Los Angeles Kings Team of the Decade

The holidays are just around the corner, and the New Year is just about a week away, so it seems like time to get into the spirit and post our first “Team of the Decade” for the Los Angeles Kings. Anyone following the Kings this season (especially on this blog) is well aware of the fact that the Kings have really turned things around here at the end of the decade, and look poised to replicate some of their greatest successes of the decade this year. With any luck, this coming decade will be even better for the Kings than the one that’s coming to a close. And honestly, it’s almost impossible to have a worse decade than the 2000’s, so let’s take a glance backward at some of those players that made the team so important to die-hard fans like us.

Goalie – Felix Potvin

Felix is a relatively easy choice for this spot. He leads the Kings goalies over the past decade in games played, wins, goals against average, and shut outs. Having posted a 61-52-25 record over his time with the Kings from 2000-2003, Potvin is perhaps the only keeper the Kings have had this decade where they could feel confident that he will stop what he should, and had a very real chance of stealing games for them. It’s also worth mentioning that Potvin was the goalie of record for the only trips to the playoffs the Kings have enjoyed this decade. Yes. It’s that sad.

Honorable Mention – Jonathan Quick, the only keeper since Potvin that the team has appeared to have any confidence in, he came out of nowhere last season, and if he can build on the start of this year, could be a major reason the Kings are headed to the playoffs for the first time in the last 7 years.

Defense – Lubomir Visnovsky

I debated a number of players at this slot, but I think Lubomir Visnovsky has been the most consistent point producing defensemen on the Kings for the past decade. He played a vital role for the Kings from 2000 through 2008, and has almost double the points of the second highest scoring defenseman of the decade. He’s got 279 points, and Modry, the second highest scoring defenseman has 152. That’s an impressive difference at any position, but we have to give him props for the years he was one of the only bright spots on an otherwise listless, awful team. In addition to his offensive prowess (he actually led the Kings in scoring one year, bonus points to the reader who can identify which year), he was a responsible if unspectacular defensive player. He may not have been quite the shut down defenseman you’d want in that role, but played the part as well as all but a few others.

Defense – Mattias Norstrom

This was one of the toughest choices to make. I contemplated putting Doughty on the list, and certainly it would be arguable that he has been on of the best at his position despite only playing about a year and a half to this point. Having played for the Kings from 2000-2007, Norstrom was a unique player. He was obviously not a scorer like Visnovsky (his 9 goals in 374 games speaks to that fact) but he was the player on the ice against the top scorers on the other team, and was the shut down defenseman that every team so desperately needs. In addition to his role on the ice, Norstrom was the leader of the team during the “dark ages”. He retained the “C” all the way until he left for Dallas, but he will remain a strong memory from a period where the Kings have so very few.

Honorable Mention – Drew Doughty, assuming he remains healthy and sticks with the Kings for a while, there’s virtually no chance he won’t make this list next decade, and in fact has a decent shot of making a “Team of the Decade” for the NHL in the next decade. A player to watch without question.

Center – Anze Kopitar

Another easy choice. If Jason Allison had been able to play for a longer period of time, he might have made a run for this spot, but he couldn’t. Kopitar leads all Centers in goals, assists and points. Despite only having played for the Kings from 2006-2009, he has managed to put up 242 points in 273 games. Perhaps even more indicative of the importance of Kopitar is that his appearance on the NHL represented something of a turning point. Sure Frolov and Brown were importance pieces, and bringing them onto the team was vital to where we’re at now. But Kopitar’s masterful skill and power even as a youngster in his rookie season gave hope to the Kings fans everywhere. His ability to skin a defender, and make some plays that have rarely been seen on Staples Center ice was magical. There’s no question that the decision to lock Kopitar up with a long-term contract was the best move Lombardi has made so far. Perhaps the only thing left to see is how Kopitar is able to elevate his game for the playoffs. Something we’ll hopefully be able to see as soon as this season.

Honorable Mention – None. We haven’t had any other good centers. Jason Allison was talented, but didn’t play for long enough to matter. Screw it.

Honorable Mention – Dustin Brown. Yea, I know he’s not a center, but he deserves to be on this list. Brown has played a similar role to Deadmarsh for the current Kings. Not only has he seemingly embraced his role as captain, but nobody can question his heart. He’s a player that is easy to root for, and it helps that he puts the puck in the net on a fairly regular occasion.

Left Wing – Alexander Frolov

This is an arguable decision. I was certainly tempted to give Luc a shout here, or even Mike Cammalleri, but ultimately they’re both edged by the sheer statistical weight of Frolov’s record this decade. As a member of the Kings from 2002-2009, Frolov has put up 158 goals and 354 points in 490 games. He’s perhaps the most successful player on the Kings never to have appeared in a playoff game. While he gets rightfully blamed for taking the occasional night off, and without question could do more to make a name for himself, there is no legitimate arguing that Frolov isn’t a dominant puck possession force, with the skill to put the puck in the back of the net. Unfortunately some rumors have Frolov departing the Kings as soon as this trade deadline, something that would be a major bummer for the guy, especially if the Kings are legitimately in the hunt to make the playoffs.

Honorable Mention – Luc Robitaille, with nearly identical stats to Cammalleri (95 goals to 93 goals, 210 points to 205 points) this came down to a gut choice. The decision became, Lucky Luc is a King forever. He’s one of the select few to have his jersey retired, and damn if he wasn’t one hell of a player. He also single-handedly made my girlfriend a Kings fan, something for which I will be eternally grateful!

Right Wing – Zimund Palffy

Ziggy was one of the most electrifying players ever to don a Kings jersey. His hands with the puck were truly amazing, and he’s clearly one of the best snipers to have passed through the league, let alone the Kings in the last decade. He’s also the only Right Winger to have played more than one season and averaged more than a point per game, with 307 points in 278 games. He was a central part of the LAPD line that helped lead the Kings to their amazing playoff series win against the Red Wings, and the only member of that line (the others being Jason Allison and Adam Deadmarsh) to have managed to stay (mostly) healthy during his time with the Kings. Not to mention, Ziggy might be one of the best hockey names in history.

Honorable Mention – Adam Deadmarsh, I suppose all that can be said about Deader is what might have been? The player was the essence of a hockey player. He had skills, he had grit, and damn if he didn’t have heart. His inspired play for the Kings from 2000-2003 was cut short by a nagging concussion, which ultimately forced him to retire before his time. Rest assured, he’ll have a place in the hearts of Kings fans forever.

So. Who’d I miss? I’d love to hear your “Team of the Decade” in the comments. Let’s here ’em!