All-Time Teams: Kings

Today's team is the first southern squad to win multiple Stanley Cups. Here's the All-Time roster for the Los Angeles Kings:

The Kings were kings in 2012 and 2014, defeating tri-state teams in New Jersey and New York respectively. Los Angeles was the first warm-weather city to host the final in 1993, when Montreal beat L.A. in five games.

1st Line

Left Wing - Luc Robitaille L.A.'s all-time leader in goals with 557, Luc Robitaille is "lucky" 13th in NHL history with 668 goals. The Hall of Fame sniper scored over 50 goals in a season twice and set a career high with 63 markers in 1992-93. Robitaille received the Calder trophy in 1987 and raised the Stanley Cup with the 2002 Red Wings. He's second in total points for the Kings with 1,154 and his career point total of 1,394 is 22nd in NHL history. Not bad for a 9th round pick who the Kings selected five rounds after taking Tom Glavine. 

Center - Marcel Dionne The Kings' career leader in assists and points, Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne centered the team's "Triple Crown" line. The second overall pick in the 1971 draft, Dionne is sixth in NHL history with 1,771 total points and fifth all time with 731 goals. He led the NHL in scoring with 137 points in 1980-81.

Right Wing - Dave Taylor A three-time 40-goal scorer, Dave Taylor thrived on the "Triple Crown" line, totaling the third most career goals, assists, and points in Kings history. L.A.'s all-time leader in plus/minus with +186, Taylor played 17 years and 1,111 games for the Kings - the second highest total in team history. He won the Clancy and Masterton awards in 1991 and captained the team from 1985 to 1989.

2nd Line

Left Wing - Charlie Simmer A two-time 56-goal scorer, Charlie Simmer is the Kings' all-time leader with a 23% shooting percentage and is second only to his Triple Crown linemate Marcel Dionne in goals per game. Simmer's 222 career markers for Los Angeles are ninth in team annals, and his 1.21 points per game average for the team is the highest mark among non-centers. 

Center - Anze Kopitar The second most famous Slovenian in North America, Anze Kopitar  has won two Stanley Cups, two Selke trophies, and a Lady Byng trophy in his first 14 NHL seasons. The Kings' current captain, "Kopi" ranks fourth in franchise history in games played, goals, assists, and points. He's third in Kings' annals with 53 game-winning goals. 

Right Wing - Ziggy Palffy Palffy played a near-even amount of games for the Kings and Islanders and scored a near-even amount of goals per game for both teams. The Slovak star had better points per game, point shares, and plus/minus rating in L.A. (and the Isles have slightly more depth) so I've assigned him here. His +85 rating is third in Kings history and only four players are ahead of him on the team's points per game list.

3rd Line

Left Wing - Alex Frolov The Kings' first round pick in the 2000 draft, Alex Frolov is third among L.A. left wings in goals and points despite playing just seven seasons for the franchise. The two-time 30-goal scorer potted his points at a much tougher time than many of his all-time teammates, resulting in the Kings' tenth highest era-adjusted goals total in team history.

Center - Bernie Nicholls The Kings' single-season record holder with 70 goals in 1988-89, Bernie Nicholls also holds the Kings career mark for short-handed tallies with 25. Playing behind Marcel Dionne and later Wayne Gretzky boosted Bernie's production; they're the only two players ahead of him on the Kings career points per game list. The three-time All-Star is behind Anze Kopitar on this roster in part because his 758 points for the Kings (6th in team history) shrinks to 615 when adjusted for the era in which he played.

Right Wing - Dustin Brown A two-time Stanley Cup champion and the longest serving captain in Kings history, Dustin Brown enters his 17th season with the team that drafted him 13th overall in 2003. Brown leads the franchise in games played with 1,183 and his 299 goals are sixth among Kings.

4th Line

Left Wing - Jim Fox A three-time 30-goal scorer, Fox is ninth in Kings' history with 147 even-strength tallies and he played a primary role in the "Miracle on Manchester" team that upset the Oilers in 1982.  Both Fox and Mike Murphy played right wing but I'm moving Fox over to the left side on this line rather than sending him to the press box - a place he's quite familiar with as a longtime broadcaster.

Center - Butch Goring A star two-way center for L.A. throughout he 1970s, Butch Goring was shipped to Long Island in a 1980 trade that kick-started the Islanders' early '80s dynasty. Goring scored 30 or more goals for the Kings in four consecutive seasons, won the Lady Byng trophy in 1978 after committing a single minor penalty in 80 games, and currently sits in seventh place on the team's career goal- and point-scoring lists.

Right Wing - Mike Murphy An NHL All-Star in 1980, Murphy is tenth in Kings history with 194 assists and only ten players appeared in more games for the franchise. He's tied with Goring for second place among short-handed goal scorers for the Kings with 19 and the two are tied for eighth in franchise annals with 28 game-winning goals.

 

Spares - Jeff Carter, Bob Berry

Carter enters his 16th NHL season 18 goals shy of 400. His 186 goals for Los Angeles are 12th in team history, and his 25 playoff points for the 2014 Stanley Cup champion Kings were one shy of Kopitar's league lead. The Flyers' first round pick in 2003 averaged more goals per game in Philadelphia but they've got more forward depth. Berry is fourth among Kings left wings with 350 points. The two-time All-Star coached the Kings after his playing career ended and is credited with forming the "Triple Crown" line.

Defense Pair 1

Drew Doughty - Rob Blake

Drew Doughty leads all L.A. blueliners in point shares and his 102.8 total over 12 seasons is fifth in franchise history. Only six Kings have accumulated more assists than the 2016 Norris trophy winner and two-time Stanley Cup champion. Like Doughty, Rob Blake played in four All-Star games, won a Norris trophy, and has his name on the Stanley Cup. The Hall of Famer ranks in the Kings' all-time top ten in games played (8th), penalty minutes (4th), assists (10th) and points (10th).

Defense Pair 2

Steve Duchesne - Jake Muzzin

Duchesne is third among Kings defensmen in scoring, and averaged 0.71 points per game over his seven seasons in SoCal. Only Simmer and Palffy produced more points for the Kings in fewer games than Duchesne's 315 in 442 contests. He ended his 16-year career as a champion with the 2002 Red Wings. Muzzin is sixth among Kings blueliners with 27.9 defensive point shares and produced more offense than three of the five players ahead of him. The three-time 40-point scorer is now a member of the Maple Leafs.

 

Defense Pair 3

Lubomir Visnovsky - Mattias Norstrom

It was a very thin line between Duchesne and Visnovsky, who posted nearly as many points in seven seasons than Steve did in six. The Slovak star earned 47.2 point shares in the early 2000s, and totaled 50 assists in a season twice. Norstrom was purely a stay-at-home rearguard, earning the second highest DPS in team history. L.A's captain from 2001 to 2007, Norstrom scored just 14 goals over his 11 seasons with the Kings.

 

Spare - Alec Martinez

Alec Martinez is fourth in Kings annals - and third among defensemen - with 31.5 point shares. The two-time Cup winner earned the seventh spot on this roster over Marty McSorley, who scored slightly more frequently and fought a lot more. Martinez is now a member of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Goalies

Starter - Jonathan Quick

Backup - Rogie Vachon

Milford, Connecticut's favorite son, Jonathan Quick is the Kings' franchise leader in wins, shutouts, and save percentage. The two-time Jennings award winner was named playoff MVP for the first of L.A's. two titles in 2012. He led the league in shutouts that season with 10, and posted a career-best 1.95 goals against average. Vachon won two Cups with the Canadiens early in his career, before a 1971 trade to Los Angeles. The Hall of Fame netminder is second to Quick in wins and shutouts, and his era-adjusted goals against average of 2.63 is tops in team annals.

Head Coach: Darryl Sutter  Captain: Dustin Brown

Darryl Sutter and Andy Murray (not the tennis player) are the only two Kings coaches to serve six seasons and more than 400 games with the team. Sutter has the highest regular season and postseason winning percentage in franchise history, and directed the team's two Stanley Cup winners.

I hope you'll join us tomorrow for our next All-Time Team, the Minnesota Wild.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

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Sports Card Tour 2018 - Sacramento

The Collector's Sports Card Tour kicks off our final month in California's capital. Today we're in Sacramento, home of the NBA's Kings.

The Kings have an NBA championship in their history, but it's waaaay back in 1951 when they were the Rochester Royals. In the sixty-seven seasons since, the franchise has moved from Rochester to Cincinnati to Kansas City (and Omaha?) to Sacramento.. and nearly to Seattle.

Former NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson never played for the Kings but he was instrumental in making sure the franchise stayed put - as mayor of Sacramento. (If only Hartford or Atlanta had a former NHL All-Star as mayor.)

Hall of Famer Mitch Richmond is arguably the greatest player in Sacramento Kings history. My best friend at the time was a big fan; he called Richmond "Mitch the Bitch" but he meant it as a compliment. (Sorta like saying "that guy is a mother f*cker!") All of my Richmond Kings cards are part of subsets - my favorite of these is the Arco Arena art.

Wayman Tisdale was one of those small-market stars I was drawn to, based largely on the back of his trading cards. I don't think I ever saw him play - Sacramento never made the playoffs with Wayman, and I didn't watch any west-coast regular-season games as a tween - but I remember pulling for him to make the All-Star team (he never did.)

Familiar names in a not-so-familiar uniform. I never thought of any of these guys as true powder blue Kings - Del Negro was a Spur, Ainge was a Celtic, Kenny "the Jet" was a Rocket, and Spud was a Hawk. If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will let me know ;-)

Ralph Sampson is in my stars/HOFers box but I didn't add him to my Basketball Stars Master List. I almost bought a Bobby Hurley jersey in a sporting goods store, when the Kings switched to black-and-purple uniforms. Wasn't enough of a Hurley fan to buy one though (maybe if Wayman Tisdale was still on the team..) The Upper Deck Hurley is the newest Kings card in my collection - courtesy of Brad's box.

The Kings' most memorable season was 2001-02, when they lost to the Lakers in a heartbreaking seven-game Western Conference Finals series. Chris Webber might be a Hall of Famer had that series turned out differently. I don't have any Vlade Divac Kings cards and only one Peja Stojakovic. Mike Bibby is looking jacked lately.

Now I remember why I stopped watching basketball.

Some of my best base cards (The Mikki Moore UD is my favorite.) Tariq Abdul-Wahad (born Olivier St-Jean) was the first French player in the NBA. Jason "White Chocolate" Williams was a high school teammate of NFL legend Randy Moss.

How do you classify cards such as these...

I've seen a couple of you go by the logo (e.g. Robinson is a Rockets card, Curry is a Mavericks card) but I go by the photo. These are Kings cards in my book. Literally.

 

Same for this Patrick Ewing Jr. card. It says Rockets..but I see Kings. The Ricky Minard Chrome caused a different problem. I got it in a repack and initially thought it was an Orlando Magic card for some reason. Guess that Summer League jersey threw me off.

I don't know anything about these two players.. I just wanted to point out that the Garcia card has Stadium Club-quality gloss on the front and a junk wax-era Donruss feel on the back. Also, the photo looks much clearer on the lower-quality Hoops card.

DeMarcus Cousins was traded to New Orleans in 2017 after 6 1/2 tumultuous seasons in Sacto. "Boogie" is a beast when his head's screwed on straight - but he has yet to play a postseason game.

My best Kings card is this Ben McLemore Rebounds parallel. I bought this and two other '15-16 Donruss parallels on COMC last March. It's the lowest numbered (#/29) and most expensive (95 cents) of the three. (The others were Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Michael Carter-Williams - both 55 cents)

That's it for the Kings portion of this post... but did you know that Sacramento had another pro sports team? (I'm not talking about the minor-league River Cats, though I wish I could.)

The Sacramento Surge won the World Bowl in 1992, the second and final year of the World League's existence. I had a bunch of Pro Set WLAF cards in my collection back in 1991 but this is one of only three that I've held on to. Probably because it reminds me of the soft drink.

I've heard that Surge is back on the market but I haven't found it yet. Has anyone tried it? How does it compare to Mountain Dew?

One final note about the Sacramento football team..they didn't have any recognizable names in 1991, but that 1992 championship squad boasted big names like ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Sinclair, and this guy:
 

source

I couldn't find a photo of pro wrestling superstar Bill Goldberg wearing this jersey - and both card companies that produced WLAF sets overlooked him. Bummer. That would have been a killer card.



Favorite Kings player (all-time): Wayman Tisdale
Favorite Kings player (current): Buddy Hield

Next tour stop: meet me in St. Louis 


Thanks for reading! And Happy Canada day to my northern readers!


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Sports Card Tour 2018 - Los Angeles II

Buenos dias, mis amigos! We're celebrating Cinco de Mayo weekend in the City of Angels. 

If I packed all of L.A.'s sports teams into one post it would be almost as long as an unproduced screenplay. Which is why I gave the Dodgers their own post. That only leaves:

the Rams - Most of my Rams cards are from their 20+ seasons in St. Louis
the Chargers - You'll see these in my San Diego post. I don't think I have any from L.A.
the Clippers - That won't take long. I don't have a lot of Clippers cards.
the Lakers and the Kings. 

So this post will be about as long as a three-team city. That's not so bad, right?

There are all the Rams cards I have from their return to L.A. (I just bought a football repack box so you'll see some new NFL cards soon). Goff and Gurley are in my star box. Maybe Donald should be, too. Jared's dad Jerry Goff was a major league baseball catcher.

Some of my original Rams cards. I'll never forget a pro tip from Flipper Anderson in an issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids. He said the best way to catch a football is to make a triangle with your hands. Deacon Jones was a major reason why sacks became an official stat; I don't know exactly how good he was because there's no tally of his total.

My wife was a big Jim Everett fan back in the day. She had his jersey and a copy of a GQ magazine with Jim on the cover. She also had a few Everett cards. Don't call him Chris!

I mentioned in my Indianapolis post that I had a few more Eric Dickerson cards in my collection.

This Immaculate relic is one of my favorite football cards. These are numbered to the player's uniform number (#29 for Dickerson) I bought this on COMC, where I foolishly passed on a Steve Largent from this set.

Uhh..guys, I just realized something. That is not the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It appears that these Rams cards should have been grouped under Anaheim. The Collector regrets this error.

Guess that means I should include Los Angeles Raiders cards in this post.

If I remember right, Dickerson was in Packers camp at the end of his career - but he didn't have anything left in the tank and retired.

I am this close to starting the 1986 Topps football set. Maybe next year..if I get a better job and/or finish a few other projects.

Hall of Fame Raiders. 1993 Fleer Ultra is a sharp looking card set. 1991 Fleer.. not so much.

The Raiders only won a single Super Bowl in L.A. (after the 1983 season) but their swagger and sleek color scheme was a hit with kids across the country, thanks in part to hip-hop icons N.W.A.

The Los Angles Kings also wore silver and black in the late '80s and early '90s, ditching these purple-and-gold unis when Wayne Gretzky arrived in 1988.

I've never owned a copy of this "sweater" card from 1988-89 Topps. The Gretky cards I do have (including Kings issues) were featured in my 99th Post.

Luc Robitaille's wife > Wayne Gretzky's wife. (they don't call him "Lucky Luc" for nothin')


The Kings never won a Stanley Cup with Gretzky and/or Robitaille. Their first championship came in 2012, when they were the 8th-seed in the Western Conference.

Unfortunately they defeated my New Jersey Devils in six games. No one expected Jersey to get that far, and having home ice against an 8th seed should have been an advantage.

Jonathan Quick was a brick wall that series. Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk & co. could only manage seven goals against him in six games. I was so crushed that the Devils lost to L.A. The only silver lining for me was that Quick is from Milford, CT - which is right next to my hometown (the card show I went to in March was in Milford.)

The city even honored him with a "Jonathan Quick Day" which of course I missed because I live in NJ now. Also my daughter wad born during that series; we watched Game 3 from our hospital room.

Martin Jones was Quick's backup on the Kings' second Cup-winning team in 2014. He's now the number one netminder in San Jose.

Kings captain Anze Kopitar is a finalist for the Hart Trophy as NHL's MVP. The world's most famous Slovenian had a career year in '17-18 but he's facing some tough competition from Devils winger Taylor Hall. 

I don't necessarily collect Kopi cards but this Prime patch was too good to pass up when I saw it on COMC. 

This Drew Doughty jersey card came from Wes/JBF, as part of his Holiday gift-a-thon that also included an autographed Lenny Moore helmet. (Damn, that man is generous!)


No Los Angeles-based team has more championships than the Lakers. The 16 Championships won by the purple-and gold are more than all the other Los Angeles sports franchises combined. 

I probably have more Lakers cards in my collection than any other NBA team, because they've had so many great players over the years. 

The first issue of Sports Illustrated I ever saw was this cover with Karem Abdul-Jabbar.

I must be a warlock. Either that or I cracked the code on sports somehow. When Kobe was about to play his first game in Denver since the rape allegations, sports talk radio was all in a tizzy, thinking he'd be distracted and whatnot. I told my best friend at the time that they're all overreacting - Kobe would score 31 points and the Lakers would win.

My friend was amazed later that night when he watched SportsCenter and saw that Kobe scored exactly 31 points and the Lakers won. Spoooky.

I must have been too young to take sides in the Lakers-Celtics rivalry because I liked Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. I remember watching his HIV/retirement announcement and feeling all but certain that he was going to die within five years.

1988-89 Fleer basketball is another set I'm planning to build - but I'm not sure if I should get graded copies, ungraded, or a combination of the two.

These two Travis Knight rookie were among the very few cards I saved after purging 90% of my basketball card collection. (I saved 'em cause he's a UConn alum.) One of the cards I used to have was this Kobe Bryant SP rookie card:

When I bought my LeBron James Topps Chrome RC I had actually been shopping for a Kobe Chrome RC. But they're soooo expensive and tough to find well-centered. I had to settle for another copy of the SP RC. Much easier on my wallet.

 

You'll see more Pau Gasol in my next post. Memphis will be our shortest stop yet.

Last but least.. the Clippers.

The Clippers' history pales in comparison to their co-tenants at the Staples Center. The franchise has never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs, and they have never had any all-time great players like the Lakers have.

Chris Paul might be the best player in Clippers history (no wonder why David Stern sent him there.) These are the only six Clippers cards in my star player box..

And these are the best 'hits' in my Clippers collection, including a DeAndre Jordan insert I pulled from a pack of bargain-priced Panini Complete. I definitely need better Clippers.

Before we leave Hollywood, we've got to include at least one celebrity. I've mentioned Taryn Southern and Katherine McNamara more than enough; y'all probably don't even know who they are. 

So here's a name you're likely more familiar with - Transformers star and Rams fan Megan Fox:

Favorite Rams player: Aaron Donald or Cooper Kupp

Favorite Clippers player: DeAndre Jordan

Favorite Lakers player: Brook Lopez

Favorite Kings player: Jonathan Quick


Next tour stop: Memphis (contest time!)


Thanks for reading!


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