Los Angeles Kings Win First-Ever Stanley Cup

It took 45 years but the Los Angeles Kings have finally managed to pull off a Stanley Cup victory. The Kings last appeared in the Stanley Cup Final in 1993 but walked away with a loss. In four and a half decades the team had only managed one conference win and one division title.

The Kings won their series 4-2 against the New Jersey Devils after securing a final 6-1 victory. Along the way the Los Angeles Kings won their first 10 road games, an NFL playoff record, while tying the playoff record for total road victories with 16 wins and four losses overall.

The Kings entered the playoffs as an eighth seed, the lowest ranking to ever win a Stanley Cup trophy since seeding began in the 1993-1994 season. The only bottom-four seed team to ever win a Stanley Cup was the 1995 Devils.

The Kings season was a mixed bag of ups and downs after General manager Dean Lombardi fired head coach Terry Murray and replaced him with Darryl Sutter in December 2011.

The Los Angeles Kings were ranked second-to-last in scoring but managed to grab the final playoff spot in the West thanks to the quick saves of Jonathan Quick who’s brilliant goaltending gave the Kings the wins they needed.

The Kings finally have the right to hang their own championship banner in the Staples Center but they have a long way to go if they want to catch up with the Los Angeles Lakers who have 11 banners from their various NBA championships.

Are you surprised by the Los Angeles Kings victory?