1992–93 Los Angeles Kings season

The 1992–93 Los Angeles Kings season was the team's 26th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). It saw the Kings finish in third place in the Smythe Division with a record of 39 wins, 35 losses, and 10 ties for 88 points. The Kings played their home games at the Great Western Forum.

1992–93 Los Angeles Kings
Campbell Conference champions
Division3rd Smythe
Conference6th Campbell
1992–93 record39–35–10
Home record22–15–5
Road record17–20–5
Goals for338
Goals against340
Team information
General managerNick Beverley
CoachBarry Melrose
CaptainWayne Gretzky
Luc Robitaille (Oct-Jan) interim
Alternate captainsTony Granato (Oct-Jan)
Paul Coffey (Oct-Jan)
Luc Robitaille
Marty McSorley
ArenaGreat Western Forum
Average attendance15,833
Minor league affiliate(s)Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL)
Muskegon Fury (UHL)
Team leaders
GoalsLuc Robitaille (63)
AssistsLuc Robitaille (62)
PointsLuc Robitaille (125)
Penalty minutesMarty McSorley (399)
Plus/minusJari Kurri (+19)
WinsKelly Hrudey (18)
Goals against averageRobb Stauber (3.84)

In 1992–93, the Kings reached new levels of success, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in their history. They defeated the Calgary Flames in six games in the Division Semifinals before besting the regular-season division champion Vancouver Canucks in six games in the Division Finals. In the Campbell Conference Finals, the Kings triumphed over the Toronto Maple Leafs in a hard-fought seven-game series, sending them to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, where they met the Montreal Canadiens. The Kings took Game 1 of the Finals, but then lost four straight games as the Canadiens took the series 4–1 and won their 24th Stanley Cup championship.

Offseason edit

In the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, the Kings chose Justin Hocking with their first pick, 39th overall, in the second round.

Regular season edit

On Sunday, November 8, 1992, three Los Angeles Kings (Mike Donnelly, Jari Kurri and Luc Robitaille) scored a hat trick in an 11-4 win at San Jose.[1]

The Kings were the most penalized team during the regular season, being shorthanded 529 times.[2]

Los Angeles finished with 2,855 shots on goal during the regular season, second only to the Boston Bruins.[3]

Final standings edit

Smythe Division
GP W L T Pts GF GA
Vancouver Canucks 84 46 29 9 101 346 278
Calgary Flames 84 43 30 11 97 322 282
Los Angeles Kings 84 39 35 10 88 338 340
Winnipeg Jets 84 40 37 7 87 322 320
Edmonton Oilers 84 26 50 8 60 242 337
San Jose Sharks 84 11 71 2 24 218 414

[4]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Schedule and results edit

No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 W October 6, 1992 5–4 OT @ Calgary Flames (1992–93) 1–0–0
2 L October 8, 1992 3–5 Detroit Red Wings (1992–93) 1–1–0
3 W October 10, 1992 6–3 Winnipeg Jets (1992–93) 2–1–0
4 W October 13, 1992 2–1 San Jose Sharks (1992–93) 3–1–0
5 W October 15, 1992 4–0 Calgary Flames (1992–93) 4–1–0
6 W October 17, 1992 8–6 Boston Bruins (1992–93) 5–1–0
7 L October 20, 1992 2–6 @ Calgary Flames (1992–93) 5–2–0
8 L October 23, 1992 2–4 @ Winnipeg Jets (1992–93) 5–3–0
9 T October 24, 1992 5–5 OT @ Minnesota North Stars (1992–93) 5–3–1
10 W October 27, 1992 4–3 @ New York Islanders (1992–93) 6–3–1
11 L October 29, 1992 3–8 @ Boston Bruins (1992–93) 6–4–1
12 W October 31, 1992 7–1 @ Hartford Whalers (1992–93) 7–4–1
13 W November 5, 1992 5–2 New Jersey Devils (1992–93) 8–4–1
14 W November 7, 1992 5–2 Buffalo Sabres (1992–93) 9–4–1
15 W November 8, 1992 11–4 @ San Jose Sharks (1992–93) 10–4–1
16 T November 10, 1992 4–4 OT @ Winnipeg Jets (1992–93) 10–4–2
17 W November 12, 1992 7–4 Vancouver Canucks (1992–93) 11–4–2
18 W November 14, 1992 6–2 Edmonton Oilers (1992–93) 12–4–2
19 L November 16, 1992 3–6 @ Vancouver Canucks (1992–93) 12–5–2
20 L November 17, 1992 0–6 @ San Jose Sharks (1992–93) 12–6–2
21 W November 19, 1992 4–1 Chicago Blackhawks (1992–93) 13–6–2
22 W November 21, 1992 6–4 Toronto Maple Leafs (1992–93) 14–6–2
23 W November 25, 1992 3–1 @ Edmonton Oilers (1992–93) 15–6–2
24 W November 27, 1992 5–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1992–93) 16–6–2
25 L November 28, 1992 2–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1992–93) 16–7–2
26 W December 1, 1992 6–3 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1992–93) 17–7–2
27 W December 3, 1992 5–3 Pittsburgh Penguins (1992–93) 18–7–2
28 W December 5, 1992 7–3 Hartford Whalers (1992–93) 19–7–2
29 T December 8, 1992 5–5 OT Montreal Canadiens (1992–93) 19–7–3
30 L December 10, 1992 4–5 Quebec Nordiques (1992–93) 19–8–3
31 W December 12, 1992 6–3 St. Louis Blues (1992–93) 20–8–3
32 L December 15, 1992 2–3 Tampa Bay Lightning (1992–93) 20–9–3
33 T December 18, 1992 5–5 OT @ Edmonton Oilers (1992–93) 20–9–4
34 L December 19, 1992 3–5 @ Calgary Flames (1992–93) 20–10–4
35 L December 22, 1992 2–6 Vancouver Canucks (1992–93) 20–11–4
36 L December 26, 1992 2–7 @ San Jose Sharks (1992–93) 20–12–4
37 L December 29, 1992 2–10 Philadelphia Flyers (1992–93) 20–13–4
38 L December 31, 1992 0–4 @ Vancouver Canucks (1992–93) 20–14–4
39 T January 2, 1993 5–5 OT Montreal Canadiens (1992–93) 20–14–5
40 L January 6, 1993 3–6 Tampa Bay Lightning (1992–93) 20–15–5
41 L January 8, 1993 3–6 @ Winnipeg Jets (1992–93) 20–16–5
42 W January 10, 1993 5–4 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1992–93) 21–16–5
43 W January 12, 1993 3–2 @ Ottawa Senators (1992–93) 22–16–5
44 L January 14, 1993 1–7 @ New Jersey Devils (1992–93) 22–17–5
45 L January 16, 1993 2–5 Winnipeg Jets (1992–93) 22–18–5
46 W January 19, 1993 5–4 @ Edmonton Oilers (1992–93) 23–18–5
47 L January 21, 1993 4–5 Vancouver Canucks (1992–93) 23–19–5
48 L January 23, 1993 3–8 New York Rangers (1992–93) 23–20–5
49 W January 26, 1993 7–1 San Jose Sharks (1992–93) 24–20–5
50 L January 28, 1993 1–2 Calgary Flames (1992–93) 24–21–5
51 T January 30, 1993 2–2 OT Chicago Blackhawks (1992–93) 24–21–6
52 L February 2, 1993 2–3 @ Quebec Nordiques (1992–93) 24–22–6
53 L February 3, 1993 2–7 @ Montreal Canadiens (1992–93) 24–23–6
54 L February 9, 1993 3–6 Edmonton Oilers (1992–93) 24–24–6
55 T February 11, 1993 6–6 OT Detroit Red Wings (1992–93) 24–24–7
56 L February 13, 1993 3–10 Washington Capitals (1992–93) 24–25–7
57 W February 15, 1993 3–0 Vancouver Canucks (1992–93) 25–25–7
58 W February 17, 1993 10–5 @ Minnesota North Stars (1992–93) 26–25–7
59 L February 18, 1993 2–7 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1992–93) 26–26–7
60 L February 20, 1993 3–7 @ Washington Capitals (1992–93) 26–27–7
61 W February 22, 1993 5–2 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1992–93) 27–27–7
62 L February 25, 1993 0–3 @ St. Louis Blues (1992–93) 27–28–7
63 L February 27, 1993 2–5 Toronto Maple Leafs (1992–93) 27–29–7
64 W March 2, 1993 6–2 Calgary Flames (1992–93) 28–29–7
65 W March 4, 1993 8–6 Ottawa Senators (1992–93) 29–29–7
66 W March 6, 1993 6–1 Edmonton Oilers (1992–93) 30–29–7
67 L March 9, 1993 3–4 @ New York Rangers (1992–93) 30–30–7
68 L March 11, 1993 3–4 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1992–93) 30–31–7
69 W March 15, 1993 4–2 @ Buffalo Sabres (1992–93) 31–31–7
70 W March 16, 1993 8–4 Winnipeg Jets (1992–93) 32–31–7
71 W March 18, 1993 7–4 New York Islanders (1992–93) 33–31–7
72 W March 20, 1993 3–2 St. Louis Blues (1992–93) 34–31–7
73 L March 24, 1993 2–6 @ Vancouver Canucks (1992–93) 34–32–7
74 W March 26, 1993 4–1 @ Edmonton Oilers (1992–93) 35–32–7
75 T March 28, 1993 3–3 OT @ Winnipeg Jets (1992–93) 35–32–8
76 W March 29, 1993 9–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1992–93) 36–32–8
77 T March 31, 1993 5–5 OT @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1992–93) 36–32–9
78 W April 1, 1993 3–1 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1992–93) 37–32–9
79 L April 3, 1993 0–3 Minnesota North Stars (1992–93) 37–33–9
80 T April 6, 1993 3–3 OT Calgary Flames (1992–93) 37–33–10
81 W April 8, 1993 2–1 San Jose Sharks (1992–93) 38–33–10
82 W April 10, 1993 3–2 OT @ San Jose Sharks (1992–93) 39–33–10
83 L April 13, 1993 4–7 @ Vancouver Canucks (1992–93) 39–34–10
84 L April 15, 1993 6–8 Vancouver Canucks (1992–93) 39–35–10

Playoffs edit

Conference Finals edit

In the Conference Finals, the Kings faced the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had finished in third place in the Norris Division during the regular season and defeated the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues, both in seven games, in the Division Semifinals and Division Finals, respectively. The Maple Leafs had last won the Stanley Cup in 1967 and had not even reached the Stanley Cup Finals since that year.[5][6] Their 1993 Conference Finals appearance was the furthest the franchise had advanced in the playoffs since 1978.[7]

The Maple Leafs opened the series with a 4-1 victory at home in Game 1, with Toronto centre Doug Gilmour, the playoffs' leading scorer, recording two goals and two assists. However, the contest was marred by a hit on Gilmour by Kings defenceman Marty McSorley late in the game. Leaf captain Wendel Clark immediately fought McSorley, while Toronto defenceman Todd Gill brawled with Los Angeles forward Dave Taylor. Leafs head coach Pat Burns, who believed McSorley's hit on Gilmour was a deliberate attack ordered by the Los Angeles coaching staff, angrily confronted Kings head coach Barry Melrose while Toronto fans threw debris on the ice.[8] McSorley estimated that over 100 threats were called into his hotel room after the game.[9] Los Angeles took Game 2 by a 3-2 score before the teams headed to the Great Western Forum for Games 3 and 4. The Kings took Game 3 while the Leafs won Game 4; the final score for both games was 4-2. In Game 5, Glenn Anderson scored the winning goal in overtime off his own rebound to give Toronto a 3-2 victory, putting them one win away from their first Finals appearance in 26 years.[10] In the aftermath of the game, Bob McKenzie, writing in the Toronto Star, angered Wayne Gretzky by opining that the Kings' captain looked as if he was "skating with a piano on his back."[11]

Game 6 in Los Angeles, a back-and-forth affair, would prove the most controversial of the series. Wendel Clark gave Toronto a 2-1 lead early in the second period, but the Kings went ahead 4-2 on three power play goals by Marty McSorley, Darryl Sydor, and Luc Robitaille. The Leafs stormed back in the third period, with Clark scoring two goals to complete a hat trick and tie the game at 4-4; the tying goal came with just 81 seconds left, sending the contest into overtime.[12] With 13 seconds left in regulation, Anderson received a boarding penalty, allowing Los Angeles to begin overtime on a power play. During the overtime period, with the Kings in the Toronto end, Wayne Gretzky's stick caught Gilmour on the chin, drawing blood. Under the rules in place at the time, the play would have resulted in a five-minute major penalty. However, after consulting with linesmen Ron Finn and Kevin Collins, referee Kerry Fraser decided not to call a penalty on Gretzky. Gretzky scored the overtime winner off the very next faceoff, handing Los Angeles a 5-4 win and tying the series at three games apiece.[13]

Stanley Cup Finals edit

Los Angeles reached the finals for the first time in franchise history. For Montreal, however, it was their 34th Stanley Cup Finals appearance in franchise history. The Canadiens had defeated the Quebec Nordiques, Buffalo Sabres, and New York Islanders to reach the finals. They had won seven overtime games throughout the playoff run before heading into the Finals. In game one, the Kings romped over the Canadiens by a score of 4-1, with Luc Robitaille scoring twice on the powerplay. However, game two was a different story. With Los Angeles leading 2-1 in the game, Marty McSorley was penalized for having an illegal stick, as Montreal stormed back to win 3-2 in overtime. Following this, the Kings never recovered as Montreal would go on to win the next three games; two in overtime and one in regulation to capture their record-breaking 24th Stanley Cup championship.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Los Angeles Kings

Date Away Score Home Score Notes
June 1 Los Angeles 4 Montreal 1
June 3 Los Angeles 2 Montreal 3 (OT)
June 5 Montreal 4 Los Angeles 3 (OT)
June 7 Montreal 3 Los Angeles 2 (OT)
June 9 Los Angeles 1 Montreal 4

Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4–1.

Player statistics edit

Skaters edit

Goaltending edit

Regular Season
Player GP GS TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Kelly Hrudey 50 44 2,718:12 18 21 6 175 3.86 1,552 .887 2 0 4 10
Robb Stauber 31 28 1,735:03 15 8 4 111 3.84 987 .888 0 0 2 4
Rick Knickle 10 10 532:18 6 4 0 35 3.95 292 .880 0 0 0 2
David Goverde 2 2 98:17 0 2 0 13 7.94 51 .745 0 0 0 0
Total 5,083:50 39 35 10 334 3.94 2,882 .884 2 0 6 16
Playoffs
Player GP GS TOI W L GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Kelly Hrudey 20 20 1,260:42 10 10 74 3.52 656 .887 0 0 0 2
Robb Stauber 4 4 240:00 3 1 16 4.00 157 .898 0 0 0 0
Total 1,500:42 13 11 90 3.60 813 .889 0 0 0 2

† Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Kings. Stats reflect time with the Kings only.
‡ Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Kings only.

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records edit

  • Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
  • Luc Robitaille, Left Wing, NHL First Team All-Star
  • Luc Robitaille, Most Goals by a Left Wing in One Season (63) [15]

Transactions edit

The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 1992–93 season.[16]

Trades edit

September 3, 1992 To Los Angeles Kings
Pat Conacher
To New Jersey Devils
Future considerations
October 13, 1992 To Los Angeles Kings
John Mokosak
To New York Rangers
Future considerations
November 6, 1992 To Los Angeles Kings
Jeff Chychrun
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Peter Ahola
December 19, 1992 To Los Angeles Kings
Marc Fortier
Jim Thomson
To Ottawa Senators
Bob Kudelski
Shawn McCosh
January 29, 1993 To Los Angeles Kings
Jimmy Carson
Marc Potvin
Gary Shuchuk
To Detroit Red Wings
Paul Coffey
Sylvain Couturier
Jim Hiller
March 22, 1993 To Los Angeles Kings
Mark Hardy
5th round pick in 1993 - Frederick Beaubien
To New York Rangers
John McIntyre

Free agent signings edit

August 1, 1992 From Hartford Whalers
Ed Kastelic
October 1, 1992 From Minnesota North Stars
Warren Rychel
February 16, 1993 From San Diego Gulls (IHL)
Rick Knickle

Free agents lost edit

June 16, 1992 To Washington Capitals
Steve Weeks
July 21, 1992 To Tampa Bay Lightning
Chris Kontos
July 30, 1992 To Winnipeg Jets
Rick Hayward

Waivers edit

October 21, 1992 From Ottawa Senators
Lonnie Loach

Lost in expansion draft edit

June 18, 1992 To Ottawa Senators
Jim Thomson
June 18, 1992 To Tampa Bay Lightning
John Van Kessel

Draft picks edit

Round # Player Position Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
2 39 Justin Hocking D   Canada Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
3 63 Sandy Allan G   Canada North Bay Centennials (OHL)
4 87 Kevin Brown RW   Canada Belleville Bulls (OHL)
5 111 Jeff Shevalier LW   Canada North Bay Centennials (OHL)
6 135 Rem Murray RW   Canada Michigan State University (CCHA)
9 207 Magnus Wernblom RW   Sweden Modo Hockey (Elitserien)
10 231 Ryan Pisiak RW   Canada Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
11 255 Jukka Tiilikainen LW   Finland Kiekko-Espoo (Finland)
Notes
Pittsburgh previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on February 19, 1992 that sent Paul Coffey to Los Angeles in exchange for Jeff Chychrun, Brian Benning and this pick.
  • The Kings seventh-round pick went to the New York Islanders as the result of a trade on February 18, 1992 that sent Steve Weeks to Los Angeles in exchange for this pick (159th overall).
  • The Kings eighth-round pick went to the Detroit Red Wings as the result of a trade on August 15, 1990 that sent Shawn McCosh to Los Angeles in exchange for this pick (183rd overall).

References edit

  1. ^ "Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks Box Score — November 8, 1992".
  2. ^ "1992-93 NHL Summary".
  3. ^ "1992-93 Los Angeles Kings Roster and Statistics".
  4. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 154. ISBN 9781894801225.
  5. ^ Zwolinski, Mark (May 31, 2021). "A timeline of futility: How the Maple Leafs have done in the NHL playoffs since last winning the Stanley Cup in 1967". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  6. ^ Associated Press (May 16, 2022). "Column: Maple Leafs now at 55 years since last championship". USA Today. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  7. ^ Associated Press (May 15, 1993). "Leafs Win Norris, Shut Out Blues". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  8. ^ Downey, Mike (May 18, 1993). "Cheap Shots Fuel a Hairy Situation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  9. ^ Markazi, Arash (June 1, 2012). "In 1993, they were Kings of Los Angeles". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  10. ^ Associated Press (May 26, 1993). "HOCKEY; Leafs Win in Overtime". The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  11. ^ McGran, Kevin (March 26, 2017). "View from the pressbox: Leafs highs and lows". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  12. ^ "1992-93 Clarence Campbell Conference Finals Game 6, Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Los Angeles Kings Box Score: May 27, 1993". Hockey Reference. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  13. ^ Fraser, Kerry (June 7, 2016). "The Zebra". The Players' Tribune. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  14. ^ "1992-93 Los Angeles Kings Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  15. ^ National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p.182, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5
  16. ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results".