Los Angeles Kings Owner Condones “Sense of Honor” Over Losing in Playoffs

The Los Angeles Kings may no longer be in the running to defend their Stanley Cup title from 2012 but that doesn’t mean owner Dean Lombardi is down on his luck. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Lombardi said that while he’s not able to stomach losing out on returning to the Stanley Cup Finals, he’ll be the first guy to condone is team’s “sense of honor” in the Western Conference Finals.

Per the Los Angeles Times:

"“You’re almost frozen. There’s so much going through your head, there’s nothing going through your head. … It’s almost like you don’t know what you’ve lost until it’s gone — or whatever that saying is — until you’ve experienced it. You can’t condone losing — you never want to do that — but I have to condone their sense of honor. They didn’t quit. They fought through and given the history of it, they deserve to be commended for what they did accomplish.”– LA Kings owner Dean Lombardi"

The Kings didn’t seem to be much of a match at times during the series against the Blackhawks, but only after the Conference Finals had concluded did we learn just how admirable the Kings efforts really were. Top skaters like Dustin Brown, Justin Williams and Drew Doughty all played through injuries and others suffered through the series as well.

But still, the Kings dragged the Blackhawks to double overtime in Game 5 before bowing out and forfeiting their Stanley Cup crown. Lombardi is right to be proud of his team, as while the Kings may have been slain, it wasn’t before they put up a valiant effort.