1991–92 Los Angeles Kings season

1991–92 Los Angeles Kings
Division2nd Smythe
Conference4th Campbell
1991–92 record35–31–14
Home record20–11–9
Road record15–20–5
Goals for287
Goals against296
Team information
General managerRogatien Vachon
CoachTom Webster
CaptainWayne Gretzky
Alternate captainsLarry Robinson
Dave Taylor
ArenaGreat Western Forum
Team leaders
GoalsLuc Robitaille (44)
AssistsWayne Gretzky (90)
PointsWayne Gretzky (121)
Penalty minutesMarty McSorley (268)
Plus/minusJari Kurri (+24)
WinsKelly Hrudey (26)
Goals against averageKelly Hrudey (3.37)

The 1991–92 Los Angeles Kings season, was the Kings' 25th season in the National Hockey League. It saw the Kings finishing second in the Smythe Division with a record of 35–31–14. However, they were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers in six games.

Offseason

In the Entry Draft, the Kings first pick, in the second round, was used to choose Guy Leveque from the Cornwall Royals of the Ontario Hockey League. Their first-round pick had been dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in the Wayne Gretzky trade.

Pre-season

On September 27, 1991, the Kings played the New York Rangers in the first ever outdoor NHL game in Las Vegas, Nevada, at Caesars Palace. This was also the first NHL game in Las Vegas since 1968. The crowd on hand was 13,000 with the Kings beating the Rangers 5 to 2.

Regular season

Season standings

Smythe Division[1]
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Vancouver Canucks 80 42 26 12 285 250 96
Los Angeles Kings 80 35 31 14 287 250 84
Edmonton Oilers 80 36 34 10 295 297 82
Winnipeg Jets 80 33 32 15 251 244 81
Calgary Flames 80 31 37 12 296 305 74
San Jose Sharks 80 17 58 5 219 359 39
Campbell Conference[2]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 Detroit Red Wings NRS 80 43 25 12 320 256 98
2 Vancouver Canucks SMY 80 42 26 12 285 250 96
3 Chicago Blackhawks NRS 80 36 29 15 257 236 87
4 Los Angeles Kings SMY 80 35 31 14 287 296 84
5 St. Louis Blues NRS 80 36 33 11 279 266 83
6 Edmonton Oilers SMY 80 36 34 10 295 297 82
7 Winnipeg Jets SMY 80 33 32 15 251 244 81
8 Calgary Flames SMY 80 31 37 12 296 305 74
9 Minnesota North Stars NRS 80 32 42 6 246 278 70
10 Toronto Maple Leafs NRS 80 30 43 7 234 294 67
11 San Jose Sharks SMY 80 17 58 5 219 359 39

Divisions: NRS – Norris, SMY – Smythe
bold – Qualified for playoffs


Schedule and results

No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 W October 4, 1991 6–3 @ Winnipeg Jets (1991–92) 1–0–0
2 T October 6, 1991 2–2 OT @ Edmonton Oilers (1991–92) 1–0–1
3 W October 8, 1991 6–3 Edmonton Oilers (1991–92) 2–0–1
4 L October 10, 1991 1–7 Calgary Flames (1991–92) 2–1–1
5 T October 12, 1991 3–3 OT Winnipeg Jets (1991–92) 2–1–2
6 W October 16, 1991 8–5 San Jose Sharks (1991–92) 3–1–2
7 W October 19, 1991 5–2 Minnesota North Stars (1991–92) 4–1–2
8 L October 22, 1991 2–5 @ New Jersey Devils (1991–92) 4–2–2
9 L October 23, 1991 2–7 @ New York Rangers (1991–92) 4–3–2
10 W October 26, 1991 4–2 @ New York Islanders (1991–92) 5–3–2
11 W October 28, 1991 4–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1991–92) 6–3–2
12 T October 30, 1991 4–4 OT @ Hartford Whalers (1991–92) 6–3–3
13 W October 31, 1991 4–2 @ Boston Bruins (1991–92) 7–3–3
14 W November 2, 1991 5–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1991–92) 8–3–3
15 L November 7, 1991 3–4 Vancouver Canucks (1991–92) 8–4–3
16 T November 9, 1991 4–4 OT Edmonton Oilers (1991–92) 8–4–4
17 L November 11, 1991 2–6 @ Winnipeg Jets (1991–92) 8–5–4
18 L November 12, 1991 2–8 @ Vancouver Canucks (1991–92) 8–6–4
19 T November 14, 1991 2–2 OT Buffalo Sabres (1991–92) 8–6–5
20 L November 16, 1991 3–5 Detroit Red Wings (1991–92) 8–7–5
21 W November 19, 1991 3–2 OT @ San Jose Sharks (1991–92) 9–7–5
22 W November 21, 1991 6–1 New York Rangers (1991–92) 10–7–5
23 W November 23, 1991 6–4 San Jose Sharks (1991–92) 11–7–5
24 T November 26, 1991 4–4 OT Toronto Maple Leafs (1991–92) 11–7–6
25 L November 28, 1991 3–5 @ Calgary Flames (1991–92) 11–8–6
26 L November 30, 1991 1–4 New Jersey Devils (1991–92) 11–9–6
27 L December 3, 1991 2–3 OT @ San Jose Sharks (1991–92) 11–10–6
28 L December 5, 1991 2–6 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1991–92) 11–11–6
29 L December 7, 1991 5–7 @ Quebec Nordiques (1991–92) 11–12–6
30 W December 12, 1991 2–1 Winnipeg Jets (1991–92) 12–12–6
31 T December 14, 1991 4–4 OT Vancouver Canucks (1991–92) 12–12–7
32 L December 17, 1991 1–2 Minnesota North Stars (1991–92) 12–13–7
33 L December 21, 1991 2–5 Detroit Red Wings (1991–92) 12–14–7
34 W December 26, 1991 5–3 San Jose Sharks (1991–92) 13–14–7
35 W December 28, 1991 9–4 @ Edmonton Oilers (1991–92) 14–14–7
36 L December 29, 1991 2–6 @ Calgary Flames (1991–92) 14–15–7
37 L December 31, 1991 3–5 Vancouver Canucks (1991–92) 14–16–7
38 W January 2, 1992 5–3 Edmonton Oilers (1991–92) 15–16–7
39 W January 4, 1992 7–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1991–92) 16–16–7
40 W January 7, 1992 5–2 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1991–92) 17–16–7
41 L January 9, 1992 2–5 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1991–92) 17–17–7
42 L January 10, 1992 4–7 @ Washington Capitals (1991–92) 17–18–7
43 L January 12, 1992 2–5 @ New Jersey Devils (1991–92) 17–19–7
44 T January 14, 1992 3–3 OT San Jose Sharks (1991–92) 17–19–8
45 T January 16, 1992 2–2 OT Washington Capitals (1991–92) 17–19–9
46 T January 22, 1992 3–3 OT @ Minnesota North Stars (1991–92) 17–19–10
47 W January 23, 1992 6–5 @ St. Louis Blues (1991–92) 18–19–10
48 W January 25, 1992 4–3 Calgary Flames (1991–92) 19–19–10
49 T January 28, 1992 3–3 OT St. Louis Blues (1991–92) 19–19–11
50 L January 30, 1992 1–4 New York Rangers (1991–92) 19–20–11
51 W February 1, 1992 2–0 Chicago Blackhawks (1991–92) 20–20–11
52 L February 4, 1992 1–2 New York Islanders (1991–92) 20–21–11
53 T February 6, 1992 5–5 OT Hartford Whalers (1991–92) 20–21–12
54 W February 8, 1992 4–3 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1991–92) 21–21–12
55 W February 9, 1992 5–4 @ Buffalo Sabres (1991–92) 22–21–12
56 L February 11, 1992 2–3 @ St. Louis Blues (1991–92) 22–22–12
57 T February 13, 1992 2–2 OT @ Chicago Blackhawks (1991–92) 22–22–13
58 W February 15, 1992 6–3 Washington Capitals (1991–92) 23–22–13
59 W February 17, 1992 6–3 Boston Bruins (1991–92) 24–22–13
60 L February 19, 1992 3–4 @ Edmonton Oilers (1991–92) 24–23–13
61 L February 21, 1992 7–9 @ Calgary Flames (1991–92) 24–24–13
62 W February 23, 1992 4–2 @ Winnipeg Jets (1991–92) 25–24–13
63 W February 25, 1992 4–3 @ Vancouver Canucks (1991–92) 26–24–13
64 W February 27, 1992 4–2 Quebec Nordiques (1991–92) 27–24–13
65 W February 29, 1992 5–3 Montreal Canadiens (1991–92) 28–24–13
66 W March 3, 1992 4–1 Philadelphia Flyers (1991–92) 29–24–13
67 W March 4, 1992 4–3 @ San Jose Sharks (1991–92) 30–24–13
68 W March 7, 1992 5–3 Pittsburgh Penguins (1991–92) 31–24–13
69 W March 9, 1992 4–1 Toronto Maple Leafs (1991–92) 32–24–13
70 L March 11, 1992 0–4 @ Hartford Whalers (1991–92) 32–25–13
71 L March 14, 1992 2–5 @ Montreal Canadiens (1991–92) 32–26–13
72 L March 15, 1992 1–5 @ Boston Bruins (1991–92) 32–27–13
73 W March 17, 1992 5–4 Winnipeg Jets (1991–92) 33–27–13
74 L March 19, 1992 2–8 Buffalo Sabres (1991–92) 33–28–13
75 W March 21, 1992 5–2 Calgary Flames (1991–92) 34–28–13
76 L March 26, 1992 2–7 @ Calgary Flames (1991–92) 34–29–13
77 L March 27, 1992 4–6 @ Winnipeg Jets (1991–92) 34–30–13
78 T March 29, 1992 2–2 OT @ Edmonton Oilers (1991–92) 34–30–14
79 W April 12, 1992 6–1 @ Vancouver Canucks (1991–92) 35–30–14
80 L April 14, 1992 2–3 Vancouver Canucks (1991–92) 35–31–14

Playoffs

The Kings lost in the Division Semi-finals to the Edmonton Oilers, four games to two.


April 18 Edmonton Oilers 3–1 Los Angeles Kings Great Western Forum
April 20 Edmonton Oilers 5–8 Los Angeles Kings Great Western Forum
April 22 Los Angeles Kings 3–4 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum
April 24 Los Angeles Kings 4–3 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum
April 26 Edmonton Oilers 5–2 Los Angeles Kings Great Western Forum
April 28 Los Angeles Kings 0–3 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum
Edmonton won series 4–2


Player statistics

Forwards

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

Player GP G A Pts PIM
Wayne Gretzky 74 31 90 121 34
Luc Robitaille 80 44 63 107 95
Tony Granato 80 39 29 68 187
Jari Kurri 73 23 37 60 24
Mike Donnelly 80 29 16 45 20
Bob Kudelski 80 22 21 43 42
Corey Millen 46 20 21 41 44
Tomas Sandstrom 49 17 22 39 70
Dave Taylor 77 10 19 29 63
John McIntyre 73 5 19 24 100
Jay Miller 67 4 7 11 249
Kyosti Karjalainen 28 1 8 9 12
Randy Gilhen 33 3 6 9 14
Scott Bjugstad 22 2 4 6 10
Sylvain Couturier 14 3 1 4 2
Jim Thomson 45 1 2 3 162
Francois Breault 6 1 0 1 30
Ilkka Sinisalo 3 0 1 1 2
Shawn McCosh 4 0 0 0 4
Sean Whyte 3 0 0 0 0

Defensemen

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

Player GP G A Pts PIM
Brian Benning 53 2 30 32 99
Marty McSorley 71 7 22 29 268
Charlie Huddy 56 4 19 23 43
Rob Blake 57 7 13 20 102
Peter Ahola 71 7 12 19 101
Larry Robinson 56 3 10 13 37
Tim Watters 37 0 7 7 92
Darryl Sydor 18 1 5 6 22
Paul Coffey 10 1 4 5 25
Brent Thompson 27 0 5 5 89
Jeff Chychrun 26 0 3 3 76
Rene Chapdelaine 16 0 1 1 10
Rod Buskas 5 0 0 0 11

Goaltending

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

Player GP W L T SO GAA
Kelly Hrudey 60 26 17 13 1 3.37
Daniel Berthiaume 19 7 10 1 0 4.04
Steve Weeks 7 1 3 0 0 4.05
David Goverde 2 1 1 0 0 4.50

Awards and records

Transactions

The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 1991–92 season.[3]

Trades

May 30, 1991 To Los Angeles Kings
Jeff Chychrun
Jari Kurri
To Philadelphia Flyers
Steve Duchesne
Steve Kasper
4th round pick in 1991 - Aris Brimanis
June 22, 1991 To Los Angeles Kings
Randy Gilhen
Charlie Huddy
Jim Thomson
4th round pick in 1991 - Darryl Sydor
To Minnesota North Stars
Todd Elik
October 28, 1991 To Los Angeles Kings
Chris Norton
Future considerations
To Chicago Blackhawks
Rod Buskas
November 29, 1991 To Los Angeles Kings
Rick Lanz
To Chicago Blackhawks
Cash
January 18, 1992 To Los Angeles Kings
Future considerations
To Boston Bruins
Daniel Berthiaume
February 18, 1992 To Los Angeles Kings
Steve Weeks
To New York Islanders
7th round pick in 1992 - Steve O'Rourke
February 19, 1992 To Los Angeles Kings
Paul Coffey
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Jeff Chychrun
Brian Benning
1st round pick in 1992 - Jason Bowen

Free agents lost

June 30, 1991 To Chicago Blackhawks
John Tonelli
July 2, 1991 To Detroit Red Wings
Micah Aivazoff
August 2, 1991 To Boston Bruins
Dennis Smith
August 9, 1991 To San Jose Sharks
Brian Lawton
September 17, 1991 To Montreal Canadiens
Stéphane Richer

Lost in expansion draft

May 30, 1991 To Minnesota North Stars
Jim Thomson

Draft picks

Los Angeles's draft picks at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft held at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York.

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
2 42 Guy Leveque  Canada Cornwall Royals (OHL)
4 79 Keith Redmond  Canada Bowling Green University (CCHA)
4 81 Alexei Zhitnik  Soviet Union Sokil Kyiv (USSR)
5 108 Pauli Jaks  Switzerland HC Ambri-Piotta (Switzerland)
6 130 Brett Seguin  United States Ottawa 67's (OHL)
7 152 Kelly Fairchild  United States Grand Rapids High School (USHS-MN)
9 196 Craig Brown  Canada Western Michigan University (CCHA)
10 218 Mattias Olsson  Sweden Farjestad BK (Sweden)
11 240 Andre Boulianne  Canada Longueuil College Francais (QPJHL)
12 262 Michael Gaul  Canada St. Lawrence University (ECAC)
S 26 Brendan Creagh  United States University of Vermont (Hockey East)

See also

References

  1. ^ "1991-1992 Division Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  2. ^ "1991-1992 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  3. ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results".