It was a shocking accomplishment, but perhaps one not as surprising as first thought.
The Los Angeles Kings endured a season in 2014-15 that was everything a defending Stanley Cup champion shouldn't have its name attached to.
They missed the playoffs, with no chance to defend the trophy they'd hoisted in two of the previous three years. And off the ice, both during and after the season, faults in the foundation started to become a burden too tough to handle, even for a savvy playoff staple such as the Kings.
Los Angeles watched three of their players -- defenceman Slava Voynov and forwards Jarret Stoll and Mike Richards -- get arrested for separate incidents, with the latter setting off an off-season full of speculation and turmoil for the club and the National Hockey League.