Fifty years ago today, the long and storied (though not always successful) history of the Los Angeles Kings began. On February 9, 1966, the NHL Board of Governors unanimously awarded Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke a hockey franchise!
50 YRS AGO TODAY: Expansion era began when Owners-Governors awarded 6 conditional franchises. From meeting minutes: pic.twitter.com/p5gPSdQ4sY
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 9, 2016
Cooke decided (to the disbelief of at least one local official) to reject the LA Sports Arena and build an entirely new arena for his Lakers and his Kings, whose name was handpicked by Cooke from fan submissions to give the team "an air of royalty.