If you were watching hockey in the spring of 2014, you probably remember feeling a little bit tired just looking at the screen. Honestly, it was grueling. By the time the final buzzer sounded at Staples Center, the Los Angeles Kings hadn't just won a trophy; they had survived a marathon that would have broken most teams. They beat the New York Rangers in five games to take the series, but that "4-1" series score is the biggest lie in sports history.
Who won the Stanley Cup 2014? The Kings did. But the way they did it is what actually matters.
They played 26 out of a possible 28 playoff games. Think about that for a second. That is almost a full third of a regular season crammed into two months of high-impact, bone-crushing playoff hockey. They faced elimination seven different times before they even reached the Finals. Seven. They were basically the zombies of the NHL—you could beat them, you could bury them, but they just kept crawling back out of the dirt to grab your ankles.
The Impossible Comeback against San Jose
Most people forget that the Kings were dead in April. They were down 3-0 in the first round against the San Jose Sharks. In the history of the NHL, coming back from a 3-0 deficit had only happened three times before. It’s the kind of hole that usually leads to a coach getting fired and a roster getting blown up.
But Jonathan Quick decided to become a brick wall.
The Kings didn't just squeak by; they dominated the final four games of that series. It shifted something in the locker room. Suddenly, they weren't just a hockey team; they were a group of guys who felt like they couldn't lose, even when they probably should have. Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, and Drew Doughty were playing insane minutes.
It was heavy hockey. Physical. Mean.
Then they had to go seven games with the Anaheim Ducks. Then another seven games with the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks. That Western Conference Final against Chicago? Many fans still argue that was the real Stanley Cup Finals. It was two heavyweights trading haymakers. Alec Martinez became a household name when he scored the Game 7 winner in overtime, a fluttering puck that defied physics and sent the Kings to the big stage.
Why the Rangers Couldn't Close the Gap
When the Kings finally met the New York Rangers, the narratives were everywhere. You had Henrik Lundqvist, "The King," trying to finally get his ring. The Rangers were fast. They were flashy. They had Alain Vigneault's system humming.
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But the Kings had the "Justin Williams" factor.
There's a reason they call him Mr. Game 7. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP because he showed up in every single high-pressure moment. He didn't just score; he willed the puck into the net.
The series against the Rangers was weird because New York actually led for a lot of it. They had two-goal leads in Games 1 and 2. They were playing well. But the Kings had this terrifying ability to just wait. They’d wait for a mistake, wait for a tired line change, or wait for a power play. Three of the five games went to overtime. It wasn't a blowout; it was a war of attrition.
Game 5 was the peak of this madness. It went into double overtime. Imagine the stress in that building. Fans were barely breathing. Every shot felt like it could end the season or send everyone back to New York. Then, at 14:43 of the second overtime, Alec Martinez—the same guy who sunk Chicago—found a rebound off a Tyler Toffoli shot.
He didn't miss.
The image of Martinez doing the "jazz hands" celebration while sliding on his knees is burned into the memory of every LA sports fan. It was 19th of June. The ice was soft. Everyone was sweating. And the Kings were champions for the second time in three years.
The Statistical Reality of the 2014 Run
If you look at the raw numbers, the 2014 Kings shouldn't have been that good. Their regular season was "fine." They finished third in the Pacific Division. They weren't a juggernaut like the Bruins or the Blackhawks that year.
But their advanced stats told a different story.
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They were a puck-possession monster. Under coach Darryl Sutter, they played a "heavy" game that focused on keeping the puck in the offensive zone and suffocating the opponent. You couldn't breathe when you played them. Even if you were faster—like the Rangers—the Kings would eventually pin you against the boards and wear you down until your legs turned to jelly.
- Total Playoff Games: 26 (A tied record at the time).
- Elimination Games Won: 7.
- Overtime Wins in the Finals: 3.
- Conn Smythe Winner: Justin Williams (13 goals, 25 points).
Marian Gaborik was another huge piece of the puzzle. The Kings traded for him mid-season, which was a massive gamble. He was "old" and "injury-prone" according to the critics. He ended up leading the playoffs with 14 goals. It was a masterclass in GM Dean Lombardi finding exactly what the team needed: a pure finisher to complement Kopitar's playmaking.
Debunking the Luck Narrative
Some people say the Kings were lucky who won the Stanley Cup 2014. They point to the bounces in the Chicago series or the fact that Lundqvist was arguably the better goalie in the Finals despite losing.
That's a bit of a stretch.
Luck doesn't get you through three consecutive Game 7s on the road. The Kings won Game 7 in San Jose, Game 7 in Anaheim, and Game 7 in Chicago. No team has ever done that. That's not luck; that's a level of mental toughness that we rarely see in modern sports. They were comfortable being uncomfortable. They liked the pressure.
They also had Drew Doughty. At that point in his career, Doughty was arguably the best defenseman on the planet. He played nearly 29 minutes a night. He was a one-man breakout machine. If the Kings were under pressure, Doughty would just take the puck and skate it out himself. You can't simulate that kind of impact.
The Aftermath and the "Dynasty" Debate
After 2014, everyone started using the "D" word. Dynasty. Two cups in three years is impressive, but the Kings flamed out pretty hard afterward. They missed the playoffs the very next year.
It turns out that playing 26 playoff games takes a toll. The human body isn't designed to play hockey into mid-June every year, especially not the physical, punishing style the Kings played. They essentially traded their future health for that 2014 trophy.
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If you ask any Kings fan today, they’ll tell you it was worth it.
The 2014 run was the peak of the "Black and Silver" era. It was a team built on grit, possession, and a goalie who could steal games when everything else broke down. While the Rangers had the Broadway stars, the Kings had the blue-collar work ethic that actually wins championships in the NHL.
How to Apply the 2014 Kings Mindset
If you're looking for a takeaway from this historic run, it's about the "Next Shift" mentality. The Kings didn't panic when they were down 3-0 to San Jose. They didn't panic when they were trailing in the third period of the Finals.
- Embrace the grind: Success isn't always pretty. Sometimes it’s about winning a puck battle in the corner in the second overtime.
- Depth matters: You can't win with just one star. The Kings had Gaborik, Jeff Carter, and Mike Richards all contributing in different ways.
- Mental resilience: Being "down" isn't the same as being "out." The Kings proved that seven times over.
To really appreciate what happened, go back and watch the highlights of Game 5 against the Rangers. Look at the faces of the players in the second overtime. They weren't even celebrating half the time—they were just trying to stay upright. That is what it takes to win at the highest level.
The 2014 Stanley Cup remains one of the most statistically improbable and physically demanding championships in the history of North American sports. It wasn't just a win; it was a survival story.
Next Steps for Hockey Fans
To get a deeper sense of this era, watch the "Road to the Stadium Series" or the "In the Kingdom" documentaries which cover the behind-the-scenes locker room dynamics of this specific roster. Additionally, comparing the 2014 Kings' puck possession metrics (Corsi and Fenwick) to modern champions like the Vegas Golden Knights or Colorado Avalanche provides a fascinating look at how the "Heavy Hockey" era transitioned into the "Speed and Skill" era we see today. You can find these detailed statistical breakdowns on sites like Hockey-Reference or Natural Stat Trick to see how the Kings' defensive dominance actually functioned on paper.