1988–89 Los Angeles Kings season

The 1988–89 Los Angeles Kings season saw the Kings finish second in the Smythe Division with a record of 42-31-7, for 91 points.
The 1988–89 season was the first for the great Wayne Gretzky in a Kings uniform. He had come over in a shocking trade with the Edmonton Oilers in the off-season. Paced by Gretzky, Los Angeles led the league in goal scoring, with a total of 376 goals scored. In the playoffs, the Kings upset the Oilers, Gretzky's former team, in seven games in the Smythe Division Semi-finals before being swept in the Smythe Division Finals by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Calgary Flames in four straight games.
This was also the first season that the Kings wore their silver and black uniforms, which they would wear until the 1998–99 season. In the off-season, they had changed their team colours to silver and black from gold and purple, which were more associated with their co-tenants at the Great Western Forum, the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers. They had also unveiled a new logo that reflected the new team colours.

Offseason

NHL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	College/junior/club team
1	7	Martin Gelinas		Hull Olympiques
2	28	Paul Holden		London Knights
3	49	John Van Kessel		North Bay Centennials
4	70	Rob Blake		Bowling Green State University
5	91	Jeff Robison		Mount St. Charles Academy
6	109	Micah Aivazoff		Victoria Cougars
6	112	Robert Larsson		Skellefteå AIK
7	133	Jeff Kruesel		John Marshall High School
8	154	Timo Peltomaa		Ilves
9	175	Jim Larkin		Mount Saint Joseph Academy
10	196	Brad Hyatt		Windsor Spitfires
11	217	Doug Laprade		Lake Superior State University
12	238	Joe Flanagan		Canterbury School
S	12	Sean Fitzgerald		State University of New York at Oswego

Wayne Gretzky trade

On August 9, 1988, in a move that drastically changed the dynamics of the NHL, the Oilers traded Gretzky 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, 1991 and 1993. "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, and they ranked fourth in the NHL overall.
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 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

Schedule and results

October

Game #	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Record	Points
1	October 6	Detroit	8 - 2	Los Angeles		1-0-0	2
2	October 8	Calgary	6 - 5	Los Angeles	OT	2-0-0	4
3	October 9	N.Y. Islanders	6 - 5	Los Angeles	OT	3-0-0	6
4	October 12	Boston	6 - 2	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

November

Game #	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Record	Points
12	November 1	Los Angeles	3 - 1	Quebec		7-5-0	14
13	November 2	Los Angeles	3 - 5	Montreal		7-6-0	14
14	November 5	Los Angeles	6 - 4	Toronto		8-6-0	16
15	November 6	Los Angeles	5 - 3	Chicago		9-6-0	18
16	November 10	Hartford	7 - 2	Los Angeles		10-6-0	20
17	November 12	Pittsburgh	7 - 2	Los Angeles		11-6-0	22
18	November 15	Vancouver	6 - 4	Los Angeles		12-6-0	24
19	November 17	N.Y. Rangers	5 - 6	Los Angeles		12-7-0	24
20	November 19	Buffalo	5 - 4	Los Angeles		13-7-0	26
21	November 22	Los Angeles	6 - 1	Philadelphia		14-7-0	28
22	November 23	Los Angeles	8 - 3	Detroit		15-7-0	30
23	November 26	Los Angeles	1 - 4	Calgary		15-8-0	30
24	November 27	Los Angeles	2 - 5	Vancouver		15-9-0	30
25	November 29	New Jersey	9 - 3	Los Angeles		16-9-0	32

December

Game #	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Record	Points
26	December 1	Toronto	9 - 3	Los Angeles		17-9-0	34
27	December 3	Chicago	6 - 4	Los Angeles		18-9-0	36
28	December 6	Winnipeg	4 - 5	Los Angeles	OT	18-10-0	36
29	December 8	Winnipeg	5 - 5	Los Angeles	OT	18-10-1	37
30	December 10	Los Angeles	4 - 3	N.Y. Islanders		19-10-1	39
31	December 12	Los Angeles	5 - 2	N.Y. Rangers		20-10-1	41
32	December 14	Los Angeles	4 - 5	Pittsburgh		20-11-1	41
33	December 16	Los Angeles	6 - 4	Detroit		21-11-1	43
34	December 17	Los Angeles	2 - 3	Minnesota		21-12-1	43
35	December 20	Calgary	7 - 3	Los Angeles		22-12-1	45
36	December 21	Minnesota	8 - 6	Los Angeles		23-12-1	47
37	December 23	Los Angeles	5 - 2	Vancouver		24-12-1	49
38	December 27	Montreal	2 - 3	Los Angeles		24-13-1	49
39	December 29	Vancouver	3 - 6	Los Angeles		24-14-1	49

January

Game #	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Record	Points
40	January 5	Los Angeles	6 - 8	Calgary		24-15-1	49
41	January 6	Los Angeles	4 - 4	Winnipeg	OT	24-15-2	50
42	January 8	Los Angeles	4 - 4	Winnipeg	OT	24-15-3	51
43	January 10	Edmonton	5 - 4	Los Angeles	OT	25-15-3	53
44	January 12	St. Louis	7 - 4	Los Angeles		26-15-3	55
45	January 14	Hartford	9 - 6	Los Angeles		27-15-3	57
46	January 17	Los Angeles	2 - 5	St. Louis		27-16-3	57
47	January 19	Los Angeles	2 - 4	N.Y. Islanders		27-17-3	57
48	January 21	Los Angeles	4 - 5	Hartford		27-18-3	57
49	January 24	Los Angeles	4 - 4	Washington	OT	27-18-4	58
50	January 26	Vancouver	2 - 6	Los Angeles		27-19-4	58
51	January 28	Edmonton	6 - 7	Los Angeles		27-20-4	58
52	January 31	Calgary	5 - 8	Los Angeles		27-21-4	58

February

Game #	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Record	Points
53	February 2	New Jersey	6 - 6	Los Angeles	OT	27-21-5	59
54	February 4	Buffalo	5 - 3	Los Angeles		28-21-5	61
55	February 9	Los Angeles	1 - 4	Boston		28-22-5	61
56	February 10	Los Angeles	7 - 6	Washington	OT	29-22-5	63
57	February 12	Los Angeles	6 - 2	Chicago		30-22-5	65
58	February 15	Boston	3 - 7	Los Angeles		30-23-5	65
59	February 18	Quebec	11 - 3	Los Angeles		31-23-5	67
60	February 20	Toronto	5 - 4	Los Angeles		32-23-5	69
61	February 22	Washington	2 - 7	Los Angeles		32-24-5	69
62	February 24	Los Angeles	1 - 4	Edmonton		32-25-5	69
63	February 26	Los Angeles	1 - 1	New Jersey		32-25-6	70
64	February 27	Los Angeles	4 - 6	N.Y. Rangers		32-26-6	70

March

Game #	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Record	Points
65	March 1	Los Angeles	5 - 4	Buffalo		33-26-6	72
66	March 2	Los Angeles	4 - 6	St. Louis		33-27-6	72
67	March 4	Philadelphia	6 - 2	Los Angeles		34-27-6	74
68	March 7	Pittsburgh	3 - 2	Los Angeles	OT	35-27-6	76
69	March 10	Los Angeles	2 - 4	Vancouver		35-28-6	76
70	March 12	Los Angeles	6 - 3	Edmonton		36-28-6	78
71	March 14	Los Angeles	4 - 0	Quebec		37-28-6	80
72	March 15	Los Angeles	2 - 5	Montreal		37-29-6	80
73	March 18	Calgary	3 - 9	Los Angeles		37-30-6	80
74	March 21	Los Angeles	4 - 3	Edmonton		38-30-6	82
75	March 23	Los Angeles	2 - 4	Calgary		38-31-6	82
76	March 25	Edmonton	4 - 2	Los Angeles		39-31-6	84
77	March 28	Winnipeg	3 - 3	Los Angeles	OT	39-31-7	85
78	March 29	Winnipeg	2 - 1	Los Angeles	OT	40-31-7	87

April

Game #	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Record	Points
79	April 1	Vancouver	6 - 4	Los Angeles		41-31-7	89
80	April 2	Los Angeles	5 - 4	Vancouver		42-31-7	91

Player statistics

Forwards

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

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Wayne Gretzky	78	54	114	168	26
Bernie Nicholls	79	70	80	150	96
Luc Robitaille	78	46	52	98	65
John Tonelli	77	31	33	64	110
Dave Taylor	70	26	37	63	80
Mike Krushelnyski	78	26	36	62	110
Mike Allison	55	14	22	36	122
Bob Carpenter	39	11	15	26	16
Steve Kasper	29	9	15	24	14
Igor Liba	27	5	13	18	21
Jay Miller	29	5	3	8	133
Paul Fenton	21	2	3	5	6
Sylvain Couturier	16	1	3	4	2
Bob Kudelski	14	1	3	4	17
Ken Baumgartner	49	1	3	4	288
Tim Tookey	7	2	1	3	4
Chris Kontos	7	2	1	3	2
Phil Sykes	23	0	1	1	8
Hubie McDonough	4	0	1	1	0
Gilles Hamel	11	0	1	1	2
Brian Wilks	2	0	0	0	2
Paul Guay	2	0	0	0	2
Dave Pasin	5	0	0	0	0
Craig Duncanson	5	0	0	0	0
Robert Logan	4	0	0	0	0

Defencemen

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

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Steve Duchesne	79	25	50	75	92
Dale DeGray	63	6	22	28	97
Marty McSorley	66	10	17	27	350
Doug Crossman	74	10	15	25	53
Tim Watters	76	3	18	21	168
Tom Laidlaw	70	3	17	20	63
Dean Kennedy	51	3	8	11	63
Jim Wiemer	9	2	3	5	20
Wayne McBean	33	0	5	5	23
Larry Playfair	6	0	3	3	16
Petr Prajsler	2	0	3	3	0
Steve Richmond	9	0	2	2	26
Jim Hofford	1	0	0	0	2

Goaltending

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

Player	GP	W	L	T	SO	GAA
Glenn Healy	48	25	19	2	0	4.27
Kelly Hrudey	16	10	4	2	1	2.90

Playoffs

Smythe Division Semi-finals

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

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score
April 5	Edmonton Oilers	4	Los Angeles Kings	3
April 6	Edmonton Oilers	2	Los Angeles Kings	5
April 8	Los Angeles Kings	0	Edmonton Oilers	4
April 9	Los Angeles Kings	3	Edmonton Oilers	4
April 11	Edmonton Oilers	2	Los Angeles Kings	4
April 13	Los Angeles Kings	4	Edmonton Oilers	1
April 15	Edmonton Oilers	3	Los Angeles Kings	6

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

Smythe Division Finals

Los Angeles Kings vs. Calgary Flames

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 18	Los Angeles Kings	3	Calgary Flames	4
April 20	Los Angeles Kings	3	Calgary Flames	8
April 22	Calgary Flames	5	Los Angeles Kings	2
April 24	Calgary Flames	5	Los Angeles Kings	3

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

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
Bernie Nicholls, Club Record, Most Goals in One Season

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