Los Angeles Kings – 2012 Stanley Cup Champs
The Los Angeles Kings won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. What makes it even more historic is that the Kings were the first ever No. 8 seed to win a championship in either the NHL or NBA (the MLB and NFL don’t go as far down as an eight seed).
This epic run by the Kings points to a trend that has been developing in sports over the last few years. No longer are the best teams winning the hardware every player desires. Now teams are showing that it is better to be hot in the playoffs rather than being good during the regular season.
The Los Angeles Kings showed this like no other team can. The Kings were out of a playoff spot on March 28, just 10 days before the season ended. They fought their way up to the No. 3 seed at points during the playoff race, and ultimately ended up with the No. 8 seed. But they were already primed to go on a Stanley Cup run.
In the first round, the Kings first beat the President’s Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks in five games. In the second round, they swept the Central Division champion St. Louis Blues. In the conference finals, they sent the No. 3 seeded Phoenix Coyotes to the golf course in just five games.
The No. 8 seed Kings defeated the top three teams in their conference to make the Stanley Cup Finals, and they did it without losing a single road game.
In the Finals, they faced the New Jersey Devils, who were a No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference who just came off a stunning upset of top-seeded Rangers in the conference finals. The Devils gave Los Angeles the most trouble, forcing them to six games and causing the Kings to lose their first away game, but the Kings ultimately prevailed, finishing the postseason with a 16-4 record. Well done and congrats!