Southern California sports fans have a new statute to look at outside Staples Center.
The Los Angeles Kings paid tribute to their 50-year storied history on Saturday when they unveiled a new monument outside the home of the Lakers, Kings, Sparks and Clippers.
The two-time Stanley Cup Champions wanted to pay homage to their rich hockey history in Los Angeles, while simultaneously bridging the gap from the stars of yesteryear, to the heroes of today.
So as a way to say "thank you" to the fans who have supported the Kings since 1967, in the days of Jack Kent Cooke at the Forum of Inglewood, to Anschultz Entertainment Group and their new home in downtown LA, the monument is a representation of it all and a symbol of pride in a city full of champions.
The nearly 12-foot high and 30-foot wide monument made of bronze, granite and glass was constructed as a gift from the Kings organization to the fans and supporters of Southern California hockey.
The monument is more of a wall that parallels Chick Hearn Court, north of Star Plaza by Lot 1, and features legends of the L.A. Kings throughout the years.
There are six bronze sculptures in the monument and two laser drawn illustrations. From left to right, Kings goalie, Rogie Vachon is laser-etched into the granite backdrop as the image turns into a statute of Jonathan Quick making a save.
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In between the next set of sculptures, is a laser-etched image of current Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, passing the puck to a five-player bronze sculpture going through multiple phases of a slap shot.
First, Hall-of-Famer Marcel Dionne, pulls back for the shot as Dave Taylor becomes the first to touch stick to puck. Former defenseman, Robe Blake, is next shown on the follow through as we begin to see a statute of Anze Kopitar with his arms raised high.
The final sculpture is that of former team captain Dustin Brown in that iconic moment from 2012 when he lifted the Stanley Cup trophy for the first time in Kings franchise history.
A beautiful blue backdrop that looks similar to ice is behind the monument, and to the right is a waterfall cascading down, adding to the ambiance of the monument itself. Around the corner, to the left of the statue are the names of players, coaches, rosters, and donors, etched in granite.
The statue was designed and created by the Amrany family.
After the unveiling, the Kings celebrated on the ice with a victory over the best team in the Western Conference, the Chicago Blackhawks, 2-1 in overtime, for their fifth consecutive win.
Jeff Carter scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the Kings rallied from a one-goal first period deficit to defeat the three-time Stanley Cup Champions.
The winners of three out of the last five cups scored first on a deflection by Patrick Kane, but Alec Martinez tied the game in the second period before the two teams headed for overtime.
Not a bad way to celebrate.
