Kings vs Rangers

The Los Angeles Kings completed the longest journey to the Stanley Cup in NHL history when they beat the New York Rangers 3-2 in Game 5 of the Final on Friday.

The game was the Kings' 26th in the playoffs, the most ever by a championship team. The 1987 Philadelphia Flyers and 2004 Calgary Flames also played 26 games in one playoff season, but each lost a seven-game Final. The 2006 Carolina Hurricanes and 2011 Boston Bruins had shared the mark of 25 games played by a Cup winner.

LOS ANGELES -- When Alec Martinez gets a moment to see a replay sometime in the next few days, maybe it will refresh his memory. The details tend get a little fuzzy because of emotion, even for someone who scored his second straight Stanley Cup Playoff series-winning goal.

Martinez didn't quite know how to react after he etched his name in Los Angeles Kings history with the Cup-clinching goal against the New York Rangers in a 3-2 double-overtime win Friday at Staples Center.

He jumped, threw his gloves and stick, and excitedly waved his hands before the rest of the Kings mobbed him against the end boards.

"I blacked out," Martinez said after Game 5. "I don't really remember. I think I threw my gear. I don't know. I just remember everyone coming at me and I couldn't breathe."

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell sported a wide grin before offering two words when asked earlier this week what separates coach Darryl Sutter from other coaches.

"Intense dude," he said, shaking his head for emphasis.

"He wants everyone to get the proper focus; that's the biggest thing," Mitchell added. "You're always prepared. He's a master motivator, knows when to push the buttons and how to push the buttons. Sometimes you don't like it, but look at his track record … it works."

The longest game in Los Angeles Kings history produced the sweetest reward.

Alec Martinez's goal 14:43 into the second overtime Friday gave the Kings a 3-2 victory against the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, wrapping up their second championship in three seasons. It also ended the longest game in franchise history.

The Kings' previous longest game came last spring, when they were eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final on a goal by Patrick Kane at 11:40 of the second overtime.

There was a time not too long ago when Los Angeles Kings forwards Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson snarled at one another as opponents in the Ontario Hockey League.

On Friday night, the two rookies got the chance to raise the Stanley Cup on the ice at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Kings defeated the New York Rangers 3-2 in double overtime in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final to win the best-of-7 series. Toffoli got the primary assist on Alec Martinez's Cup-winning goal.

It was a run through the Stanley Cup Playoffs the rookie tandem will never forget.

"If someone told me this was the way my career would go, I would have taken it in a heartbeat," Pearson said prior to Game 4 of the Cup Final.

The Los Angeles Kings' journey to winning the Stanley Cup for the second time in three seasons was anything but scenic. In fact, their run was all but over at the beginning when they trailed the San Jose Sharks 3-0 in the Western Conference First Round.

It was during those dire predicaments, however, where the Kings are the most dangerous. Los Angeles rallied to beat the Sharks, becoming the fourth team in NHL history to win a best-of-7 series after trailing 3-0.

The heavy lifting didn't end with their first-round escape. The next two series each went the seven-game distance, against the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks. The Kings became the first team in League history to play all 21 possible games in the first three rounds and advance to the Cup Final, and also the first to win three Game 7s on the road in one postseason.