Out Of The Playoffs and Still Selling Out Staples Center

Last Tuesday, the Staples Center slowly but surely filled up with fans wearing the jerseys and colors of both the Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers came to town to take on Los Angeles in front of a sold out crowd. The energy in the stadium was tangible and electric: the noise was through the roof from when the starting lineup was announced all the way into the final quarter, and it was clear just how passionate these fans were.

But something seemed off to me: the Kings are out of the playoffs and the Oilers are not. The Kings have missed the playoffs two out of the last three seasons, but their fan base did not seem to waver. At the end of the second period, I went down onto the main concourse to try and gauge the pulse of the crowd and discover why the fans had come to the game.

I started with a married couple from Moorpark and asked them what brought them to the game given that the Kings were out of the playoffs. The wife, Margaret, said that she and her husband, “Have tickets.. Just here for the fun and we leave for Cabo tomorrow.” When asked how long he had been a Kings fan, her husband, Tom, said “probably 20 years… maybe 30 years… we have season tickets.” It was clear that they both had a passion for the Kings and that he was leading the charge. They were simply enjoying a night out supporting a team that they have loved for more than two decades. Another man I talked to was Josh, also from LA, and when asked the same question he replied, “I'm a season member and I have quarter season tickets so 10 games.” He then told me that he has been a season ticket holder for two years. I was quite positive that all of the 18,000 people were not season ticket holders just there to get their money’s worth, and I was right. Emma, a young spunky girl from LA, offered her own opinion on the matter of the Kings being out and still attending the game by adding, “It doesn't matter if they're in the playoffs or they are not in the play offs. If you're a true fan you should be able to support them regardless.” By this point, I felt I had a decent hold on why the crowd supporting LA was there: true fandom. The team’s position in the standings and potential to move into the playoffs was irrelevant.

Jack Jablonski, one of my best friends and a celebrity in the hockey world, is an intern for the Kings, so it was my perfect opportunity to get some insight into the energy of Tuesday night and to expand my knowledge of the fan base. When I asked him why the stadium was sold out, he said, “They fill it up because NHL fans travel well to LA. Edmonton, for instance, travels particularly well.” I had not considered the fan base that had flown in out of pure dedication! But, then, I chatted with Vern, a man from Edmonton, and it all became clear. I asked him what brought him out to the game, and he said that he is a lifelong fan of the Oilers and was “born and raised in Canada”. He was resolute in his answer, and being from the land of hockey seemed a strong enough reason to be at the game.

The energy of the arena was not hurt by the fact that the Kings were on fire. After the game, Kings forward Tanner Pearson added that, “It’s kind of weird. You get removed from the playoffs, and then you come out with a six goal game the next day, so it would have been nice to have that a couple games ago.” The Los Angeles Kings are out, but their fan base was as loyal as ever. A six goal game was enough excitement to bring the stadium to life, and the season ticket holders and regular fans were not giving up on their Los Angeles Kings.