5 random players you forgot were on the Los Angeles Kings

Here are five random players you forgot were on the Los Angeles Kings.

If the NHL Network replays the 1984 Stanley Cup Final, Los Angeles Kings fans are advised to tune out.

One half of the goaltending card in that Islanders-Oilers rematch could have been L.A.’s in that era. Long after letting him get away, the Kings reeled in the other half at an uncharacteristically inopportune time.

That short-lived acquisition was the first of three of its kind in two years. After exporting the one-time Oilers stalwart — and while seeing him regain some of his classic form elsewhere — the Kings tried plugging in a couple of one-time clutch Cup-winning forwards. But neither of them stuck for more than two months.

Shortly after the turn of the century, one more striker had a Hollywood remake of the old Oiler goalie’s pre- and post-Kings pattern. He was stellar in other cities, lowly in La-la-Land, then resurgent upon his rebound in the Midwest.

Odds are L.A.’s more recent collective success with homegrown staples Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, and Jonathan Quick alleviate these preceding head-scratchers and hair-pullers. But in case you forgot the NHL stars of the late 20th century who seemed to shine everywhere except Tinseltown, here is a refresher.

Los Angeles Kings: Neal Broten

In a 2014 NHL.com feature reflecting on Broten’s legacy, Tal Pinchevsky typed the name Devils five times and the proper nouns Minnesota and North Stars dozens of times apiece.

That is all self-explanatory for puckheads in the Garden and Gopher States alike. But to make a comprehensive summation, Pinchevsky would have been remiss not to mention every NHL team Broten played for.

And so he mentioned the Los Angeles Kings once, which is honestly the minimum and maximum limit you need. Unless, of course, you are diving deeper into why Broten’s L.A. tenure is so easily forgotten.

The Kings were the second of three NHL teams to dress Broten in his last of 17 seasons. They were also the only one to ever assign him to the minors.

The Miracle on Ice alum and three-time Selke Trophy candidate came from New Jersey, where he had scored the 1995 Cup-winning goal 17 months earlier, a week before Thanksgiving in 1996. He joined the Kings in mid-December, but not before a conditioning stint with the IHL’s Phoenix Roadrunners.

By late January, Broten had 19 games with L.A. and 11 with the Roadrunners on his log. Then one day after a Kings visit to the Stars, he hit the waiver wire and stayed in Dallas a little longer.

The Stars (nee North Stars), who had previously employed Broten for 12 full years in his native Minnesota and two in Dallas, gave him a comparatively better capper. After going goal-less and notching four assists for the Kings, Broten finished strong with 15 points in 20 games for the Stars, then one assist in two 1997 playoff games.