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Lucic Helps LA Kings Celebrate 50th Birthday with 9-2 Win

Happy 50th birthday Los Angeles Kings and happy 50th anniversary Kings’ fans (and welcome back to Boston Lucic) but warning, before we get to the game recap against the Bruins, we are about to quickly (not Jonathan) jump into our Delorean time machine and check out the highlights of the last 50 years of LA Kings hockey! (Don’t worry it’s not that long, it’s just the CliffsNotes version but if you want to skip the history lesson, just jump forward to about halfway through the article when the recap begins). Okay ready? Here we go!

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50 years ago (yesterday) a Kingdom was born on February 9th, 1966 when the NHL officially announced that the city of Los Angeles was being awarded with an expansion team! Oakland, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Minnesota (the North Stars not the Wild) were also awarded teams and the long time “original” (or as I like to say “regional”) six team NHL was expanded to (a more North American wide) 12 teams.

Kings’ and Los Angeles Lakers’ owner Jack Kent Cooke than got rocking on building his franchises and got right to work!

Though the “Fabulous/Great Western Forum” in nearby Inglewood, CA wasn’t fully built and ready until December 1967, the Los Angeles Kings were unleashed to the hockey world at the beginning of that 1967-68 season, playing at the Los Angeles Sports Arena (home of WrestleMania II (well at least a third of it) and WrestleMania VII (but this time all of it) and at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, CA. Led by Captain Bob Wall and legendary future hall of fame goaltender Terry Sawchuk, the Kings struggled to attract fans in Hollywood but during the playoffs they did eliminate their state and expansion rivals the California (Oakland) Seals in 7 games before coming close to making the Stanley Cup semi-finals after losing in another 7 games to the North Stars.

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After that it wasn’t easy for the Los Angeles Kings (team or fan base) as mismanagement, poor coaching and even worse drafting tried their best to self-implode the team but as small as they were in comparison to other fan bases around the NHL, Kings’ fans stayed loyal to their team and the team survived while the Seals/Cleveland and other later expansion teams in Kansas City and Atlanta (twice!) either disappeared, moved somewhere else or merged with another franchise for survival, (let’s not forget that the entire duration and chaos of the rival World Hockey Association came and went as well).  Years later the efforts and play of the “Triple Crown line” of Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer, as well as goaltender Rogie Vachon finally brought some life into the team.

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During the 1982 playoffs, the Kings went on the produce the “Miracle on Manchester,” upsetting the heavily favored Edmonton Oilers and its young superstar “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky. In 1987 Kings’ rookie Luc Robitaille won the Calder Trophy for “Rookie of the Year,”

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a year before 1988 when there was the “trade heard around the world,” when the Kings’ owner at the time Bruce McNall traded for Gretzky and the hockey scene in California (and the NHL) changed forever, especially after the Gretzky and Robitaille led Kings battled their way to the 1993 Stanley Cup final.

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Still times became hard afterwards and after a brief flirtation with success during the 2001 and 2002 playoffs, it wasn’t until Dean Lombardi was hired to be the Kings’ new general manager in 2006 that myths such as locker room culture, building through the draft and making key trades for quality players would help the team grow and finally achieve became a reality, (also huge props to Dave Taylor during his reign as general manager for his contributions before that as well. After all the man did draft “Kopi,” “Brownie” and “Quickie.”)  In 2012 the Kings finally won the Stanley Cup after going through a monster playoff run and finishing with a dominating 12-4 record.

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In 2014, they blew up logic and fought against all odds by flipping history and the tested and known hockey scripts upside down and inside out by making epic comeback after epic comeback until they were beyond bloody and exhausted but never defeated and won the Cup a second time in what has now become known as the hardest route ever taken by a team to win the Stanley Cup.

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Then in 2015 they didn’t make the playoffs (DOH!) which brings us back safe and sound to 2016 … FOR THE LA KINGS’ 50th BIRTHDAY GAME !!! AND OFF WE GO TO BOSTON!!!

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So the Kings haven’t played since Thursday night in a disappointing loss to the Anaheim Ducks (an expansion team from the ’90s that purely exists today thanks to the success of Gretzky’s trade to Los Angeles and the success and attention he got as a King! AND I BET YOU THOUGHT THE HISTORY LESSON WAS DONE!?!?)

Before the game started off, former Kings’ player and long time color commentator Jim Fox had this update on twitter about the health of ill hall of fame Kings’ broadcaster Bob Miller.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Bob and his family during his battle to recovery and this is definitely great news from Jim! GO BOB GO!!!

Also in Boston to celebrate the Kings’ 50th birthday were Bob Wall and Marcel Dionne and of course Luc Robitaille, who presented to Wall and Dionne on behalf of the Kings with commemorative Forum Gold jerseys to go along with the traditional jerseys the players were going to wear during the game.

Our first Captain even took a picture with the current Captain Dustin Brown in a pic that I have to admit, I’m going to frame on a wall at home. Just beautiful.

Of course, with this being Boston, that meant that Milan Lucic was returning to the city that he spent most of his career with (and won the Stanley Cup with in 2011) for the first time ever since being traded to the Kings last June.  Lucic had a lot of touching things to say about his time in Boston leading up to this game but knew that he had a job to do today with the Kings and he was going to do it.  (Oh and Lucic also said that he wants to finish his career as a LA King and that he and his family love living in Los Angeles and California! SIGN HIM DEAN … for a discount of course.  STUPID CAP!!!)

(Photo Credit - @LAKings)

(Photo Credit – @LAKings)

Naturally, Lucic made the starting line up with Anze Kopitar and Captain Brown and the Boston faithful showed their appreciation to him immediately, (no seriously they cheered the guy, shouted out “Looooooch” and chanted “MILAN LUCIC” every time he stepped out onto the ice! Props to you Boston fans. That is just pure class and loyalty at its highest degree. I hope you’re seriously taking notes “Philly” fans?!!!) The Bruins organization also showed their appreciation for all Lucic had done for their team by showing a video montage of Lucic’s time there during the commercial break which afterwards the fans gave “Looch” a well deserving standing ovation (and I try my best to hold back the tears! I’m a sucker for these sentimental sports memories stuff).

3 minutes into the game Kyle Clifford got into a fight with Tyler Randell and “Cliffy” gives it the “old college try,” (and I have to admit, every time “Cliffy” gets punched in the head (which happened a lot) I winced. Like he JUST CAME BACK FROM A HEAD INJURY DAMN IT!)

Shortly after at 4:06, Kings’ defenseman Christian Ehrhoff gets called for an interference penalty and the Bruins’ Brad Marchand scores off of a rebound on Quick to make it 1-0, (and to increase his scoring streak to 10 straight games.  Also, Drew Doughty tried to make a glove hand save on that shot and came close too but his reflexes were a little off.  No shame in that though, considering he isn’t even a goalie but just imagine if he had made that save! #Dewy4Vezina!)

The Kings then looked super exhausted and seemed to have lost their legs.  Boston turned up the pressure and seemed to be in total control but Quick was holding the fort, making his vintage splits (or splats?) saves for all of Massachusetts to see.

The Bruins hit the post around the 10 minute mark (and would again with 4 minutes to go in the period) before Marchand got goofy (had a brain fart) and slashed and pushed his way into the penalty box.  The Kings went on the power-play and in what seemed like a harmless feed from a behind the net Jeff Carter turned into a deflected goal at 18:21 and the Kings were back in this one!

Just as I was thinking that it was a good thing that the Kings tied things up before the first period was over, the “ageless wonder” Vincent Lecavalier spinarama’ed the puck from behind the net to Marian Gaborik, who roofed it for the goal at 19:44! And just like that it was 2-1 for the Kings!

Just before the period ended though the Bruins hit the crossbar with only 3 seconds to go.  Just then you knew it was going to be that kind of night for the Boston Bruins, (and trust us Bruin fans, we know how that feels … but since it’s you guys and not us this time, let’s celebrate this 50th birthday party in style by KICKING SOME ASS!)

During the second period, the wheels completely fell off the cart for the Bruins as the Kings just lit them up with goal after goal, (and most of them were not even pretty. Deflections and what not but usually those type of goals are scored on the Kings, not the other way around so we’ll take it!)

Andy Andreoff scored at 2:42 after a pressured turnover by Bruins’ defenseman Kevin Miller (who deflected Carter’s goal in the first period) to make it 3-1 Kings.

Then “Quickie” shows off his vintage “Jedi Mind Tricks” with the puck, (this is NOT the net you’re looking for).

Doughty scored on the power-play at 12:09, assisted by Lucic and Gaborik in what was a complete (lazy) defensive break down by the Bruins. 4-1 Kings.

33 seconds later, Dwight King scored off of a nice rebound from Carter at 12:42 to make it 5-1 Kings! The Bruins then pulled their superstar goalie Tuukka Rask in favor of backup Jonas Gustavsson (who was once dubbed (over hyped as) “The Monster” for some reason by the Toronto media when he played for the Maple Leafs) but the onslaught continued as the Kings’ “fourth” line of Trevor Lewis, Jordan Nolan and Kyle Clifford (along with Jake Muzzin) took over the play and pace of the game (I’m not joking) and attacked the Bruins net, finishing with Lewis scoring at 18:56.  6-1 Kings.

If the Bruins were hoping that the end of the second period would bring the end of the misery they were feeling in this game, they were mistaken. Things got even worse for Boston when the “prodigal son” Lucic scored after being set up by Kopitar and Brown at 3:41. 7-1 for the Kings, (and the poor Boston fans didn’t know if they should cheer or boo Lucic’s goal???)

Randell of the Bruins got one back at 4:44 to make it 7-2 but it was (wayyyy) too little and too late for Boston. Stay at home, defensive defenseman Luke Schenn scored his first goal as a LA King at 13:50 to make it 8-2 Los Angeles.

Then in honor of Bob Wall, Captain Dustin Brown scores at 16:57 to put the final nail in Boston’s coffin and make it 9-2 for the Kings, (and to the Captain’s credit, even though he has barely scored this season, he didn’t really celebrate this goal as the Kings were leading by such a huge amount that he didn’t want to rub it in their faces. In Hockeyland that is heavily praised … which only means we will CELEBRATE FOR HIM!!! 9-2 BABY!!!)

With the final seconds ticking and the game long determined, the best thing to do was take it easy so no body gets hurt but I guess the Hockey Gods didn’t read the memo because with just seconds to go in the entire game, Boston native Jimmy Hayes “fell” into Quick and seemingly injured him! (AND THE ENTIRE KINGDOM HOLDS IT’S BREATH!!!)  After a few minutes of laying down on the ice and being treated by the King’s trainer, Quick got back up and finished the game but one has to wonder if he truly is okay after being blind-sighted with that collision with Hayes?

With the final buzzard sounding, Lucic lapped around the TD Garden rink, thanking the Bruins’ fans for their continued support of him.

The Kings winning 9-2 is so amazing in so many ways, especially considering the occasion but the best part of that (besides another 2 points) that stands out to me, is that all nine goals were scored by nine different Kings’ players! (Carter, Gaborik, Andreoff, Doughty, King, Lewis, Lucic, Schenn and Brown). Also that the Kings out-shot the Bruins 57-37! (HOLY #$^#!!! That means this was the first game since game 5 of the 2014 Stanley Cup final that LA had registered over 50 shots AND the first time since 1965 that Boston had gave up that many shots!  THIS GAME TRULY WAS A HISTORICAL GAME!)

The Kings move on next to Brooklyn to take on the Islanders this Thursday night at 4 pm PST, (7 pm Est).

And once again, Happy 50th Birthday to our beloved Los Angeles Kings and happy anniversary fellow Kings’ fans and CHEERS to another 50 years and more of LA Kings hockey! Also thank you Kings for 50 years of having the “best damn sports team story ever!”  It has 50 years of drama and heartbreak. It had embarrassing comedy and a lot (AND I MEAN A LOT) of defeats and lows. It has miracles and upsets, comebacks and hopeful moments that lead to nowhere or came close to something but didn’t. There were legends and heroes, and then finally there was complete triumph and total victory (times two!) and I wouldn’t trade this franchise or my experience as a Kings’ fan (including the “dark ages” between ’93 and ’01) for any other team in the world! I am, have been and always will be a Los Angeles Kings fan and I’m damn proud of that. Ride or die baby.

Also I want to give props to the NESN broadcasters, who were very respectful to the Kings during this historically important game for them and for giving lots of love to Tyler Toffoli (who they see as a star for years to come), Drew Doughty (who they said should win the Norris Trophy this year), Jonathan Quick (who they said was “technically” better than Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy winning goalie Tim Thomas ever was), Anze Kopitar (who they said is “a dominant player”), Darryl Sutter (who they said was “strict but fair” and “knows how to make Champions”) and of course Milan Lucic.

(And don’t forget, IT WAS 9-2 BABY!!! WHOOOOOOO!!!)

Okay I’m out of here, GO KINGS GO!!!!

*Special thanks to @Christen1026 for the Lucic tribute video.

 

Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things Los Angeles Kings and the rest of the LA sports teams! All Cali, All the time!

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