Los Angeles Kings President and General Manager Dean Lombardi has been named Los Angeles’s 2014 Sports Executive of the Year.
The Los Angeles Sports Council, a private non-profit organization, chose Lombardi for management that led to the second Stanley Cup in Kings franchise history. It was also the second Stanley Cup in three years for the Kings.
The Los Angeles Sports Council supports economic and community development through sports programs in Los Angeles and Orange County. Other teams in the local area include: the Los Angeles Dodgers, L.A. Angels, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Galaxy, Los Angeles Lakers, L.A. Sparks, and one of the Kings hated rivals, the Anaheim Ducks.
Jun 16, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi speaks a rally to celebrate winning the 2014 Stanley Cup at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The L.A. Sports Council also supports local universities: Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, Loyala Marymount, Pepperdine University, University of California Irvine, University of Southern California, and University of California Los Angeles.
All pro and scolastic sports programs are eligible for awards.
Winners are awarded annually, to celebrate the greatest moments of Los Angeles and Orange County sports from the previous year.
Dean Lombardi has been the Kings GM since April of 2006. Entering his ninth year as the Kings President and GM, Lombardi is receiving his first Executive of the Year award.
Lombardi has cemented his place in hockey histroy; as a winner, a keen spotter of talent, and a swift and shrewd executor of trades.
Lombardi is best known for drafting current Kings players: Trevor Lewis, Slava Voynov, Alec Martinez, and his most prized and polished draft gem, Drew Doughty.
Lombardi was also behind the mega-trades that brought Mike Richards from the Philadelphia Flyers and Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Both players help the Kings capture their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, the same year they arrived in Los Angeles.
In 2014, Lombardi made another big splash acquiring star forward Marian Gaborik at the trade deadline. In the end Gaborik led the NHL with 14 playoff goals, earning his first and the Kings second Stanley Cup.
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Previous winners of the Executive of the Year honor are: Stan Kastan (2013) – L.A. Dodgers, Tim Leiweke (2012) – AEG, Arte Moreno (2011) – L.A. Angels, Leiweke (2010) – AEG, Jerry Buss (2009) – L.A. Lakers, Mitch Kupchak (2008) – L.A. Lakers, Brian Burke (2007) – Anaheim Ducks, Ned Colletti (2006) – L.A. Lakers / Brian Burke (2006) – Anaheim Ducks, Moreno (2005) – L.A. Angels.
The awards dinner and gala will feature some of the athletes and coaches from Southern California. The ceremony features the presentation of the Sportsman, Sportswoman, Coach of the Year awards, and a countdown of Top Ten Best Moments.
Next: Los Angeles Kings Lose To The New York Rangers, Unlike Their Performance In The Stanley Cup
Jun 16, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi at a rally to celebrate winning the 2014 Stanley Cup at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports