1967–68 Los Angeles Kings season
| 1967–68 Los Angeles Kings | |
|---|---|
| Division | 2nd West |
| 1967–68 record | 31–33–10 |
| Home record | 20–13–4 |
| Road record | 11–20–6 |
| Goals for | 200 |
| Goals against | 224 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Larry Regan |
| Coach | Red Kelly |
| Captain | Bob Wall |
| Arena |
Long Beach Arena, Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles Forum |
| Minor league affiliate(s) | Springfield Indians (AHL) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Bill Flett (26) |
| Assists | Eddie Joyal (34) |
| Points | Eddie Joyal (57) |
| Penalties in minutes | Dave Amadio (101) |
| Wins | Wayne Rutledge (20) |
| Goals against average | Wayne Rutledge (2.87) |
The 1967–68 Los Angeles Kings season was the first season for the Kings in the National Hockey League. The Kings qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs but lost in their first playoff series.
The Kings were one of six expansion teams, which doubled the size of the league from six to twelve. While the expected favorite bid in Los Angeles was by Dan Reeves, owner of the Western Hockey League's Los Angeles Blades and the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, the league instead awarded a franchise to Jack Kent Cooke, a Canadian who also owned the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers. The Kings were placed in the newly established West Division, along with the other expansion teams: the California Seals, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues.
Prior to the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, Cooke arranged a deal with Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Red Kelly, who as a player holds the distinction of playing on the most Stanley Cup championship teams without any of them including time in Montreal, and was set for his retirement, to become the Kings' first head coach. During the draft, the Kings picked goaltenders Terry Sawchuk and Wayne Rutledge with their first picks, and once Maple Leafs' general manager Punch Imlach decided to put Kelly on the protected list on the tenth round, Cooke was forced to send one of his picks, Ken Block, in exchange for his future coach. To not rely only on the draft, Cooke purchased the American Hockey League's Springfield Indians for $1 million to bolster the Kings roster. Long-time Indians player Brian Kilrea would score the Kings' first goal.
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