LOS ANGELES, CA – It’s been 45 since the formation of the Los Angeles Kings, and tonight they made history by winning their first Stanley Cup. It took six games for the Kings to reach this milestone in the franchise’s history, but with a 6-1 final score against the New Jersey Devils, the Stanley Cup is calling Los Angeles it’s home for 2012.
The Kings have done a lot to get to this point. They defeated the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, and Phoenix Coyotes, the 1-3 seeded teams in the Western Conference. Vancouver also had the best record overall this year. The Kings won each of those rounds in five games or less, with the Stanley Cup Final round being the first round that they played a sixth game. They are also the first team to win the Stanley Cup in their home arena since 1998 when the Detroit Red Wings did it. And on top of that, the first team to be up 3-0 in a series and win it in Game 6. The Kings were making history all post season.
The Kings started out strong in the first period by scoring three goals during a five minute penalty for boarding by Devils player, Steve Bernier, who also received a game misconduct. As the second period started, the Kings added to their lead with a goal by Jeff Carter. The Devils got on the board in the second period with 1:15 left in the period with a goal scored by Adam Henrique.
The Kings and Devils both played strong in the third period, and at 16:15 in the third period, Trevor Lewis scored an empty net goal. New Jersey goalie, Marty Brodeur, returned to the net right after Kings’ fifth goal only to allow another making the final score, 6-1 in favor of the LA Kings.
This is truly a Cinderella story. The Los Angeles Kings struggled to even gain a playoff position at the end of the 2011-2012 NHL season. They ended up with the 8th-seeded position meaning they were paired again the number one team, the Vancouver Canucks. Many expected the Kings to be out in the first round, based on the team they were facing. They took America by surprise when they went up 3-0 against the Canucks, finishing the series in five games.
As the Kings entered the second round, they face the St. Louis Blues, who were one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year. They were no match for the Los Angeles Kings though, as they were swept in four games.
That left only the Phoenix Coyotes in their way to the Stanley Cup Final. Like a repeat from the first round, Kings won the first three games and ended the series in five. For the first time in 11 years, they made it to the Stanley Cup Final, and this year they captured the cup.
All that was left was the New Jersey Devils. They were up 3-0 again in this series and all looked well for them to win it in four or five games again, but the Devils put on the pressure and stayed alive for a couple of game. LA’s win is huge because they broke so many records during the post season, and there is one more to add to it. They are the first number 8-seeded team to win the Stanley Cup. They fought long and hard to win the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and truly deserve the title.
*Note: This article is not affiliated with the Los Angeles Kings or the NHL. It is written by a private writer.
Muffy Lavens 