Recently, the NHL announced the Quarter-Century Team, and surprisingly, of the 25 players announced based on the fan vote, there were no players from the Los Angeles Kings. There is no question the competition was tough, but the fact that no player from a franchise that won two Stanley Cups during this period was able to make the list is surprising.
When looking at the players who took the ice for the Los Angeles Kings since 2000, there are three players that immediately jump to mind that should have made this list, with two of the players still on the roster.
The first is Anze Kopitar who has played 19 seasons for the Kings and was the key players during their Stanley Cup runs. He has played in over 1,450 regular season games with 440 goals and 838 assists and the games played and assists are franchise records.
In the two Stanley Cup runs, Kopitar would lead the NHL in assists and points in those playoffs.
The next player that comes to mind that is a snub on this team is Drew Doughty, who is still on the Kings but was playing his best hockey during their Stanley Cup runs. He has appeared in over 1,200 regular season games and has 160 goals and 526 assists.
During those two playoff runs, he was averaging over 26 minutes of ice time per game and even was tied with Anze Kopitar during their first Stanley Cup run in assists at 12.
While the fans didn't recognize Kopitar or Doughty, both players made the writers at NHL.com's Quarter Century Team.
Jonathan Quick could be the biggest snub of all the Los Angeles Kings
The one player that was forgotten by writers and fans alike has to be Jonathan Quick and the fact that Patrick Roy made this list over him is disappointing. There is no denying that Roy wasn't a great goalie and was one of the best to ever play the position in the NHL.
However, a majority of those accolades came prior to 2000 as he would only play three seasons in this quarter century.
Meanwhile, Quick would play 18 seasons during this time period, including 16 with the Los Angeles Kings. He would have a record of 370-275-82 with the Kings and a save percentage of .911 and a goals against average of 2.46.
Quick would be the Kings' goaltenders in each of their two Stanley Cup victories and had five shutouts in the 46 games during those playoff runs. He would even win the Conn Smythe Trophy in the Kings first Stanley Cup.
If this is truly a Quarter Century team, then Jonathan Quick deserved to make that team over Patrick Roy, who was in the tail end of his career.