1988β89 Los Angeles Kings | |
---|---|
Division | 2nd Smythe |
Conference | 2nd Campbell |
1988β89 record | 42β31β7 |
Home record | 25β12β3 |
Road record | 17β19β4 |
Goals for | 376 |
Goals against | 335 |
Team information | |
General manager | Rogatien Vachon |
Coach | Robbie Ftorek |
Captain | Dave Taylor |
Alternate captains |
Wayne Gretzky Tom Laidlaw |
Arena | Great Western Forum |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Bernie Nicholls (70) |
Assists | Wayne Gretzky (114) |
Points | Wayne Gretzky (168) |
Penalty minutes | Marty McSorley (350) |
Plus/minus | Steve Duchesne (+31) |
Wins | Glenn Healy (25) |
Goals against average | Kelly Hrudey (2.90) |
The 1988β89 Los Angeles Kings season, was the Kings' 22nd season in the National Hockey League. It saw the Kings finish second in the Smythe Division with a record of 42β31β7, for 91 points.
The 1988β89 season was the first for the great Wayne Gretzky in a Kings uniform. He had come over in a shocking trade with the Edmonton Oilers in the off-season (see below). Paced by Gretzky, Los Angeles led the league in goal scoring, with a total of 376 goals scored. In the playoffs, the Kings defeated the Oilers (defending champions and Gretzky's former team) in seven games in the Smythe Division Semi-finals before being swept in the Smythe Division Finals by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Calgary Flames in four straight games.
This was also the first season that the Kings wore their silver and black uniforms, which they would wear until the 1997β98 season. In the off-season, they had changed their team colours to silver and black from gold and purple, which were more associated with their co-tenants at the Great Western Forum, the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers. They had also unveiled a new logo that reflected the new team colours.
Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | Martin GΓ©linas (LW) | Canada | Hull Olympiques ( QMJHL) |
2 | 28 | Paul Holden (D) | Canada | London Knights ( OHL) |
3 | 49 | John Van Kessel (RW) | Canada | North Bay Centennials (OHL) |
4 | 70 | Rob Blake (D) | Canada | Bowling Green State University ( CCHA) |
5 | 91 | Jeff Robison (D) | United States | Mount St. Charles Academy (USHS-RI) |
6 | 109 | Micah Aivazoff (RW) | Canada | Victoria Cougars ( WHL) |
6 | 112 | Robert Larsson (D) | Sweden | SkellefteΓ₯ AIK (Sweden) |
7 | 133 | Jeff Kruesel (RW) | United States | John Marshall High School (USHS-MN) |
8 | 154 | Timo Peltomaa (RW) | Finland | Ilves (Finland) |
9 | 175 | Jim Larkin (LW) | United States | Mount Saint Joseph Academy (USHS-VT) |
10 | 196 | Brad Hyatt (D) | Canada | Windsor Spitfires (OHL) |
11 | 217 | Doug Laprade (RW) | Canada | Lake Superior State University (NCAA) |
12 | 238 | Joe Flanagan (C) | United States | Canterbury School (USHS-CT) |
S | 12 | Sean Fitzgerald (LW) | United States | State University of New York at Oswego (SUNYAC) |
On August 9, 1988, in a move that drastically changed the dynamics of the NHL, the Oilers traded Gretzky (along with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski) to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, $15 million in cash and the Kings' first-round draft picks in 1989 ( Jason Miller), 1991 ( Martin Rucinsky) and 1993 ( Nick Stajduhar). "The Trade", as it came to be known, [1] upset Canadians to the extent that New Democratic Party House Leader Nelson Riis demanded that the government block it [2] and Peter Pocklington was burned in effigy. Gretzky himself was considered a "traitor" by some Canadians for turning his back on his adopted hometown, his home province and his home country; his motivation was widely rumoured to be the furtherance of his wife's acting career. [3] Others believe it was Pocklington who instigated the trade, seeking to benefit personally from the transaction.
On October 6, 1988, Wayne Gretzky made his debut as a member of the Los Angeles Kings in a game against the Detroit Red Wings. Gretzky scored on his first shot, and contributed 3 assists in an 8β2 victory. [4] In Gretzky's first season with the Kings, he led the team in scoring with 168 points on 54 goals and 114 assists, and won his ninth Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player. He led the Kings to a second-place finish in the Smythe Division with a 42β31β7 record (91 points), and they ranked fourth in the NHL overall.
Gretzky recorded at least one point in all forty regular season home games, as well as the Kings' six home playoff games. No other NHL player has ever accomplished such a feat under a schedule of seventy games or more.
Gretzky's first season in Los Angeles saw a marked increase in attendance and fan interest in a city not previously known for following hockey. The Kings, who then played their home games at the Great Western Forum, named Gretzky their captain (a position he held until his trade to St. Louis in 1996) and boasted numerous sellouts on their way to reaching the 1989 playoffs.
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Calgary Flames | 80 | 54 | 17 | 9 | 354 | 226 | 117 |
Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 42 | 31 | 7 | 376 | 335 | 91 |
Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 38 | 34 | 8 | 325 | 306 | 84 |
Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 33 | 39 | 8 | 251 | 253 | 74 |
Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 26 | 42 | 12 | 300 | 355 | 64 |
[5]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.
Vs. Smythe Division
|
Vs. Norris Division
|
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Adams Division
|
Vs. Patrick Division
|
Game # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Record | Points |
1 | October 6 | Detroit | 2 β 8 | Los Angeles | 1β0β0 | 2 | |
2 | October 8 | Calgary | 5 β 6 | Los Angeles | OT | 2β0β0 | 4 |
3 | October 9 | N.Y. Islanders | 5 β 6 | Los Angeles | OT | 3β0β0 | 6 |
4 | October 12 | Boston | 2 β 6 | Los Angeles | 4β0β0 | 8 | |
5 | October 15 | Philadelphia | 1 β 4 | Los Angeles | 4β1β0 | 8 | |
6 | October 17 | Los Angeles | 4 β 11 | Calgary | 4β2β0 | 8 | |
7 | October 19 | Los Angeles | 6 β 8 | Edmonton | 4β3β0 | 8 | |
8 | October 22 | Minnesota | 8 β 2 | Los Angeles | 5β3β0 | 10 | |
9 | October 25 | Edmonton | 4 β 5 | Los Angeles | 5β4β0 | 10 | |
10 | October 28 | Los Angeles | 7 β 4 | Winnipeg | 6β4β0 | 12 | |
11 | October 30 | Los Angeles | 4 β 8 | Winnipeg | 6β5β0 | 12 |
Game # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Record | Points |
12 | November 1 | Los Angeles | 3 β 1 | Quebec | 7β5β0 | 14 | |
13 | November 2 | Los Angeles | 3 β 5 | Montreal | 7β6β0 | 14 | |
14 | November 5 | Los Angeles | 6 β 4 | Toronto | 8β6β0 | 16 | |
15 | November 6 | Los Angeles | 5 β 3 | Chicago | 9β6β0 | 18 | |
16 | November 10 | Hartford | 7 β 2 | Los Angeles | 10β6β0 | 20 | |
17 | November 12 | Pittsburgh | 7 β 2 | Los Angeles | 11β6β0 | 22 | |
18 | November 15 | Vancouver | 6 β 4 | Los Angeles | 12β6β0 | 24 | |
19 | November 17 | N.Y. Rangers | 5 β 6 | Los Angeles | 12β7β0 | 24 | |
20 | November 19 | Buffalo | 5 β 4 | Los Angeles | 13β7β0 | 26 | |
21 | November 22 | Los Angeles | 6 β 1 | Philadelphia | 14β7β0 | 28 | |
22 | November 23 | Los Angeles | 8 β 3 | Detroit | 15β7β0 | 30 | |
23 | November 26 | Los Angeles | 1 β 4 | Calgary | 15β8β0 | 30 | |
24 | November 27 | Los Angeles | 2 β 5 | Vancouver | 15β9β0 | 30 | |
25 | November 29 | New Jersey | 9 β 3 | Los Angeles | 16β9β0 | 32 |
Game # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Record | Points |
26 | December 1 | Toronto | 9 β 3 | Los Angeles | 17β9β0 | 34 | |
27 | December 3 | Chicago | 6 β 4 | Los Angeles | 18β9β0 | 36 | |
28 | December 6 | Winnipeg | 4 β 5 | Los Angeles | OT | 18β10β0 | 36 |
29 | December 8 | Winnipeg | 5 β 5 | Los Angeles | OT | 18β10β1 | 37 |
30 | December 10 | Los Angeles | 4 β 3 | N.Y. Islanders | 19β10β1 | 39 | |
31 | December 12 | Los Angeles | 5 β 2 | N.Y. Rangers | 20β10β1 | 41 | |
32 | December 14 | Los Angeles | 4 β 5 | Pittsburgh | 20β11β1 | 41 | |
33 | December 16 | Los Angeles | 6 β 4 | Detroit | 21β11β1 | 43 | |
34 | December 17 | Los Angeles | 2 β 3 | Minnesota | 21β12β1 | 43 | |
35 | December 20 | Calgary | 7 β 3 | Los Angeles | 22β12β1 | 45 | |
36 | December 21 | Minnesota | 8 β 6 | Los Angeles | 23β12β1 | 47 | |
37 | December 23 | Los Angeles | 5 β 2 | Vancouver | 24β12β1 | 49 | |
38 | December 27 | Montreal | 2 β 3 | Los Angeles | 24β13β1 | 49 | |
39 | December 29 | Vancouver | 3 β 6 | Los Angeles | 24β14β1 | 49 |
Game # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Record | Points |
40 | January 5 | Los Angeles | 6 β 8 | Calgary | 24β15β1 | 49 | |
41 | January 6 | Los Angeles | 4 β 4 | Winnipeg | OT | 24β15β2 | 50 |
42 | January 8 | Los Angeles | 4 β 4 | Winnipeg | OT | 24β15β3 | 51 |
43 | January 10 | Edmonton | 5 β 4 | Los Angeles | OT | 25β15β3 | 53 |
44 | January 12 | St. Louis | 7 β 4 | Los Angeles | 26β15β3 | 55 | |
45 | January 14 | Hartford | 9 β 6 | Los Angeles | 27β15β3 | 57 | |
46 | January 17 | Los Angeles | 2 β 5 | St. Louis | 27β16β3 | 57 | |
47 | January 19 | Los Angeles | 2 β 4 | N.Y. Islanders | 27β17β3 | 57 | |
48 | January 21 | Los Angeles | 4 β 5 | Hartford | 27β18β3 | 57 | |
49 | January 24 | Los Angeles | 4 β 4 | Washington | OT | 27β18β4 | 58 |
50 | January 26 | Vancouver | 2 β 6 | Los Angeles | 27β19β4 | 58 | |
51 | January 28 | Edmonton | 6 β 7 | Los Angeles | 27β20β4 | 58 | |
52 | January 31 | Calgary | 5 β 8 | Los Angeles | 27β21β4 | 58 |
Game # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Record | Points |
53 | February 2 | New Jersey | 6 β 6 | Los Angeles | OT | 27β21β5 | 59 |
54 | February 4 | Buffalo | 5 β 3 | Los Angeles | 28β21β5 | 61 | |
55 | February 9 | Los Angeles | 1 β 4 | Boston | 28β22β5 | 61 | |
56 | February 10 | Los Angeles | 7 β 6 | Washington | OT | 29β22β5 | 63 |
57 | February 12 | Los Angeles | 6 β 2 | Chicago | 30β22β5 | 65 | |
58 | February 15 | Boston | 3 β 7 | Los Angeles | 30β23β5 | 65 | |
59 | February 18 | Quebec | 11 β 3 | Los Angeles | 31β23β5 | 67 | |
60 | February 20 | Toronto | 5 β 4 | Los Angeles | 32β23β5 | 69 | |
61 | February 22 | Washington | 2 β 7 | Los Angeles | 32β24β5 | 69 | |
62 | February 24 | Los Angeles | 1 β 4 | Edmonton | 32β25β5 | 69 | |
63 | February 26 | Los Angeles | 1 β 1 | New Jersey | 32β25β6 | 70 | |
64 | February 27 | Los Angeles | 4 β 6 | N.Y. Rangers | 32β26β6 | 70 |
Game # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Record | Points |
65 | March 1 | Los Angeles | 5 β 4 | Buffalo | 33β26β6 | 72 | |
66 | March 2 | Los Angeles | 4 β 6 | St. Louis | 33β27β6 | 72 | |
67 | March 4 | Philadelphia | 6 β 2 | Los Angeles | 34β27β6 | 74 | |
68 | March 7 | Pittsburgh | 3 β 2 | Los Angeles | OT | 35β27β6 | 76 |
69 | March 10 | Los Angeles | 2 β 4 | Vancouver | 35β28β6 | 76 | |
70 | March 12 | Los Angeles | 6 β 3 | Edmonton | 36β28β6 | 78 | |
71 | March 14 | Los Angeles | 4 β 0 | Quebec | 37β28β6 | 80 | |
72 | March 15 | Los Angeles | 2 β 5 | Montreal | 37β29β6 | 80 | |
73 | March 18 | Calgary | 3 β 9 | Los Angeles | 37β30β6 | 80 | |
74 | March 21 | Los Angeles | 4 β 3 | Edmonton | 38β30β6 | 82 | |
75 | March 23 | Los Angeles | 2 β 4 | Calgary | 38β31β6 | 82 | |
76 | March 25 | Edmonton | 4 β 2 | Los Angeles | 39β31β6 | 84 | |
77 | March 28 | Winnipeg | 3 β 3 | Los Angeles | OT | 39β31β7 | 85 |
78 | March 29 | Winnipeg | 2 β 1 | Los Angeles | OT | 40β31β7 | 87 |
Game # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Record | Points |
79 | April 1 | Vancouver | 6 β 4 | Los Angeles | 41β31β7 | 89 | |
80 | April 2 | Los Angeles | 5 β 4 | Vancouver | 42β31β7 | 91 |
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wayne Gretzky | 78 | 54 | 114 | 168 | 26 |
Bernie Nicholls | 79 | 70 | 80 | 150 | 96 |
Luc Robitaille | 78 | 46 | 52 | 98 | 65 |
John Tonelli | 77 | 31 | 33 | 64 | 110 |
Dave Taylor | 70 | 26 | 37 | 63 | 80 |
Mike Krushelnyski | 78 | 26 | 36 | 62 | 110 |
Mike Allison | 55 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 122 |
Bob Carpenter | 39 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 16 |
Steve Kasper | 29 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 14 |
Igor Liba | 27 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 21 |
Jay Miller | 29 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 133 |
Paul Fenton | 21 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
Sylvain Couturier | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
Bob Kudelski | 14 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 17 |
Ken Baumgartner | 49 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 288 |
Tim Tookey | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Chris Kontos | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Phil Sykes | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
Hubie McDonough | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Gilles Hamel | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Brian Wilks | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Paul Guay | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Dave Pasin | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Craig Duncanson | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Robert Logan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steve Duchesne | 79 | 25 | 50 | 75 | 92 |
Dale DeGray | 63 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 97 |
Marty McSorley | 66 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 350 |
Doug Crossman | 74 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 53 |
Tim Watters | 76 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 168 |
Tom Laidlaw | 70 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 63 |
Dean Kennedy | 51 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 63 |
Jim Wiemer | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 20 |
Wayne McBean | 33 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 23 |
Larry Playfair | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
Petr Prajsler | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Steve Richmond | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 26 |
Jim Hofford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
Player | GP | W | L | T | SO | GAA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Glenn Healy | 48 | 25 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 4.27 |
Kelly Hrudey | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2.90 |
Roland Melanson | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.42 |
The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 1988β89 season. [7]
June 27, 1988 | From
Winnipeg Jets Tim Watters |
June 29, 1988 | From
Calgary Flames John Tonelli |
July 1, 1988 | From
Granby Bisons (
QMJHL) Frank Breault |
July 1, 1988 | From
New Jersey Devils Steve Richmond |
October 3, 1988 | To
Edmonton Oilers Ken Hammond |
October 3, 1988 | From
Toronto Maple Leafs Dale DeGray |
October 3, 1988 | From
Buffalo Sabres Jim Hofford |
The Kings faced Gretzky's old team, the Oilers, in the first round of the 1989 playoffs. They fell behind 3 games to 1, but rallied to take the series in seven games, helped in no small part by nine goals from Chris Kontos, a little-known player who had just recently been called up from the minor leagues. However, the Kings were quickly swept out of the playoffs in the second round by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Calgary Flames.
Date | Away | Score | Home | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
April 5 | Edmonton Oilers | 4 | Los Angeles Kings | 3 |
April 6 | Edmonton Oilers | 2 | Los Angeles Kings | 5 |
April 8 | Los Angeles Kings | 0 | Edmonton Oilers | 4 |
April 9 | Los Angeles Kings | 3 | Edmonton Oilers | 4 |
April 11 | Edmonton Oilers | 2 | Los Angeles Kings | 4 |
April 13 | Los Angeles Kings | 4 | Edmonton Oilers | 1 |
April 15 | Edmonton Oilers | 3 | Los Angeles Kings | 6 |
Los Angeles wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3
Los Angeles Kings vs. Calgary Flames
Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
April 18 | Los Angeles Kings | 3 | Calgary Flames | 4 | (OT) |
April 20 | Los Angeles Kings | 3 | Calgary Flames | 8 | |
April 22 | Calgary Flames | 5 | Los Angeles Kings | 2 | |
April 24 | Calgary Flames | 5 | Los Angeles Kings | 3 |
Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0