1975–76 Los Angeles Kings season
| 1975–76 Los Angeles Kings | |
|---|---|
| Division | 2nd Norris |
| 1975–76 record | 38–33–9 |
| Goals for | 263 |
| Goals against | 265 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Jake Milford |
| Coach | Bob Pulford |
| Captain | Mike Murphy |
| Alternate captains | None |
The Kings were coming off their most successful season ever, built largely on the strength of their defense and goaltending. They ranked 2nd in fewest goals allowed in the 1974–75 season, but tied for 9th in goals scored. In addition, while their penalty killing was excellent, their power play ranked in the lower third of the league. Finally, their early round playoff upset by Toronto (where the Kings scored only 6 goals in 3 games) prompted them to make one of the biggest trades in club history. High scoring superstar Marcel Dionne was in a contract dispute with the Detroit Red Wings and was available to a team that would meet his salary demands. So to bolster the offense, they Kings traded veteran defenseman and team captain Terry Harper and tough guy forward Dan Maloney along with draft picks to the Detroit Red Wings for future hall of famer Dionne and defenseman Bart Crashley. They then gave Dionne one of the richest contracts in NHL history up to that point at $300,000 per year.
Unlike the prior season when the Kings started fast, after the first two games in 1975–76, they were 0–2–0 and had been outscored 16–0! It was later revealed that golatender Rogie Vachon was playing with a flu like virus related to typhus. Vachon recovered and the Kings won 10 of their next 12 games to right the ship. However, they played .500 hockey the rest of the way and finished 27 points behind the Montreal Canadiens in the Norris Division. While Dionne delivered a club record 40 goals and 94 points, the team missed Harper's leadership and defense, and Maloney's tough guy presence. A number of players missed significant time with injuries, and the club actually scored 6 fewer goals that the year before despite the addition of Dionne. The Kings ended up with a record of 38–33–9, 2nd in the Norris Division and 6th overall in the league.
The Kings mini series opponent was the Atlanta Flames. The Kings scored in the 1st minute of game one and went on to win 2–1 behind Vachon's brilliant goaltending. In game 2, Atlanta tried to physically overwhelm the Kings but Vachon was even better than in game one; Bob Berry's 3rd period goal won the game 1–0 and the series; it was the Kings first playoff series win since 1969.
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