Top 10 LA Kings Memes from the 2010s
The Royal Half looks back at the greatest decade in Kings history during the most important decade in Meme history
by The RoyalHalf @theroyalhalf / LAKings.com
Well, it's a calendar year that ends with a "9," so you know what that must mean: Lazy content creators everywhere are putting together their own "BEST OF THE DECADE" listicles!
So my bosses at the LA Kings heard the phrase "lazy content creators" and immediately said "GET THE ROYAL HALF ON THE PHONE!"
In fact, back when The Royal Half was an award-winning, living, breathing blog instead of a prominent Hockey Social Media Influencer™, we used to do all sorts of "Best of the Decade" lists. So presenting (and in no way solely written to justify why I have a seat in the press box for Kings games)…
The Top 10 Totally Awesome Viral Meme Experiential Bespoke LA Kings Moments of the Past Decade™️
Let's be real here folks, it's a futile exercise to have a Top LA Kings Moments of the Last Decade article and not have it just be "OMG OMG OMG THE LA KINGS WON TWO STANLEY CUPS OMG OMG OMG!?!"
Let's be clear, there is no greater moment of the last decade than the two times the Kings brought the Stanley Cup to STAPLES Center.
And none more greater than when Jeff Schultz
brought it to a public swimming pool.
But beyond that, this past decade was full of (as digital media specialists might say) totally awesome viral meme experiential bespoke moments! These are moments that left the ice and permeated into pop culture… or at least the pop culture of LA Kings fans.
No. 10) Drew Doughty Troll Smile
It was April 11, 2012 and the LA Kings had snuck into the NHL Playoffs as the No. 8 seed, matching up against the mighty back-to-back Presidents' Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks. The Kings would stun the hockey world that night and, after the game, some dumb tweet was sent out.
But I don't think that tweet really had any impact on professional sports social media in any way shape or form, and totally wouldn't be worthy of being named a top moment of the past decade.
In Game 2, however, during a late third period brouhaha, a meme was born.
It's like a Renaissance painting.
It is a Renaissance painting.
No. 9) Colin Fraser Bleeds His Own Blood
You know when something that would be considered extremely violent or horrific in normal functioning society happens in a hockey game… AND US HOCKEY FANS FREAKIN' EAT IT UP?!?
Well, that's what happened on April 28, 2012 during Game 1 of the LA Kings and St. Louis Blues playoff series. It was the sort of iconic violent hockey moment that had hockey sportswriters everywhere running to their Twitter accounts just to type the phrase "Hockey."
Hockey.
No. 8) #JustinWilliamsLockScreen
Not all the Top 10 totally awesome viral meme experiential bespoke Kings moments of the last decade came from the 2012 Stanley Cup run. In fact, some came from 2014 Stanley Cup run!
On June 1, 2014, the Kings were facing their THIRD Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and all the attention was on "Mr. Game 7" himself, Justin Williams.
And #TeamTRH member Indiana Matt spawned a cultural phenomenon (OK, maybe not a cultural phenomenon but a bunch of Kings fan copied him) by making his phone lock screen a photo of Justin Williams. Kings fans everywhere followed suit, and well… history was made.
This remains my phone lock screen to this day.
No. 7) That '70s Line
It seems that for the past few decades, there has been one forward line for the Kings that has earned a fantastic nickname which in turn becomes a pop culture mainstay.
In the 1980s, there was The Triple Crown Line, in the 1990s there was ... umm, Wayne Gretzky and whoever he skated with, in the 2000s there was the LAPD line (OK, pop culture mainstay might be a stretch on that one but just go with it), and in the 2010s there was…
For whatever reason, the mid-2010s were populated with a lot of players with jersey numbers in the 70s. So much so that when No. 70 Tanner Pearson went down with an extended injury, the team was able to quickly fill his part in the brief sequel to That '70s Line.
This line also spawned one of the greatest achievements in GIFmanship of the decade.
No. 6) Jeff Carter's Suits
When talent and opportunity intersect, they lead to success. And when matinee-idol good looks and a custom tailored suit intersect, it led to this:
No. 77 on the ice, but No. 1 in my heart.
No. 5) Dwight King Goal Face
Beloved by Kings fans everywhere, two-time Stanley Cup Champion Dwight King only scored 52 goals during his seven seasons with the club, and each time he scored, he looked just as surprised as the rest of us.
The only person who looked more surprised when he scored a goal was Matt Greene.
No. 4) Jonathan Quick Cracks Himself Up
Jonathan Quick describing his favorite Family Guy moment?
Jonathan Quick describing his favorite Family Guy moment!
No. 3) #ReverseSweep
At the start of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Kings championship hopes seemed bleak.
But, despite down 3-0 in the series, one member of the team put the weight of disappointment and failure on his back and said, "Not today, Sharks. Not today."
Oh you thought I meant a player?
Naw, a blogger.
How rare is it in the NHL playoffs for a team that was down 3-0 to come back and win the series? Well, it's only happened four times and two were in the past decade. And Jeff Carter and Mike Richards were involved in both of those series. OH JUST ROLL THE TAPE AND LET ME WATCH IT ALL OVER AGAIN!
#ReverseSweep became a rally cry amongst fans as they truly believed the San Jose Sharks were cursed, and the Kings were good enough to keep that curse alive.
And oh man, did the Kings ever keep that curse alive.
This could be the best Kings-related GIF of the decade.
I'm sure that the coach of that Sharks team who was #ReverseSwept by the Kings learned an incredibly valuable lesson and is now ready to lead whatever team he is coaching into a prosperous decade filled with championships!
No. 2) BARK MADNESS
From Gustl to Emma, Arlo to Daryl Muzzin, and Meatball to the next Bark Madness Champion, the last half of the decade was taken over with the good dogs of the Kings players.
Out of all the things on this list, Bark Madness truly is a cultural phenomenon.
And for one shining moment, I'd like to say that The Royal Half (aka #TeamTRH) and the Kings Digital Team truly were ahead of the curve on this one.
Today, you see NHL teams across the league having official team puppies and doing dog/player calendars. But once again, like anything that is worthy of pop culture in the last decade, it all started in Hollywood.
No. 1) Story Time with Bob Miller
After five decades as the voice of the Kings, Bob Miller announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season.
Many of us grew up listening to Miller's voice and, over his time as the play-by-play announcer of the LA Kings, we've heard many iconic moments. But none as iconic as when in 2015, he Miller decided to share some of his best stories with us.
And to say he got animated during these stories is an understatement.
I can't think of a better way to end the decade.
OK, yeah, that is a better way to end the decade.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, Kings fans! And may the next decade be as memorable as the 2010s!