All that changed when the Los Angeles Kings acquired the greatest hockey player that ever lived in Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers.
See, my rationale was simple: I loved a couple of L.A. teams already (the Raiders and the Lakers) and the Kings were a blend of both.
First, the Kings switched their color scheme to black and silver that mirrored the Raiders.
Second, they played their home games at the Great Western Forum, which to me was strictly the home of the "Showtime" Lakers of Magic Johnson and James Worthy.
So, there was an easy call to make in choosing the Kings.
The only problem was, they did not immediately become a great hockey team.
Sure, they made playoff appearances, but they acquired the best player in the world! That was supposed to translate into championships.
To make it worse, I watched the Gretzky-less Oilers win the Stanley Cup in 1990 (ironically, led by an inspired goalie named Bill Ranford) after eliminating the Kings in the playoff division finals.
Even after their first division title in 1991, it was not until the hire of Barry Melrose in 1992 that things improbably changed.
For starters, Gretzky was no longer the best player on the team. That was Luc Robitaille.
What I remember was that the Kings were a lot more physical. They led the NHL in penalties by far and this was definitely evident in my favorite player, Marty McSorley.
McSorley never saw a fight he did not like and I think being a relative novice, I enjoyed that. Even if he was basically a goon.
But that 1993 team was special because it was also resilient.
They were underdogs to Calgary. They beat 'em, then they beat Vanco...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
