This softbound beauty was published by Fenn/M&S and the author is a familiar name in Andrew Podnieks. Having covered this Stanley Cup and getting to be a part of their historic run, made this an even better read for me. It’s one thing for them to win their first Cup but when you see their history from A-Z including the farm system; it’s a pretty cool trip.

One of the coolest pictures in the book is of former owner, Bruce McNall, which was taken outside the old “Fabulous Forum” and then on the same page is the familiar Staples Center. There is a rare Terry Sawchuk shot as well which is very cool since he died tragically during his playing days with the New York Rangers.

I loved the “Gretzky Years” and the page of stats that lists every important accomplishment that any Kings player has won over the years. For every star player like Mike Richards and Dustin Brown there was a Jordan Nolan or Dwight King and that’s what made the Kings story so interesting and every player gets their own profile page - - another nice touch.

This tome has a clean, fresh take on the newly-crowned Kings. It really shows off the emotion of the playoffs without forgetting about the team’s past and that story is told well via written words and photography.

Buy the book here:

The Year of the Los Angeles Kings: Celebrating the 2012 Stanley Cup Champions