Los Angeles Kings retired jerseys: A deep look in franchise history
How many players with the Los Angeles Kings had their numbers retired?
Over the history of the Los Angeles Kings, they have had a number of great players be part of their franchise. However, there are some that have stood out more than others and the franchise has recognized them by retiring their number.
In total, seven numbers have been retired, and it wouldn't be surprising if two more are retired in the future. Those numbers belonged to Jonathan Quick (32) and current Kings captain Anze Kopitar (11).
While both players are going to have to wait, let's take a look at the seven numbers that have been retired and the players who wore those numbers in numerical order.
Los Angeles Kings retired jerseys: A deep look in franchise history
Rob Blake (4)
While he may not be as beloved now as current general manager, as a player Rob Blake was one of the best for the Los Angeles Kings. He was a fourth-round pick by the Kings in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft and played 14 seasons over two separate stints.
Blake would become a starter in the 1990-91 season and remained in that role until the 2000-2001 season when the Kings traded him to the Colorado Avalanche. After a little over four seasons, Blake returned to the Kings before the 2006-07 season and played two seasons before finishing his career with the San Jose Sharks.
In the 14 seasons, Blake would be named first-team All-Rookie in 1990-91, the All-Stars twice and won the Norris Award in 1997-98.
Marcel Dionne (16)
The Los Angeles Kings would trade for Marcel Dionne in 1975 and was one of the best trades they have made. He would play 12 seasons with the Kings in 921 games with 550 goals and 757 assists, a franchise record that stood until this past season when Anze Kopitar passed the total.
In the 12 seasons, he won the Pearson Award (which is now the Ted Lindsay Award) in back-to-back seasons in 1978-79 and 1979-80. He also won the Ross Award in 1979-1980 after he led the NHL with 137 points.
Dave Taylor (18)
Dave Taylor would play all 17 years of his NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings after they drafted him in the 15th round of the 1975 NHL Draft. He would play 1,111 games over before calling it a career after the 1993-94 season, which is pretty remarkable for a player drafted so late in the NHL Draft.
In his career, he would score 638 goals with a season high of 47 during the 1980-81 season, 638 assists with a season high of 67 in the 1981-82 season. Those would also be the only two seasons in his career where he registered over 100 points.
Taylor would also serve as captain over four seasons from 1985-6 through the 1988-89 season. After he called it a career, he also ended up in the front office as general manager similarly to Rob Blake.
Luc Robitaille (20)
Another great, late-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Kings was in 1984 when they selected Luc Robitaille in the ninth round. He would make his first appearance in the 1986-87 season and made an immediate impact with 45 goals and 39 assists while winning the Calder Award, which goes to the best rookie that season.
He would play his first eight seasons in the NHL for the Kings and after stops with the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, Robitaille returned to the Kings before the 1997-98 season for four seasons. Robitaille would end his career with the Kings after the 2005-06 season. In total, he played in 1,077 games and had 557 goals, 597 assists, and 1,154 points.
Dustin Brown (23)
The most recent number to be retired belonged to Dustin Brown, who was the first round pick of the Kings in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He would play 18 seasons in the NHL, all with the Kings, and win two Stanley Cups as well as the Messier Award during the 2012-2013 season.
Brown was captain for the Kings during those Stanley Cup years and was captain from 2008-09 season through the 2015-16 season. It would be Anze Kopitar who would replace him as captain, and has been in that role ever since.
In total, Brown played in 1,296 games (which was a franchise record up until last year when Kopitar surpassed that total) with 325 goals and 387 assists.
Rogie Vachon (30)
The only goalie to have his number retired (for now) by the Los Angeles Kings is Rogie Vachon. The Kings would trade for Vachon during the 1971-72 season and he would play seven seasons with the Kings in 389 games.
During this period, Vachon had 171 wins and 32 shutouts with a save percentage of .901 and a goals against average of 2.86. The best season of his career was arguably in 1974-75 when he led the league in save percentage at .927.
Wayne Gretzky (99)
The final player who had his number retired by the Los Angeles Kings is Wayne Gretzky, however his number has been retired across the entire NHL. When someone has the nickname "The Great One", he is certainly not short on accomplishments.
During his eight seasons with the Kings, he would have 246 goals, 672 assists and 918 points. In five of those seasons, he led the league in assists and in three of them led the league in points. While he didn't score at nearly the same rate as he did with the Edmonton Oilers, he still had three seasons with 40 or more goals.
feed