As the NHL offseason inches closer to its end, one thing weighing on my mind is the Los Angeles Kings’ past two Stanley Cup wins. Only two teams in the past three years have won the Stanley Cup: the Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks. I am starting to wonder if this is only the calm before the storm of a brewing dynasty in Los Angeles.
Let us leap back to the year 2012. There were fears of the end of the world, warm temperatures, and very hopeful Los Angeles Kings fans in the month of June. The Kings, set at seed number 8 in the Western Conference, faced a team who had been there before in the New Jersey Devils. This was a Kings team not supposed to make the finals but did. The Devils came in ranked 6th in the East and had played good playoff hockey to that point. The series was bound to be memorable from the outset, a point driven home when the first two games went to overtime, both won by the Kings. Throughout the series, which lasted six games, only two games had a point differential of more than 2, and three had a point differential of more than 1. The Kings ended up taking the series in six, winning the final game 6-1.
Now, we return to 2014. The NHL Playoffs rivaled the NBA playoffs. So when the LA Kings met the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals this past June, there was a conflict of interest of sorts between sports fans. However, there was one thing that remained a constant between both teams. The Rangers and Kings each had hopeful die-hard fans cheering them on. The series ended in five games, but it was seen from the outset that no matter the length of the series, it was going to be a war. The first two games went to overtime, the second one going to double overtime before deciding a winner.
The Kings won the first two at home, and then the series went East. Rangers fans were hopeful that the change of scenery would help their team climb back into the series. Those hopes were dashed a little after a 3-0 Kings victory on enemy ice. The Rangers were now on the brink of elimination. They had to pull out all the stops to continue the series and push it back to LA. They did just that, winning 2-1 in Game 4, and Game 5 was set. The Kings were just one game away from hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup. The Rangers were one game from elimination. The game was competitive throughout and ultimately went to Double OT where Defensemen Alec Martinez banged home a rebound to end it.
Now, as the Kings celebrate as the Kings of the NHL once again, the question for this upcoming season and seasons beyond, for me at least, is whether or not this is the beginning of a LA Kings Dynasty. If so, how will it impact the NHL?
PHOTO CREDIT: logodatabase.com