Biggest Game in Franchise History: Kings Edition

[BigKing]

It's too bad the playoff format couldn't have seen this be the Stanley Cup Final. Kings and Hawks were the two best teams in the NHL in the 2013 and 2014 playoffs.

Boston was pretty good in 2013 and the Kings were somewhat running on fumes by the WCF. Crazy that Chicago had to go to OT Game 7 in Round 2 against Detroit but then they just blitzed the Kings, even winning a game in Staples without Keith.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

Boston was pretty good in 2013 and the Kings were somewhat running on fumes by the WCF. Crazy that Chicago had to go to OT Game 7 in Round 2 against Detroit but then they just blitzed the Kings, even winning a game in Staples without Keith.

The one thing I remember about the 2013 run was that Kopitar was shit. Everyone was convinced he was injured, and then he admitted to being healthy after elimination. Never understood that one...

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

It's too bad the playoff format couldn't have seen this be the Stanley Cup Final. Kings and Hawks were the two best teams in the NHL in the 2013 and 2014 playoffs.

I think that's highly debatable in regards to 2013...Kings were not very good.

 

[Lt Dan]

It's too bad the playoff format couldn't have seen this be the Stanley Cup Final. Kings and Hawks were the two best teams in the NHL in the 2013 and 2014 playoffs.

Very true

But it was also fun spanking the big east coast city. I am really glad that series was only 5 games, I didn't have much in the tank after the first 3 rounds

 

[King'sPawn]

I'll submit another game. While it may not be the biggest game, I think it helped shove the organization.

Game 6 between San Jose and LA in the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. With no Kopitar, the Kings center depth was Stoll - Handzus - Lewis - Richardson. With such horrid center depth and the season ending, Lombardi proceeded to trade for Mike Richards which helped shaped get the organization to focus a little more on center depth.

 

[Lt Dan]

I'll submit another game. While it may not be the biggest game, I think it helped shove the organization.

Game 6 between San Jose and LA in the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. With no Kopitar, the Kings center depth was Stoll - Handzus - Lewis - Richardson. With such horrid center depth and the season ending, Lombardi proceeded to trade for Mike Richards which helped shaped get the organization to focus a little more on center depth.

That was a fun series, regardless of the outcome.
Trevor Lewis pretty good series filling in . Handzus was a let down

 

[Docgonzo]

I think that's highly debatable in regards to 2013...Kings were not very good.

Remembering back the series vs St. Louis and San Jose were insanely physical. St. Louis was trying to save face from the sweep the year before and there was no love lost with the Sharks. The Kings were hurting by the conference finals.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I think that's highly debatable in regards to 2013...Kings were not very good.

I agree. Unpopular opinion: the 2013 (two round victories) run was overwhelmingly due to Quick - I was at 3 of the home games in the first two rounds, and both the Blues and Sharks were outplaying the Kings fairly handily for most of the games. Quick just would not let the Kings lose; I still think the '13 playoffs (as opposed to even '12) was his finest postseason as a LA King. Side-note: I remember how God-awful Jake Muzzin was in those games, especially in the Blues' series - thankfully, he progressed rather nicely after that

 

[BigKing]

Muzzin was not very good in '13, for sure.

While the Blues series only went six games, it required an OT win on the road and then a half-court buzzer beater from Penner to move on.

Felt much different than 2012 since the '13 team wasn't as good on the blue line. 2014 team was better than '13 but, then again, the rest of the top teams in the West seemed to be better as well.

Was not very confident heading into the WCF. Was really pulling for Detroit to pull off the upset. Easy to say when it is 3-1 in the series, but you knew they just didn't have it if they couldn't win Game 4 at home with Keith suspended.

Fast forward a year later and you have Muzzin just lighting up Chicago.

 

[kingsboy11]

Muzzin in 2013 was a rookie so it makes sense he wasn't as good. Add in the fact he was playing more minutes due to Willie Mitchell being out most of that year which meant that Muzzin had a bigger role than he was probably ready for. That being said it was probably a blessing in disguise having Muzzin playing that much because it set him up for next season where he was obviously fantastic next to Drew.

 

[Herby]

I think that's highly debatable in regards to 2013...Kings were not very good.

I wouldn't say the Kings weren't good, but in 2013 Boston was way better and closer than the NYR were in 2014. The Hawks-Bruins series in 2013 was a minute away from going back to Chicago for Game 7.

The Kings really struggled on the road in 2013, going 1-8 as opposed to 10-1 in 2012 and 8-6 in 2014

 

[Ollie Weeks]

That was a fun series, regardless of the outcome.
Trevor Lewis pretty good series filling in . Handzus was a let down

I believe he spells his name “Penner.”

 

[Ollie Weeks]

I wouldn't say the Kings weren't good, but in 2013 Boston was way better and closer than the NYR were in 2014. The Hawks-Bruins series in 2013 was a minute away from going back to Chicago for Game 7.

The Kings really struggled on the road in 2013, going 1-8 as opposed to 10-1 in 2012 and 8-6 in 2014

Some depth issues did get exposed on the road in 2013, particularly on defense. But Brown and Richards, plus whoever else I’m forgetting, were incredibly banged up by the Chicago series. Not winning much if half your top six is either hurt or invisible(Kopitar).

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

It's too bad the playoff format couldn't have seen this be the Stanley Cup Final. Kings and Hawks were the two best teams in the NHL in the 2013 and 2014 playoffs.

Bringing it up on the main board is throwing a hand grenade into a henhouse but the Pens are extremely lucky for their legacy the Kings and Hawks had to run into each other those years stopping one team's possible threepeat.

Some depth issues did get exposed on the road in 2013, particularly on defense. But Brown and Richards, plus whoever else I’m forgetting, were incredibly banged up by the Chicago series. Not winning much if half your top six is either hurt or invisible(Kopitar).

pretty much everyone was dead by the Chicago series. Our best players by that point were Doughty, Richards, and Quick, and that got put to a speedy end with Doughty's ankle injury in G7 vs. San Jose and Bolland striking the finishing blow to Richards' career in G1...and Quick's usual Chicago kryptonite.

 

[The Tikkanen]

I believe Amazon and iTunes both have playoff games available digitally.

‎NHL Games of the Year, 2013-2014

Amazon.com: 2014 Stanley Cup Final - New York Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings Season 1: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Of course, I went about other means to get them. And you guys are right, but alas, the NHL and the Kings are completely inept when it comes to merchandising opportunities and how to market its product.

The Kings are generally bad when it comes to marketing their team all the way around. They advertise jerseys that never go on sale. If anybody can tell me what good that does I'd like to know. Once the season ends it's as though the Kings do not exist until 730PM opening night, then it comes back from the dead. And this is from a team that has won 2 championships recently. The local teams show a ton of pre season baseball games. The basketball teams show summer league games. Football of course if a player pees sideways it gets coverage. The Kings? Not a peep until 730PM opening night.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The Kings are generally bad when it comes to marketing their team all the way around. They advertise jerseys that never go on sale. If anybody can tell me what good that does I'd like to know. Once the season ends it's as though the Kings do not exist until 730PM opening night, then it comes back from the dead. And this is from a team that has won 2 championships recently. The local teams show a ton of pre season baseball games. The basketball teams show summer league games. Football of course if a player pees sideways it gets coverage. The Kings? Not a peep until 730PM opening night.

Link pls

 

[crassbonanza]

The Kings are generally bad when it comes to marketing their team all the way around. They advertise jerseys that never go on sale. If anybody can tell me what good that does I'd like to know. Once the season ends it's as though the Kings do not exist until 730PM opening night, then it comes back from the dead. And this is from a team that has won 2 championships recently. The local teams show a ton of pre season baseball games. The basketball teams show summer league games. Football of course if a player pees sideways it gets coverage. The Kings? Not a peep until 730PM opening night.

Completely agree, a great example of this is the coverage that LAKI gave the world junior summer showcase. The Kings had quite a few promising prospects participating and the media outlet funded by the organization could not even bother to provide daily updates. That little event was a perfect opportunity to talk about some positives going on with the team and get the fanbase excited about the prospect pool, the least they could do was just have an intern write up the boxscores from all of the games.

 

[The Tikkanen]

Link pls

I read a story today about a male European League basketball player's urine test coming back showing he was pregnant.

 

[King'sPawn]

Completely agree, a great example of this is the coverage that LAKI gave the world junior summer showcase. The Kings had quite a few promising prospects participating and the media outlet funded by the organization could not even bother to provide daily updates. That little event was a perfect opportunity to talk about some positives going on with the team and get the fanbase excited about the prospect pool, the least they could do was just have an intern write up the boxscores from all of the games.

I agree it was a major missed opportunity

 

[kingsfan28]

Very good read.

I might be biased since I was at the game and missed the cup clinching games, but I think the win over Chicago has to go down as the greatest game in franchise history.

I agree. They showed this game last week on the NHL Network. Brown said it best after the game. "We had to slay the dragon and we did "[or something like that]

 

[kingsfan28]

Winning that game at the end of the season 2007-2008 season making us miss Steven Stamkos and instead got the better player in Doughty. Solidifying our D core, allowing us be ok wiffing on Hickey and trading JJ for Carter. So in effect Erik Ersberg won us the cup!

No matter what, we'd had taken Doughty even if we got the 1st pick. Lombardi said so in an interview somewhere. I could also see him trading down to 2nd and picking up an extra pick high pick if Tampa wanted to.

 

[BigKing]

Just watched most of the Game 7 against Chicago. What a f***ing team. They've been so far from that for a long time now.

What a game though. So much easier to watch when you know they are going to win. Great hockey though. Even Richards was out there making plays. Matt Greene. Dammit I just love that team.