1988–89 Los Angeles Kings season

Offseason

NHL draft

Wayne Gretzky trade

On August 9, 1988, in a move that drastically changed the dynamics of the NHL, the Oilers traded Gretzky (along with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski) to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, $15 million in cash and the Kings' first-round draft picks in 1989 (Jason Miller), 1991 (Martin Rucinsky) and 1993 (Nick Stajduhar). "The Trade", as it came to be known, upset Canadians to the extent that New Democratic Party House Leader Nelson Riis demanded that the government block it and Peter Pocklington was burned in effigy. Gretzky himself was considered a "traitor" by some Canadians for turning his back on his adopted hometown, his home province and his home country; his motivation was widely rumoured to be the furtherance of his wife's acting career. Others believe it was Pocklington who instigated the trade, seeking to benefit personally from the transaction.

Regular season

On October 6, 1988, Wayne Gretzky made his debut as a member of the Los Angeles Kings in a game against the Detroit Red Wings. Gretzky scored on his first shot, and contributed 3 assists in an 8–2 victory. In Gretzky's first season with the Kings, he led the team in scoring with 168 points on 54 goals and 114 assists, and won his ninth Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player. He led the Kings to a second-place finish in the Smythe Division with a 42–31–7 record (91 points), and they ranked fourth in the NHL overall.

Gretzky recorded at least one point in all forty regular season home games, as well as the Kings' six home playoff games. No other NHL player has ever accomplished such a feat under a schedule of seventy games or more.

Gretzky's first season in Los Angeles saw a marked increase in attendance and fan interest in a city not previously known for following hockey. The Kings, who then played their home games at the Great Western Forum, named Gretzky their captain (a position he held until his trade to St. Louis in 1996) and boasted numerous sellouts on their way to reaching the 1989 playoffs.

• December 1, 1988: Bernie Nicholls had an eight-point game versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

|- | 1 || October 6 || Detroit || 2 – 8 || Los Angeles || || 1–0–0 || 2 |- | 2 || October 8 || Calgary || 5 – 6 || Los Angeles || OT || 2–0–0 || 4 |- | 3 || October 9 || N.Y. Islanders || 5 – 6 || Los Angeles || OT || 3–0–0 || 6 |- | 4 || October 12 || Boston || 2 – 6 || Los Angeles || || 4–0–0 || 8 |- | 5 || October 15 || Philadelphia || 1 – 4 || Los Angeles || || 4–1–0 || 8 |- | 6 || October 17 || Los Angeles || 4 – 11 || Calgary || || 4–2–0 || 8 |- | 7 || October 19 || Los Angeles || 6 – 8 || Edmonton || || 4–3–0 || 8 |- | 8 || October 22 || Minnesota || 8 – 2 || Los Angeles || || 5–3–0 || 10 |- | 9 || October 25 || Edmonton || 4 – 5 || Los Angeles || || 5–4–0 || 10 |- | 10 || October 28 || Los Angeles || 7 – 4 || Winnipeg || || 6–4–0 || 12 |- | 11 || October 30 || Los Angeles || 4 – 8 || Winnipeg || || 6–5–0 || 12

| Legend:

Playoffs

Smythe Division Semifinals

The Kings faced Gretzky's old team, the Oilers, in the first round of the 1989 playoffs. They fell behind 3 games to 1, but rallied to take the series in seven games, helped in no small part by nine goals from Chris Kontos, a little-known player who had just recently been called up from the minor leagues. However, the Kings were quickly swept out of the playoffs in the second round by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Calgary Flames.

• Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3

Smythe Division Finals

Los Angeles Kings vs. Calgary Flames

Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0

Player statistics

Forwards

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Defensemen

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Goaltending

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average

Awards and records

• Wayne Gretzky, Hart Memorial Trophy
• Wayne Gretzky, Center, NHL Second All-Star Team
• Wayne Gretzky, All-Star Game MVP
• Luc Robitaille, Left Wing, NHL First All-Star Team
• Wayne Gretzky, Club Record, Most Points in One Season (168)
• Bernie Nicholls, Club Record, Most Goals in One Season (70)

Transactions

The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 1988–89 season.

Trades

Free agent signings

Waivers

References

• Kings on Hockey Database

References

1. (2024-06-20). "LA Kings Unveil Brand Evolution {{!}} Los Angeles Kings".
2. Stanovich, Austin. (2024-06-20). "Kings Announce Brand Evolution, 'Retire' Old Logo".
3. oilersheritage.com, [https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20101208160525/http://www.oilersheritage.com/history/transformation_transformed_after_trade.html After the Trade], OilersHeritage.com, accessed July 13, 2006
4. Scott Morrison, [https://web.archive.org/web/19970422031438/http://www.canoe.com/Gretzky/gretztrade.html Wayne Gretzky traded... ...California here he comes], ''Toronto Sun'', August 10, 1988
5. Terry Jones, {{usurped
6. Gretzky's Tears, Stephen Brunt, pp.182-183, Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, Toronto, Canada, 2009, {{ISBN. 978-0-307-39729-4
7. "1988-89 Los Angeles Kings Schedule".
8. National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 219, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, {{ISBN. 0-920445-98-5
9. "Hockey Transactions Search Results".