1988–89 Los Angeles Kings season

The 1988–89 Los Angeles Kings season was the franchise's 22nd season in the National Hockey League. The Kings finished 2nd in the Smythe Division and lost in the Division Finals to the Calgary Flames 4 games to 0.
==Off-season==
The Kings held their training camp in Victoria, British Columbia.
===Draft Picks===
Round	Pick	Player 	Nationality	College/junior/club team
1 	7 	Martin Gelinas (LW)	 	Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)
2 	28 	Paul Holden 	 	London Knights (OHL)
===Wayne Gretzky Trade===
On August 9, 1988, in a move that drastically changed the dynamics of the NHL, the Oilers traded Gretzky, along with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski, to the Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, $15 million in cash, and the Kings' first-round draft picks in 1989 (Jason Miller), 1991 (Martin Rucinsky), and 1993 (Nick Stajduhar). "The Trade", as it came to be known,oilersheritage.com, After the Trade, OilersHeritage.com, Accessed July 13, 2006 upset Canadians to the extent that New Democratic Party House Leader Nelson Riis demanded that the government block itScott Morrison, Wayne Gretzky traded... ...California here he comes, Toronto Sun, August 10, 1988 and Pocklington was burned in effigy. Gretzky himself was considered a "traitor" by some Canadians for turning his back on his adopted hometown, his home province, and his home country; his motivation was widely rumoured to be the furtherance of his wife's acting career.Terry Jones, Telling it like it is, Edmonton Sun, August 12, 1988 Others believe it was Pocklington who instigated the trade, seeking to benefit personally from the transaction.
==Regular Season==
On October 6, 1988, Wayne Gretzky made his debut as a member of the Los Angeles Kings in a game against the Detroit Red Wings. Gretzky scored on his first shot, and contributed 3 assists in an 8-2 victory.Gretzky’s Tears, Stephen Brunt, pp.182-183, Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, Toronto, Canada, 2009, ISBN 978-0-307-39729-4 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.
Gretzky's first season in Los Angeles saw a marked increase in attendance and fan interest in a city not previously known for following hockey. The Kings, who then played their home games at the Great Western Forum, named Gretzky their captain (a position he held until his trade to St. Louis in 1996) and boasted numerous sellouts on their way to reaching the 1989 playoffs.
Paced by Gretzky, Los Angeles led the league in goal scoring, with a total of 376 goals scored. In the playoffs, the Kings upset the Oilers, Gretzky's former team, in seven games in the Smythe Division Semi-finals before being swept in the Smythe Division Finals by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Calgary Flames in four straight games.
This was also the first season that the Kings wore their silver and black uniforms, which they would wear until the 1998–99 season. In the off-season, they had changed their team colours to silver and black from gold and purple, which were more associated with their co-tenants at the Great Western Forum, the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers. They had also unveiled a new logo that reflected the new team colours.
===Final Standings===
===Game Log===
====October====
Game #	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT	Record	Points
1 	October 6 	Detroit 	8 - 2 	Los Angeles	 	1-0-0 	2
2 	October 8 	Calgary 	6 - 5 	Los Angeles	OT	2-0-0 	4
3 	October 9 	N.Y. Islanders	6 - 5 	Los Angeles	OT	3-0-0 	6
4 	October 12	Boston 	6 - 2 	Los Angeles	 	4-0-0 	8
5 	October 15	Philadelphia 	1 - 4 	Los Angeles	 	4-1-0 	8
6 	October 17	Los Angeles 	4 - 11	Calgary 	 	4-2-0 	8
7 	October 19	Los Angeles 	6 - 8 	Edmonton 	 	4-3-0 	8
8 	October 22	Minnesota 	8 - 2 	Los Angeles	 	5-3-0 	10
9 	October 25	Edmonton 	4 - 5 	Los Angeles	 	5-4-0 	10
10 	October 28	Los Angeles 	7 - 4 	Winnipeg 	 	6-4-0 	12
11 	October 30	Los Angeles 	4 - 8 	Winnipeg 	 	6-5-0 	12
====November====
Game #	Date 	Visitor 	Score	Home 	OT	Record	Points
12 	November 1 	Los Angeles 	3 - 1	Quebec 	 	7-5-0 	14
13 	November 2 	Los Angeles 	3 - 5	Montreal 	 	7-6-0 	14
14 	November 5 	Los Angeles 	6 - 4	Toronto 	 	8-6-0 	16
15 	November 6 	Los Angeles 	5 - 3	Chicago 	 	9-6-0 	18
16 	November 10	Hartford 	7 - 2	Los Angeles 	 	10-6-0	20
17 	November 12	Pittsburgh 	7 - 2	Los Angeles 	 	11-6-0	22
18 	November 15	Vancouver 	6 - 4	Los Angeles 	 	12-6-0	24
19 	November 17	N.Y. Rangers	5 - 6	Los Angeles 	 	12-7-0	24
20 	November 19	Buffalo 	5 - 4	Los Angeles 	 	13-7-0	26
21 	November 22	Los Angeles 	6 - 1	Philadelphia	 	14-7-0	28
22 	November 23	Los Angeles 	8 - 3	Detroit 	 	15-7-0	30
23 	November 26	Los Angeles 	1 - 4	Calgary 	 	15-8-0	30
24 	November 27	Los Angeles 	2 - 5	Vancouver 	 	15-9-0	30
25 	November 29	New Jersey 	9 - 3	Los Angeles 	 	16-9-0	32
====December====
Game #	Date 	Visitor 	Score	Home 	OT	Record 	Points
26 	December 1 	Toronto 	9 - 3	Los Angeles 	 	17-9-0 	34
27 	December 3 	Chicago 	6 - 4	Los Angeles 	 	18-9-0 	36
28 	December 6 	Winnipeg 	4 - 5	Los Angeles 	OT	18-10-0	36
29 	December 8 	Winnipeg 	5 - 5	Los Angeles 	OT	18-10-1	37
30 	December 10	Los Angeles	4 - 3	N.Y. Islanders	 	19-10-1	39
31 	December 12	Los Angeles	5 - 2	N.Y. Rangers 	 	20-10-1	41
32 	December 14	Los Angeles	4 - 5	Pittsburgh 	 	20-11-1	41
33 	December 16	Los Angeles	6 - 4	Detroit 	 	21-11-1	43
34 	December 17	Los Angeles	2 - 3	Minnesota 	 	21-12-1	43
35 	December 20	Calgary 	7 - 3	Los Angeles 	 	22-12-1	45
36 	December 21	Minnesota 	8 - 6	Los Angeles 	 	23-12-1	47
37 	December 23	Los Angeles	5 - 2	Vancouver 	 	24-12-1	49
38 	December 27	Montreal 	2 - 3	Los Angeles 	 	24-13-1	49
39 	December 29	Vancouver 	3 - 6	Los Angeles 	 	24-14-1	49
====January====
Game #	Date 	Visitor 	Score	Home 	OT	Record 	Points
40 	January 5 	Los Angeles	6 - 8	Calgary 	 	24-15-1	49
41 	January 6 	Los Angeles	4 - 4	Winnipeg 	OT	24-15-2	50
42 	January 8 	Los Angeles	4 - 4	Winnipeg 	OT	24-15-3	51
43 	January 10	Edmonton 	5 - 4	Los Angeles 	OT	25-15-3	53
44 	January 12	St. Louis 	7 - 4	Los Angeles 	 	26-15-3	55
45 	January 14	Hartford 	9 - 6	Los Angeles 	 	27-15-3	57
46 	January 17	Los Angeles	2 - 5	St. Louis 	 	27-16-3	57
47 	January 19	Los Angeles	2 - 4	N.Y. Islanders	 	27-17-3	57
48 	January 21	Los Angeles	4 - 5	Hartford 	 	27-18-3	57
49 	January 24	Los Angeles	4 - 4	Washington 	OT	27-18-4	58
50 	January 26	Vancouver 	2 - 6	Los Angeles 	 	27-19-4	58
51 	January 28	Edmonton 	6 - 7	Los Angeles 	 	27-20-4	58
52 	January 31	Calgary 	5 - 8	Los Angeles 	 	27-21-4	58
====February====
Game #	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT	Record 	Points
53 	February 2 	New Jersey 	6 - 6 	Los Angeles 	OT	27-21-5	59
54 	February 4 	Buffalo 	5 - 3 	Los Angeles 	 	28-21-5	61
55 	February 9 	Los Angeles	1 - 4 	Boston 	 	28-22-5	61
56 	February 10	Los Angeles	7 - 6 	Washington 	OT	29-22-5	63
57 	February 12	Los Angeles	6 - 2 	Chicago 	 	30-22-5	65
58 	February 15	Boston 	3 - 7 	Los Angeles 	 	30-23-5	65
59 	February 18	Quebec 	11 - 3	Los Angeles 	 	31-23-5	67
60 	February 20	Toronto 	5 - 4 	Los Angeles 	 	32-23-5	69
61 	February 22	Washington 	2 - 7 	Los Angeles 	 	32-24-5	69
62 	February 24	Los Angeles	1 - 4 	Edmonton 	 	32-25-5	69
63 	February 26	Los Angeles	1 - 1 	New Jersey 	 	32-25-6	70
64 	February 27	Los Angeles	4 - 6 	N.Y. Rangers	 	32-26-6	70
====March====
Game #	Date 	Visitor 	Score	Home 	OT	Record 	Points
65 	March 1 	Los Angeles 	5 - 4	Buffalo 	 	33-26-6	72
66 	March 2 	Los Angeles 	4 - 6	St. Louis 	 	33-27-6	72
67 	March 4 	Philadelphia	6 - 2	Los Angeles	 	34-27-6	74
68 	March 7 	Pittsburgh 	3 - 2	Los Angeles	OT	35-27-6	76
69 	March 10	Los Angeles 	2 - 4	Vancouver 	 	35-28-6	76
70 	March 12	Los Angeles 	6 - 3	Edmonton 	 	36-28-6	78
71 	March 14	Los Angeles 	4 - 0	Quebec 	 	37-28-6	80
72 	March 15	Los Angeles 	2 - 5	Montreal 	 	37-29-6	80
73 	March 18	Calgary 	3 - 9	Los Angeles	 	37-30-6	80
74 	March 21	Los Angeles 	4 - 3	Edmonton 	 	38-30-6	82
75 	March 23	Los Angeles 	2 - 4	Calgary 	 	38-31-6	82
76 	March 25	Edmonton 	4 - 2	Los Angeles	 	39-31-6	84
77 	March 28	Winnipeg 	3 - 3	Los Angeles	OT	39-31-7	85
78 	March 29	Winnipeg 	2 - 1	Los Angeles	OT	40-31-7	87
====April====
Game #	Date 	Visitor 	Score	Home 	OT	Record 	Points
79 	April 1	Vancouver 	6 - 4	Los Angeles	 	41-31-7	89
80 	April 2	Los Angeles	5 - 4	Vancouver 	 	42-31-7	91
==Playoffs==
===Los Angeles Kings 4, Edmonton Oilers 3===
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 Calgary Flames.
Date 	Away 	Score	Home 	Score
April 5 	Edmonton Oilers 	4 	Los Angeles Kings	3
April 6 	Edmonton Oilers 	2 	Los Angeles Kings	5
April 8 	Los Angeles Kings	0 	Edmonton Oilers 	4
April 9 	Los Angeles Kings	3 	Edmonton Oilers 	4
April 11	Edmonton Oilers 	2 	Los Angeles Kings	4
April 13	Los Angeles Kings	4 	Edmonton Oilers 	1
April 15	Edmonton Oilers 	3 	Los Angeles Kings	6
===Calgary Flames 4, Los Angeles Kings 0===
Date 	Away 	Score	Home 	Score	Notes
April 18	Los Angeles Kings	3 	Calgary Flames 	4 	(OT)
April 20	Los Angeles Kings	3 	Calgary Flames 	8 	
April 22	Calgary Flames 	5 	Los Angeles Kings	2 	
April 24	Calgary Flames 	5 	Los Angeles Kings	3 	
==Player Stats==
===Forwards===
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player 	GP	G 	A 	Pts	PIM
Wayne Gretzky 	78	54	114	168	26
Bernie Nicholls 	79	70	80 	150	96
Luc Robitaille 	78	46	52 	98 	65
John Tonelli 	77	31	33 	64 	110
Dave Taylor 	70	26	37 	63 	80
Mike Krushelnyski	78	26	36 	62 	110
Mike Allison 	55	14	22 	36 	122
Bobby Carpenter 	39	11	15 	26 	16
Steve Kasper 	29	9 	15 	24 	14
Igor Liba 	27	5 	13 	18 	21
Jay Miller 	29	5 	3 	8 	133
Paul Fenton 	21	2 	3 	5 	6
Bob Kudelski 	14	1 	3 	4 	17
Sylvain Couturier	16	1 	3 	4 	2
Ken Baumgartner 	49	1 	3 	4 	288
Tim Tookey 	7 	2 	1 	3 	4
Chris Kontos 	7 	2 	1 	3 	2
Hubie McDonough 	4 	0 	1 	1 	0
Gilles Hamel 	11	0 	1 	1 	2
Phil Sykes 	23	0 	1 	1 	8
Brian Wilks 	2 	0 	0 	0 	2
Paul Guay 	2 	0 	0 	0 	2
Bob Logan 	4 	0 	0 	0 	0
Dave Pasin 	5 	0 	0 	0 	0
Craig Duncanson 	5 	0 	0 	0 	0
===Defencemen===
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player 	GP	G 	A 	Pts	PIM
Steve Duchesne	79	25	50	75 	92
Dale DeGray 	63	6 	22	28 	97
Marty McSorley	66	10	17	27 	350
Doug Crossman 	74	10	15	25 	53
Tim Watters 	76	3 	18	21 	168
Tom Laidlaw 	70	3 	17	20 	63
Dean Kennedy 	51	3 	8 	11 	63
Jim Wiemer 	9 	2 	3 	5 	20
Wayne McBean 	33	0 	5 	5 	23
Petr Prajsler 	2 	0 	3 	3 	0
Larry Playfair	6 	0 	3 	3 	16
Steve Richmond	9 	0 	2 	2 	26
Jim Hofford 	1 	0 	0 	0 	2
===Goaltending===
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
Player 	GP	W 	L 	T	SO	GAA
Glenn Healy 	48	25	19	2	0 	4.27
Kelly Hrudey	16	10	4 	2	1 	2.90
==Awards and Records==
*Hart Trophy: Wayne Gretzky
*Luc Robitaille, Left Wing, NHL First Team All-Star
*Wayne Gretzky, Center, NHL Second Team All-Star
*Wayne Gretzky, Club Record, Most Points in One Season (168)
*Bernie Nicholls, Club Record, Most Goals in One Season (76)
*Wayne Gretzky, All-Star Game MVP National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 219, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5
==References==
* Kings on Hockey Database
Category:Los Angeles Kings seasons
Category:1988 in hockey
Category:1989 in hockey