The LA Kings pose with Lord Stanley's Cup. Not a bad cover shot for the offseason

Credit: LA Kings Official Facebook Page

The Los Angeles Kings are the NHL‘s Stanley Cup Champions for the first time in their 45-year history in California. To celebrate their first triumph, we’ve decided to list their top 15 tweets from their amazing drought-breaking run to the Stanley Cup.

Ahh, the tweet that started it all. In the heat of the moment, after a Game 1 victory over the favoured Vancouver Canucks, the creative brains behind the Kings’ Twitter feed threw up this gold nugget of a tweet. Not only did it get over 13,000 retweets, and generate some 20,000 followers in one week, but it managed to get under the skin of Canucks fans everywhere. Well, mainly British Columbia, but still. It rustled many a feather. (Note: Harftime claimed the Kings as their own after this tweet. When the going’s good…)

This tweet is also from the Canucks/Kings series during the playoffs. It was in reference to the Canucks’ Ryan Kesler, who was accused of diving after exchanging words with the Kings’ Mike Richards. Not as controversial as the first tweet, but it was a tad cheeky from an official Twitter feed that, generally as a rule, should remain somewhat objective.

We could fill this entire post of 15 tweets with ones from the Vancouver series, and then some, such was the level of annoyance Vancouver fans directed at the LA Kings on Twitter. This one was included just to show that the Kings are arguably the most unconventionally operated Twitter handle across all sports. How many other official team handles have you seen brazenly reply to opposition goads in such a deadpan way? The only thing they could have done better here is an RT reply, so it went out to all their fans, rather than just a direct reply to the person who the tweet was commented to.

Arguably more controversial than the, “you’re welcome” tweet, the Kings tweeted about a massive hit put on Vancouver poster boy, Henrik Sedin. As cheeky as it gets!

The last tweet regarding the Canucks. Promise. I know it’s been filled with tweets from the Vancover-LA series, but the bee in the bonnet of the British Columbians from the Kings’ tweets was too good not to feature. The ability of the Kings to reply with great zest to the ‘Nucks fans agitations was superb.

In a “Chuck Norris Facts” type of undertaking, the Kings started pushing for their man, Anze Kopitar, for the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 13 by comparing him, always favourably, to the other contenders for the cover. Interesting use of social media here, Kings.

Again with the NHL 13 cover vote, the Kings show all their sassiness in this tweet. Apparently, they weren’t just taking aim at the Canucks. Seems like no one in the NHL is safe!

Some might call this tweet classless, others careless. Either way, it stayed true to their Twitter strategy throughout the playoffs. Again, only change would be an RT reply to give it better coverage. 

Anyone remember that part from “The Office”? The Kings certainly did, bringing it up when Rainn Wilson asked for tickets to his first NHL game. Combing sport and pop culture? Brilliant. They get bonus points for staying true to their word.

Part sour grapes, part burn, this tweet ad to be included. It was clever and stuck to the Kings’ strategy of stretching acceptability of tweets to the limit.

The Canucks weren’t safe, nor the Coyotes, nor the Flyers. So what makes Conan O’Brien think he was safe? Brilliant shut down of the late night talk show host.

Down 1-0 in Game 4 where the Kings were hoping to sweep the New Jersey Devils? Not to worry for the Kings. After Drew Doughty scored the tying goal on a power play only about one minute later, the Kings dropped this great tweet. They went on to lose the game, but that didn’t matter in the end.

Ever the scoundrels on Twitter, the Kings have a bit of fun at the expense of the New Jersey Devils and their originality, or lack thereof, of goal songs.

The crowd could sense blood after the first period of the clinching game, when the Kings led 3-0. The @LAKings knew it, too. This tweet got one of the biggest receptions from the @LAKings all playoffs, as the fans just ate it up.

The tweet all Kings fans had been waiting for all playoffs! After one of the best fairytale runs in all of sports, the Kings became the NHL’s first 8th seed to go on and lift the Stanley Cup.

Another tweet that is clearly full of emotion and 45 years of frustrations for fans. Must have been a great feeling to send this tweet out to their 150,000+ followers.

Again, it shows all the emotion of nearly half a century of empty handedness.

After a few emotionally charged tweets, the @LAKings get back to their cheeky ways with the #NBD hashtag. Great show of fun after what was a stressful ride through the Stanley Cup playoffs for the Kings.

This is what it’s all about for the big stars; being the hero in their kids’ eyes. Who else’s Dad gave them an iconic sports trophy to drink chocolate milk out of? Have a feeling this video, of inspirational captain Dustin Brown‘s sons drinking chocolate milk from Lord Stanley’s Cup, will become a lasting vision of the Kings’ remarkable run to the cup.

The 20th and final tweet, like most in this post, shows the Kings’ cheekiness and ability to get a reaction out of their followers. All in all, the Kings were the stars of the Stanley Cup playoffs on and off the ice. They showed so much character and ability to reach fans on so many levels. ————————————————————-

<a href=”http://twittercounter.com/LAKings”>LA Kings on Twitter Counter.com</a>The Kings’ great work on social media never went unnoticed, with the guys at Activ8social ranking them #9 in their Top 20 Teams in Social Media recently.

With imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, it would be surprising for teams around the world who, when it is an “us against the world” mentality that all low-seeded playoff/finals teams have, don’t utilise this strategy.

It worked for the Kings, who, as you can see in the graph above, grew their Twitter followers from 66,000 in mid-March to over 150,000 on the day they clinched Lord Stanley’s Cup. Congratulations to the men behind the LA Kings social media, Pat Donahue Jr. and Dewayne Hankins, on an unbelievably effective social media campaign and to the LA Kings organisation on being the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Champions.

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