How to play the Los Angeles Kings history timeline game

Kings history arrives here one milestone at a time, each card carrying a brief description under its title, and you sort them by the year they happened. One card is already on the timeline, its year showing. Every card after that, you place in a gap of your choosing. Correct and the year is revealed; incorrect and the card moves to where it belongs, costing one of your three lives.

Los Angeles spent a long time as a team with great scorers and little playoff success, became a contender in fits and starts, and only won titles late in the story. Number retirements are scattered all over this deck, so think about when each player's career wrapped up, not when he was at his peak. The arrival and departure of the same star can also trip you up.

Want a longer game? On the deck tree you can tick this deck alongside any other one measured in release years and dates, and they shuffle into a single timeline together.

What's in the deck

Here are 25 of the 25 cards you might be dealt. Their values stay hidden until you place them.

Joined the NHL as an expansion team One of six clubs added in the league's doubling
Reached the playoffs in the first season Made the postseason in the inaugural campaign
Acquired Rogie Vachon Traded for the goaltender from Montreal
Acquired Marcel Dionne Landed the star center from Detroit
Formed the Triple Crown Line Paired Dionne with Simmer and Taylor
Dionne won the scoring title Edged Gretzky on goals for the Art Ross
Miracle on Manchester Erased a five-goal deficit to stun Edmonton in the playoffs
Drafted Luc Robitaille Selected the future star late in the draft
Retired Rogie Vachon's number 30 Honored the goaltender with the franchise's first retired number
Acquired Wayne Gretzky Traded for the game's biggest star that August
Nicholls scored 70 goals Bernie Nicholls piled up 150 points in one season
Retired Marcel Dionne's number 16 Raised the longtime center's banner
Reached the Stanley Cup Final Lost to Montreal in the franchise's first title series
Gretzky broke the career goals record Passed Gordie Howe as the NHL's all-time goal leader
Traded Wayne Gretzky to St. Louis Dealt the star late in the season
Moved to Staples Center Left the Forum for a new downtown arena
Upset Detroit in the first round Knocked off the heavily favored Red Wings
Retired Wayne Gretzky's number 99 Honored the star in a ceremony at the arena
Drafted Anze Kopitar Selected the Slovenian center in the first round
Retired Luc Robitaille's number 20 Raised the winger's banner to the rafters
Drafted Drew Doughty Took the defenseman second overall
Returned to the playoffs Ended a long postseason drought
Won first Stanley Cup Charged from the eighth seed to beat New Jersey
Reached the Western Conference Final Made a deep run as defending champions
Won second Stanley Cup Beat the Rangers to capture another title