2012 Stanley Cup Finals

The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2011–12 season, and the culmination of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Western Conference playoff champion Los Angeles Kings defeated the Eastern Conference playoff champion New Jersey Devils four games to two, capturing the first Stanley Cup title in the team's 45-year history, dealing the Devils just their second Stanley Cup Finals defeat in five tries and first since 2001. Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs.

2012 Stanley Cup Finals
123456 Total
Los Angeles Kings 2*2*4116 4
New Jersey Devils 1*1*0321 2
* – Denotes overtime period(s)
Location(s)Los Angeles: Staples Center (3, 4, 6)
Newark: Prudential Center (1, 2, 5)
CoachesLos Angeles: Darryl Sutter
New Jersey: Peter DeBoer
CaptainsLos Angeles: Dustin Brown
New Jersey: Zach Parise
National anthemsLos Angeles: Pia Toscano
New Jersey: Arlette Roxburgh
RefereesDan O'Halloran (1, 3, 5)
Dan O'Rourke (2, 4, 6)
Chris Rooney (2, 4, 6)
Brad Watson (1, 3, 5)
DatesMay 30 – June 11
MVPJonathan Quick (Kings)
Series-winning goalJeff Carter (12:45, first, G6)
NetworksCanada (English): CBC
Canada (French): RDS
United States: NBC, NBC Sports Network
Announcers(CBC) Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, and Glenn Healy
(RDS) Pierre Houde and Marc Denis
(NBC/NBC Sports) Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire
(NHL International) Dave Strader and Joe Micheletti

The 2012 Final ended a long Stanley Cup Finals appearance drought for the Los Angeles Kings, who had appeared in the Finals only once in franchise history, in 1993, when the Kings lost to the Montreal Canadiens in five games.[1] The New Jersey Devils last appeared in 2003, when they defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games to win their third Stanley Cup title.[2] It was the first championship series since 2007 whose Stanley Cup-clinching game was played on the winning team's home ice.

The Eastern Conference winner had home ice advantage for the first time since 2006, since the Devils had a better regular season record than the Kings. The Devils were the lowest-seeded team to have home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals, a record previously held by the Devils when they won the Cup as a fourth seed in 2000. With the Devils entering the playoffs as the ninth seed of the 16 playoff teams by regular season record (no division titles) and the Kings as the 13th, their combined seed of 22 was the second highest of any playoff matchup (only trailing the 1991 Cup Finals with 23), and it was the first playoff matchup with no team seeded better than 9th.[3] The Kings became the first, as well as the last eighth-seeded team to win the Stanley Cup since the conference-based seedings were introduced in 1994.[4][5]

Paths to the Finals

Los Angeles Kings
Further information: 2011–12 Los Angeles Kings season

The Los Angeles Kings historically have not fared well in the postseason, having only progressed beyond second round of the playoffs once in franchise history. There were some highlights in franchise history, such as a dramatic seven-game series loss to the heavily favored Boston Bruins in 1976, the upset of the top seeded Edmonton Oilers (including the game three Miracle on Manchester) in 1982, and a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Oilers in 1989. The first time that they advanced to the Conference Finals was in 1993, where the Kings defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs to reach their first Cup Finals in franchise history, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens. From 1994 to 2011 the Kings won just one playoff series, during the 2001 postseason when they upset the Detroit Red Wings in six games (featuring the game four "Stunner at Staples") and coming back from a 3–1 deficit to push the eventual Cup champions Colorado Avalanche to seven games.

The Kings started the regular season at 13–12–4 before firing head coach Terry Murray on December 12, 2011. John Stevens served as interim coach before the team hired Darryl Sutter on December 20. Under Sutter, the Kings finished the season at 95 points. The Kings lost their final two regular season games to fall from first place in the Pacific Division (and the #3 seed in the West) to third place in the division and eighth in the conference. The Kings won only 40 out 82 games, and with 95 points became first losing record team to finish the season with more than 90 points.

The Kings then went on to become the second team to eliminate the first, second and thirds seeds from the playoffs in the same postseason (and the first team to do so in that order), after the 2003–04 Calgary Flames, also coached by Darryl Sutter,[6] eliminating the Vancouver Canucks in five games, the St. Louis Blues in four games, and the Phoenix Coyotes in five games. In addition, the Kings went a perfect 8–0 on the road in these playoff games and the first team to go undefeated while en route to the Final.[7]

The Kings' 2012 Stanley Cup victory parade in downtown Los Angeles.

The Kings are the second eighth seed to reach the Finals, following the Edmonton Oilers in 2006 (the Oilers lost out to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games). Kings players Jarret Stoll and Matt Greene were part of that Oilers team in 2006, while teammate Justin Williams played for the Cup-winning Hurricanes.[8]

New Jersey Devils
Further information: 2011–12 New Jersey Devils season

The Devils started the season having missed the playoffs in the 2010–11 season for the first time since 1995–96 season, breaking a 13 consecutive post-season appearance streak. This was the Devils' first season under head coach Peter DeBoer, who replaced the retiring Jacques Lemaire during the offseason. Under DeBoer, New Jersey finished the regular season with 102 points, but ended up with the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Devils eliminated DeBoer's former team, the Southeast division-winning Florida Panthers, in seven games, and two of their division rivals, first the fifth-seeded Philadelphia Flyers in five games, and the first-seeded New York Rangers in six games.

Game summaries
Number in parenthesis represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the entire four rounds of the playoffs

Game one

Los Angeles scored first on Colin Fraser's goal at 09:56 of the first period.[9] The Kings then held the Devils without a shot on goal for the first 14 minutes of the second period, but could not increase their lead.[10] The Devils tied the game at 18:48 of the second period when Anton Volchenkov's shot bounced off of Kings defenceman Slava Voynov and into the Los Angeles net.[11] At 3:58 of the third period, a Devils goal was waved off when Zach Parise illegally pushed the puck with his hand over the Kings goal line. Anze Kopitar beat Martin Brodeur on a breakaway goal 8:13 into overtime to give the Kings a 2–1 win in game one.[9] The Kings' Jonathan Quick made 17 out of 18 saves, while Brodeur made 23 out of 25.

With the win, the Kings became the first team to win their first nine road games in a single postseason.[9]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st LAK Colin Fraser (1) Jordan Nolan (1) 09:56 1–0 LA
2nd NJD Anton Volchenkov (1) Patrik Elias (3) and David Clarkson (8) 18:48 1–1
3rd None
OT LAK Anze Kopitar (7) Justin Williams (10) and Drew Doughty (9) 08:13 2–1 LA
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st LAK Dustin Brown Goaltender interference 12:19 2:00
2nd LAK Jarret Stoll Tripping 08:31 2:00
NJD Dainius Zubrus Elbowing 13:23 2:00
3rd None
OT None
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 OT Total
Los Angeles598325
New Jersey547218

Game two

The Kings extended their 2012 playoff road winning streak to ten with another 2–1 overtime victory. This time, it was Jeff Carter who scored at 13:42 of the extra period. After Carter's initial shot from the right side was stopped, he then went around the net to grab the puck on the other side and then made a shot through traffic that beat Martin Brodeur. Los Angeles scored first on Drew Doughty's unassisted goal at 7:49 of the first period. The Devils tied the game at 2:59 of the third period when Ryan Carter deflected Marek Zidlicky's shot into the Kings' net. Neither team could take advantage of their power plays, nor on a 4-on-4 late in the third period. Both teams had more shots than game one; Jonathan Quick made 32 out of 33 saves, while Brodeur made 30 out of 32.[12]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st LAK Drew Doughty (3) Unassisted 07:49 1–0 LA
2nd None
3rd NJD Ryan Carter (5) Marek Zidlicky (8) and Steve Bernier (5) 02:59 1–1
OT LAK Jeff Carter (5) Dustin Penner (8) and Alec Martinez (2) 13:42 2–1 LA
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st LAK Matt Greene Cross Checking 02:54 2:00
LAK Willie Mitchell Cross Checking 07:56 2:00
2nd NJD Andy Greene Tripping 09:29 2:00
LAK Dwight King High-sticking 13:38 2:00
3rd NJD Dainius Zubrus Interference 16:55 2:00
LAK Drew Doughty Hooking 17:46 2:00
OT None
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 OT Total
Los Angeles6961132
New Jersey11910333

Game three

Los Angeles scored four goals, and Jonathan Quick stopped all 22 New Jersey shots, as the Kings defeated the Devils 4–0. The Kings' first goal at 5:58 of the second period was controversial. Dwight King's original shot against Martin Brodeur was stopped, but King kept on swiping the puck until Alec Martinez finally pushed it across the goal line. Brodeur argued that he had the puck covered up just before Martinez's shot, but the officials did not blow the play dead and the goal stood.[13] The Kings' scored their second goal at 15:07 of the third period when Justin Williams sent a pass near the boards to Dustin Brown, who then passed to Anze Kopitar on the other side, who then lifted the puck over Brodeur. In the third period, two New Jersey penalties led to two Los Angeles power play goals. Meanwhile, New Jersey could not score off of Los Angeles' five penalties during the game, including Jeff Carter's high-sticking double-minor in the first period that led to a Devils 5 on 3 for about a minute.[13]

This contest also saw the return of Kings' left winger Simon Gagne, who had been out of the Los Angeles lineup since December 26, 2011, due to a head injury. Gagne, who played in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in three years, took Brad Richardson's spot in the lineup. In 2010, Gagne, along with current Kings teammates Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, were members of the Philadelphia Flyers that lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.[14]

With the win, the Kings became the first team in NHL history to take a 3–0 series lead in each of the four rounds of the playoffs.[15]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st None
2nd LAK Alec Martinez (1) Dwight King (1) and Trevor Lewis (6) 05:40 1–0 LA
LAK Anze Kopitar (8) Dustin Brown (10) and Justin Williams (11) 15:07 2–0 LA
3rd LAK Jeff Carter (6) – pp Mike Richards (8) and Willie Mitchell (2) 04:15 3–0 LA
LAK Justin Williams (3) – pp Drew Doughty (10) and Anze Kopitar (10) 06:47 4–0 LA
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st LAK Mike Richards Elbowing 14:35 2:00
LAK Jeff Carter High-sticking - double minor 15:36 4:00
NJD Marek Zidlicky Tripping 16:57 2:00
2nd LAK Anze Kopitar Holding 06:16 2:00
LAK Dustin Penner Goaltender Intererence 09:41 2:00
LAK Simon Gagne Slashing 18:30 2:00
3rd NJD Mark Fayne Cross Checking 03:29 2:00
NJD Marek Zidlicky High-sticking 05:30 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
New Jersey79622
Los Angeles69621

Game four

New Jersey avoided being swept for the first time in team history when Adam Henrique scored at 15:29 of the third period to break a 1–1 tie, and Ilya Kovalchuk added an empty-netter with 19.1 seconds left, defeating the Kings 3–1, and forcing a fifth game. This marked the third time in this playoffs that the Kings failed to close out a series in game four after winning the first three games. The game remained scoreless until 7:56 of the third period when Patrik Elias shot a rebound into the Los Angeles net, giving New Jersey their first lead of the series. This lead was cut short a minute later, as David Clarkson was called for boarding at 8:52, and four seconds later Drew Doughty tied the game with a power play goal for the Kings. With the loss, the Kings failed to match the record set by the Edmonton Oilers, who was the last team to lose only two games in their 1988 championship run with at least 16 required games played in a four-round format.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st None
2nd None
3rd NJD Patrik Elias (5) Bryce Salvador (9) and Dainius Zubrus (7) 07:56 1–0 NJD
LAK Drew Doughty (4) – pp Mike Richards (9) and Anze Kopitar (11) 08:56 1–1
NJD Adam Henrique (4) David Clarkson (9) and Alexei Ponikarovsky (6) 15:29 2–1 NJD
NJD Ilya Kovalchuk (8) – en Unassisted 19:40 3–1 NJD
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st NJD Zach Parise Tripping 03:02 2:00
LAK Jarret Stoll Hooking 05:53 2:00
LAK Dustin Brown Tripping 07:58 2:00
NJD Bryce Salvador Interference 19:15 2:00
2nd NJD Bryce Salvador Interference 08:19 2:00
3rd NJD David Clarkson Boarding 08:52 2:00
LAK Willie Mitchell High-sticking 17:10 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
New Jersey831223
Los Angeles77822

Game five

The Devils gave the Kings their only playoff road loss with a 2-1 victory, ending their 10-game road-winning streak, and became the first club since the Detroit Red Wings in 1945 to come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Cup Finals to force a game six.[16] New Jersey scored first at 12:45 of the first period, their first power play goal of the series, after Jonathan Quick misplayed the puck and Zach Parise found an open net on the other side before the Los Angeles goalie could recover. The Kings tied the game at 3:26 of the second when Justin Williams took a pass from Matt Greene, skated into the New Jersey zone and beat Martin Brodeur. But the Devils took the lead for good at 9:05 of the second when Bryce Salvador's shot deflected off of Kings defenceman Slava Voynov into the Los Angeles net. Jarret Stoll's goal at 11:16 of the second period, which would have tied the game, was waved off because he shot it with a high-stick. The Devils later held on for the final minute of the game on a 4-on-4 and the Kings pulling their goalie for the extra attacker on what became essentially a 5-on-4 advantage.[16]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st NJD Zach Parise (8) - pp Unassisted 12:45 1–0 NJD
2nd LAK Justin Williams (4) Matt Greene (4) 03:26 1–1
NJD Bryce Salvador (4) Alexei Ponikarovsky (7) and Mark Fayne (4) 09:05 2–1 NJD
3rd None
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st LAK Willie Mitchell Interference 11:00 2:00
2nd NJD Mark Fayne Delay of game - Puck over glass 09:33 2:00
NJD Bryce Salvador High-sticking 18:38 2:00
3rd LAK Dustin Brown Holding the stick 05:51 2:00
LAK Dustin Penner Roughing 18:24 2:00
NJD Alexei Ponikarovsky Roughing 18:24 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
Los Angeles79926
New Jersey412319

Game six
External video
Game 6 Full replay (NBC's feed) on the NHL's official YouTube channel

The Kings defeated the Devils 6–1 to capture the series and win their first Stanley Cup in team history. This was the most lopsided Cup-clinching game since 1991, when the Pittsburgh Penguins won game six by beating the Minnesota North Stars 8–0.[17] At 10:10 of the first period, New Jersey's Steve Bernier was assessed a major boarding penalty and a game misconduct on a hit to Los Angeles' Rob Scuderi.[18][19] The Kings then put the game out of reach by scoring three goals on the ensuing five-minute power play (when a major penalty is assessed, the full five-minute penalty must be served)—the first by Dustin Brown, the second by Jeff Carter, and the third by Trevor Lewis.[19]

Carter then beat Martin Brodeur to score his second goal of the game at 1:50 of the second period after Anton Volchenkov collided with a linesman while trying to defend Brown, who was carrying the puck into the New Jersey Zone. Unimpeded after Volchenkov was screened from the play, Brown easily got the pass off to Carter.[18] Adam Henrique got the Devils' lone goal at 18:45 of the second period after getting the rebound off of a shot by Petr Sykora. Lewis added an empty net goal at 16:15 of the third period after Brodeur was pulled for an extra attacker. With Brodeur back in the net, Matt Greene scored the Kings' sixth goal of the game 15 seconds later.[20]

Regarding Bernier's game-changing penalty, Rich Chere of The Star-Ledger wrote that it was "the most devastating call in the Stanley Cup finals since the illegal curve on Marty McSorley's stick in 1993".[21] Several Devils fans and other observers believed that there was inconsistency with the officials' calls, and that they missed a couple of calls on the Kings at the time of that hit, such as one Jarret Stoll made on the Devils' Stephen Gionta.[22] But James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail gave credit to the referees for making the hard call, stating that "Scuderi had his back to Bernier much of the play ... It's also the type of play the league showcased at the GM meetings as one where more and more players had been 'letting up' rather than plowing a vulnerable opponent from behind. The NHL, in other words, wants these hits out of the game."[23] With the win, the Kings became only the second California-based NHL team to win the Stanley Cup, following the Anaheim Ducks, who beat Ottawa in 2007, the 12th expansion team to win it, and the second to last of the surviving 1967 expansion teams to do so (in 2019, the St. Louis Blues became the last franchise from the 1967 expansion to win the Cup).

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st LAK Dustin Brown (8) - pp Drew Doughty (11) and Mike Richards (10) 11:03 1–0 LA
LAK Jeff Carter (7) - pp Dustin Brown (11) and Mike Richards (11) 12:45 2–0 LA
LAK Trevor Lewis (2) - pp Dwight King (2) and Drew Doughty (12) 15:01 3–0 LA
2nd LAK Jeff Carter (8) Dustin Brown (12) and Anze Kopitar (12) 01:30 4–0 LA
NJD Adam Henrique (5) Petr Sykora (3) and Alexei Ponikarovsky (8) 18:45 4–1 LA
3rd LAK Trevor Lewis (3) - en Dwight King (3) and Jarret Stoll (3) 16:15 5–1 LA
LAK Matt Greene (2) Unassisted 16:30 6–1 LA
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st NJD Anton Volchenkov Hooking 03:01 2:00
NJD Steve Bernier (Served by Petr Sykora) Boarding - Major 10:10 5:00
NJD Steve Bernier Game misconduct 10:10 10:00
2nd NJD Bryce Salvador High-sticking 06:00 4:00
NJD Ryan Carter (Served by Petr Sykora) Roughing 14:23 2:00
NJD Ryan Carter Misconduct 14:23 10:00
NJD David Clarkson Misconduct 18:19 10:00
LAK Dustin Penner Roughing 19:43 2:00
3rd LAK Dustin Brown (Served by Justin Williams) Roughing 06:55 2:00
NJD Petr Sykora Roughing 06:55 2:00
LAK Dustin Brown Charging 06:55 2:00
NJD Marek Zidlicky Tripping 08:06 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
New Jersey46818
Los Angeles138324

Notes

The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals marked the first time two American-born captains faced off in the championship series of the NHL as Dustin Brown of Los Angeles battled against Zach Parise of New Jersey.[24] This scenario ensured a second time in league history of an American-born captain leading his team to the Stanley Cup championship. Derian Hatcher of the Dallas Stars was the first American-born captain to do so, leading his team over the Buffalo Sabres in 1999.[25]

These finals guaranteed the lowest-seeded Stanley Cup champion in history. New Jersey, as a fifth seed, won the Stanley Cup in 1995.[26] With the Kings' victory, they became the first team ever to win the Stanley Cup as the eighth seed. They are also the second team to win the Stanley Cup without having home ice advantage in any of the four rounds of the playoffs, also after the Devils in 1995.

For the second consecutive Finals, both participating teams' arenas (New Jersey's Prudential Center and Los Angeles' Staples Center) served as host to their first Stanley Cup Finals. The Prudential Center opened prior to the 2007–08 season, while the Staples Center opened in time for the 1999–2000 season (in 2011, the Boston Bruins' TD Garden and Vancouver Canucks' Rogers Arena, which both opened within days of one another in September 1995, were the two venues that had the honors).

The Kings are the fourth consecutive team to win the Stanley Cup after opening the season in Europe as part of the NHL Premiere Series. Previous NHL Premiere participants (Pittsburgh—2009, Chicago—2010, Boston—2011) went on to win the Cup.[27]

Jonathan Quick became the third American Conn Smythe Trophy winner, following previous winners Brian Leetch (1994) and Tim Thomas (2011).[28][29]

Team rosters

Years indicated in boldface under the "Finals appearance" column signify that the player won the Stanley Cup in the given year.

Los Angeles Kings
Dustin Brown captained the Kings to the first championship in franchise history
# Nat Player Position Hand Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
45 Jonathan Bernier G L 2006 Laval, Quebec first
23 Dustin Brown – C RW R 2003 Ithaca, New York first
77 Jeff Carter C/RW R 2012 London, Ontario second (2010)
13 Kyle Clifford LW R 2009 Ayr, Ontario first
8 Drew Doughty D R 2008 London, Ontario first
44 Davis Drewiske D L 2008 Hudson, Wisconsin first (did not play)
24 Colin Fraser C L 2011 Sicamous, British Columbia second (2010)
12 Simon Gagne LW L 2011 Sainte-Foy, Quebec second (2010)
2 Matt Greene – A D R 2008 Grand Ledge, Michigan second (2006)
74 Dwight King LW L 2007 Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan first
11 Anze Kopitar – A C L 2005 Jesenice, Yugoslavia first
22 Trevor Lewis RW/C R 2006 Salt Lake City, Utah first
27 Alec Martinez D L 2007 Rochester Hills, Michigan first
33 Willie Mitchell D L 2010 Port McNeill, British Columbia first
71 Jordan Nolan RW/C L 2009 Garden River, Ontario first
25 Dustin Penner LW L 2011 Winkler, Manitoba second (2007)
32 Jonathan Quick G L 2005 Milford, Connecticut first
10 Mike Richards C L 2011 Kenora, Ontario second (2010)
15 Brad Richardson C/LW L 2008 Belleville, Ontario first
7 Rob Scuderi D L 2009 Syosset, New York third (2008, 2009)
28 Jarret Stoll C R 2008 Melville, Saskatchewan second (2006)
26 Slava Voynov D R 2008 Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union first
19 Kevin Westgarth RW R 2007 Amherstburg, Ontario first (did not play)
14 Justin Williams RW R 2009 Cobourg, Ontario second (2006)

New Jersey Devils
Zach Parise captained the Devils to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since their 2003 victory
# Nat Player Position Hand Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
18 Steve Bernier RW R 2012 Quebec City, Quebec first
22 Eric Boulton LW L 2011 Halifax, Nova Scotia first (did not play)
30 Martin Brodeur G L 1990 Montreal, Quebec fifth (1995, 2000, 2001, 2003)
20 Ryan Carter C L 2011 White Bear Lake, Minnesota second (2007)
23 David Clarkson RW R 2005 Toronto, Ontario first
26 Patrik Elias – A LW L 1994 Třebíč, Czechoslovakia fourth (2000, 2001, 2003)
29 Mark Fayne D R 2005 Nashua, New Hampshire first
11 Stephen Gionta C R 2010 Rochester, New York first
6 Andy Greene D L 2006 Trenton, Michigan first
10 Peter Harrold D R 2011 Kirtland Hills, Ohio first
1 Johan Hedberg G L 2010 Leksand, Sweden first
14 Adam Henrique C L 2008 Brantford, Ontario first
25 Cam Janssen RW R 2011 St. Louis, Missouri first (did not play)
16 Jacob Josefson C L 2009 Stockholm, Sweden first
17 Ilya Kovalchuk – A LW R 2010 Kalinin, Soviet Union first
5 Adam Larsson D R 2011 Skellefteå, Sweden first
9 Zach Parise – C LW L 2003 Minneapolis, Minnesota first
12 Alexei Ponikarovsky LW L 2012 Kiev, Soviet Union first
24 Bryce Salvador D L 2008 Brandon, Manitoba first
15 Petr Sykora RW L 2011 Plzeň, Czechoslovakia sixth (2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2009)
7 Henrik Tallinder D L 2010 Stockholm, Sweden first
28 Anton Volchenkov D L 2010 Moscow, Soviet Union second (2007)
19 Travis Zajac C R 2004 Winnipeg, Manitoba first
2 Marek Zidlicky D R 2012 Most, Czechoslovakia first
8 Dainius Zubrus C/RW L 2007 Elektrėnai, Soviet Union second (1997)

Stanley Cup engraving

The 2012 Stanley Cup was presented to Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, following the Kings 6-1 win over the New Jersey Devils in the sixth game of the finals.

The following Kings players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup

2012 Los Angeles Kings

Players

1 Played both Center and Wing

Coaching and administrative staff

  • Philip Anschutz (Owner/Alt. Governor), Nancy Anchutz (Minority Owner), Tim Leiweke (Governor), Edward P. Roski Jr.* (Co-Owner)
  • Daniel Beckerman (Chief financial officer), Ted Fikre (Chief Legal & Development Officer), Dean Lombardi (President/General Manager/Alt. Governor), Luc Robitaille (President of Business Operations/Atl. Governor)
  • Ron Hextall (Vice President/Assistant General Manager), Jeff Solomon (Vice President of Hockey Operations & Legal Affairs), Darryl Sutter (Head Coach), John Stevens (Assistant Coach)
  • Jamie Kompon (Assistant Coach), Bill Ranford (Goaltending Coach), Chris McGowan (Chief Operating Officer), Michael Altieri (Vice President Communications & Broadcasting)
  • Jack Ferreira (Special Assistant General Manager), Mike O'Connell (Pro Development & Special Assignment Executive), Nelson Emerson (Player Development Executive), Rob Laird (Senior Pro Scout)
  • Michael Futa (Co-Amateur Scouting Director), Mark Yannetti (Co-Amateur Scouting Director), Lee Callans (Scouting Coordinator)
  • Marshall Dickerson (Director of Team Operations), Ryan Colville (Video Coordinator), Darren Granger (Head Equipment Manager)
  • Chris Kingsley (Medical Trainer), Dana C. Bryson (Assistant Equipment Manager), Myles Hirayama (Assistant Athletic Trainer)

Stanley Cup engraving

[30][31]

  • Edward P. Roski* (Co-Owner) It was written that he did not make the list sent to the engraver. However, when the Cup came back from the engraver, his name was on it. The engraver included 53 names—one more than the normal limit.
  • Kevin Westgarth† played in 25 regular-season games (injured in February Wrist missed rest of the season) and Davis Drewiske† played in 9 regular-season games (healthy reserve). The NHL agreed to the team's request that both names go on the Stanley Cup. They were with the team all year.
  • Terry Murray was the head coach of the Kings for the first 29 games of the 2011–12 season, and then remained with the team as a scout for the rest of the season. The Kings organization requested permission to include his name on the Cup, but the NHL denied the request due to 52-name limit. Murray was not included on the team picture but was given a Stanley Cup ring.
Included on team picture, but Left off the Stanley Cup
  • #48 Andrei Loktionov, C, played 39 regular-season games and two playoff games, and 32 in minors. Since Loktionov spent a half-season in the minors and did not play in 41 regular-season games or the finals his name was left off the Stanley Cup. His name was not requested to be included on the Stanley Cup.
  • #21 Scott Parse, RW, played only five regular-season games in 2010–11 and 9 regular-season games in 2011–12, and missing most of the last two seasons due to injuries. The name was also not requested for an engravement on the Stanley Cup because he spent most of the last two seasons injured.
  • #31 Martin Jones, G; #67 Marc-Andre Cliche, C; and #6 Jake Muzzin, D; were recalled during the playoffs, but did not play in any games that season.
  • Denver Wilson (Assistant Equipment Manager), Chris Pikosky (Massage Therapist), and Bernie Nicholls (Coaching Consultant).
  • Anze Kopitar was first Yugoslavia (now Slovenian) born-trained player to win the Stanley Cup.
  • The Kings also gave Stanley Cup rings to retired players Rogie Vachon and Marcel Dionne.

Officials

The following officials were chosen for the Stanley Cup Finals:[32]

Television

In Canada, the series was televised in English on CBC and in French on the cable network RDS. In the United States, NBC broadcast the first two and the final two games, while the NBC Sports Network televised games three and four.[33]

The 2012 Final rated poorly in comparison to the four most recent Stanley Cup Finals on United States television. The first four games were marred by low ratings; had the series ended in four games, this series would have produced the lowest television ratings ever for a championship series of any major league sport. However, game five and game six produced somewhat higher ratings than the first four games, which gave the 2012 Final a slightly higher rating than the 2007 Final (which was on par with the 2006 Final); the 2007 Final therefore remains the lowest-rated championship series in American television history.

GameAmerican audience
(in millions)		Canadian audience
(in millions)
1 2.90[34] 2.13[35]
2 2.94[34] 2.57[35]
3 1.74[34] 2.16[36]
4 2.07[34] 3.01[36]
5 3.33[34] 3.11[36]
6 4.93[34] 3.13[37]

References
Inline citations
  1. Crouse, Karen (May 28, 2012). "Getting a Hockey Education During the 1993 Finals". The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  2. Sielski, Mike (June 6, 2012). "The Devils May Be Forced to Change". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  3. Sporer, Evan (May 30, 2012). "Seven Reasons Why You Need To Watch This Year's Stanley Cup Finals". SportsGrid. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  4. Elliott, Helene (June 12, 2012). "L.A.'s new royalty, Kings turn tumult into Stanley Cup triumph". The Los Angeles Times. p. A1. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  5. Farber, Michael (June 12, 2012). "Crown the Kings: Los Angeles caps unlikely run with first Stanley Cup". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
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Bibliography
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