A good upset in professional sports is unlikely and rare, but it does occur from time to time. The 8th seed Los Angeles Kings went into the 2001 playoffs as an underdog, but felt confident facing the second seeded Detroit Red Wings. The series would not be as most people predicted as the games were not that far out of reach as most people would have thought. The games were close and hard hitting, something that is common during the playoffs. The Wings, to some, looked past the Kings because they were the 8th seed, but that was a big mistake.
Coming in the 8th seed I was just hoping for a good, long series, which it was. However, I could not have predicted what the outcome would be. The Kings were down in the series early 2-0 and I did not count my Kings out. They came back, eventually dethroning the Wings 4 games to 2. The series would conclude on Adam Deadmarsh’s game winning, series ending goal in OT of game 6. I was not only proud of this team but happy at what they had just accomplished. They did something that no one saw coming and did the unthinkable. Andy Murray led this group to believing in themselves and that carried on through that hard fought series. The Kings also fought hard the next series, but eventually losing in 7 games to the Colorado Avalanche.
The Kings in recent memory have never given up and that is one reason why I love this team. Regardless of the score or their record this team has no quit in them. That moment against the Wings propelled them into fans thinking they can do the impossible. This moment is #4 on my list of favorite Kings moments, right behind the Gretzky trade and the 2 Stanley Cups.
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