Kings Quarter-Century Team Announced By NHL

Sharing the Kings quarter-century team, as selected by a pool of former Kings players, coaches, broadcasters and media members.
First Team
Forwards (3) – Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter
Defensemen (2) – Drew Doughty, Alec Martinez
Goaltender (1) – Jonathan Quick

Don’t think there is a ton of surprise with the first team, is there?

Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown are a retired number and a future retired number, whenever the time comes. Led the Kings to a pair of Stanley Cup championships and atop the charts in a number of offensive categories. 423 goals and 821 assists for Kopitar in more than 1,400 games played. Kopitar was the obvious number-one selection here. He was the best forward on two championship teams, he’s won two Selke Trophies, could’ve easily won the Hart Trophy in 2018 and added two Lady Byng’s and a Mark Messier Leadership Award along the way. The King of Kings. Brown captained two championship teams and was a heart and soul guy here for so many years. His 325 goals and 712 points were second only to Kopitar and he spent his entire career in Los Angeles. Brown was also a Messier Award recipient and skated in an All-Star Game in 2009. As easy as it gets naming those two players.

With the third forward position, Carter was a no-doubter for either the first or second team but you could make the argument in one direction or the other. Carter scored just shy of 200 goals with the Kings and was obviously the piece that put the team over the top in 2012. He had five consecutive seasons with 24+ goals and achieved the rare feat of finishing ahead of Anze Kopitar in scoring during the 2016-17 season, when he buried 32 goals and collected 66 points. Carter played 580 games with the Kings and with playoff games included, he was over 650. He led the team in playoff goals in 2012, 2013 and 2014, with 24 in total over the three runs. Good for his place on that team for me.

On the blueline, Doughty’s place was unquestioned. Doughty is the team’s leader in just about every statistical metric among defensemen during the quarter century. He won two Stanley Cups and a Norris Trophy, also finishing twice as the runner up for the NHL’s best defenseman. He was named to both an All-NHL First Team and Second Team as well as five NHL All-Star games and was the number-one defenseman for both Stanley Cups. Like Kopitar, Doughty will be an easy jersey retirement one day down the line when he ultimately calls time on his career, joining Brown in the rafters. Just isn’t anything to dispute when it comes to Doughty here.

Probably a little bit of debate on the second player, but for me, what set Martinez apart was the goals he scored for the Kings. Arguably the two biggest goals in franchise history. The series-winning goal in 2014 in Game 7 versus Chicago and the Cup-winning goal the following series against New York both came off the stick of Martinez. Behind Doughty, there wasn’t another 1,000-game player on the blueline, but Martinez stacked up favorably to the other contenders. The moments count too though and Martinez stands alone in that department.

In net, there was certainly no discussion. Jonathan Quick is the greatest goaltender in franchise history, bar none. Not a person alive who can dispute that one. Quick’s place in franchise history will be cemented one day based on his accomplishments throughout this quarter century. One of the single greatest playoff runs in NHL history by a goaltender in 2012. Easy selection there and I’d imagine the voting was unanimous.

Second Team
Forwards (3) – Adrian Kempe, Ziggy Palffy, Justin Williams
Defensemen (2) – Mattias Norstrom, Lubomir Visnovsky
Goaltender (1) – Felix Potvin

There was probably a little bit more room for discussion on the second team.

In net, it was always Jonathan Quick and then who? The easy answer was Potvin, who was a King for the first three seasons of the 2000’s. Acquired during the 2000-01 campaign, Potvin was in net for the playoff series win in 2001 and pushing the eventual champions, Colorado, to seven games in the second round. Potvin played 71 games the following season which is a number we’ll probably never see again from a goaltender with the way the league has trended. There weren’t a ton of options beyond Quick, but Potvin was the most deserving of that group.

On the blueline, I think Matias Norstrom was an obvious pick for one of the two teams. Defensively, he compares favorably to Martinez by defensive point shares, ranking second behind only Doughty in his era. Norstrom was a fan favorite and the captain of the club during his time, playing a style that is often under-appreciated. Visnovsky is the exact opposite. He had a 17-goal season and an 18-goal season from the blueline. Those types of numbers don’t happen all that often in Los Angeles, considering the longtime defensive brand of hockey the organization has played.

Up front, the chosen three players feel pretty standard. Justin Williams, for similar reasons to Martinez, gets an additional leg up for the clutch moments. Mr. Game 7 on the team’s runs to the two championships. While his time with the Kings from an overall perspective was solid indeed, it’s the playoff magic that sets him apart. Williams had career bests of 22 goals and 59 points during the regular season, but his playoff accolades are his Kings legacy, highlighted by winning the Conn Smythe Award in 2014 as the best player in the postseason.

For Kempe and Palffy, here are two of the more electrifying Kings players of the last 25 years. Growing up watching Palffy play when I had the chance was extremely memorable. What a great player. As skilled a player as the Kings have perhaps ever had. I was only fortunate enough to watch him play as a younger fan but I am sure many on this board have even fonder and more detailed memories. Of the four full seasons that count for this team, Palffy scored 30+ goals in three of them. Could certainly use a dude like that right now. Kempe is the representation from the new era of Kings hockey. He’s finished as a Top-10 player in several categories over the 25-year span despite really not having his breakout out as an offensive player until three years ago in the 2021-22 season.

Sharing a conversation with Kings Television Analyst Jim Fox and The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein below. Both were a member of the voting committee to select the team and both share their insights on an episode of the Channel 67 podcast.