1988–89 Los Angeles Kings season explained

League:NHL
Season:1988–89
Year:1988
Team:Los Angeles Kings
Conferencerank:2nd
Divisionrank:2nd
Record:42–31–7
Homerecord:25–12–3
Roadrecord:17–19–4
Goalsfor:376
Goalsagainst:335
Goalsleader:Bernie Nicholls (70)
Assistsleader:Wayne Gretzky (114)
Pointsleader:Wayne Gretzky (168)
Plusminusleader:Steve Duchesne (+31)
Pimleader:Marty McSorley (350)
Winsleader:Glenn Healy (25)
Gaaleader:Kelly Hrudey (2.90)

The 1988–89 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 42–31–7, for 91 points.

The 1988–89 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 completed the upset by beating 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 1997–98 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.[1] [2]

Offseason

NHL Draft

See also: 1988 NHL Entry Draft.

RoundPickPlayerNationalityCollege/junior/club team
17Martin Gélinas (LW)Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)
228Paul Holden (D)London Knights (OHL)
349John Van Kessel (RW)North Bay Centennials (OHL)
470Rob Blake (D)Bowling Green State University (CCHA)
591Jeff Robison (D)Mount St. Charles Academy (USHS-RI)
6109Micah Aivazoff (RW)Victoria Cougars (WHL)
6112Robert Larsson (D)Skellefteå AIK (Sweden)
7133Jeff Kruesel (RW)John Marshall High School (USHS-MN)
8154Timo Peltomaa (RW)Ilves (Finland)
9175Jim Larkin (LW)Mount Saint Joseph Academy (USHS-VT)
10196Brad Hyatt (D)Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
11217Doug Laprade (RW)Lake Superior State University (NCAA)
12238Joe Flanagan (C)Canterbury School (USHS-CT)
S12Sean Fitzgerald (LW)State University of New York at Oswego (SUNYAC)

Wayne Gretzky trade

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,[3] upset Canadians to the extent that New Democratic Party House Leader Nelson Riis demanded that the government block it[4] 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.[5] Others believe it was Pocklington who instigated the trade, seeking to benefit personally from the transaction.

Regular season

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 8–2 victory.[6] 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 42–31–7 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.

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

October

Game # Date Visitor Score Home OT Record Points
1 October 6 2 – 8 Los Angeles 1–0–0 2
2 October 8 5 – 6 Los Angeles OT 2–0–0 4
3 October 9 5 – 6 Los Angeles OT 3–0–0 6
4 October 12 2 – 6 Los Angeles 4–0–0 8
5 October 15 1 – 4 Los Angeles 4–1–0 8
6 October 17 Los Angeles 4 – 11 4–2–0 8
7 October 19 Los Angeles 6 – 8 4–3–0 8
8 October 22 8 – 2 Los Angeles 5–3–0 10
9 October 25 4 – 5 Los Angeles 5–4–0 10
10 October 28 Los Angeles 7 – 4 6–4–0 12
11 October 30 Los Angeles 4 – 8 6–5–0 12

November

Game # Date Visitor Score Home OT Record Points
12 November 1 Los Angeles 3 – 1 7–5–0 14
13 November 2 Los Angeles 3 – 5 7–6–0 14
14 November 5 Los Angeles 6 – 4 8–6–0 16
15 November 6 Los Angeles 5 – 3 9–6–0 18
16 November 10 7 – 2 Los Angeles 10–6–0 20
17 November 12 7 – 2 Los Angeles 11–6–0 22
18 November 15 6 – 4 Los Angeles 12–6–0 24
19 November 17 5 – 6 Los Angeles 12–7–0 24
20 November 19 5 – 4 Los Angeles 13–7–0 26
21 November 22 Los Angeles 6 – 1 14–7–0 28
22 November 23 Los Angeles 8 – 3 15–7–0 30
23 November 26 Los Angeles 1 – 4 15–8–0 30
24 November 27 Los Angeles 2 – 5 15–9–0 30
25 November 29 9 – 3 Los Angeles 16–9–0 32

December

Game # Date Visitor Score Home OT Record Points
26 December 1 9 – 3 Los Angeles 17–9–0 34
27 December 3 6 – 4 Los Angeles 18–9–0 36
28 December 6 4 – 5 Los Angeles OT 18–10–0 36
29 December 8 5 – 5 Los Angeles OT 18–10–1 37
30 December 10 Los Angeles 4 – 3 19–10–1 39
31 December 12 Los Angeles 5 – 2 20–10–1 41
32 December 14 Los Angeles 4 – 5 20–11–1 41
33 December 16 Los Angeles 6 – 4 21–11–1 43
34 December 17 Los Angeles 2 – 3 21–12–1 43
35 December 20 7 – 3 Los Angeles 22–12–1 45
36 December 21 8 – 6 Los Angeles 23–12–1 47
37 December 23 Los Angeles 5 – 2 24–12–1 49
38 December 27 2 – 3 Los Angeles 24–13–1 49
39 December 29 3 – 6 Los Angeles 24–14–1 49

January

Game # Date Visitor Score Home OT Record Points
40 January 5 Los Angeles 6 – 8 24–15–1 49
41 January 6 Los Angeles 4 – 4 OT 24–15–2 50
42 January 8 Los Angeles 4 – 4 OT 24–15–3 51
43 January 10 5 – 4 Los Angeles OT 25–15–3 53
44 January 12 7 – 4 Los Angeles 26–15–3 55
45 January 14 9 – 6 Los Angeles 27–15–3 57
46 January 17 Los Angeles 2 – 5 27–16–3 57
47 January 19 Los Angeles 2 – 4 27–17–3 57
48 January 21 Los Angeles 4 – 5 27–18–3 57
49 January 24 Los Angeles 4 – 4 OT 27–18–4 58
50 January 26 2 – 6 Los Angeles 27–19–4 58
51 January 28 6 – 7 Los Angeles 27–20–4 58
52 January 31 5 – 8 Los Angeles 27–21–4 58

February

Game # Date Visitor Score Home OT Record Points
53 February 2 6 – 6 Los Angeles OT 27–21–5 59
54 February 4 5 – 3 Los Angeles 28–21–5 61
55 February 9 Los Angeles 1 – 4 28–22–5 61
56 February 10 Los Angeles 7 – 6 OT 29–22–5 63
57 February 12 Los Angeles 6 – 2 30–22–5 65
58 February 15 3 – 7 Los Angeles 30–23–5 65
59 February 18 11 – 3 Los Angeles 31–23–5 67
60 February 20 5 – 4 Los Angeles 32–23–5 69
61 February 22 2 – 7 Los Angeles 32–24–5 69
62 February 24 Los Angeles 1 – 4 32–25–5 69
63 February 26 Los Angeles 1 – 1 32–25–6 70
64 February 27 Los Angeles 4 – 6 32–26–6 70

March

Game # Date Visitor Score Home OT Record Points
65 March 1 Los Angeles 5 – 4 33–26–6 72
66 March 2 Los Angeles 4 – 6 33–27–6 72
67 March 4 6 – 2 Los Angeles 34–27–6 74
68 March 7 3 – 2 Los Angeles OT 35–27–6 76
69 March 10 Los Angeles 2 – 4 35–28–6 76
70 March 12 Los Angeles 6 – 3 36–28–6 78
71 March 14 Los Angeles 4 – 0 37–28–6 80
72 March 15 Los Angeles 2 – 5 37–29–6 80
73 March 18 3 – 9 Los Angeles 37–30–6 80
74 March 21 Los Angeles 4 – 3 38–30–6 82
75 March 23 Los Angeles 2 – 4 38–31–6 82
76 March 25 4 – 2 Los Angeles 39–31–6 84
77 March 28 3 – 3 Los Angeles OT 39–31–7 85
78 March 29 2 – 1 Los Angeles OT 40–31–7 87

April

Game # Date Visitor Score Home OT Record Points
79 April 1 6 – 4 Los Angeles 41–31–7 89
80 April 2 Los Angeles 5 – 4 42–31–7 91

Player statistics

Forwards

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

PlayerGPGAPtsPIM
78 54 114 168 26
79 70 80 150 96
78 46 52 98 65
77 31 33 64 110
70 26 37 63 80
78 26 36 62 110
55 14 22 36 122
39 11 15 26 16
29 9 15 24 14
27 5 13 18 21
29 5 3 8 133
21 2 3 5 6
16 1 3 4 2
14 1 3 4 17
49 1 3 4 288
7 2 1 3 4
7 2 1 3 2
23 0 1 1 8
4 0 1 1 0
11 0 1 1 2
2 0 0 0 2
2 0 0 0 2
5 0 0 0 0
5 0 0 0 0
4 0 0 0 0

Defencemen

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

PlayerGPGAPtsPIM
79 25 50 75 92
63 6 22 28 97
66 10 17 27 350
74 10 15 25 53
76 3 18 21 168
70 3 17 20 63
51 3 8 11 63
9 2 3 5 20
33 0 5 5 23
6 0 3 3 16
2 0 3 3 0
9 0 2 2 26
1 0 0 0 2

Goaltending

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average

PlayerGPWLTSOGAA
48 25 19 2 0 4.27
16 10 4 2 1 2.90
4 1 1 0 0 6.42

Transactions

The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 1988–89 season.[7]

Trades

August 9, 1988To Los Angeles Kings
Wayne Gretzky
Mike Krushelnyski
Marty McSorley		To Edmonton Oilers
Jimmy Carson
Martin Gelinas
1st round pick in 1989 – Jason Miller
1st round pick in 1991 – Martin Rucinsky
1st round pick in 1993 – Nick Stajduhar
$15 million
August 10, 1988To Los Angeles Kings
John Miner		To Edmonton Oilers
Craig Redmond
September 29, 1988To Los Angeles Kings
Doug Crossman		To Philadelphia Flyers
Jay Wells
October 21, 1988To Los Angeles Kings
Bob Logan
9th round pick in 1989 – Jim Giacin		To Buffalo Sabres
Larry Playfair
November 3, 1988To Los Angeles Kings
Dave Pasin		To Boston Bruins
Paul Guay
November 25, 1988To Los Angeles Kings
Gilles Hamel		To Winnipeg Jets
Paul Fenton
December 12, 1988To Los Angeles Kings
Igor Liba
Michael Boyce
Todd Elik
Future considerations		To New York Rangers
Dean Kennedy
Denis Larocque
December 13, 1988To Los Angeles Kings
Cash		To New Jersey Devils
Lyle Phair
January 22, 1989To Los Angeles Kings
Jay Miller
Steve Kasper		To Boston Bruins
Bobby Carpenter
February 3, 1989To Los Angeles Kings
Dean Kennedy		To New York Rangers
4th round pick in 1990 – Cal McGowan
February 22, 1989To Los Angeles Kings
Kelly Hrudey		To New York Islanders
Mark Fitzpatrick
Wayne McBean
Future considerations
March 6, 1989To Los Angeles Kings
Pat Mayer		To Pittsburgh Penguins
Tim Tookey
March 7, 1989To Los Angeles Kings
Alan May
Jim Wiemer		To Edmonton Oilers
Brian Wilks
John English

Free agent signings

June 27, 1988From Winnipeg Jets
Tim Watters
June 29, 1988From Calgary Flames
John Tonelli
July 1, 1988From Granby Bisons (QMJHL)
Frank Breault
July 1, 1988From New Jersey Devils
Steve Richmond

Waivers

October 3, 1988To Edmonton Oilers
Ken Hammond
October 3, 1988From Toronto Maple Leafs
Dale DeGray
October 3, 1988From Buffalo Sabres
Jim Hofford

Playoffs

Smythe Division Semi-finals

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.

DateAwayScoreHomeScore
April 5Edmonton Oilers 4 Los Angeles Kings 3
April 6Edmonton Oilers 2 Los Angeles Kings 5
April 8Los Angeles Kings 0 Edmonton Oilers 4
April 9Los Angeles Kings 3 Edmonton Oilers 4
April 11Edmonton Oilers 2 Los Angeles Kings 4
April 13Los Angeles Kings 4 Edmonton Oilers 1
April 15Edmonton Oilers 3 Los Angeles Kings 6
Los Angeles wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3

Smythe Division Finals

Los Angeles Kings vs. Calgary Flames

DateAwayScoreHomeScoreNotes
April 18Los Angeles Kings 3 Calgary Flames 4(OT)
April 20Los Angeles Kings 3 Calgary Flames 8
April 22Calgary Flames 5 Los Angeles Kings 2
April 24Calgary Flames 5 Los Angeles Kings 3
Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0

Awards and records

References

  1. Web site: 2024-06-20 . LA Kings Unveil Brand Evolution Los Angeles Kings . 2024-08-08 . www.nhl.com . en.
  2. Web site: Stanovich . Austin . 2024-06-20 . Kings Announce Brand Evolution, 'Retire' Old Logo . 2024-08-08 . Los Angeles Kings News, Analysis and More . en.
  3. oilersheritage.com, After the Trade, OilersHeritage.com, Accessed July 13, 2006
  4. Scott Morrison, Wayne Gretzky traded... ...California here he comes, Toronto Sun, August 10, 1988
  5. Terry Jones,, Edmonton Sun, August 12, 1988
  6. Gretzky's Tears, Stephen Brunt, pp.182-183, Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, Toronto, Canada, 2009,
  7. Web site: Hockey Transactions Search Results.
  8. National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 219, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario,

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