The surprising connections between the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings

Often, divisional rivals like the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings aren't meant to have many things in common. They're supposed to hate each other and poo-poo the other's lifestyle. Nevadans are supposed to be disgusted by the influx of Southern Californians flocking in, while people from L.A. are supposed to allegedly hate Las Vegas's "utopian capitalism" (or something like that). However, the two teams have more in common than one would realize.

For example, who would've thought that Alec Martinez and Jonathan Quick would win the Stanley Cup with both teams? Quick won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2012 while Martinez buried the Stanley Cup-clinching goal for the Kings in 2014. Both players were cornerstones of championship hockey in Hollywood, which is something not even Wayne Gretzky could claim.

That's not the only connection the two franchises share, though. Michael Amadio started his NHL career with the Kings, playing four seasons with the club. The former third-round draft pick won a Stanley Cup with Martinez and Quick in 2023, bringing Vegas its first Stanley Cup. He scored 16 goals and 11 assists during that championship year, adding scoring to the lower lines.

Of course, there's also the divisional rivalry between both clubs. The two teams are a four-hour drive from each other (with a pitstop in Barstow, of course). The Kings also have an all-time record of 15-15-2 against the Golden Knights. But it goes beyond both franchises hating one another. The Los Angeles Kings are a part of hockey history in Las Vegas. How, you might ask?

The Los Angeles Kings were a part of an exhibition game at Caesar's Palace

Once upon a time, the concept of a hockey team in Las Vegas was a far-fetched idea. Nobody could envision a team like the Vegas Golden Knights playing regular season games in Sin City. But that all changed when the Kings took on the New York Rangers in an exhibition game. The action went down at Caesar's Palace on September 27, 1991.

It was meant as an experimental game for the NHL, testing the interest of hockey in Las Vegas. Would tourists want to see an NHL game happen just outside one of the casinos? Could a team ever pick up steam in Sin City? It was one of many questions asked as the 95-degree (Fahrenheit) heat complicated matters for a smooth hockey game.

Still, 13,007 people saw the Kings blow out the Rangers, 5-2. Initially, there was supposed to be a second contest two days later in Raleigh, North Carolina. However, poor ice conditions doomed the rematch, with the game being cancelled altogether. Nevertheless, the exhibition game at Caesar's Palace set the framework for the Kings to host Frozen Fury in Las Vegas. It became an annual event from 1997 to 2016, where the Colorado Avalanche would also tag along.

The Kings paved the way for Vegas Golden Knights hockey in a sense

The Caesar's Palace match between the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers paved the way for the NHL to come to Las Vegas. Soon, the NHL Awards show would be moved from Toronto to Las Vegas and the Vegas Golden Knights would follow suit. With that came the connections between both teams, with players like Alec Martinez and Jonathan Quick winning Stanley Cups with both franchises.

There would be more "bonding" moments between the rivals, as the Golden Knights would sweep the Kings in the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. It shows the common denominators between both franchises, ranging from being in the same division to sharing the same time zone.

Some teams are meant to dislike one another and be stark contrasts to one another. For example, the San Francisco 49ers loathe the Dallas Cowboys. One franchise has a passionate fanbase and operates quietly. The other is constantly in the news, with an owner making all the decisions. While the Kings and Golden Knights are far from that point, they're not bonding over the things they have in common any time soon.