1969–70 Los Angeles Kings season



The 1969–70 Los Angeles Kings season was the franchise's 3rd season in the National Hockey League. The Kings finished 6th in the West Division and did not qualify for the playoffs. This was the worst season in franchise history.

Off-season
In the Entry Draft, the Kings chose defensemen Dale Hoganson with their first pick, 16th overall in the second round.

The Kings jerseys were the same design as in the 1967-68 season except that a white outline was added to the numbers and logo.

Regular Season
The Kings endured some long stretches of futility during the 1969-70 season:
 * From January 29 through March 5, they went 17 straight games without a victory (0-13-4)
 * From November 8 through November 29, they went 10 straight games without a victory (0-9-1)
 * From January 11 through January 25, and again from January 29 through February 15, they lost 8 straight games
 * From January 11 through February 15, they suffered 11 consecutive road losses.
 * Their only two victories away from home all season were: December 2 (4-3 at Oakland) and January 10 (6-4 at Minnesota)

Coach Hal Laycoe was fired after just 24 games. His replacement, Johnny Wilson, did not fare much better, winning just nine of the remaining 52 games on the schedule.

The team suffered from the loss of their best defenseman, Bill White, who missed the start of the season and didn't play until November 22, 1969. Veteran defenseman and co-captain Larry Cahan posted a team worst -43 plus/minus. After his superlative rookie season, goalie Gerry Desjardins played every game in the first two months of the season but couldn't meet the high expectations behind a weakened defense. He was traded on February 20, 1970 in a multi-player deal in which the Kings acquired Denis DeJordy to replace him.

However, the critical factor for the Kings losing season was a sharp decrease in goal scoring, despite the off-season trade for Ross Lonsberry, who led the team in points. Eddie Joyal, team scoring leader from the 1968-69 season, had his goal scoring halved while Bill Flett had his worst full NHL season. Eddie Shack led the Kings in goal scoring with 22 and had the only Hat trick for the team but was a -39 plus/minus.

Still, several bright spots during the season gave the franchise hope for the future. During the 6-0 loss to the Chicago Black Hawks on November 26, 1969, Butch Goring played his first NHL game. He became a regular, finished third in team scoring and would become the King's leader for the next decade.

By the mid-January All-Star game break, with no chance of making the playoffs, GM Larry Regan began a rebuild. Over the next month, he made four trades with the last one on February 28, 1970 being the most significant, acquiring Juha Widing. Widing would lead the Kings in scoring for the next three seasons, of the total of six excellent ones he spent with Los Angeles.

After Gilles Marotte was acquired on February 20, 1970, Dale Hoganson gave Marotte jersey #4 and wore #10 for the rest of the season. Jim Stanfield played the first game of his seven game NHL career on February 26, 1970 in a 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Kings finished last in the West Division and the league with 38 points, the worst season in franchise history.

Playoffs

 * The Kings did not qualify for the post season.

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

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

Awards and Records

 * The Kings did not win any awards this season.

Transactions

 * May 14, 1969 – Acquired Ross Lonsberry and Eddie Shack from Boston for Ken Turlik and first round draft choices in both the 1971 and 1973 NHL Entry Drafts.
 * June 9, 1969 – Acquired Dennis Hextall and Leon Rochefort from New York for Real Lemieux.
 * September 1, 1969 – Acquired Roger Cote from the Phoenix Roadrunners for Jim Murray.
 * January 24, 1970 – Acquired Dick Duff from Montreal for Dennis Hextall.
 * February 20, 1970 – Acquired Brian Gibbons, Garry Monahan and Matt Ravlich from Detroit for Gary Croteau, Larry Johnston and Dale Rolfe.
 * February 20, 1970 – Acquired Denis DeJordy, Gilles Marotte and Jim Stanfield from Chicago for Bryan Campbell, Gerry Desjardins and Bill White.
 * February 28, 1970 – Acquired Real Lemieux and Juha Widing from New York for Ted Irvine.

Draft Picks
Note: Before 1979, the amateur draft was held with varying rules and procedures. In 1969, teams selected as many player as they wanted to, which is why there were only four Kings players drafted.

Goaltenders:

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Defensemen:

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Forwards:

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Farm Teams

 * Springfield Kings, AHL

Trivia

 * Kings who recorded a hat trick this season include:
 * Eddie Shack during the 5-0 win over the Oakland Seals on October 18, 1969.