1988–89 Los Angeles Kings season

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The Los Angeles Kings season involved the acquisition of Wayne Gretzky. The Kings finished first in scoring during the regular season with 376 goals.

[edit] Offseason

[edit] NHL Draft

See also: 1988 NHL Entry Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team
1	7	Martin Gelinas (LW)	Canada	Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)
2	28	Paul Holden	Canada	London Knights (OHL)

[edit] 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 for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, $15 million in cash, and the Kings' first-round draft picks in 1989 (Jason Soules), 1991 (Tyler Wright), and 1993 (Jason Arnott). "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 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.

[edit] Regular season

LA Kings new logo.

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'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.

[edit] Season standings

[edit] Player stats

[edit] Forwards

Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; AST= Assists; PTS = Points; PIM = Points

[edit] Defencemen

Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; AST= Assists; PTS = Points; PIM = Points

[edit] Goaltending

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

[edit] Playoffs

[edit] Smythe Division Semis

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.

• Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3

[edit] Smythe Division Finals

Los Angeles Kings vs. Calgary Flames

Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0

[edit] Awards and records

• Wayne Gretzky, Hart Trophy
• Wayne Gretzky, Center, NHL Second All-Star Team
• Luc Robitaille, Left Wing, NHL First All-Star Team
• Wayne Gretzky, Club Record, Most Points in One Season (168)
• Bernie Nicholls, Club Record, Most Goals in One Season (76)

[edit] References

• Kings on Hockey Database

1. ^ oilersheritage.com, After the Trade, OilersHeritage.com, Accessed July 13, 2006
2. ^ Scott Morrison, Wayne Gretzky traded... ...California here he comes, Toronto Sun, August 10, 1988
3. ^ Terry Jones, Telling it like it is, Edmonton Sun, August 12, 1988