Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. They play in the National Hockey League and are part of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. The team started in 1967 after Jack Kent Cooke got permission to create a new team for Los Angeles.

The Kings play their home games at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. They have played there since the 1999–2000 season. Before that, they played for many years at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

In the 1980s, the team grew very popular when they got the famous player Wayne Gretzky. With players like Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake, the Kings reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1993. After some tough years, the team won the Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014 with players like Jonathan Quick and Dustin Brown. Since then, the Kings have tried to do well but haven’t gone very far in the playoffs.

History

NHL expansion and the "Forum Blue and Gold" years (1967–1975)

In 1967, businessman Jack Kent Cooke paid for one of the new NHL teams in Los Angeles. He named them the Kings and chose purple and gold colors. Cooke built his own arena called the Forum. The Kings played their first game at the Long Beach Arena and won. The Forum opened later that year. The Kings made the playoffs in the first two years but had trouble after that. Some trades helped them return to the playoffs in 1974.

Marcel Dionne and the "Triple Crown Line" (1975–1988)

After some hard losses, the Kings got a player named Marcel Dionne, who helped improve their scoring. With Dionne, Butch Goring, and goalie Rogie Vachon, the Kings had good seasons. Dionne later joined Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer to form a very successful line. The Kings had good and bad times, including a famous comeback against the Edmonton Oilers in 1982 called the "Miracle on Manchester."

The Gretzky era (1988–1995)

In 1988, Bruce McNall bought the Kings and got star player Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky excited fans and helped the team grow. He led the Kings to their first division title in 1991 and to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993, but they lost to the Montreal Canadiens.

Bankruptcy, move to the Staples Center, and rebuild (1995–2009)

After 1993, the Kings had tough times. The owner had money problems and sold the team. The Kings moved to the Staples Center in 2000. They made the playoffs in 2000–01 but faced challenges like injuries and coaching changes.

Return to the playoffs (2009–2011)

In 2009–10, the Kings built a strong team with players like Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty, Dustin Brown, and Anze Kopitar. They made the playoffs but lost in the first round. In 2011, they reached the playoffs again but lost in the first round to the San Jose Sharks.

Stanley Cup championships (2011–2014)

In 2011–12, under new coach Darryl Sutter, the Kings had a great run. They became the first eighth seed to win the Stanley Cup, beating the New Jersey Devils. In 2013–14, they won the Cup again, facing many challenges.

Post-Stanley Cup titles and continued contention (2014–2021)

After winning two Cups, the Kings had a hard time and missed the playoffs in 2015. They returned in 2016 but lost in the first round. The team faced injuries and changes in leadership, missing the playoffs several times.

Return to playoffs and first round struggles (2021–present)

In 2021–22, the Kings returned to the playoffs but lost in the first round to the Edmonton Oilers. They met the Oilers in the first round for three more years, losing each time. In 2024–25, they again lost to the Oilers in the first round. After that season, general manager Rob Blake was not renewed, and Ken Holland took over. Captain Anze Kopitar announced his final season for 2025–26. Head coach Jim Hiller was fired in 2026 after a tough start.

Team identity

Uniforms and logos

The Los Angeles Kings started with purple and gold uniforms when they joined the NHL. Their first design was simple, with stripes on the shoulders and tail. Over the years, the team changed colors and designs many times.

In the 1980s, they added white details to their uniforms. Later, they switched to black and silver. In the 1990s, they returned to purple, silver, and white. The Kings have kept changing their logos and uniforms over the years, sometimes bringing back old designs for special games.

Mascot

Since 2007, the Los Angeles Kings have had a mascot named Bailey. Bailey is a lion who wears the number 72. Before Bailey, the team had a snow leopard mascot named Kingston in the early 1990s.

Rivalries

The Los Angeles Kings have strong rivalries with two other teams in California: the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks. These rivalries are called the "Freeway Face-Off" because the teams are close to each other and connected by Interstate 5. The Kings have also had exciting games against the Edmonton Oilers in recent years. They played special outdoor games against the Ducks and Sharks, which are always fun to watch.

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

Updated May 5, 2026.

The Los Angeles Kings have had many important players and leaders over the years. The team has had captains who led the team on the ice. They also had coaches who helped plan games and train the team.

The team has been managed by general managers who decided which players to keep or add. The Kings have had different owners who supported the team.

Further information on team captains in ice hockey: Captain (ice hockey)

• Bob Wall, 1967–1969
• Larry Cahan, 1969–1971
• Bob Pulford, 1971–1973
• Terry Harper, 1973–1975
• Mike Murphy, 1975–1981
• Dave Lewis, 1981–1983
• Terry Ruskowski, 1983–1985
• Dave Taylor, 1985–1989
• Wayne Gretzky, 1989–1996
• Luc Robitaille, 1992–1993, 2006
• Rob Blake, 1996–2001, 2007–2008
• Mattias Norstrom, 2001–2007
• Dustin Brown, 2008–2016, 2022
• Anze Kopitar, 2016–2026

• Red Kelly: 1967–1969

• Hal Laycoe: 1969–1970

• Johnny Wilson: 1969–1970

• Larry Regan: 1970–1972

• Fred Glover: 1971–1972

• Bob Pulford: 1972–1977

• Ron Stewart: 1977–1978

• Bob Berry: 1978–1981

• Parker MacDonald: 1981–1982

• Don Perry: 1982–1984

• Rogie Vachon (interim):¹ 1984, 1988, 1995

• Roger Neilson: 1984

• Pat Quinn: 1984–1987

• Mike Murphy: 1987–1988

• Robbie Ftorek: 1988–1989

• Tom Webster: 1989–1992

• Barry Melrose: 1992–1995

• Larry Robinson: 1995–1999

• Andy Murray: 1999–2006

• John Torchetti (interim):² 2006

• Marc Crawford: 2006–2008

• Terry Murray: 2008–2011

• John Stevens (interim):³ 2011, 2017–2018

• Darryl Sutter: 2011–2017

• Willie Desjardins: (interim): 2018–2019

• Todd McLellan: 2019–2024

• Jim Hiller: 2024–2026

• D. J. Smith: 2026–present

• Larry Regan: 1967–1973

• Jake Milford: 1973–1977

• George Maguire: 1977–1984

• Rogie Vachon: 1984–1992

• Nick Beverley: 1992–1994

• Sam McMaster: 1994–1997

• Dave Taylor: 1997–2006

• Dean Lombardi: 2006–2017

• Rob Blake: 2017–2025

• Ken Holland: 2025–

• Jack Kent Cooke: 1967–1979

• Jerry Buss: 1979–1988

• Bruce McNall: 1988–1994

• Joseph M. Cohen and Jeffery Sudikoff: 1994–1995

• Philip Anschutz and Edward Roski: 1995–present

Team and league honors

See also: List of Los Angeles Kings award winners

Retired numbers

• Bob Miller, a broadcaster from 1973 to 2017, has an honorary banner at Crypto.com Arena

Hall of Fame

The Los Angeles Kings honor many members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. This includes 19 former players (five of whom spent most of their careers with the Kings) and three important people who helped grow the sport. These include former Kings coaches and general managers.

Three sports broadcasters for the Kings won the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for their hockey broadcasting: Jiggs McDonald (1990), Bob Miller (2000), and Nick Nickson (2015). In 2005, Helene Elliott, a sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times, won the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for her sports journalism.

Players

• Rob Blake
• Paul Coffey
• Marcel Dionne
• Dick Duff
• Grant Fuhr
• Wayne Gretzky
• Harry Howell
• Jarome Iginla
• Brian Kilrea
• Jari Kurri
• Larry Murphy
• Bob Pulford
• Larry Robinson
• Luc Robitaille
• Jeremy Roenick
• Terry Sawchuk
• Steve Shutt
• Billy Smith
• Rogie Vachon

Builders

• Red Kelly
• Jake Milford
• Roger Neilson

Franchise records

Scoring leaders

These are the top-ten regular season scorers in franchise history. The numbers are updated after each NHL regular season.

• * – current Kings player

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

Goaltending leaders

These are the top-ten goaltenders in franchise history by wins. The numbers are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

• * – current Kings player

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T/O = Ties/Overtime losses; GA = Goal against; GAA = Goals against average; SA = Shots against; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts

Regular season records

• Most goals: Bernie Nicholls, 70 (1988–89)
• Most assists: Wayne Gretzky, 122 (1990–91)
• Most points: Wayne Gretzky, 168 (1988–89)
• Most points in a game: Bernie Nicholls, 8 (1988–89)
• Most penalty minutes: Marty McSorley, 399 (1992–93)
• Most points, defenseman: Larry Murphy, 76 (1980–81)
• Most points, rookie: Luc Robitaille, 84 (1986–87)
• Most wins: Jonathan Quick, 40 (2015–16)
• Most shutouts: Jonathan Quick, 10 (2011–12)

Playoff records

• Most goals: Wayne Gretzky, 15 (1992–93)
• Most assists: Wayne Gretzky, 25 (1992–93)
• Most points: Wayne Gretzky, 40 (1992–93)
• Most points in a game: Tomas Sandstrom, Tony Granato, Wayne Gretzky, 5 (1989–90)
• Most penalty minutes: Jay Miller, 63 (1988–89)
• Most points, defenseman: Drew Doughty, 18 (2013–14)
• Most points, rookie: Tyler Toffoli, 14 (2013–14)
• Most wins: Jonathan Quick, 16 (2011–12, 2013–14)
• Most shutouts: Jonathan Quick, 3 (2011–12, 2012–13)

Team records

• Most points in a season: 105 (1974–75)
• Most wins in a season: 48 (2015–16)
• Longest regular season winning streak: 9 (2009–10)
• Longest playoff winning streak: 8 (2011–12)

Broadcasters

Main article: List of Los Angeles Kings broadcasters

In 1973, the Los Angeles Kings chose Bob Miller as their play-by-play announcer. He worked for the team for many years until he retired in 2017. After his retirement, Alex Faust took over, but in 2023, the team changed its broadcasters again.

The Kings have worked with different radio stations and TV channels over the years. Today, their games are shown on FanDuel Sports Network and KCAL-TV, with John Kelly as the main play-by-play announcer and Jim Fox as the main color commentator. Radio broadcasts are on ESPN Radio 710 and the ESPN LA App, with Josh Schaefer as the main radio play-by-play announcer.

Affiliate teams

The Los Angeles Kings work with other teams to help develop players. They are currently partnered with the Ontario Reign in the American Hockey League and the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in the ECHL. In the past, they have worked with many other teams in different leagues.