Los Angeles Kings’ Troy Grosenick wins in his first appearance since November 2014
The 31-year-old Grosenick’s entire previous NHL experience consisted of two games for the San Jose Sharks in November 2014. When Kings goalie Cal Petersen went into the COVID-19 protocol about three hours before the game, Grosenick came through with a strong performance on short notice.
The Kings already were without Jonathan Quick, who missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury, before Petersen was sidelined.
“Finding out late, honestly, I don’t think it really matters too much for me,” said Grosenick, who had played in just two professional games anywhere since March 2020. “It’s the same thing. Take the next shot as it comes. If you’re prepared for anything, things don’t take you by surprise as much.”
Grosenick’s six years and 112 days between wins represented the seventh-longest stretch between regular-season victories in NHL history.
“The guys played hard for him,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “I think it was a motivating factor to get off to a good start. It was good to see, and certainly not easy circumstances with as little as he’s played this year. Good for him.”
Except for the two NHL appearances in 2014, Grosenick spent the past seven seasons in the AHL with the top affiliates for San Jose and Nashville. Grosenick signed with the Kings last October and served as their opening-night backup before he was claimed off waivers by Edmonton in January and subsequently reclaimed by the Kings in February.
Matt Villalta, a 21-year-old prospect with no NHL experience, came up from Los Angeles’ AHL affiliate to serve as Grosenick’s backup.
Kempe has six goals in his past three games. The Swedish forward followed his hat trick against the Ducks on Monday with another huge offensive performance for Los Angeles, which won for just the second time in seven games.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.