Los Angeles Kings: 2012 Stanley Cup Champions

Though I was well aware it could happen, I did not hear about it until late last night: the lowly Los Angeles Kings won the 2012 Stanley Cup.

The Kings. Whoa.

No, I am not a Kings fan and never was while living in SoCal. However, the Kings’ Stanley Cup victory intrigues me because, as far as I could tell, they seemed to be the runt of the LA sports scene — even less popular than the Galaxy. (I am not so sure about Chivas USA, though.) Though there was a lot of interest in the Ducks in Orange County, especially when they won the Cup in ’07, the Kings did not have a pronounced following. They had hardcore fans, but the Kings lacked the massive, region-wide base enjoyed by the Lakers and Dodgers. Their games were broadcast on Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket, but I always wondered who watched. (During the winter, Kings and Ducks games took a backseat to college basketball, as they should.)

However, the Kings’ Cup victory does conjure memories of their fabled appearance in the ’93 Finals. That was the first Stanley Cup series I took interest in. Beside the newly formed San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightening, the Kings had been the only NHL team located in a city where it never snowed and the thought of LA winning the Stanley Cup was almost blasphemous. The Canadiens won in five games, but since then there has been a major shift in the NHL. No Canadian team has won the Cup since 1993 and there are now six more teams located in snow-free climes (five have now won the Cup).

Does the Kings’ victory bookend a Canadian drought? Has the curse of Marty McSorley’s stick been broken? We shall see.