Los Angeles Kings: A Fan from the Beginning Looks Back

In 1982 I moved from my hometown Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area with only one hardship, the fact that I was abandoning my Los Angeles Kings. I say abandon only in the sense that with no NHL team in the Bay Area at the time, my only chance to see my beloved Kings would be on trips back home. Remember this was 1982 - Al Gore had yet to invent the Internet - so following a team from afar, while not impossible, was somewhat difficult if you yearn for information beyond a box score. I, of course, could see my Dodgers, Lakers, and UCLA Bruins countless times each year when they visited the area, but the Kings never got closer than their own arena until the expansion San Jose Sharks came into existence in 1991.

When the Sharks were granted a NHL franchise I was among one of the first to commit to seats and was a charter season ticket holder for 27 years. Still, during the fall and winter my heart pumps “Forum Blue” (you’re not colorblind, it means purple) as opposed to Dodger Blue during the spring and summer. The Sharks have been fabulous at giving me my NHL fix, and truth-be-told, I root for them against all opponents except the Kings. Difficult as it is to root for two teams in the same division, historically the Kings have not offered much in competition except the fabled Round 1 victory in 2012 coming back from 3-0 deficit to win the series in 7. Oh, and the fact we now have 2 Stanley Cups to the Sharks none. But that’s OK, because if you have a legacy with the Los Angeles Kings as I certainly do, you learned to lose very early on.

I was a month away from my 11^th birthday when the Kings faced off in their inaugural game on October 14, 1967. The game was played at the Long Beach Arena, as would their second home game, before they took temporary cover at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. They would play only 15 games at the Sports Arena before moving into their spectacular new home, the Forum, in Inglewood. Jack Kent Cooke, who owned both the Kings and Lakers, had grown tired of dealing with the LA Coliseum Commission, who controlled the Sports Arena, over the building’s availability. Lore has it that he stormed out of a meeting promising that he would build his own building. He did, and what a place it was. The Kings christened it on December 30, 1967; it was the first event at the Forum. A 2-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers that night couldn’t dampen the fact that the Southland not only had a NHL team, but a sparkling brand-new arena to boot.

The league, in their infinite wisdom, put the six new expansion clubs in the Western division, with the original six clubs competing in the Eastern division guaranteeing that an expansion club would end up in the finals for Lord Stanley’s Cup. Unfortunately, the Kings would not get such an opportunity until 1993 during the Wayne Gretzky era, when faux fans and A-list celebrities alike filled the Forum. When Wayne left, so did most of them.

What the early Kings lacked in ability they made up in color. First and foremost, the donned the most unique uniforms the league had ever seen. Rather than pairing white with an accent color, Cooke went with head-to-toe gold, with the accent color being purple (or the aforementioned “forum blue”); Gold on the road, purple at home until a few years later when the league mandated a switch. Cooke also demanded color from his players, personally granting them nicknames that were instantly adopted by the fans. Bill “Cowboy” Flett, Eddie “The Jet” Joyal, Real “Frenchy” Lemieux, Howie “Minnie” Minard were but a few of the early fan favorites. Cooke figured he had mined gold (no pun intended) by getting the LA franchise due to the large number of both Canadian and East Coast transplant in the greater LA basin. He figured the Forum would be full every night. When it became apparent to him after four-plus seasons and no sellouts, Cooke exclaimed that the reason those Canadian and East Coast transplants lived in sunny Southern California was that they hated hockey.

I though loved the sport as it instantly supplanted baseball as my first love. Unfortunately, I couldn’t convince anyone in my family to share my love for the Kings, or even to sample the product as it took me well into the 2^nd season to get my parents to take me to a game (4-0 loss to Oakland on 3/22/69). A home game here and there was a real treat, but clearly not enough. This problem wouldn’t be resolved until I gained my drivers license at age 16, and proclaimed to my parent’s that, if I wasn’t around and I needed to be reached and the Kings were at home, call the Forum.

Wins were hard to come by, but at least I had a better shot at seeing a win at home then listening to or watching a televised road game. Road games in the early day were often disastrous (9-1 at Philadelphia in 1967, 6-0 at Minnesota, 1968, 9-3 at Chicago, 7-1 at both Boston and Philadelphia, 8-1 at both Toronto and St. Louis, 1969, 8-1 at Montreal, 1970, 11-2 at Boston, 1971, 10-2 at Montreal 1972). I had one pal who loved the Kings as much as I did. Two other close friends were transplants from Chicago; those Hawks teams seemingly beat the Kings senseless every game, home and away, and often did it, to my chagrin, with recently acquired ex-Kings. Still to this day one of my favorite Kings squads was the ’69-’70 team (year 3). This was the Kings single worst year in history. They recorded only 14 wins and 38 points, but captivated this young fan. An off-season trade (one of their best) brought Eddie Shack (the first “Shaq” to compete at the Forum) and Ross Lonsberry from Boston for virtually nothing; Shack led the team in goals and Lonsberry in points. Two favored players, Leon Rochefort and Dennis Hextall, played their lone year with the Kings. But most important was the debut of Butch Goring, a special player, to be sure, for anyone who witnessed his time in LA.

The early days slowly but surely morphed into a team that was respectable, especially the ’74-’75 Kings that compiled 105 points under Bob Pulford. Rogie Vachon had 27 wins and a 2.24 goal against average, Gary Edwards, 15 wins, 2.34; seven players had 20+ goals, and, for the first time in Kings history the team had multiple gritty-type players who would not back down from the abuse traditionally leveled against a quick, but physically challenged club. Dan Maloney, Terry Harper, and Dave Hutchison all had 120+ PIM’s and the backs of their teammates. The Kings would not acquire a true unadulterated, USDA-choice goon until the ’76-’77 season when Dave “The Hammer” Schultz put up an embarrassing (by LA standards at the time) 232 minutes. Schultz’ behavior, however, was kindergarten playtime stuff compared to Marty McSorley’s 399 PIM total in ’92 – ’93. McSorley also tallied PIM totals of 350 and 322 respectively in ’88-’89 and ’89–’90 (teammate Jay Miller contributing 224 minutes in the sin bin in ’89-’90). But Marty and Jay had a valid excuse: they were protecting the most coveted, precious asset in the league, Wayne Gretzky, so all is forgiven.

What I most remember about that breakout season of ’74-’75 was the tables slightly turning over the big, bad Boston Bruins. Boston, who had previously dominated the Kings from the point of inception, was shut out twice at the Forum, 2-0 and 6-0. An extraordinary year for the Kings, placed in the geographically-odd Norris division with Montreal, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Washington, entered the playoffs in a best of three match-up with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Kings lost, the lone highlight was an ugly stick-swinging incident between Dave Hutchison and Tiger Williams, who would later become a King enforcer and an incredibly popular player.

Disappointed yes, but the Kings had made it to the playoffs for the second straight year after a four-year drought, and the best was yet to come. During the off-season, General Manager Jake Milford acquired Marcel Dionne and Bart Crashley from the Detroit Red Wings for Terry Harper, Dan Maloney, and a second-round draft choice. Bart Crashley would play four games as a King and record a single assist; Marcel Dionne would skate his way to the Hall of Fame.

Dionne, a short stocky speedster, would exceed the 50-goal mark in six of his first eight seasons in LA, and paired with wingers Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer would form the “Triple Crown Line,” one of the highest scoring line combos in NHL history. A native of Drummondville, Quebec, Dionne would spend twelve full seasons in Los Angeles, averaging 46 goals and 63 assists during that stint. From inception till Dionne’s first season in LA, the Kings top leading scorer by season averaged 52 points. Dionne tallied 94 that first season, and averaged 109 over his Kings career. The Marcel Dionne era was significant in that from my point of view the Kings finally became somewhat relevant on the sporting scene in LA. Non- and passive fans, and the Southland’s media, became more aware that Los Angeles did indeed have an honest-to-goodness professional hockey team. Dionne deserves a significant amount of credit here. He was quick on skates, agile; a true magician with the puck. Arguably the first superstar in Kings History. I never bought off on the adage that Wayne Gretzky saved the NHL in the Sunbelt.  This simply didn’t apply in Los Angeles. The Kings were well established a good decade before Gretzky’s heralded arrival.

The last Kings game I attended while still a resident of Los Angeles turned out to be the greatest single sporting event I’ve witnessed. Game three, first round of the ’82 Stanley Cup playoffs would come to be known as the “Miracle on Manchester.” The Kings, down 5-0 to the Edmonton Oilers, stormed back with five unanswered goals in the 3^rd period to tie the match. They won the game with a quick goal in overtime, and I swear that the real miracle was that the roof of the Forum stayed intact! My vivid memory of that night was during the 2^nd intermission when I said to my pal, “next Edmonton goal we leave.” Edmonton didn’t score again that night, and the momentum of such an improbable win took the Kings to a first round upset over the high-flying Oilers.

The Kings, while having little or no post-season success, were now at the very least considered a mature club (several waves of expansion had occurred up to this point), no longer one of the league’s doormats. The next step they took put them on the map and into the history books. The acquisition of Wayne Gretzky has had volumes written from many different angles; small market team unloading superstar for survival, Gretzky as savior of franchises in the Sunbelt, Gretzky legitimizes hockey in Southern California, et al. My focus is the Stanley Cup playoffs of 1993 and the instant “hottest ticket in town” status throughout the Gretzky years.

No doubt the trade for Wayne Gretzky brought incredible attention to the Kings, and getting to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time was what we’d all been waiting for. I have come to characterize the ’93 playoffs as Canada’s golden boy defecting, and leading his new army in a hockey war against his Mother Nation. In the first round the Kings defeat Calgary 4-2. They march into Vancouver where they leave the Canucks reeling 4-2. Next, the “troops” take on a huge battalion in Toronto, where on the verge of being defeated (down 3 games to 2), storm back and take the series. The excitement has never been this high for the Los Angeles Kings, but now the challenge is to take on the hockey Gods themselves, Le Canadiens du Montreal.

Of course, with my Kings in the Stanley Cup finals and two games guaranteed to be played at the Forum my initial plan was to be there live for at least one game. Travel back to LA was ridiculously easy, I had countless relatives and friends who would gladly put me up, so my only concern was admission. This was where reality set in. I had what I considered rock solid connections in the Los Angeles ticket world as I had worked for a prominent ticket broker prior to moving to the Bay Area. Ticket brokers exist primarily due to the business principle of supply and demand. The Forum only sat 16,005 for hockey, and this was a Stanley Cup final in year five of the Gretzky regime where everyone in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties were now King fans. Do the math; with several million people (OK, a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point) vying for a few thousand available seats, the after-market ticket prices were more akin to a Super Bowl than a typical Cup final. I stayed home and watched on TV.

The Kings skate into the Montreal Forum and win game one handily 4-1. Then it all unravels. Late in game two with the Kings leading 2-1, Canadians coach Jacques Demars calls for a measurement of Marty McSorley’s stick, which was deemed illegally curved. McSorley was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which, with the Canadians having already pulled goalie Patrick Roy, gave Montreal a two-man advantage. They scored to tie the game and won it in overtime. They won the next two in overtime, and by the time the series came back to Montreal for game five, the Kings balloon was all but burst; the Canadians made quick work, winning both the game and series 4-1. A riot ensued outside the Montreal Forum; 115 people were arrested and $10 million worth of damage was done in the neighboring streets. In Los Angeles no such outpouring of emotion occurred.

Gretzky’s time in LA was wonderful. He set league records wearing a Kings uniform, brought more attention to the team than anyone could’ve expected, but to me his time as a King brought into focus something I’ve been trying to defend against all my life, that being Los Angeles as a glitzy, fair-weathered fan haven. Until Gretzky arrived, the Kings would draw dynamic attendance numbers against the league’s Original Six; the Philadelphia Flyers always drew well too. Sellouts were considered big deals. As soon as Gretzky got to LA, tickets were ridiculously scarce. Suddenly the Forum for hockey was as popular a place as for Lakers games, which always sold out. A-list celebs suddenly were interested in the Kings. Guess what happened? The Kings traded Wayne Gretzky to the St. Louis Blues late in the ’95-’96 season; beginning in ’96-’97 tickets were available and the Kings were no longer the choice of the glitterati. I met people who proclaimed a love of the game, but wouldn’t make any effort to attend games after Gretzky left town. Needless to say, these were the same folks who never attended a game PRIOR to Gretzky’s arrival. Blasphemous as it may appear, I think Oiler before King when the subject of Wayne Gretzky comes up.

The other negative I attribute to the Gretzky era was the uniform change emulating the Raiders. I was not happy when the Kings announced that they were updating the logo and changing the uniform colors. Why mess with a good thing. I did think that a nice enhancement would be to go with a white home jersey trimmed in gold and purple (oops, forum blue), with a purple road jersey trimmed in white and gold. Perhaps stylize the crown logo; modernize it a bit. What I saw at the Gretzky press conference appalled me. Silver and Black? Why copy a vagabond team when you’re the city’s only original team? And the tie-in to gang colors and style quickly became apparent when LA rappers, who I guarantee you were not fans of the Kings, started replacing their Raider gear and donning Kings jerseys, jackets, and hats. I was physically sickened while watching a documentary on gang wars in the city of Chicago that showed gangsters being arrested “representing” the LA Kings. While not a huge fan of the Kings uniforms to date, I prefer them over the “Ice Raiders” look. I’ve grown accustom to the current uniforms, although it is hands down the blandest in the league. At least they removed the tacky “Los Angeles” in block letters at the very bottom of the jersey prior to the change. Come on! The Kings first attempt at an alternate jersey was an abomination. Not sure if the crest is an angry king, the guy from Zig Zag rolling papers, or that three-dimensional Burger King cartoon character. Not a whole lot of thought or effort put into that one. Thankfully it no longer exists for commercial purposes. Going back to the Forum Blue and Gold makes incredible sense. And hopefully the trend will continue with the new alternate unis to be released this coming season.

The Kings have had some colorful characters behind the bench and in the front office. The current ownership, while mega-zillionaires, can’t hold a candle to Jack Kent Cooke or Jerry Buss for the flair they brought; these guys were bon vivants to the max! And Bruce McNall? Lets not go there. But it’s the players that leave the mark. With apologies to Wayne Gretzky, my all-time Kings favorite players are:

Eddie Joyal – smooth skating western Canadian with the eastern Canadien name;

Ross Lonsberry – Established career with LA; two Cups in Philly

Juha Widing – An NHL trailblazer, the first Finnish players in the league

Butch Goring – Unbelievably skilled and clean; check out his yearly PIMs

Leon Rochefort – Nine goals on the worst Kings team in History, ’69-‘70

Dennis Hextall – Great Hockey lineage, wouldn’t back down from anyone

Terry Harper – One of our first skilled tough guys who wasn’t a goon

Gene Carr – The atypical 70s player; Derek Sanderson-light

Frank St. Marsaille – Always gave 100%

Marcel Dionne – What more needs to be said?

Larry Murphy – Saw the greatness in his rookie year. Hall of Famer

Bernie Nicholls – Pumper Nicholls!!

Luc Robitaille – A ninth round choice? Please…………

Rob Blake – Solid Defenseman

Steve Duchesne – Solid Defenseman

Mattias Norstrom – Why couldn’t we have solid D guys in the early years?

Mike Cammalleri – Came to play every night!

Anze Kopitar – Does EVERYTHING right

Marian Gaborik – Instrumental in helping bring the Cup to LA; 

But my favorite King of all time may very well be a guy who’s never laced them up, not at the Long Beach Arena, Sports Arena, Forum, or Staples Center. He was usually found perched high above the ice in the broadcast booth. I speak of Bob Miller, who was employed by the Kings from 1973 till his retirement in 2017. If Los Angeles was a Canadian city, Miller would be held in Scully-like esteem. He’s that good. Even though in later years he became the Kings TV guy, you could listen to his call in the Staples Center on a special frequency. That’s how popular he was with Kings fans.

The Kings began with Jiggs McDonald doing simulcasts. This guy was unreal as Cooke wanted a top-notch guy who could help sell the sport. When McDonald moved on to work in Atlanta for the Flames (Obviously their ownership opened their checkbook to sell the sport in the deep South), us Kings fans suffered for a single season listening to Roy Storey. When Miller came aboard we didn’t know what to expect. He won us over from the very start, making everyone virtually forget that we had the future Hall of Famer McDonald here early on. I can’t imagine listening and/or watching a Kings game without Miller, who is also in the Hall of Fame. Actually, I find it difficult to listen to their current radio guy, Nick Nickson,who by-the-way is very good and has been there for a several decades. He’s just not Miller.

Will the Kings win another Stanley Cup in my lifetime? Who knows. But I have a special connection to this team. Of the Dodgers (Brooklyn), Lakers (Minneapolis), Rams (Cleveland), and Kings of my youth, the Kings are the only one born and raised in LA, just like me, and I was there from the start!