2012 Los Angeles Kings Won Stanley Cup As Eight Seed
Published on March 8th, 2026 6:03 pm ESTWritten By: Dave Manuel
In the history of the four major North American sports leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB) only one #8 seed has ever won the title. This distinction belongs to the 2012 Los Angeles Kings, who won the Stanley Cup after finishing as the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
The NFL doesn't have #8 seeds - they only have 7 teams per conference in the playoffs.
MLB seeds teams from 1-6 - they had an eight seed ONCE, and that was when they decided to expand the playoffs during the 2020 season. That year, the #1 ranked Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series.
Two #8 seeds in the NBA have made it all the way to the Finals - the 1999 New York Knicks and the 2023 Miami Heat. Both teams ended up losing in the finals.
The 2012 Los Angeles Kings remain the only team to have ever won after finishing with the #8 seed.
After barely making it into the playoffs, the Kings drew the Vancouver Canucks, who were looking to return to the Stanley Cup Finals after a heart-breaking defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins the year before.
The Canucks, who won the Presidents Trophy, were no match for the Kings, who easily won the series by a score of 4-1.
The Kings faced the Blues in the second round, and the Blues were almost as good as the Canucks, but ended up with a similar fate. In fact, the Blues were swept out of the playoffs by the Kings.
The Western Conference Final was more of the same, as the Kings easily dispatched of the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1.
The New Jersey Devils, who had finished as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, were no match for the Kings in the finals, as they lost 4-2.
The Kings were propelled to victory by goaltender Jonathan Quick, who turned in one of the greatest performances in Stanley Cup history. Quick finished with a 1.41 GAA and .946 save percentage over 20 games, earning himself the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Source: Stanley Cup Winners by Seed
