During this time of isolation, we tend to look back as sports fans as to what was and what if.
We need to take our minds off of the now and present with the world in a state of flux and uncertainty.
An interesting topic is the listing of the all-time greats, in this author’s humble opinion, to wear a Los Angeles Kings sweater.
Below is my list, alphabetically by last name.
- Jason Allison
- Rob Blake
- Jeff Carter
- Drew Doughty
- Nelson Emerson
- Alex Frolov
- Wayne Gretzky
- Kelly Hrudey
- Alex Iafallo
- Olli Jokinen
- Anze Kopitar
- Ian Laperriere
- Alec Martinez
- Mattias Nordstrom
- Sean O’Donnell
- Tanner Pearson
- Jonathan Quick
- Luc Robitaille
- Mathieu Schneider
- Dave Taylor
- Garry Unger
- Rogie Vachon
- Juha Widing
- Vitaly Yachmenev
- And, lastly, Alexei Zhitnik.
These players wore the Kings’ sweater proudly and represented the organization very well. Some were obvious stars, some flew under the radar. However, they gave their all to have a chance to raise Lord Stanley. Some of these players had Hall of Fame careers, while others contributed with important and timely plays or scoring key goals while with the Kings.
The players listed above were not only some of the best in hockey to play in Los Angeles.
A few are represented in the Hockey Hall of Fame for their accomplishments. Some are forever in the hearts of Kings fans.
Either way, they paved their way into hockey immortality with their play. Players like Wayne Gretzky made their mark in the NHL before Los Angeles. However, if it were not for Gretzky the city of Los Angeles might not have made their mark in the NHL.
Who would you have replaced (if any) and who would you have replaced them with?
Featured Image: Sheng Peng/NHL.com
