 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Francois Breault | RW | 17 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Halkidis | D | 34 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 133 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Watters | D | 45 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 92 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Thomson | RW | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rene Chapdelaine | D | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sylvain Couturier | C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Berthiaume | G | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rick Hayward | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kelly Hrudey | G | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ilkka Sinisalo | RW | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dennis Smith | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV | SV% |
| Kelly Hrudey | 2730 | 47 | 26 | 13 | 6 | 132 | 2.90 | 3 | 1321 | 1189 | .900 |
| Daniel Berthiaume | 2119 | 37 | 20 | 11 | 4 | 117 | 3.31 | 1 | 1086 | 969 | .892 |
| Team: | 4849 | 80 | 46 | 24 | 10 | 249 | 3.08 | 4 | 2407 | 2158 | .897 |
Playoffs :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Luc Robitaille | LW | 12 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 22 | -2 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| Wayne Gretzky | C | 12 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Steve Duchesne | D | 12 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Kasper | C | 10 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mike Donnelly | LW | 12 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Todd Elik | C | 12 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tomas Sandstrom | RW | 10 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| John Tonelli | LW | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Kudelski | RW | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rob Blake | D | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 26 | -1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tony Granato | RW | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Robinson | D | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Benning | D | 12 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Taylor | RW | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brad Jones | LW | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rod Buskas | D | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John McIntyre | C | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ilkka Sinisalo | RW | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Bjugstad | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Halkidis | D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kelly Hrudey | G | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marty McSorley | D | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jay Miller | LW | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Watters | D | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV | SV% |
| Kelly Hrudey | 798 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 37 | 2.78 | 0 | 382 | 345 | .903 |
| Team: | 798 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 37 | 2.78 | 0 | 382 | 345 | .903 |
    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;

## Awards and records

* Wayne Gretzky, Art Ross Trophy
* Wayne Gretzky, Longest Consecutive Games Assist Streak, 23 games (48 assists during the streak)
* Marty McSorley, NHL Plus-Minus Award
* Dave Taylor, Masterton Trophy Winner
* Tom Webster, runner-up for the Jack Adams Trophy

## Transactions

The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 1990–91 season.

### Trades

| August 15, 1990 | To Los Angeles KingsShawn McCosh | To Detroit Red Wings8th round pick in 1992 - Justin Krall |
| September 6, 1990 | To Los Angeles KingsDaniel Berthiaume | To Minnesota North StarsCraig Duncanson |
| September 30, 1990 | To Los Angeles KingsMike Donnelly | To Buffalo SabresMikko Mäkelä |
| November 9, 1990 | To Los Angeles KingsJohn McIntyre | To Toronto Maple LeafsMike Krushelnyski |
| March 5, 1991 | To Los Angeles KingsIlkka Sinisalo | To Minnesota North Stars8th round pick in 1991 - Michael Burkett |

### Free agent signings

| July 1, 1990 | From Hartford WhalersTom Martin |
| July 2, 1990 | From New Jersey DevilsJim Thomson |
| July 11, 1990 | From Montreal CanadiensStéphane Richer |
| July 11, 1990 | From Boston BruinsBilly O'Dwyer |
| July 15, 1990 | From Calgary FlamesRick Hayward |
| July 16, 1990 | From Edmonton OilersSteve Graves |
| July 27, 1990 | From Boston BruinsBrian Lawton |
| September 28, 1990 | From Washington CapitalsDennis Smith |
| April 5, 1991 | From Boston University (HE)Peter Ahola |

### Free agents lost

| July 11, 1990 | To New York RangersEric Germain |

### Waivers

| October 1, 1990 | From Pittsburgh PenguinsRod Buskas |