There’s no snow in Southern California, but that hasn’t stopped the Los Angeles Kings’ fanbase from freezing out the skeptics. On gamedays, black and silver flags flap from SUV antennas, jerseys crowd the line at In-N-Out, and hordes of people crowd the streets of Downtown L.A. under swaying palms. Inside Crypto.com Arena, the hum of the ice system joins the roar of “Let’s go, Kings!” from ardent fans.
It all traces back to a gamble that changed everything. In 1988, the Kings traded for Wayne Gretzky. That blockbuster move was more than a shift in talent; it injected legitimacy into hockey in Los Angeles. Local rinks suddenly drew tens of thousands of curious teens and kids.
The trade marked a turning point for hockey in L.A. went from fringe to fixture. Over time, the Kings captured two Stanley Cups (2012 and 2014), giving the city its hockey pride and rubbing elbows with its basketball and baseball titans.
“Those years from 2012 to 2014 were just so cool to be around and to be a fan at that time, because you just saw the way that the city bought into those teams,” says Josh Schaefer, LA Kings radio PxP announcer.
In colder hockey strongholds — Montréal, Boston, Toronto, Chicago — icy winters, skating culture, and generational loyalty are baked in. Hockey has long been a cultural cornerstone in Canada, where frozen ponds and generations of players make the sport a natural part of daily life, something Southern California fans have had to build from scratch.
But down here, fans build tradition in a place that never freezes. They gather in parking lots that smell of sunscreen and street dogs, swapping predictions and dissecting line changes as if the Pacific breeze were a northern chill. The Ice Crew, the team’s in-arena dancers who work during intermissions, have become minor celebrities, slinging rally towels and posing for selfies in Kings gear.
“The Kings have done a really good job growing the sport, especially in California, but also on the West Coast,” says Schaefer. “That’s something that we’ve talked about internally recently: there’s a lot of threads in hockey that can be traced back to the LA Kings in one way or another.”
The franchise takes pride in breaking new ground for hockey.
“The Kings were one of the first teams that would go overseas to play in Europe or in China or in different locations around the United States that aren’t traditional hockey markets,” says Schaefer.
Back home in California, youth hockey has surged. USA Hockey’s 2024-25 membership numbers hit 396,525 youth players, marking a record high. In the Pacific district, which includes California, youth hockey participation has grown 126% over recent years, the fastest growth rate across U.S. districts.
Meanwhile, girls’ involvement has risen substantially, fueling deeper loyalties. According to USA Hockey, female registration is up nearly 60% over the past decade, and girls now account for roughly one in five youth players nationwide.
Locally, rinks in Anaheim, El Segundo, and the San Fernando Valley report higher enrollment and fewer “imported” families from traditional hockey states.
“We used to coach kids who only played because mom or dad transplanted from Minnesota. Now they’re San Fernando Valley natives,” says youth coach Richard Gomez.
Attendance tells another part of the story. During the 2022-23 season, the Kings averaged about 17,067 fans per home game at Crypto.com Arena, just shy of capacity. Since then, attendance has increased year over year, with last season sitting at a 17,196 fan average.
Over the years, the Kings have regularly appeared among the NHL’s more stable attendance teams despite market competition and nontraditional climate.
Los Angeles is a city of too many events to choose from. Not only are there 12 professional sports teams in L.A. alone, but the city is also home to countless music venues and museums. Last year, NHL attendance topped 23 million, marking a record-setting season for the league. In this historic season, the Kings reached attendance capacity at 94.33% of home games.
“If you went around and surveyed the average L.A. sports fan, and asked them who their favorite hockey team was, a lot of them would say the Kings,” says Schaefer.
But loyalty doesn’t come without friction. In a media market dominated by the Lakers and Dodgers, hockey often flies under the radar. The Dodgers captured the 2024 and 2025 World Series titles, joining their 2020 title and storied program history. The Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship, with LeBron James earning Finals MVP honors and the team consistently making it into the postseason. With those high-profile wins and superstar players in the spotlight, the Lakers and Dodgers have set the cultural tone in Los Angeles sports, making any other franchise fight for attention in a crowded market. Hockey is an American big four sport, but is still under-recognized in almost every market.
It doesn’t help that local broadcasts still favor basketball and baseball, often putting the Kings in “blackout” territory, leaving fans in search of other ways to watch games. Digital channels, podcasts, fan-run YouTube shows, and Kings-focused social accounts have helped the team carve its own lane, building a passionate online ecosystem that traditional coverage once overlooked. Still, in postgame bars near Crypto.com Arena, fans argue offensive power while the background TV shows LeBron highlights.
The LA Kings sports bar scene has taken root across Los Angeles County, with bars like Tom’s Watch Bar (Downtown LA), Audio Graph Beer Co. (South Park), Woodman (Sherman Oaks) and Kings Cove (El Segundo) becoming go-to spots for the royal army. Some neighborhoods, especially the South Bay and beach cities, seem to have built a “critical mass” where fellow Kings fans know the place, the screens are tuned, and the chanting kicks in long before puck-drop.
The rivalry with the Anaheim Ducks also helps sharpen identity. Road trips to Honda Center bring extra swagger, and fans note every Kings-Ducks matchup as a regional bragging right. The rivalry amplifies passion in a place where “local hero” usually means a baseball slugger or hoop star. Hockey players often endure a more punishing physical toll, earn far less than the city’s basketball and baseball stars, and rarely become household names despite their skill and dedication.
“You don’t need snow to love hockey,” says Jake Kim, a new season-ticket holder. “You just need something to believe in. Down here, that something is the Kings.”
The Kings enter the 2025-26 season with new jerseys, new swagger, and the same old defiance.
Ice in a desert? Sure. Hockey under palm trees? Why not? Their players bring the grit, but it’s the fans, sunburned, loud, and loyal, who keep the ice from melting.
“People don’t expect us to be here. But that’s exactly why we matter,” says Kim.