Los Angeles Kings: The 10 Best Memories from First Stanley Cup Win

The Los Angeles Kings didn't just win the Stanley Cup, but they did it in unforgettable fashion. 

Beating the best teams in the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks, the St. Louis Blues and the Phoenix Coyotes, was just a small part of the ride. 

They didn't just beat these teams, they dominated them. 

The Kings lost a total of four games in four seven-game series. It would be an understatement to call this domination from an eighth place team rare. They were the first eighth seed team to ever win the Stanley Cup. 

Impressive to say the least, but that's the beauty of the NHL. 

Here are the top 10 memories from the Los Angeles Kings' first Stanley Cup victory in franchise history. 

10. The Celebrity Fans

The Huffington Post did a report on the famous fans that came out to support the Kings for  game four of the Stanley Cup final.

Nice try Vince Vaughn, we all know your allegiance lies with the Chicago Blackhawks.  

While some may be the classic bandwagon type, others like Alyssa Milano are diehard fans of the Los Angeles Kings, owning season tickets since Luc Robitaille's rookie season. 

That's a true fan, celebrity or not. 

The celebrities brought a much larger scale of stardom, something hockey fans don't see much of when games are played in smaller market cities.

When the Kings get back on the ice to defend their title, hopefully the celebrity fans will show their support once again.

9. The Jimmy Kimmel Experience

Speaking of celebrities, Jimmy Kimmel is talk show host who's main job is to interview the people on the previous slide. 

But when you win the Stanley Cup, especially in Los Angeles, you're probably getting on a few talk shows, to say the least. 

Notice the faces?

By the looks of things, the party definitely got started and continued throughout the rest of the night. However, there's probably not a more deserving group in professional sports.

A Cinderella story in Tinsel-Town, how fitting.  

8. Dodgers Stadium

If I were a Los Angeles resident, this would be one of my favorite moments as a sports fan. 

The combination of two franchises under one roof, celebrating a Stanley Cup championship as a city, it really doesn't get any better than that. 

A little more fitting is watching one of the most celebrated Los Angeles athletes, Magic Johnson, applaud the Kings' Stanley Cup win while enjoying a nice day at the park. 

If only there could be an NHL Winter Classic at Dodgers Stadium, a battle of Southern California would be so fitting. 

Imagine, the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks playing in an outdoor rink. That would be something special, but completely unrealistic given the climate of Southern California. 

You can't blame a guy for dreaming. 

7. The Unforgettable Playoff Beards

This is actually a two-part video, and here is Dustin Penner hitting the barber shop.

You got to love the end product.

Here's an inside look at the Kings' locker room and some of the memorable beards from their Stanley Cup run. The playoff beard is something of a superstition, but has remained a Stanley Cup classic in the NHL.

There have been many great beards in the past, but the Los Angeles Kings truly had some of the best. 

It seemed to help along the way too. 

While many of the Kings are probably clean-shaven by now, the beards will be a loving memory for both the players and fans, as it represents the first Stanley Cup victory in franchise history. 

6. Legendary Announcer Bob Miller Prohibited from Calling the Finals

A little bit on the negative side of things, the NBC rights with the NHL prohibited Hall of Fame announcer Bob Miller from calling a live broadcast of the Stanley Cup finals. 

For all those diehard Los Angeles Kings fans out there, this was definitely a blow.

Miller has been the Kings' announcer for 39 years and was as much a part of the drought as any fan or player within the organization.

To be stripped of this right after giving almost four decades of your life to the Los Angeles Kings is definitely a pain only Miller could understand. 

If there was any negative aspect of the Kings' Stanley Cup run, it was this.

Nevertheless, the fans of the Los Angeles Kings were given the opportunity to hear Miller's call of the last game. 

Only fitting that, in a way, Miller was able to call Game 6 after all, a memory that will reside in the hearts of Kings fans forever. 

5. The Press Conference with Jon Quick, Darryl Sutter...and Quick's Daughter?

There could be several reasons as to why this memory does not deserve to be this high on the list. 

However, the meaning behind this press conference, along with the appearance of Jonathan Quick's daughter Madison, truly makes this a memorable moment from their Stanley Cup victory. 

Firstly, notice the trophy beside Quick? That only means that he was the best player of the playoffs for the winning team. His accomplishments throughout the 2012 NHL playoffs were simply astounding.

With that said, Quick has established himself as one of the league's best netminders, while also securing the starting job in Los Angeles for many years to come.

Secondly, Darryl Sutter accomplished something very difficult from a coaching standpoint.

After Terry Murray was fired in mid-December, the Kings were sitting in 10th place with a 15-14 record prior to Sutter's arrival.

How far they have come.

Not only did Sutter improve the Kings, he helped turn them into champions. The Kings have one of the best goalies, and a coach that will not be leaving anytime soon.

Two reasons why this press conference means a whole lot more than Madison Quick's rise to stardom. 

4. Dustin Brown Drops an F-Bomb

By winning a Stanley Cup, Dustin Brown has finally accomplished what no previous captain of the Kings was able to do, including the Great One Wayne Gretzky. 

In all the excitement, it seems Brown forgot that you can't swear on television. 

Like Pierre McGuire stated, Brown is only the second American captain to ever lead his team to a Stanley Cup win. I'm sure the city of Los Angeles didn't mind the slip up. 

Notice the "again"? Here is the first slip of the tongue that Dustin Brown had prior to this season. 

Though he may have a potty-mouth, Dustin Brown is the captain of the Stanley Cup champions.  He's merited a couple nationally televised F-bombs. 

3. Staying Away from the Western Conference Trophy

Dustin Brown was one of many captains to avoid raising the Western Conference championship trophy, also known as the Clarence S. Campbell Trophy. 

This has everything to do with a superstition with regards to the next round. 

The more important one. 

As Brown states in this interview, it's really all about the next round anyway. 

Brown was surely not the first, and will surely not be the last, to uphold the superstition of not touching the Conference championships.  It definitely worked the first time, and hopefully he gets the chance to choose again.

To pick up or not to pick up? That is the question. 

2. The Stanley Cup Parade

This is the moment every NHL fan dreams of. 

The experience of watching your hometown team travel through your city after winning the Stanley Cup is something only a few have been lucky enough to witness. 

Luckily for Kings fans, the players of their hometown team were able to pull off a great win, and ride through the main streets of Los Angeles to celebrate their victory. 

There really could not be a better feeling after winning the Stanley Cup, at least from a fan's perspective. 

Congratulations to all the Kings fans who were able to take part in the parade to show their support for the newly crowned NHL champions. 

They deserve it. 

If you're interested, here is part two of the Stanley Cup parade in Los Angeles. 

1. The Win Itself

Is there really a memory after winning the Stanley Cup that could be considered better?

The Los Angeles Kings' players and fans probably don't believe so. 

Every NHL player steps on the ice to win the championship.  Though they make millions of dollars trying to do so, the little kid inside comes out in all of them when the chance to raise the Stanley Cup arrives.  

We all have dreams, they just happen to be fulfilling their own.

As NHL fans, is there really a better feeling than watching your favorite squad win the Stanley Cup? Probably not.

Everything else is just the cherry on top.