KIngs Win First Stanley Cup in 45 Year Team History

The Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings celebrate. (Christian Petersen)

For years and years, the Los Angeles Kings had used excuses for why they couldn't win the Stanley Cup. Too many injuries. Too tough of a travel schedule. The warm weather didn't promote hockey. The fans and media didn't push the team enough to win. However, those excuses went out the window when the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007. The Kings meanwhile were in yet another rebuilding stage. They decided to fire their popular general manager Dave Taylor and elected to hire former San Jose Sharks general manager Dean Lombardi.

One of the first things Lombardi noticed was the lack of a great goaltender. He commented, "I'm amazed this franchise hasn't developed its own goalie over 40 years." His first season the Kings tried five different goaltenders. The next season seven more netminders, including a young goalkeeper the team drafted named Jonathan Quick. Quick played just three games that season, but by the time last season came to an end, he played in 72 of the Kings' 82 regular season games. He was one of the main reasons why that team made the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

The Kings had high expectations to build upon that success this season. They built a solid core of players with the likes of Quick, Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Dustin Penner, and Dustin Brown. However, those playoff hopes looked in doubt when the team went dry offensively down the stretch. The only man keeping them in the playoff race was Quick. Despite finishing next to last in goals scored in the league, the Kings managed to scrape into the playoffs in the eighth and final spot.

In their opening round series against the top seed Vancouver Canucks, the Kings put all of those offensive struggles behind them. In Game 1 and 2 in Vancouver, the Kings scored a combined eight goals. They also turned up their defensive intensity. They dismissed the Canucks in just five games. Next, they dominated and swept the St. Louis Blues. In the Western Conference Finals, the Kings eliminated the Phoenix Coyotes in five. In the Stanley Cup, it was more of the same. The Kings took the first three games by displaying great toughness. The New Jersey Devils responded with two wins, but the Kings showed their dominance once again in their decisive 6-1 win in Game 6.

It is true that the Kings' offensive lines and definsive duos stepped up in the playoffs, but there is one man who carried this team the whole way. That was Jonathan Quick. His goaltending dominance and complete focus cannot be denied. In 20 playoff games, Quick only gave up more than two goals in just three games. As a result, the Kings were never really out of a game. That builds the confidence of the team and helps to give them the opportunities they need. The Los Angeles Kings dominated the playoffs like no one could have expected. They won four playoff series in just 20 games. That kind of dominance is relatively unbelievable. The Kings definitely deserved the Stanley Cup. The franchise's first in their 45 year history.