Los Angeles Kings are a professional hockey team that plays in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Kings compete in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The team plays in the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles entered the NHL as an expansion team for the 1967-1968 season. The team’s first major player was goalie Rogatien Vachon, who played for Los Angeles from 1971 to 1978. In 1975, Los Angeles signed star center Marcel Dionne as a free agent. During the early 1980’s, Dionne led the exciting and high-scoring “Triple Crown Line” with left winger Charlie Simmer and right winger Dave Taylor.
In 1988, the Edmonton Oilers traded all-star center Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles in one of the most publicized deals in NHL history. Gretzky and left winger Luc Robitaille led the Kings to the Stanley Cup finals in 1993, losing to the Montreal Canadiens. It was the first time Los Angeles made it as far as the cup finals. The team traded Gretzky to the St. Louis Blues in 1996, and the Kings struggled in the mid-1990’s and early 2000’s. During this period, Los Angeles finished as high as second in its division only twice, in 1997-1998 and 1999-2000.
In 2012, the Kings won their first Stanley Cup championship, defeating the New Jersey Devils, 4 games to 2. The Kings were led by goalie Jonathan Quick, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. Los Angeles won the Stanley Cup again in 2014, defeating the New York Rangers, 4 games to 1.
