[h=3]By David Leon Moore, USA TODAY[/h]Updated
Kings players and coaches celebrate the first Stanley Cup title in team history.
By Jayne Kamin-Oncea, US Presswire
LOS ANGELES – That malicious checking from behind — boarding — is something the NHL has been trying to get out of the game.
Kings captain Dustin Brown hoists the Stanley Cup to celebrate the team's first title.
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Monday, a boarding call went a long way toward taking the New Jersey Devils out of the playoffs, and making a first-time champion of the Los Angeles Kings.
Another tight, tense Stanley Cup Final game between New Jersey and Los Angeles turned into a rout midway through the first period when the Kings scored three times in less than four minutes — all during a five-minute power play after a boarding major (and automatic ejection) against the Devils' Steve Bernier.
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Bernier bloodied Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi with the hit. Scuderi wasn't seriously hurt, but the Kings' response critically injured the Devils.
Bang (a Dustin Brown redirection), bang (a Jeff Carter deflection), bang (a point-blank stuff-in by Trevor Lewis) and the Kings had turned the Devils' misdeed into a 3-0 lead.
Carter scored again on a power play early in the second period to make it 4-0.
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Get your 2012 Stanley Cup title gear celebrating the Los Angeles Kings' winning performance at the USA TODAY Sports Store.
From that point on, there seemed little doubt that after 45 years, the Los Angeles hockey team finally had a nickname that fit.
Adam Henrique scored for New Jersey late in the second period to cut it to 4-1. But Los Angeles closed the door completely in the third, getting an empty-netter from Lewis and a goal from Matt Greene in a 15-second span.
The Kings' playoff run will go down in NHL history as one of the most impressive. The Kings entered the playoffs as an unspectacular No. 8 seed, then took the Lawrence Welk route through the Western Conference, beating a 1 and a 2 and a 3 — No. 1 seed Vancouver, No. 2 St. Louis and No. 3 Phoenix.
Then they won the first three games against New Jersey and future Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur. They stumbled in the next two games, but their Game 6 close-out victory gave them an overall record in these playoffs of 16-4, and 10-1 on the road.
Along the way, the Kings' young goalie — 26-year-old Jonathan Quick— turned into a superstar, and he finished the playoffs in fine form, outplaying the legendary Brodeur.
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Kings players and coaches celebrate the first Stanley Cup title in team history.
By Jayne Kamin-Oncea, US Presswire
LOS ANGELES – That malicious checking from behind — boarding — is something the NHL has been trying to get out of the game.
By Jayne Kamin-Oncea, US Presswire
Kings captain Dustin Brown hoists the Stanley Cup to celebrate the team's first title.
Kings captain Dustin Brown hoists the Stanley Cup to celebrate the team's first title.
[h=2]Sponsored Links[/h]
Monday, a boarding call went a long way toward taking the New Jersey Devils out of the playoffs, and making a first-time champion of the Los Angeles Kings.
Another tight, tense Stanley Cup Final game between New Jersey and Los Angeles turned into a rout midway through the first period when the Kings scored three times in less than four minutes — all during a five-minute power play after a boarding major (and automatic ejection) against the Devils' Steve Bernier.
- [h=3]BLOG: Play-by-play review of how Game 6 unfolded[/h]
- [h=3]PHOTOS: Top shots from the Stanley Cup Final[/h]
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Bernier bloodied Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi with the hit. Scuderi wasn't seriously hurt, but the Kings' response critically injured the Devils.
Bang (a Dustin Brown redirection), bang (a Jeff Carter deflection), bang (a point-blank stuff-in by Trevor Lewis) and the Kings had turned the Devils' misdeed into a 3-0 lead.
Carter scored again on a power play early in the second period to make it 4-0.
[h=2]Stanley Cup gear![/h]
From that point on, there seemed little doubt that after 45 years, the Los Angeles hockey team finally had a nickname that fit.
Adam Henrique scored for New Jersey late in the second period to cut it to 4-1. But Los Angeles closed the door completely in the third, getting an empty-netter from Lewis and a goal from Matt Greene in a 15-second span.
The Kings' playoff run will go down in NHL history as one of the most impressive. The Kings entered the playoffs as an unspectacular No. 8 seed, then took the Lawrence Welk route through the Western Conference, beating a 1 and a 2 and a 3 — No. 1 seed Vancouver, No. 2 St. Louis and No. 3 Phoenix.
Then they won the first three games against New Jersey and future Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur. They stumbled in the next two games, but their Game 6 close-out victory gave them an overall record in these playoffs of 16-4, and 10-1 on the road.
Along the way, the Kings' young goalie — 26-year-old Jonathan Quick— turned into a superstar, and he finished the playoffs in fine form, outplaying the legendary Brodeur.
For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to [email protected]. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.
USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.