The Los Angeles Kings will begin their 50th anniversary celebration today on the 50th anniversary of Los Angeles being granted an NHL franchise.
The Kings will unveil a special commemorative 50th anniversary logo during the “Kings Live” pregame show of the Fox Sports West telecast of their game in Boston.
The logo will be featured in an accompanying Kings merchandise line and at center ice at Staples Center to begin the 2016-17 season.
“Kings Live” will begin at 3:30 p.m. and also include interviews with the Kings first captain, Bob Wall, and Hockey Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne, who played for the team from 1975-87.
Wall and Dionne will both attend the game in Boston as guests of the Kings.
The Kings will wear their vintage gold jerseys for today’s game at TD Garden.
The 50th anniversary celebration will also include a more than 35-foot bronze, granite, and glass monument to be placed outside Staples Center commemorating 50 seasons of Kings hockey and featuring a tribute to the franchise’s greatest moments and greatest players.
The monument will be unveiled near the beginning of the 2016-17 season, team official said.
Kings season ticket holders will have the opportunity to have their name etched in stone in the monument by making a contribution to the Kings Care Foundation.
The Kings will hold a 50th anniversary Season Opening Weekend at the start of next season, which will feature several fan-friendly events, special appearances by several former legendary Kings players and the Kings serving as the presenting sponsor of a charity gala.
The Kings Care Foundation will soon unveil details of its new “Forever 50” program with multiple local community events focused on education, recreation and health.
The Kings will wear a special 50th anniversary jersey during various games during the 2016-17 season. They will also wear past jerseys during warm- ups at select games to benefit the Kings Care Foundation.
The Kings have partnered with Heritage Werks, described by the team as the leading provider of archival and heritage services for professional sports teams, major corporations, luxury and fashion brands, to discover and document the team’s history.
The Kings will establish a new heritage and archival program, the LA Kings Legacy Collection, which will include a web-based digital archive.
The team’s 50th anniversary is “a great opportunity for the LA Kings organization to look back at our long, storied history,” Kings Chief Operating Officer Kelly Cheeseman.
“You only get one chance to celebrate something as incredibly significant as a 50th anniversary and we believe we have a lot to offer our fans as we give back and say thank you for the tremendous support we have received and continue to receive,” Cheeseman said.
