1988–89 Los Angeles Kings season

NHLTeamSeason
Season=1988–89
Team=Los Angeles Kings
Conference=Clarence Campbell
ConferenceRank=2nd
Division=Smythe
DivisionRank=2nd
Record=42–31–7
HomeRecord=25–12–3
RoadRecord=17–19–4
GoalsFor=376
GoalsAgainst=335
GeneralManager=Rogatien Vachon
Coach=Robbie Ftorek
Captain=Dave Taylor
AltCaptain=Wayne Gretzky
"Unknown"
Arena=Great Western Forum
Attendance=
GoalsLeader=Bernie Nicholls (70)
AssistsLeader=Wayne Gretzky (114)
PointsLeader=Wayne Gretzky (168)
PIMLeader=Marty McSorley (350)
WinsLeader=Glenn Healy (25)
GAALeader=Kelly Hrudey (2.90)

The 1988-89 Los Angeles Kings season 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 upset the Oilers, Gretzky's former team, in seven games in the Smythe Division Semifinals 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 1998-99 season. In the offseason, 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 NBA's Los Angeles Lakers. They had also unveiled a new logo, reflecting the new team colours, which is shown below.

Offseason

NHL Draft

November

February

Player stats

Forwards

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

Playoffs

mythe 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"

mythe Division Finals

Los Angeles Kings vs. Calgary Flames"Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0"

Awards and records

* Wayne Gretzky, Hart Trophy
* Wayne Gretzky, Center, NHL Second All-Star Team
* Wayne Gretzky, All-Star Game MVP [National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 219, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5]
* 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)

References

* [http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0000401989.html Kings on Hockey Database]