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LOS
ANGELES -- Two short
years. That's how long it took the Los Angeles Kings to repeat
as Stanley Cup champions. Their first Stanley Cup win was during
the 2011-12 season with most of the same players they have today.
More than a quarter of a million hockey fans lined the
streets of Figueroa and Chick Hearn Court for the victory parade
on Monday, June 16. Among them were new Kings fans who just started
following the team within the last year or so. Some of them arrived
as early as 5 a.m. – seven hours before the parade even
began.
"It's
my first time at a parade," said Craig Marazzo, a fan from
Los Angeles. "It's hard to top them double-overtime games.
It was nice to see them get the game seven win in Anaheim. We
went up to Anaheim and saw the game too. I'm a goalie, so my favorite
player is Jonathan Quick. We're taking it next year too."
Once again,
the victory parade started at Figueroa and Fifth streets and headed
southeast to the STAPLES Center where it ended. Players road aboard
red double-decker sightseeing buses. The Kings players, coaches
and staff stopped in front of the STAPLES Center at 12:30 for
a hero shot. Confetti was blown into the air and then Kings Captain
Dustin Brown lifted the Stanley Cup in the air.
"Yes,
it is my first time at the parade," said Kaycie Rosado of
San Pedro, Calif. "It's the energy. I was trying to explain
it to a basketball fan. They don't get it. It's not the same as
other sports. There's no sport like hockey. If you don't watch
it, you don't understand it. When you saw them win on Friday,
you cried. You feel it. I think I've watched that last goal at
least five times a day since. Probably upwards of 60 times. We
didn't know exactly what happened. We were just up and down and
cheering and crying."
The party
continued inside the STAPLES Center with the Victory Rally. Season
ticket holders and other special guests were invited to attend
this ticketed event. Fox Sports West anchor Bob Miller served
as the emcee. Kings players, coaches and staff addressed the fans
one by one. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti gained lots of attention
for dropping an f-bomb during his speech. It wrapped up with a
video featuring highlights from the Kings during the playoffs.
The rally lasted an hour and a half in length.
"I
just want to see the enthusiasm back in L.A. for hockey,"
said Mike Cortino, a first time paradegoer from Rancho Cucamonga,
Calif. "It was lost for so long. It was around when Gretzky
was here and it kind of like flittered away. Like I was telling
Dani here, it came back after that last championship. Now, they
have a new generation of fans and a whole new generation of hockey
lovers. That's the biggest thing. The last double-overtime with
Alec Martinez hitting in that game-winning goal was my favorite
moment. We lost it there in the house. We just went crazy."
The Kings
set an NHL record by winning three game sevens in the first three
rounds of the playoffs on the road. As head coach Darryl Sutter
put it, "It will probably never happen again in the National
Hockey League."
"This
is my first time at the parade," said Karina Ortega from
San Fernando City, Calif. "I'm looking forward to seeing
all of the players and the Cup, obviously. My first favorite moment
was when we won the Cup. My favorite moment from the playoffs
was when we came back from the 3-0 deficit against the Sharks.
The three game sevens made me nervous. The Chicago one made me
the most nervous. I just wanted the revenge from last year how
they beat us."
Her father,
Chris Colelli, said, "I want to see all of the players, the
fans out here. Hopefully, we'll have some new hockey fans for
Los Angeles. I think it's going to be a great celebration for
this team and for bringing hockey into L.A. How many times do
you have three game sevens where you win? We haven't had much
luck against the Ducks all year. When we won the two games in
their home arena, I thought wow, maybe there is some hope here.
Going against Chicago, same thing. It was great just to get that
revenge because we were pretty upset last year when we lost against
the 'Hawks."
As one
fan put it, the Kings are the only professional sports team in
Los Angeles to win a championship in recent years. The Lakers
haven't won since 2010. The Dodgers last won a pennant in 1988
and the Clippers have never won an NBA title.
"I
came to this parade in 2012," said Caitlin Culley, another
fan from San Pedro. "Everything about the fans. We are hardcore,
but we love each other. This is a brotherhood that comes together.
You will not find anything as deep as Kings fans rallying around
each other, win or fail. It is so deep. It is part of who you
are. That last OT goal was my favorite movement. Just watching
him go and it gets in. That's it. We brought it home. The Cup
was in the house. We won it on home ice. It was ours. There's
nothing better than that feeling."
In game
five of the Stanley Cup final, the Kings went in to double overtime
against the Rangers. The game was tied 2-2 at STAPLES Center.
Then, at 14:43, Rochester, Mich.'s Alec Martinez scored the game-winning
goal for the Kings, securing their second Stanley Cup win.
"This
is our second time here at the Kings parade," said Lupe Rodriguez
from San Bernardino, Calif. "Just being around all of the
Kings fans. You get to see everybody. Nobody knows each other,
but everybody gets along just becuase of how united everybody
is. I really can't pinpoint one favorite moment. Everything was
just so dramatic all year. Especially when they went into the
playoffs. It was a completely different team. They all started
playing the way they should. My best thing about it was beating
the Ducks. Drew Doughty is my favorite player, hands down."
The Los
Angeles Kings will raise their Stanley Cup banner on October 8
at STAPLES Center in a game against the San Jose Sharks.
For
more information about the Los Angeles Kings, visit their official
website at kings.nhl.com.
Related
Stories: Monday
will feature Parade and Rally to Celebrate the L.A. Kings Stanley
Cup Championship; L.A.
Kings celebrate Stanley Cup win with pre-game Fan Fest; L.A.
Kings to celebrate Stanley Cup Championship with Parade and Rally
on Thursday
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| PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
Members of the L.A. Kings Ice Crew celebrate on Chick
Hearn Court
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| PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
Fans
watching along the parade route in their throwback Kings jerseys.
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| PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
These
fans "Believed" the Kings would win the Cup again.
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| PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
More
fans along the parade route
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| PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
A fan holds up a Kings rally towel that he received during one
of the games.
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