Celebrating LA Kings Birthdays – April 10

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.

Sean Avery – 1980 (43)

Pickering, Ontario, Canada – LA Kings Center (2002 – 2007)

Sean Avery was an undrafted prospect playing in the OHL when the Detroit Red Wings signed him to a professional contract in 1999. After making his debut during the 2001-02 season, he suited up for 75 games with the organization before they sent him to LA in a trade for Mathieu Schneider on March 11, 2003.

Avery spent four years with the Kings, leading the league in penalty minutes in the 2003-04 (261) and 2005-06 (257) seasons while scoring 99 points in 218 games. Although he never cracked 20 goals in a season, he reached 18 during 2006-07, splitting time between LA and the New York Rangers, where he finished the season after a trade on Feb. 5, 2007. After ten seasons, Avery scored 247 points and collected 1,533 penalty minutes.

Rob Brown – 1968 (55)

Kingston, Ontario, Canada – LA Kings Right Wing (1994 – 1995)

Rob Brown spent 11 seasons in the NHL, suiting up for 543 games with five different franchises; however, he’ll most likely be remembered for his tenures with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Initially, the Penguins drafted Brown in the fourth round (67th overall) in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft, and he cracked the lineup in 1987-89. Interestingly, his best season came in 1989-90 as Mario Lemieux’s wingman, posting 49 goals and 115 points.

Unfortunately, Brown was traded before the club won back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992, landing with the Hartford Whalers and eventually the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars. Then, as a free agent in 1994, he signed with the Kings but only appeared in two games while spending the season in the IHL before returning to the Penguins in 1997-98. After 11 seasons, he departed the NHL and finished his professional hockey career in the AHL in 2002-03.

Donald Dufresne- 1967 (56)

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada – LA Kings Defenseman (1993 – 1994)

The Montreal Canadiens selected Donald Dufresne in the sixth round (117th overall) in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, who eventually debuted during the 1988-89 season, appearing in 13 games. During his five seasons with the Canadiens, Dufresne was a 1993 Stanley Cup-winning team member before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning just days later on June 18, 1993.

After a brief stint with the Lightning (51 games), Dufresne made his way to the Kings through a trade on March 19, 1994, where he played in just nine games in black and silver. Eventually, the St. Louis Blues claimed him off waivers before another trade sent him to the Edmonton Oilers, where he finished his NHL journey in 1996-97.

Dion Phaneuf – 1985 (38)

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – LA Kings Defenseman (2017 – 2019)

Dion Phaneuf was a first-round pick (9th overall) by the Calgary Flames in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He made his highly anticipated debut during the 2005-06 season, earning All-Rookie Honors and finishing in the top three in Calder Trophy voting. After five years in southern Alberta, he was traded to the Maple Leafs, where he eventually became team captain.

Although the Maple Leafs didn’t succeed during his tenure, Phaneuf was traded again to the Ottawa Senators, where he would patrol the blueline for 154 games over three seasons. Eventually, the Sens moved on from the veteran sending him to Los Angeles on Feb. 14, 2018, where he played 93 games in two seasons before officially retiring in 2021.

Steve Seguin – 1964 (59)

Cornwall, Ontario, Canada – LA Kings Forward (1984 – 1985)

Steve Seguin became a member of the LA Kings in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft as a third-round pick (48th overall). After collecting 106 points with the Peterborough Petes in the OHL during the 1983-84 season, Seguin made his NHL the following season playing in five games while spending the bulk of the year in the AHL.

Seguin bounced around several AHL franchises finishing his professional career in 1987-88 as a member of the Baltimore Skipjacks.