Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles , California , United States . They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . The team was founded on February 9 , 1966 , when Jack Kent Cooke was awarded an NHL expansion franchise for Los Angeles , becoming one of the six teams that began play as part of the 1967 NHL expansion . The Kings called The Forum in Inglewood , California ( a suburb of Los Angeles ) , their home for thirty - two years until they moved to the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles to start the 1999 – 2000 season . During the 1970s and early 1980s , the Kings had many years marked by impressive play in the regular season only to be washed out by early playoff exits . Their highlights included the strong goaltending of Rogie Vachon , and the " Triple Crown Line " of Charlie Simmer , Dave Taylor and Hall of Fame player Marcel Dionne , who had a famous upset of the uprising Edmonton Oilers in a 1982 playoff game known as the Miracle on Manchester . In 1988 , the Kings traded with the Oilers to get their captain Wayne Gretzky , leading to a successful phase of the franchise that raised hockey ' s popularity in Los Angeles . Gretzky , fellow Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille and defenseman Rob Blake led the Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals , lost to the Montreal Canadiens , as well as the franchise ' s sole division title in 1990 – 91 . After the 1993 Finals , the Kings entered financial problems , with a bankruptcy in 1995 that was only solved after the franchise was acquired by Philip Anschutz ( owner of Anschutz Entertainment Group , operators of Staples Center ) and Edward P . Roski . A period of mediocrity ensued , with the Kings only resurging as they broke a six - year playoff drought in the 2009 – 10 NHL season , with a team that included goaltender Jonathan Quick , defenseman Drew Doughty , and forwards Dustin Brown , Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams . Under coach Darryl Sutter , who was hired early in the 2011 – 12 NHL season , the Kings won two Stanley Cups in three years : 2012 , over the New Jersey Devils , and 2014 , against the New York Rangers . Quick and Williams respectively won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs . Franchise history . Hockey in Los Angeles . Prior to the Kings arrival in the Los Angeles area , both the Pacific Coast Hockey League ( PCHL ) and the Western Hockey League ( WHL ) had several teams in California , including the PCHL ' s Los Angeles Monarchs of the 1930s and the WHL ' s Los Angeles Blades of the 1960s . When the NHL decided to expand for the 1967 – 68 season amid rumblings that the WHL was proposing to turn itself into a major league and compete for the Stanley Cup , Canadian entrepreneur Jack Kent Cooke paid the NHL $ 2 million to place one of the six expansion teams in Los Angeles . Los Angeles has a large number of expatriates from both the Northeastern United States and Canada , which Cooke saw as a natural fan base . Cooke was thus awarded one of the six new NHL expansion franchises , which also included the California Seals , Minnesota North Stars , Philadelphia Flyers , Pittsburgh Penguins and St . Louis Blues . He named his team the Kings , and picked the original team colors of purple ( or " Forum Blue , " as it was later officially called ) and gold because they were colors traditionally associated with royalty . The same color scheme was worn by the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , which Cooke also owned . The " Forum Blue and Gold " years ( 1967 – 68 to 1974 – 75 ) . Cooke named Larry Regan the first General Manager of the Kings , and Red Kelly the first head coach in franchise history . Cooke wanted his new NHL team to play in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena , home of the Lakers , but the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission , which manages the Sports Arena and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to the present day , had already entered into an agreement with the Blades ( whose owners had also tried to land the NHL expansion franchise in Los Angeles ) to play their games at the Sports Arena . Frustrated by his dealings with the Coliseum Commission , Cooke said , " I am going to build my own arena . . . I ' ve had enough of this balderdash . " Construction on Cooke ' s new arena , the Forum , was not yet complete when the 1967 – 68 season began , so the Kings opened their first season at the Long Beach Arena in the neighboring city of Long Beach on October 14 , 1967 , defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4 – 2 . For the next two months , the Kings played their home games both at Long Beach and at the Sports Arena . The " Fabulous Forum " finally opened its doors on December 30 , 1967 , with the Kings being shut out by the Flyers , 2 – 0 . The Kings made the Forum their home for the next 32 seasons . Players like Bill " Cowboy " Flett , Eddie " The Jet " Joyal , Eddie " The Entertainer " Shack and Real " Frenchy " Lemieux helped introduce the Los Angeles area to the NHL in the team ' s first few seasons . Such player nicknames were the brainchild of none other than Cooke himself . In their first season , the Kings finished in second place in the Western Division , just one point behind the Flyers . The Kings were the only expansion team that had a winning record at home , but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota North Stars , losing the seventh game at The Forum on April 18 , 1968 , 9 – 4 . In their second season behind Red Kelly , the Kings finished fourth in the West Division — the final playoff berth . But after eliminating the Oakland Seals in the first round of the playoffs in seven games , the Kings were swept out of post - season play in the second round by the St . Louis Blues . After two fairly successful seasons , the Kings hit upon hard times , mostly due to poor management . Kings general managers established a history of trading away first - round draft picks , usually for veteran players ( many of them NHL stars on the downside of their careers ) , a problem that would hinder the development of the franchise for years to come . The Kings ' attendance also suffered during this time , leading Cooke to muse that the reason so many Northeasterners and Canadians moved to Southern California was that " they hated hockey . " In 1972 , the Kings made two key acquisitions . First , the rise of rookie goaltender Ken Dryden in Montreal made goaltender Rogie Vachon expendable , and the Kings obtained him in a trade with the Canadiens on November 4 , 1971 . After years of a " revolving door " in goal , Vachon solidified the position , often in spectacular fashion . For the next five years , the Forum was often filled with chants of " Rogie ! , Rogie ! " as Vachon made many a great save . In addition , the Kings obtained former Toronto Maple Leafs winger Bob Pulford , first as a player and then as their head coach . Under Pulford ' s disciplined direction , the Kings went from being one of the worst defensive teams in the league to one of the best . It took him just two seasons to lead the Kings back to the playoffs and in 1974 , they faced the Chicago Blackhawks , only to be eliminated in five games . Pulford eventually led the team to three of the most successful seasons in franchise history , including a 105 - point season in 1974 – 75 that is still a franchise record . They finished second behind Montreal in the Norris Division , which was relatively strong compared to the other divisions . Also in 1975 that season , the NHL introduced a new playoff structure due to the addition of new teams , and introduced a best of three preliminary rounds to the playoffs for the bottom eight of the qualifying twelve teams ( the winners of each division automatically receiving a bye into the second round ) . With the fourth - best record in the league , the Kings were heavy favorites against the Maple Leafs , who finished with 78 points . Despite winning Game 1 at home in the Forum , the Kings lost Game 2 in Toronto on April 10 . Due to scheduling conflicts , and owner Jack Kent Cooke ' s refusal to play an afternoon game on April 12 , Game 3 was played at the Forum the next day , April 11 , instead , giving each team less rest between the games . The Kings , being an older team than the Maple Leafs , simply did not have the energy due to lack of rest and recovery , and were upset in the deciding game by the lowly but younger Maple Leafs . Marcel Dionne and the " Triple Crown Line " ( 1975 – 76 to 1987 – 88 ) . After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in both 1973 – 74 and 1974 – 75 , the Kings moved to significantly upgrade their offensive firepower when they acquired center Marcel Dionne on June 23 , 1975 , in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings . Dionne was already a superstar in the NHL and he made an immediate impact in the 1975 – 76 season , scoring 40 goals and adding 54 assists for 94 points in 80 regular season games . He led the Kings to a 38 – 33 – 9 record ( 85 points ) , earning them a second place finish in the Norris Division . Behind Dionne ' s offensive prowess , the strong goaltending of Rogie Vachon , and the speed and scoring touch of forward Butch Goring , the Kings played two of their most thrilling seasons yet , with playoff match ups against the then - Atlanta Flames in the first round , and the Boston Bruins in the second round . In the 1976 playoffs , the Kings swept the Flames in two close games decided by one goal . When matched against the Bruins , the Kings were heavy underdogs against the big and powerful Bruins . Game 1 went just as predicted and Boston outmatched the Kings 4 - 0 . Game 2 saw stellar goaltending by Vachon , who helped keep the game close until Goring shocked the Boston crowd with the overtime winner . The momentum stayed in game 3 on home ice with the Kings winning 6 - 4 thanks to Dionne ' s hat trick , which shocked the Bruins as they were now behind in a series they were predicted to sweep . Boston took control of games 4 and 5 by outscoring 10 - 1 . When the Kings returned on home ice for game 6 , the Kings home crowd treated them to one of the loudest crowds ever heard at the Forum , a 5 minute standing ovation that delayed the start of the game ; players from both sides would later say they never saw anything like it . Boston would jump to a 3 - 1 lead into the final five minutes , but the Kings would come back thanks to two goals by Mike Corrigan , the tying goal scored after he was tripped by Boston goalie Gerry Cheevers , and still somehow swiped at the puck while lying on his stomach and put the puck into the net to tie the game . The comeback then was completed near the final minute of overtime thanks to Goring again , tying the series . However , Boston controlled Game 7 with a 3 - 0 shutout and won the series . In the first round of the 1977 playoffs , the Kings needed three games to defeat the Flames in the opening round , winning both games at home and losing on the road . In the second round , Boston controlled the first two games , and while the Kings put a better effort in game 3 , the Bruins still won 7 - 6 to go up three games to none . The Kings finally answered back in game 4 with a 7 - 4 win . Game 5 in Boston saw a game where the Kings were badly outshot , but in the words of Boston goalie Gerry Cheevers , " Vachon did everything but stand on his head to make great save after great save . " The Kings ended up winning 3 - 1 . Game 6 at home saw the Kings fall behind 3 - 0 only to tie the game in the 3rd period , but the comeback would end on a sour note as Kings defenseman Dave Hutchison went to clear the puck on a Boston power play but broke his stick on the ice and turned the puck over ; and Boston scored to win the game 4 - 3 and the series 4 games to 2 . Bob Pulford left the Kings after the 1976 – 77 season after constant feuding with then owner Jack Kent Cooke . Pulford wanted to become General Manager as well as coach , or at least have a bigger role in player personnel decisions . Cooke however , often meddled in player personnel matters , which also caused another key component for the Kings , general manager Jake Milford , to leave as well and join the Vancouver Canucks . Now without Pulford and Milford , the Kings struggled in the 1977 - 78 season as they finished below . 500 and were easily swept out of the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs . Afterwards Vachon would become a free agent and sign with the Detroit Red Wings . On January 13 , 1979 , Kings coach Bob Berry tried juggling line combinations , and Dionne found himself on a new line with two young , mostly unknown players : second - year right winger Dave Taylor and left winger Charlie Simmer , who had been a career minor - leaguer . Each player benefited from each other , with Simmer being the gritty player who battled along the boards , Taylor being the play maker , and Dionne being the natural goal scorer . This line combination , known as the " Triple Crown Line , " would go on to become one of the highest - scoring line combinations in NHL history . After the Triple Crown Line ' s first season together , Dr . Jerry Buss purchased the Kings , the Lakers , and the Forum for $ 67 . 5 million , but the Simmer - Dionne - Taylor combination remained intact . The next season , the Triple Crown Line dominated the NHL , scoring 146 goals and 182 assists , good for 328 points . But in the first round of the 1980 playoffs , they were eliminated in four games by upstart New York Islanders , who were on their way to winning their first of four straight Stanley Cups . Among the Islanders was Butch Goring , whom the Kings had traded late in the season for Billy Harris and Dave Lewis . In the 1980 - 81 NHL season , the Triple Crown line did even better than the season before , scoring a total of 161 goals and 191 assists , good for 352 points . The entire line , along with goalie Mario Lessard , was selected to play in the 1981 NHL All - Star Game that season , which was played at the Forum . The Kings also had a remarkable regular season , finishing the 1980 - 81 season with an impressive 43 wins and 99 points , good for second in the Norris Division . But late in the season , setbacks came in as Charlie Simmer broke his leg , and was unable to play the rest of the season , and once again , an impressive season was washed out by a first round upset , this time by the New York Rangers , who eliminated them in four games . The 1981 - 82 Kings saw the team slump to 17th overall and fourth in their division with 63 points , only making the playoffs due to being in the same division as the Colorado Rockies , who finished with 49 ( in those days , the top 4 teams in each division were guaranteed a playoff berth ) . During that time , the team replaced head coach Bob Berry with assistant coach Parker MacDonald . After coaching 42 games , MacDonald resigned and retired , and was replaced by Don Perry , who just weeks into his tenure was suspended for 6 games for ordering enforcer Paul Mulvey to join a fight . The Kings opened the playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers , who were led by a young but fast - rising star by the name of Wayne Gretzky . Gretzky was only in his third year in the league , but he dominated the NHL like no other had before from the moment he stepped onto NHL ice in his rookie season . By the 1981 – 82 season , he was already the most dominant player in the league , and had made the Oilers one of the elite teams in the NHL , on their way to winning four Stanley Cup championships in the 1980s . The Oilers finished with 111 points . Few expected the Kings to stand a chance , but it was the Kings who won Game 1 in Edmonton on April 7 , 1982 , 10 – 8 , in the highest scoring Stanley Cup Playoff game ever . The Oilers recovered to win in overtime in Game 2 , and the teams headed to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4 . Game 3 would be one of the most amazing in hockey history and was later dubbed the " Miracle on Manchester " ( the Kings arena , the Forum , was on Manchester Boulevard ) . In that game , played on April 10 , 1982 , Gretzky led the Oilers to a commanding 5 – 0 lead after two periods and it seemed like the Kings were headed for a blowout loss . But the Kings began an unbelievable comeback in the third period , scoring four goals and finally tying the game on a goal by left winger Steve Bozek at 19 : 55 of the third period and sending the game into overtime . Bozek ' s goal set the stage for what was to come . At 2 : 35 of the overtime period , Kings left winger Daryl Evans fired a slap shot off a face - off in the right circle of the Edmonton zone , passing Oilers goaltender Grant Fuhr over his right shoulder to give the Kings an incredible come - from - behind , overtime victory , 6 – 5 . The Miracle on Manchester , the greatest comeback in NHL playoff history , is also the greatest moment in Kings franchise history as of 2007 . Not only did the Kings complete a miraculous comeback against the vaunted Oilers , but they also went on to eliminate them from the playoffs in five games , winning the decider in Edmonton , 7 – 4 , however the Kings would lose in the next round to the Vancouver Canucks in five games . Despite Dionne ' s leadership , the Kings missed the playoffs in the next two seasons , on January 30 , 1984 , Rogie Vachon became general manager of the Kings during the 1984 , he coach the team for 2 games in 1984 after replacing Don Perry , Roger Neilson coach the teams final 28 games until after the season named Pat Quinn head coach . But the Kings were quickly swept out of the playoffs by the Oilers in 1985 , when the Oilers won their second straight Stanley Cup championship . Vachon also became the first player in team history to have his jersey retired on February 14 , 1985 . Dionne ' s time with the Kings ended on March 10 , 1987 , when he was traded to the New York Rangers . But by this time , the Kings had new skaters to help lead them into the next decade , including star forwards Bernie Nicholls , Jimmy Carson , Luc Robitaille , and defenseman Steve Duchesne . Even before the Dionne trade the Kings were sent reeling when coach Pat Quinn signed a contract to become coach and general manager of the Vancouver Canucks with just months left on his Kings contract . NHL President John Ziegler suspended Quinn for the rest of the season and barred him from taking over Vancouver ' s hockey operations until June . Ziegler also barred him from coaching anywhere in the NHL until the 1990 – 91 season . In Ziegler ' s view , Quinn ' s actions created a serious conflict of interest that could only be resolved by having him removed as coach . Despite these shocks , Mike Murphy who played 13 season with the Kings and was their captain for 7 years replaced Quinn as coach . The Kings made the playoffs in the next two seasons , but they were unable to get out of the first round . After a slow start to the 1987 – 88 season , Murphy was fired , Vachon coached the team for 1 game until promoting AHL ' s New Haven Nighthawks coach Robbie Ftorek as new head coach . Part of the problem was that the way the playoffs were structured ( teams were bracketed and seeded by division ) made it very likely that they would have to get past either the powerful Oilers or Calgary Flames ( or both ) to reach the Conference Finals . In fact , the Kings faced either the Oilers or the Flames in the playoffs four times during the 1980s . However , the 1988 – 89 season would be a big turning point for the franchise . McNall brings Gretzky to LA ( 1988 – 89 to 1995 – 96 ) . In 1987 , coin collector Bruce McNall purchased the Kings from Buss and turned the team into a Stanley Cup contender almost overnight . On August 9 , 1988 , McNall acquired the league ' s best player , Wayne Gretzky , in a blockbuster trade with the Edmonton Oilers . The trade rocked the hockey world , especially north of the border where Canadians mourned the loss of a player they considered a national treasure . McNall also changed the team colors to silver and black . In Gretzky ' s first season with the Kings , he led the team in scoring with 168 points on 54 goals and 114 assists , and won his ninth Hart Memorial Trophy as the league ' s Most Valuable Player . He led the Kings to a second - place finish in the Smythe Division with a 42 – 31 – 7 record ( 91 points ) , and they ranked fourth in the NHL overall . The Kings faced Gretzky ' s old team , the Oilers , in the first round of the 1989 playoffs . They fell behind 3 games to 1 , but rallied to take the series in seven games , helped in no small part by nine goals from Chris Kontos , a little - known player who had just recently been called up from the minor leagues . However , the Kings were quickly swept out of the playoffs in the second round by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Flames . Gretzky also had a clash and feuded with his first Kings head coach Robbie Ftorek , at seasons end Ftorek was fired and was replaced by Tom Webster . The next season saw Gretzky become the league ' s all - time leading scorer . On October 15 , 1989 , in Edmonton , he assisted on a Bernie Nicholls goal to tie Gordie Howe ' s career record of 1 , 850 points , then broke it late in the contest on a game - tying goal against Bill Ranford . The goal forced overtime , where Gretzky capped a spectacular night by scoring again to win the game for Los Angeles . At season ' s end , the Kings finished fourth and faced the defending champion Flames in the first round . This time , they defeated Calgary in six games , two of which had dramatic overtimes — Game 3 was won with a shorthanded goal by Tony Granato , and Game 6 ended with a strange goal by Mike Krushelnyski while he was flat on his back . However , the Kings were swept in the second round by the eventual champion Oilers , who were seeking revenge for the loss of the previous year . Gretzky spearheaded the Kings to their first regular - season division title in franchise history in the 1990 – 91 season with a 46 – 24 – 10 record ( 102 points , the second best point total in franchise history ) . Notably , it was the first time in 10 years that a team from Alberta had not finished first in the Smythe . However , the heavily favored Kings struggled in the playoffs , winning the first round against the Vancouver Canucks in six games but losing a close series against Edmonton in the second round that saw four games go into overtime . The 1991 – 92 season , the Kings ' 25th as a franchise , witnessed seven Kings players score over 20 goals ; Gretzky himself had a then - career low in scoring yet still finished third in the league behind Pittsburgh Penguins star Mario Lemieux and Kevin Stevens , in that same year ; Gretzky was also reunited with his former Edmonton Oiler teammates Jari Kurri , Paul Coffey , and Charlie Huddy . Despite this , Los Angeles again failed to thwart their Edmonton rivals in the post - season , losing to the Oilers in the first round . This marked the third straight year that the Gretzky - led Kings were eliminated from the playoffs by Gretzky ' s former teammates , and at the end of the season , Tom Webster was relieved from head coach , and general manager Rogie Vachon was moved to a different position in the organization and named Nick Beverley as his successor . First trip to the Stanley Cup Final ( 1992 – 93 ) . The Kings would reach new heights in the 1992 – 93 season , but the season started badly when it was learned that Gretzky had suffered a career - threatening herniated thoracic disk before the season began . The concern was not mainly whether Gretzky would be able to play that season , but if he would ever be able to play again . But even without their captain and leading scorer , the Kings got off to a 20 – 8 – 3 start , with left - winger Luc Robitaille , who won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the 1986 – 87 ' s NHL Rookie of the Year , filling in as captain for the ailing Gretzky . Robitaille led the team until Gretzky returned after missing the first 39 games . Robitaille would go on to retire at the end of the 2005 – 06 season as the highest - scoring left winger in National Hockey League history . Robitaille and Gretzky , along with former Oilers ' winger Jari Kurri , forwards Tony Granato and Tomas Sandstrom , defensemen Rob Blake , Marty McSorley and Alexei Zhitnik , and goalie Kelly Hrudey , guided the Kings through a rough middle portion of the season until they found their game once again in the last three months of the season to make the playoffs . Although Gretzky came back to score 16 goals and 49 assists , good for 65 points in just 45 games , it was Robitaille who was the team ' s impact player that season , leading the team in scoring with 63 goals and 62 assists ( 125 points ) in 84 regular season games , setting new NHL all - time records for goals and points scored by a left winger in a single season . The Kings finished with a 39 – 35 – 10 record ( 88 points ) , clinching third place in the Smythe Division . First - year head coach Barry Melrose had his team ' s offense off to a good start when the 1993 playoffs began , as they scored 33 goals in their first round series against the Calgary Flames . In the second round , the Kings faced the heavily favored Vancouver Canucks , a team that had beaten the Kings seven times in nine games during the regular season , > and had not lost to the Kings in their four meetings in Vancouver . But the Kings would go on to eliminate the Canucks in six games , with the pivotal victory coming in Game 5 at Vancouver , which was tied 3 – 3 at the end of regulation play . The teams were still tied after the first overtime period , but winger Gary Shuchuk scored at 6 : 31 of the second overtime period , giving the Kings a 3 – 2 series lead , and dealing the Canucks an emotional and , as it turned out , fatal blow . In the Campbell Conference Finals , the Kings were even more of an underdog against the Doug Gilmour - led Toronto Maple Leafs . But with Gretzky at the helm , the Kings eliminated the Leafs in a hard - fought seven - game series that included two overtime games and a Game 6 win for the Kings , who were facing elimination after losing Game 5 in overtime — they trailed the Leafs in the series , 3 – 2 . In Game 6 , Toronto scored two third period goals and tied the game at 4 – 4 at the end of regulation play . But in overtime , Luc Robitaille assisted on Gretzky ' s goal to give his team a dramatic 5 – 4 victory and send the teams back to Toronto for a Game 7 . The game was not without controversy , however . Just prior to the winning goal , Gretzky clipped Gilmour in the face with his stick , but referee Kerry Fraser did not call a penalty , allowing Gretzky to score the winning goal moments later . In the final contest , Gretzky scored a hat trick ( three goals ) and had an assist to lead the Kings to a 5 – 4 win and a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history . In the Stanley Cup Finals , the Kings faced the Montreal Canadiens . The Kings defeated the Canadiens in Game 1 , 4 – 1 . Game 2 , however , proved to be the turning point in the series . Late in the contest , with the Kings leading by a score of 2 – 1 , Canadiens coach Jacques Demers requested a measurement of Kings defenseman Marty McSorley ' s stick blade . His suspicions proved to be correct , as the curve of blade was too great , and McSorley was penalized . The Canadiens pulled their goalie , Patrick Roy , giving them a two - man advantage , and Eric Desjardins scored on the resulting power play to tie the game . Montreal went on to win the game in overtime on another goal by Desjardins , and the Kings never recovered . They dropped the next two games in overtime , and lost Game 5 , 4 - 1 , giving the Canadiens the 24th Stanley Cup in franchise history . Despite losing to the Canadiens in the finals , Gretzky and the Kings had generated excitement about hockey and the NHL that had never been seen before in Southern California . As soon as Gretzky donned a Kings jersey , the Forum was sold out for every game — virtually overnight , a Kings game became the hottest ticket in town . During the Stanley Cup Finals , more people in the Los Angeles area were tuned into the television broadcasts than any other station . The popularity of Gretzky and the Kings also led to the NHL awarding an expansion team to Anaheim , California in the 1993 ; the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim ( later renamed to Anaheim Ducks in 2006 ) would become the Kings nearest rival , just 35 miles to the south . Gretzky ' s popularity in Southern California also led to the NHL expanding or moving into other Sun Belt cities such as Dallas , Phoenix , Tampa , Miami and Nashville . Bankruptcy and Decline ( 1993 – 94 to 1996 – 97 ) . The next chapter after the 1993 playoff run for the Kings was tough for Kings fans . Wayne Gretzky returned to his All - Star form for the 1993 – 94 season , and continued to lead the team with 38 goals and 92 assists for 130 points , winning his final Art Ross Trophy as the league ' s leader in points that season . On March 23 , 1994 , Gretzky surpassed Gordie Howe ' s record for goals and became the all time leader in goals , assists and points . But despite Gretzky ' s leadership , and the individual efforts by Robitaille , Kurri and Blake , the Kings never recovered from a sluggish November and December and slumped to 5th place in the Pacific Division with only 66 points . They missed the playoffs for the first time since 1986 . To add insult to injury , their newly established cross - freeway rivals , the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim , finished ahead of them in their division , and their cross - state rivals the San Jose Sharks advanced to the second round in their first post - season appearance by upsetting the upstart Detroit Red Wings . By 1992 , Bruce McNall was elected chairman of the NHL ' s Board of Governors , the second - most powerful post in the league . His support of Gary Bettman tipped the scales in favor of Bettman ' s election as the league ' s first Commissioner . However , in December 1993 , McNall defaulted on a loan from Bank of America , who threatened to force the Kings into bankruptcy unless he sold the team . McNall sold the team to IDB Communications founder Jeffrey Sudikoff and former Madison Square Garden president Joseph Cohen in the wake of a federal investigation into his financial practices . He also resigned from his position on the NHL Board of Governors . He ultimately pled guilty to five counts of conspiracy and fraud , and admitted to obtaining $ 236 million in fraudulent loans from six banks over 10 years . It later emerged that McNall ' s free - spending ways put the Kings in serious financial trouble . At one point , Cohen and Sudikoff were even unable to meet player payroll , and were ultimately forced into bankruptcy in 1995 . They were forced to trade many of their stronger players : Tomas Sandstrom would be traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the return of McSorley ( who had been traded to Pittsburgh before the beginning of the 1993 - 94 season ) , and Luc Robitaille would be traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1994 for Rick Tocchet ; in 1995 , key defensemen Alexei Zhitnik and Charlie Huddy would be sent to Buffalo for several lowly players and an aging Grant Fuhr . While the Kings still had some talent on their roster in the forms of Gretzky , Blake , Kurri and McSorley , they had little else . Before the lockout - shortened 1994 – 95 season , general manager Nick Beverley left the Kings to work as a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs and his replacement was Sam McMaster . However , the team continued to stumble , and a late season cold streak hindered their playoff chances , putting the Kings within one game of clinching the 8th playoff spot , but they lost their final game to the Blackhawks 5 – 1 to finish in 9th place with 41 points , one point under the 8th place Dallas Stars . During that time , the Kings fired Barry Melrose , leaving Rogie Vachon to coach the team ' s final 7 games in the 1994 – 95 season . After the season , Larry Robinson who played three seasons for the Kings from 1989 – 92 , was named head coach after winning the 1995 Stanley Cup as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils . Larry Robinson ' s first season as the Kings coach saw the Kings slump even further to sixth place in the Pacific Division with only 66 points for the 1995 – 96 season . During that season , Phillip Anschutz and Edward P . Roski bought the Kings out of bankruptcy court in October 1995 and began a rebuilding phase . Meanwhile , Gretzky , who was by this time on the twilight of his career , stated publicly that he wanted the team to acquire a forward capable of scoring fifty goals per season and an offensive defenseman . If they failed to do that , he wanted to be traded to a team that was a legitimate Stanley Cup contender . After all he had done for the game by that time , Gretzky wanted another chance to win an elusive fifth Stanley Cup before retirement . On February 27 , 1996 , Gretzky was traded to the St . Louis Blues , for forwards Craig Johnson , Patrice Tardif , Roman Vopat , a first - round pick in the 1997 draft ( Matt Zultek ) and a fifth - round choice in the 1996 draft ( Peter Hogan ) . None became stars for the Kings . Gretzky himself was an unrestricted free agent by season ' s end , and only played 18 regular season games for the Blues , who lost in the second round of the playoffs that year . Like Marcel Dionne before him , Gretzky ended up with the New York Rangers before retiring in 1999 . Shortly after Gretzky was traded , Rob Blake was named team captain , and the Kings then traded Marty McSorley , Jari Kurri and Shane Churla to the New York Rangers for Mattias Norstrom , Nathan LaFayette , Ian Laperriere , Ray Ferraro , and a draft pick . The oft - maligned general manager Sam McMaster was fired and replaced by former Kings winger Dave Taylor . But the rebuilding phase for Taylor was a tough one , as the Kings suffered one more forgettable season in 1996 – 97 . The playoff contention years , and the move to Staples Center ( 1997 – 98 to 2001 – 02 ) . In the 1997 – 98 season , the Kings finish second in the Pacific Division with 87 Points . They were led by strong players Jozef Stumpel and Glen Murray , and Blake also became the first ( and , as of today , the only ) Kings defensemen to win the James Norris Trophy as the NHL ' s best defenseman after recording a career - high 23 goals and 50 points . Luc Robitaille would also return , though he would be plagued by injuries throughout the season . The Kings were matched against the highly skilled St . Louis Blues , and after losing the first two games on the road , had a chance to bring life back to the Kings for game 3 . Leading 3 – 0 in the third with 11 : 28 left , Blues forward Geoff Courtnall charged into Kings goalie Jamie Storr while Storr was out playing the puck , in immediate response , Kings defenseman Sean O ' Donnell viciously attacked Courtnall from behind , resulting in a 5 minute major penalty for O ' Donnell and power play for St . Louis . The Blues rallied and scored 4 goals in the next 3 minutes , and 7 seconds during the power play to win Game 3 , 4 – 3 , and then won Game 4 , 2 – 1 to sweep the Kings . The Kings suffered though an 1998 – 99 injury - plague season as they finished last in the pacific division and missed the playoffs with a 32 - 45 - 5 record . Despite this , Robitaille would return to his all - star form . This was their final season at the Great Western Forum , ( Due to the fact that the Great Western Bank ceased to exist two seasons prior , the arena name was replaced by the team name on center ice ) . Head coach Larry Robinson was fired afterwards . Taylor turned to Andy Murray , who became the Kings ' 19th head coach on June 14 , 1999 . Taylor ' s hiring of Murray was immediately criticized by media across North America because of Murray ' s perceived lack of experience — up to that point , his only head coaching experience had been at the international level with the Canadian National Team and at the US high school level . Indeed , Taylor took a gamble on Murray , hoping it would pay off . But Taylor was not finished dealing that summer . Shortly after hiring Murray , Taylor acquired star right - wing Zigmund Palffy and veteran center Bryan Smolinski on June 20 , 1999 , in exchange for center prospect Olli Jokinen , winger prospect Josh Green , defenseman prospect Mathieu Biron and the Kings ' first - round pick in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft . The Kings , along with the Los Angeles Lakers , made an even bigger move in 1999 , as they left The Forum ( Inglewood , California ) , after 32 seasons , and moved to the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles which was built by Anschutz and Roski . Staples Center was a state - of - the - art arena , complete with luxury suites and all the modern amenities that fans and athletes would want in a brand - new facility . With a new home , a new coach , a potential 50 - goal scorer in the fold and players such as Rob Blake , Luc Robitaille , Glen Murray , Jozef Stumpel , Donald Audette , Ian Laperriere and Mattias Norstrom , the Kings improved dramatically , finishing the season the 1999 – 2000 season with a 39 – 31 – 12 – 4 record ( 94 points ) , good for second place in the Pacific Division . But in the 2000 playoffs , the Kings were once again eliminated in the first round , this time by the Detroit Red Wings in a four - game sweep . In the 2000 NHL Entry Draft , the Kings drafted in the first round Alexander Frolov with the 20th overall pick and in the fourth round drafted Lubomir Visnovsky 118th overall . The 2000 – 01 season was a controversial one , as fans began to question AEG ' s commitment to the success of the Kings because they failed to significantly improve the team during the off - season . Adding fuel to the fire was the February 21 , 2001 , trade of star defenseman and fan favorite Rob Blake . In that deal , the Kings sent Blake and center Steven Reinprecht , to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for right wing Adam Deadmarsh , defenseman Aaron Miller , center prospect Jared Aulin and a first - round pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft ( Dave Steckel ) . After Blake ' s departure , Mattias Norstrom became the Kings ' thirteenth Captain , then the Kings acquired Goaltender Felix Potvin from the Vancouver Canucks ; Deadmarsh and Miller became impact players for the Kings , who finished the 2000 – 01 season with a 38 – 28 – 13 – 3 record ( 92 points ) , good for a third place finish in the Pacific Division and another first - round playoff date with the Detroit Red Wings . The heavily favored Red Wings — many predicted another four - game sweep — made easy work of the Kings in Games 1 and 2 at the Joe Louis Arena , but the Kings got back in the series with a 2 – 1 win in Game 3 at Staples Center . In Game 4 , the Red Wings took a commanding 3 – 0 lead after two periods . This set the stage for yet another unbelievable playoff comeback for the Kings , highly reminiscent of the " Miracle on Manchester , " back in 1982 . Seldom - used forward Scott Thomas , a career minor - leaguer , scored a power play goal at 13 : 53 . The Red Wings were called for a penalty with just under three minutes to play and Kings ' coach Andy Murray gambled and pulled his goalie to give his team a two - man advantage . The gamble paid off as Jozef Stumpel would follow with another power play goal at 17 : 33 . Finally , Bryan Smolinski tied the game at the 19 : 07 mark . In the overtime , Deadmarsh stole the puck from Red Wings ' star defenseman Chris Chelios in the right corner behind the Detroit net , and threw a centering pass to center Eric Belanger , who scored the game - winning goal at 2 : 36 to lift the Kings to a miraculous come - from - behind win , now known as the " Frenzy on Figueroa , " or the " Stunner at Staples . " That win would help the Kings eliminate the Red Wings in Game 6 by winning four straight games after going down 2 – 0 in the series . It was the Kings ' first playoff series win since 1993 . In the second round , the Kings went up against another elite team , the Colorado Avalanche , led by superstars Joe Sakic , Peter Forsberg , Patrick Roy , Ray Bourque , playing in his last NHL season , and former teammate Rob Blake . The Kings won game 1 by a score of 4 - 3 in overtime , but then lost the next three games . Down 3 games to 1 and facing elimination , the Kings bounced back with two 1 - 0 shut - out victories , including the most memorable game of that series being Game 6 where goalies Patrick Roy of Colorado and Felix Potvin of the Kings battled to a 0 – 0 tie after regulation and into the second overtime ; finally after 64 shots on goal that were saved between both goalies , a slap shot by Kings Glen Murray found the back of the net for the win and thus tied the series . Game 7 saw a 1 - 1 tie after two periods , however Colorado dominated the 3rd period with four unanswered goals to win the game 5 - 1 and the series . Colorado would eventually win the Stanley Cup that year . Afterwards , during the off - season , Luc Robitaille turn down a one year deal with a substantial pay cut and ended up signing with Detroit , as the Red Wings represented his best chance at winning the Stanley Cup , and like Tomas Sandstrom before him in 1997 , Robitaille won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2002 . The 2001 – 02 season started off with tragedy as team scouts Garnet " Ace " Bailey and Mark Bavis were both casualties of the September 11th attack . The team honored the two by wearing " AM " patches on their jerseys . The Kings drafted Michael Cammalleri 49th overall in the second round of the 2001 NHL Draft . Earlier in the season , the team acquired Jason Allison who was involved in a contract dispute along with Mikko Eloranta from the Boston Bruins in return for Jozef Stumpel and Glen Murray . At mid - season they hosted the 2002 NHL All - Star Game , the last NHL All - Star game that used the North America vs . the World All - Star format , where the Kings were represented by Ziggy Pallfy and star defenseman Jaroslav Modry on the World team . Jason Allison , Ziggy Palffy , Adam Deadmarsh , would form another thrilling scoring line nicknamed the " L . A . P . D . Line " ( combining the three initials of Allison , Palffy , and Deadmarsh with a reference to the Los Angeles Police Department ) , highly reminiscent of the Triple Crown Line of old . While not as successful scoring - wise , they still led the team with a combination of 80 goals , and 115 assists , a total of 195 points . The Kings started off the season with a sluggish October and November , and then found their game again to finish with 95 points . They in fact were tied in points with the second place Phoenix Coyotes , and only finished 3rd in the Pacific Division and 7th in the West due to a goals - for differential — the Coyotes having 228 and the Kings having 214 as a team . In the playoffs they met the Colorado Avalanche once again , this time in the first round . The series would prove to be a carbon copy of their previous meeting , with the Kings behind three games to one and bouncing back to tie the series , only to be dominated in the seventh game and eliminated . Rebuilding ( 2002 – 03 to 2008 – 09 ) . The next two seasons would be major disappointments as the Kings hit another major decline . While Ziggy Palffy led the team in scoring with 85 points in the 2002 – 03 season , his two L . A . P . D . linemates Jason Allison and Adam Deadmarsh suffered concussions and missed most of the season . Despite being at 15 - 10 - 4 - 3 in mid December , the Kings lost 14 of their next 19 games and never recovered . They finished 10th in the West and missed the playoffs while their cross town rivals in Anaheim went on their own Cinderella run in the 2003 playoffs , eventually losing in the 2003 Stanley Cup Final in 7 games . During the off season in 2003 , Luc Robitaille returned to the Kings after two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings , and led the team in scoring for the 2003 – 04 season . However , Palffy suffered shoulder injuries of his own and sat out the majority of the season , and his two L . A . P . D . linemates sat out the entire season as well , with Deadmarsh later retiring after the 2004 - 05 NHL Lockout and with Allison playing one last season in Toronto before ultimately retiring . With a record of 28 - 20 - 16 - 7 and 81 points and 11 games left in the season , the Kings looked to be in contention for the 2004 playoffs , and head coach Andy Murray was one win away from becoming the coach with the most wins in franchise history ; however . Murray would have to wait until after the 2004 - 05 NHL Lockout for such a record as the Kings lost all 11 of the remaining games and put their playoff hopes away . Statistically , for the 2002 - 03 season , the Kings lost a franchise record 536 Man Games ( number of games missed by individual players ) to Injury ; and then for the 2003 - 04 season , they broke a previous NHL record with 629 Man Games Lost to Injury . The team drafted Dustin Brown with the thirteenth pick in the first round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft . Following the resumption of play after the 2004 – 05 NHL lockout , the Kings drafted Anze Kopitar with the eleventh pick in the first round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft and goaltender Jonathan Quick in the third round , 72nd overall . In free agency , the team acquired Valeri Bure , Craig Conroy , Jeremy Roenick and Pavol Demitra for the 2005 – 06 season . The Kings also had young talented forwards with Alexander Frolov , Michael Cammalleri , and Dustin Brown , as well as strong offensive prowess from defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky , who led the team in points . The first game of 2005 – 06 season , in which the Kings jumped to a 4 - 0 lead only to let it slip away in a 5 - 4 loss to the Dallas Stars , would ultimately summarize how the rest of the season would go . Los Angeles began the season strongly , but the second half of the season saw the Kings stumble badly , free falling from second place in the Western Conference in early January to 7th place by the Olympic break in the middle of February . While the Kings still looked to be in contention for the playoffs , injuries once again played a factor during and after the 2006 Winter Olympics , of which the Kings had 6 players representing . Mattias Norstrom having a concussion and Aaron Miller having a back injury prevented the two from even participating ; Frolov separated his shoulder during a round robin game and missed 10 games after , and their leading goal scorer Pavol Demitra missed 6 games after being struck in the face with a puck in the quarterfinals . Afterwards , the Kings lost 12 of the remaining 22 games left in the season , and eventually finished 10th in the Western Conference . On March 21 , 2006 , the team fired head coach Andy Murray , replacing him with interim head coach John Torchetti . With three games left in the season , Robitaille , the team ' s all - time leading scorer and the NHL ' s all - time highest - scoring left winger , announced that , at the end of the year , he would retire . Just one day after the end of the Kings ' 2005 – 06 regular season , AEG decided to clean house . On April 18 , 2006 , President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Dave Taylor and Director of Player Personnel Bill O ' Flaherty were relieved of their duties , and Vice President and Assistant General Manager Kevin Gilmore was reassigned to other duties within AEG . Torchetti and assistant coaches Mark Hardy and Ray Bennett , along with goaltending consultant Andy Nowicki , were also fired . Kings CEO Tim Leiweke also announced that he would no longer be the team ' s Chief Executive Officer . On April 21 , 2006 , the Kings hired Philadelphia Flyers scout and former San Jose Sharks general manager Dean Lombardi as President and General Manager . He was signed to a five - year contract , signaling big changes in the near future for the franchise . Soon after he was hired , Lombardi quickly began to revamp the Kings ' hockey operations and just barely over one month into his tenure as President and General Manager , on May 22 , 2006 , he hired Marc Crawford to be the Kings ' 21st head coach . In the 2006 offseason , Roenick signed with the Phoenix Coyotes ; Bure , who didn ' t play the 2005 – 06 season due to injuries , retired ; and Demitra was traded to the Minnesota Wild for Patrick O ' Sullivan and Trevor Lewis and acquired the rights of Jack Johnson , along with Oleg Tverdovsky , from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Tim Gleason and Eric Belanger . In free agency , Rob Blake returned to the Kings . There were few highlights during the 2006 – 07 season . On January 13 , 2007 , the Kings made hockey history by putting Yutaka Fukufuji in goal for the third period of a game with the St . Louis Blues . This marked the first time in hockey history that a Japanese - born player played in an NHL regular season game . On January 20 , 2007 , the Kings retired Luc Robitaille ' s jersey in an hour - long ceremony prior to a game with the Phoenix Coyotes . It was the fifth Kings jersey to be retired . Before the 2007 – 08 season , the Kings drafted Wayne Simmonds in the second round , 61st overall , Alec Martinez , 95th Overall and Dwight King 109th overall in the fourth round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and signed six unrestricted free agents , including center Michal Handzus , left wings Ladislav Nagy and Kyle Calder , and defensemen Tom Preissing , Brad Stuart and Jon Klemm . Rob Blake was named the teams ' fourteenth captain after longtime captain Mattias Norstrom was traded to the Dallas Stars in February 2007 . However , despite opening the season with a win against the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks in the first NHL regular season game in Europe at the new O2 Arena ( also owned by AEG ) in London , United Kingdom , the new acquisitions did little to change the Kings ' fortunes as the team finished with the second worst record in the league . On June 10 , 2008 , the team announced the firing of head coach Marc Crawford . In the 2008 NHL Entry Draft , the Kings had a busy day , starting with a 3 - way trade with the Calgary Flames and the Anaheim Ducks . The Kings traded Mike Cammalleri to the Flames , and the 28th overall pick to the Ducks . The Kings received the 12th overall pick ( which eventually was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for the 13th overall pick ) . The Kings used the 2nd overall pick to select defenseman Drew Doughty , Colten Teubert was selected 13th overall and Vyacheslav Voynov in the 2nd round , 32nd overall . In the 2008 offseason , the Kings traded Lubomir Visnovsky to the Edmonton Oilers for Matt Greene and Jarret Stoll and , after Rob Blake left for the San Jose Sharks , the team brought back in a trade from the Anaheim Ducks , Sean O ' Donnell . On July 17 , 2008 , the Kings hired Terry Murray , who became the 22nd head coach in franchise history . On October 8 , 2008 , right wing Dustin Brown was named as the Kings ' fifteenth captain in franchise history . Brown , 23 , was also the youngest captain and the first American - born captain in Kings ' history . In March 2009 , the Kings acquired Justin Williams from the Carolina Hurricanes for Patrick O ' Sullivan . While the 2008 - 09 Kings still finished last in the Pacific Division and 14th overall in the Western Conference , the 79 points they finished with was seen as an improvement , compared to their two previous seasons of 68 and 71 points respectively . Return to the playoffs ( 2009 – 10 to present ) . During the 2009 offseason , the Kings traded for forward Ryan Smyth , known for his prowess in front of opposing goaltenders . They also signed defenseman Rob Scuderi , who won the Stanley Cup the previous year with Pittsburgh , and drafted Brayden Schenn in the first round , 5th overall , Kyle Clifford in the 2nd round , 35th overall , and Jordan Nolan , the son of NHL coach Ted Nolan in the 7th round , 186th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft . The Kings were very successful during the 2009 – 10 NHL season , as they finished sixth overall in the Western Conference while in the midst of rebuilding . They established a franchise record with a nine - game unbeaten streak , and finished the season with 101 points , just the third 100 - plus point season in franchise history . However , they lost to a highly skilled Vancouver Canucks team in six games in the first round . The Kings led the series , 2 – 1 , and were ahead 3 – 2 after the 2nd period of game 4 , only to let it slip away in part due to excellent goaltending by Roberto Luongo and late goals by Henrik and Daniel Sedin . The Canucks would then easily win the next two games to eliminate the Kings . Despite the series loss , many considered the season to be an outright success due to the age of the team and the setbacks from injuries to key players Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams . Forward Anže Kopitar spent most of the first half of the season in the top ten in the league in scoring , and finished 20th overall in points . Doughty was one of three finalists for the James Norris Trophy as the league ' s top defenseman and received the team ' s ‘ Best Defenseman ’ award . This was the first time in eight years that the Kings made it to the playoffs . During the 2010 offseason , the Kings signed veteran and former on - ice captain for the Vancouver Canucks , Willie Mitchell , and added forward Alexei Ponikarovsky after losing out on the controversial free agent signing of Ilya Kovalchuk . Mitchell ' s signing created a top defensive pairing along with Norris Trophy favorite Drew Doughty and bolstered the chemistry of the locker room after the departure of veterans Sean O ' Donnell and Alexander Frolov , in the trade deadline , the team acquired Dustin Penner from the Edmonton Oilers for Colten Teubert , a first round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft , and a conditional second round pick in 2012 . The Kings entered the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the 7th seeded Western Conference team and played San Jose in the first round . Unfortunately there were more setbacks as the team ’ s high scorer , Anze Kopitar , was injured and unavailable for the playoffs . On the road , the Sharks would win game 1 in overtime 3 - 2 , and the Kings responded with a 4 - 0 shut out . On home ice for game 3 , the momentum for the Kings appeared to continue as they jumped to an early 4 - 0 lead , only to let it slip away as the Sharks fought back and eventually won the game in overtime 6 - 5 . The Sharks then made easy work of the Kings in the next game 6 - 3 . Facing elimination , the Kings won the fifth game 3 - 1 on the road , and kept the score a tie by the end of regulation in game 6 at home ; but failing capitalize on a 5 minute power - play late in the game all the way into overtime would prove to be the fatal blow , as moments later Joe Thornton would win the game 4 - 3 for the Sharks and eliminate the Kings . First Stanley Cup victory ( 2011 – 12 ) . In the 2011 offseason , the Kings acquired Mike Richards and prospect Rob Bordson from the Philadelphia Flyers for Wayne Simmonds , Brayden Schenn and a 2012 second round pick , by personal request , traded Ryan Smyth to the Edmonton Oilers for Colin Fraser and a 7th round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft , and signed Simon Gagne from the Tampa Bay Lightning to play alongside former Philadelphia Flyer teammate Mike Richards . The Kings started the 2011 – 12 season with a 5 – 1 – 1 record in their first 7 games , but went 8 – 11 – 3 over the next 22 , resulting in a 13 – 12 – 4 overall record after the first 29 games . This resulted in coach Terry Murray being fired . He was replaced by John Stevens as interim coach for four games , and then on December 17 , 2011 , hired Darryl Sutter as the new coach . Before the trade deadline , the Kings acquired another former Philadelphia Flyer in Richards ' friend and former teammate Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jack Johnson and a conditional first round draft pick . The Kings were much improved under Sutter , going 25 – 13 – 11 . They also narrowly missed clinching their second divisional title in franchise history . In their final two games the Kings lost both to the Sharks in overtime , allowing San Jose to edge them out by one point for the 7th seed in the Western Conference , while a five - game winning streak gave the Coyotes their first Pacific Division championship . The Kings settled for the 8th seed , having rounded out the season with a 40 – 27 – 15 record ( 95 points ) . The Kings headed into the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Presidents ' Trophy - winning Vancouver Canucks . After playing two games in Vancouver and one in Los Angeles , the Kings were up 3 – 0 in the series , a franchise first . By winning game 5 in Vancouver , the Kings advanced to the semifinals for the first time since the 2000 – 01 season , where they swept the second - seeded St . Louis Blues and advanced to the Western Conference finals for only the second time in franchise history . In doing so , the Kings also became the first NHL team to enter the playoffs as the 8th seed and eliminate the 1st and 2nd seeded teams in the conference . They then defeated the Phoenix Coyotes in five games to reach the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals , culminating in an overtime goal by Dustin Penner in Game 5 , and thus becoming the second team in NHL history to beat the top three conference seeds in the playoffs ( the Calgary Flames achieved the same feat in 2004 also under Darryl Sutter ) and the first eighth seed to accomplish the feat . They faced the New Jersey Devils in the Finals and defeated them in six games to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history . With the Game 6 victory occurring on home ice at Staples Center , the Kings became the first team since the 2007 Anaheim Ducks to win the Stanley Cup on home ice , and the second Californian NHL team to do so . Goaltender Jonathan Quick was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player during the playoffs , and soon signed a ten - year contract extension on June 28 , 2012 . Defending champions ( 2012 – 2013 ) . Due to the 2012 – 13 NHL lockout , the 2012 – 13 NHL season began on January 19 , 2013 , and was shortened to 48 games . Due to the shortened season , teams only played teams within their own conference . This meant that the Kings did not face any Eastern Conference opponents . Before the season began , they traded Kevin Westgarth to the Carolina Hurricanes for Anthony Stewart . They lost their home opener to the Chicago Blackhawks and lost the next 2 games , only securing 1 point in OT against the Edmonton Oilers . Their first victory came against their Pacific Division rival Phoenix Coyotes . With Willie Mitchell out for the season and Matt Greene injured after the season opener , the Kings made some moves to improve their defense and acquire some draft picks . They traded Andrei Loktionov to New Jersey for a 2013 draft pick and traded Simon Gagne to the Philadelphia Flyers for a conditional 2013 4th round pick . Davis Drewiske was also traded to the Montreal Canadiens for a 2013 fifth round pick . The Kings also traded draft picks for new players , first acquiring Keaton Ellerby from the Florida Panthers for a 5th round pick in the 2013 draft , and getting Robyn Regehr from the Buffalo Sabres . Regehr would later sign a 2 - year extension with the Kings during the playoffs . The Kings finished off the season as the 5th seed in the Western Conference and started once again on the road against the St . Louis Blues , who they swept in last season ' s playoffs . After losing the first 2 games , the Kings won 4 in a row to eliminate the Blues in 6 games . In the 2nd round , they played a very tough San Jose Sharks team , this time with home ice advantage . In the first game , Jarret Stoll suffered an injury from Sharks Raffi Torres , who ended up being suspended for the rest of the series . The Kings eventually won in 7 games . In the Western Conference Finals , they faced the number one seed in the West and Presidents Trophy winner Chicago Blackhawks . After dropping the first two games , the Kings won game 3 with Jeff Carter suffering an injury from Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith , who was suspended for Game 4 . After losing Game 4 , the Kings fought the Blackhawks through 2 overtime periods in Game 5 . Patrick Kane eventually scored the game - winning goal that won the game and the series , sending the Blackhawks to the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals , ending the Kings season . Second Stanley Cup victory ( 2013 – 14 ) . During the season , it was announced that the Kings would host an outdoor game in 2014 at Dodger Stadium as part of the 2014 NHL Stadium Series against the Anaheim Ducks . In the first round of the 2014 playoffs , the Kings played their in - state rivals , the San Jose Sharks . After losing the first three straight games to the Sharks , the Kings became the fourth team in NHL history to win the final four straight games after being down three games to none . They defeated the Sharks in San Jose in Game 7 . In the second round of the playoffs , the Kings played another in - state rival , the Anaheim Ducks . After starting the series with two wins , the Kings lost three straight games to the Ducks and trailed the series three games to two . For the second time in the first two rounds of the playoffs , the Kings were able to rally back after being down in the series and defeated the Ducks in Anaheim in Game 7 . In the third round of the playoffs , the Kings jumped out to a three games to one lead against Stanley Cup - defending Chicago and were unable to close out the series in games five and six . On June 1 , 2014 , the Kings advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in three years after defeating their rival , the Chicago Blackhawks , 5 – 4 in OT on a goal by Alec Martinez , in the deciding Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals , clinching their third Western Conference title in franchise history . The Kings became the first team in NHL history to win three Game 7s en route to a Stanley Cup Finals berth . Not only were the Kings the first team in history to accomplish this feat , they also managed to win all Game 7s on opposing ice . In the Finals , the Kings faced Eastern Conference champions New York Rangers , after they defeated the Montreal Canadiens in six games . The Kings won the Stanley Cup in five games , culminating with an Alec Martinez goal in the second overtime of Game 5 at Staples Center . The championship run had a record 26 playoff games , with the Kings facing elimination a record 7 times . With their Game 7 victory in the Conference Finals and wins in the first two games of the Cup Finals , they became the first team to win three consecutive playoff games after trailing by more than one goal in each game . Justin Williams , who scored twice in the Finals and had points in all three Game 7s of the Western playoffs , won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP . Uniforms . The Los Angeles Kings debuted in the NHL wearing Forum Blue and gold uniforms . The original design was simple and straightforward , featuring monochrome striping on the shoulders and tail , as well as purple pants with white and gold trim . Later on , white trim was added on the numbers , and names were also added , while tail stripes were adjusted . At one point , gold pants were used to pair with the gold uniforms during the 1970s . A variation of the original crown logo , with a contrasting color background , was used with this uniform . From 1980 – 88 , the Kings modified their uniforms to include a contrasting yoke that extends from sleeve to sleeve . White was also added to the socks , on the tail stripes , and at the bottom of the yoke , but the color was removed from the pants . The names and numbers were also modified to a standard NHL block lettering . Just in time for Wayne Gretzky ' s arrival , the Kings ' colors changed to black and silver . The new uniforms didn ' t deviate much from the prior design , save for the color scheme , a new primary Kings logo , and a switch from a contrasting yoke color to sleeve stripes . With minor changes to the text and pant striping , the uniforms were used until 1998 . The Kings briefly reintroduced purple and gold to the scheme upon unveiling an alternate jersey for the 1995 – 96 season . The uniform featured a gradually fading black splash , medieval - inspired serif text , and a logo of a bearded figure wearing a golden crown . The so - called " Burger King " jersey was not well received by fans , and was scrapped after only one season . For the 1998 – 99 season , the Kings unveiled a new logo and color scheme , substituting Forum Blue for a lighter shade of purple . The uniforms feature the primary shield logo with hints of purple on the yoke , sleeve stripes and tail . By coincidence , those were the same color schemes as the NBA ' s Sacramento team which is also called the Kings . The bottom of the uniform reads the city name . A purple alternate uniform featuring the updated secondary crown logo was unveiled for the 1999 – 2000 season . In 2002 , the crown logo became the primary while the shield logo was demoted to alternate status . The socks on the dark uniforms also switched designations to match their counterparts . Upon moving to the Reebok Edge design in 2007 , the uniforms were updated without the tail stripes . The purple - tinged road uniforms were used until the 2010 – 11 season , while the home uniform was demoted to alternate status in 2011 and remained in use until 2013 . In 2008 , the Kings unveiled an alternate uniform inspired from the 1990s Kings motif . The current logo , now in a black and silver banner with the updated crown logo and ' LA ' abbreviation on top , made its debut with the uniform . Three years later , the Kings completed the transition back to the classic black and silver by unveiling a new away uniform , which unlike the home uniform , features a black and silver tail stripe . The Kings wordmark from their 1988 – 98 logo returned on the helmets , and would stay that way until 2013 , when they were replaced by the current Kings wordmark . Since the 2010 – 11 season , the Kings have also worn their classic purple and gold uniforms from the late 1970s as part of " Legends Night " on select home dates . Minor changes in the uniform include the NHL shield logo on the neck piping , as well as the use of the Reebok Edge design . Season - by - season record . " List of the last five seasons completed by the Kings . For the full season - by - season history , see List of Los Angeles Kings seasons " " Note : GP = Games played , W = Wins , L = Losses , T = Ties , OTL = Overtime losses / Shootout losses , Pts = Points , GF = Goals for , GA = Goals against " Players and personnel . Hall of Famers . Eighteen honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame have had experience with the Kings upon induction ; including fifteen players , two head coaches , and one executive . Two broadcasters are media honorees , and two are athletic trainer honorees . Players Builders Athletic Trainers Head Coaches . " * Rogie Vachon took over as interim head coach for the Kings in 3 different occasions , first for 2 games in the middle of the 1983 - 84 NHL season after Don Perry was fired , then replaced by Roger Neilson . Second for 1 game in the middle of 1987 - 88 season after Mike Murphy was fired , then replaced by Robbie Ftorek . Third was the final 7 games in the 1994 - 95 lockout - shorten season after Barry Melrose was fired , then replaced by Larry Robinson . In all those time he returned to his duties in the Kings front office . " " * John Torchetti took over as interim head coach in the final 12 games of the 2005 - 06 NHL season after Andy Murray was fired . He was also fired at the end of the regular season , and was replaced by Marc Crawford . " " * John Stevens took over as interim head coach for 4 games in the middle of the 2011 - 12 NHL season after Terry Murray was fired . He would returned to his duties as assistant coach , and was later replaced by Darryl Sutter . " These are the top - ten point - scorers in franchise history . Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season . Franchise records . " Note : Pos = Position ; GP = Games Played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points ; P / G = Points per game ; * = current Kings player " Broadcasters . In 1973 , the Kings hired Bob Miller as their play - by - play announcer . Considered to be one of the finest hockey play - by - play announcers , Miller has held that post continuously since that time , and is often referred to as the " Voice of the Kings " . He received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the NHL Hockey Broadcasters Association on November 13 , 2000 , making him a media honoree in the Hockey Hall of Fame , and his first book , " Bob Miller ' s Tales of the Los Angeles Kings " , was published in 2006 . Miller ' s second book , " Tales From The Los Angeles Kings Locker Room : A Collection Of The Greatest Kings Stories Ever Told " , was published in April 2013 . 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