Everyone loves a good celebration, so whether you are cutting your own cake or wishing friends and family a happy birthday today, here are a few LA Kings players, past and present, who were also born on this day.
Viktor Arvidsson – 1993 (30)
Skelleftea, Sweden – LA Kings Left Wing (2021 – Present)
This season Viktor Arvidsson suited up for his 100th game with the LA Kings since joining the team at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline. After spending seven seasons with the Nashville Predators, he brought his goal-scoring abilities, two 30-goal campaigns, to the west coast. Additionally, he hasn’t disappointed with back-to-back 20-goal seasons and remains five goals away from hitting 30 again in the final days of 2022-23.
Throughout his career, which is now at 525 games, Arvidsson has scored 343 points on 172 goals and 171 assists, showcasing his ability to distribute offense evenly. Whether finding the back of the net himself or dishing off to teammates for the goal, he’s an elite talent in the offensive zone. Surprisingly, Arvidsson has already collected 105 points in 141 games in LA, thanks to 45 goals and 59 helpers.
Marco Baron – 1959 (64)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada – LA Kings Goaltender (1983 – 1984)
Marco Baron was a fifth-round pick of the Boston Bruins in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, who made his first appearance between the pipes on Jan. 19, 1981, in a loss to the St. Louis Blues. Although he didn’t see much action in his first two seasons, 11 games, Baron secured a 22-16-4 record in 1981-82 in 44 games. Immediately following that season, he reverted to just nine appearances in 1982-83 before the Bruins traded him to LA on Jan. 3, 1984, for Bob LaForest.
Baron made his Kings debut on Jan. 7, 1984, picking up a win against the Calgary Flames. Unfortunately, he would only win two more games that year to finish with a 3-14-4 record. Eventually, LA let him go as a free agent, and he finished his career with the Edmonton Oilers, where he picked up another loss in his only appearance.
Jacques Lemieux – 1943 (80)
Matan, Quebec, Canada – LA Kings Defenseman (1967 – 1970)
The LA Kings drafted Jacques Lemieux from the Montreal Canadiens in the 1967 Expansion draft as the 85th pick. During the franchise’s first game, on Oct. 14, 1967, against the Philadelphia Flyers, Lemieux made his debut. After 16 games, he collected just three points and didn’t play another professional game that year after Nov. 19, 1967.
Even though he disappeared from the game briefly, Lemieux bounced between the AHL and WHL in 1968-69; he returned to the Kings for a brief three-game stint in 1969-70, picking up an assist. After 19 games in the NHL, he never played again and finished his career with four points.