Fire-ravaged Los Angeles weighing on Kings’ minds before road game against Jets in Winnipeg

The Los Angeles Kings are currently on an eight-day road trip that began in Winnipeg, but their minds are back home in wildfire-ravaged California. With four major fires devastating neighborhoods in the greater Los Angeles area, it has been challenging for the players to focus on hockey.

Trevor Moore, a forward for the Kings and a California native, expressed the team’s sentiments, saying, “It’s hard to be away right now. It’s the worst fire I have ever seen in California in my time. It is just awful. We are thankful for the men and women who are the first responders and taking care of everything. We are thinking and praying for everyone.”

The Kings’ road trip includes stops in Seattle and Western Canada, but Moore has been receiving heartbreaking updates from friends and family since the fires began on Tuesday. “I open up my Instagram and see a lot of people I grew up with who lost family homes, so you think about all those people. It’s a tough time,” he shared.

While no member of the Kings’ roster has lost a home in the fires, Moore witnessed the devastation from the air as the team’s plane took off for Manitoba. He struggled to imagine the hardships faced by those just south of his hometown of Thousand Oaks.

With 10 reported deaths and over 150,000 people forced to evacuate, the players are uncertain about what they will come back to when they return home on Jan. 18. Phillip Danault, another Kings player, revealed that his family home is less than 45 kilometers away from the fires, making it difficult for him to leave his loved ones behind as he traveled to Manitoba.

Both the Kings and the Winnipeg Jets players planned to wear Los Angeles Fire Department stickers on their helmets during their game at Canada Life Centre. Kings head coach Jim Hiller acknowledged the widespread impact of the fires, stating, “I don’t think there has been anybody [on the team] who hasn’t had somebody in some way been affected. Whether that’s evacuees or friends or whatever it might be. It’s tragic.”

The Kings had to postpone their home game against the Calgary Flames last Wednesday due to the fires, and they haven’t played since a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite the challenges, the team is determined to play hockey and provide some relief for those back home. “We are just going to try to do our thing here and play hockey for everyone back home,” Moore said. “Give them something to maybe take their minds off of what’s going on.”