Frozen Fury


Frozen Fury was an annual pre-season ice hockey game hosted by the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League, which was held in Salt Lake City from 2021 to 2023. A previous incarnation of the series was held between the Kings and the Colorado Avalanche in Las Vegas from 1997 to 2016. On four occasions, the Kings faced different teams instead of the Avalanche; once each against the Arizona Coyotes, the San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers, and the Dallas Stars. The 15th Frozen Fury was originally supposed to take place on September 29, 2012, but was cancelled due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout. It resumed September 27–28, 2013, with the New York Rangers making their debut in the series.
The first game to be played in Las Vegas was also the first outdoor game in the league's history: 14,000 fans came to a rink set up outside Caesars Palace to see the Kings defeat the New York Rangers 5–2 on September 28, 1991. The air temperature was 85 °F during the game. The game served as a predecessor to both the Frozen Fury series and the NHL Winter Classic, the annual regular season game held on New Year's Day that began in 2008.
From 1997 to 2015, these games were played at MGM Grand Garden Arena; in 2016, they were played at T-Mobile Arena. The 2016 games were the end of the original tradition, due to the launch of the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017–18 season.
In 2021, a new Frozen Fury series was launched at the then-Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City between the Kings and the Vegas Golden Knights; the Sharks then rejoined the series in 2023. This series was concluded following the 2023–24 season, with Salt Lake City receiving the expansion Utah Mammoth.

The games

Frozen Fury I (1997)

;Scoring summary
PeriodTeamGoalAssistTimeScore
1stCOLJosef MarhaBrent Severyn, Eric Messier13:131–0 COL
2ndLAKRoman Vopat Brad Smyth, Rob Blake2:061–1
2ndCOLEric MessierJari Kurri, Joe Sakic14:512–1 COL
3rdLAKOlli Jokinen Luc Robitaille, Ray Ferraro4:122–2
3rdLAKCraig JohnsonRob Blake12:273–2 LAK
3rdCOLJoe SakicPeter Forsberg, Claude Lemieux19:203–3
OTLAKDonald MacLeanDoug Zmolek, Jan Vopat2:514–3 LAK

Frozen Fury II (1998)

Frozen Fury III (1999)

Frozen Fury IV (2000)

Frozen Fury V (2001)

Frozen Fury VI (2002)

Frozen Fury VII (2003)

Frozen Fury VIII (2005)

Frozen Fury IX (2006)

Frozen Fury X (2007)

Frozen Fury XI (2008)

Frozen Fury XII (2009)

Frozen Fury XIII (2010)

Frozen Fury XIV (2011)

Frozen Fury XV (2013)

;Scoring summary
PeriodTeamGoalAssistTimeScore
1stLAKAnze KopitarDrew Doughty, Justin Williams0:151–0 LAK
1stLAKJeff Carter Mike Richards, Matt Frattin11:392–0 LAK
1stNYRJ. T. MillerAnton Stralman, Oscar Lindberg14:062–1 LAK
1stLAKMike Richards Unassisted17:273–1 LAK
2ndLAKTrevor LewisJarret Stoll, Robyn Regehr16:154–1 LAK
3rdNo scoring this period

;Scoring summary
PeriodTeamGoalAssistTimeScore
1stLAKMike Richards Unassisted16:381–0 LAK
2ndLAKMike Richards Matt Frattin, Jarret Stoll0:142–0 LAK
2ndCOLRyan O'ReillySteve Downie, Matt Duchene8:112–1 LAK
2ndCOLGabriel LandeskogAlex Tanguay, Andre Benoit12:582–2
2ndCOLGabriel Landeskog Andre Benoit, Paul Stastny16:063–2 COL
3rdNo scoring this period

Frozen Fury XVI (2014)

Frozen Fury XVII (2015)

Frozen Fury XVIII (2016)

Frozen Fury SLC I (2021)

;Scoring summary
PeriodTeamGoalAssistTimeScore
1stLAKBrendan LemieuxAustin Strand1:451–0 LAK
2ndLAKLias AnderssonGabriel Vilardi, Vladimir Tkachev1:482–0 LAK
3rdVGKDaniil MiromanovNicolas Roy4:302–1 LAK
3rdLAKArthur Kaliyev Quinton Byfield, Vladimir Tkachev9:353–1 LAK

Frozen Fury SLC II (2022)

;Scoring summary
PeriodTeamGoalAssistTimeScore
1stLAKKevin FialaAdrian Kempe, Sean Durzi1:521–0 LAK
1stLAKGabriel VilardiTrevor Moore, Brandt Clarke6:092–0 LAK
1stVGKReilly SmithBrayden McNabb, Jack Eichel16:362–1 LAK
2ndVGKBrayden McNabbJack Eichel5:142–2
2ndVGKChandler StephensonMark Stone, Reilly Smith11:153–2 VGK
2ndVGKJonathan MarchessaultShea Theodore17:434–2 VGK
3rdLAKTrevor Moore Arthur Kaliyev, Sean Durzi2:214–3 VGK
3rdVGKReilly Smith Mark Stone, Chandler Stephenson8:375–3 VGK
3rdLAKSean Durzi Arthur Kaliyev, Phillip Danault15:515–4 VGK
3rdVGKAlex Pietrangelo Unassisted18:526–4 VGK

Frozen Fury SLC III (2023)

;Scoring summary
PeriodTeamGoalAssistTimeScore
1stLAKPierre-Luc DuboisKevin Fiala, Vladislav Gavrikov8:271–0 LAK
1stSJSAlexander Barabanov Mikael Granlund, Anthony Duclair8:271–1
2ndLAKAnze KopitarDrew Doughty8:162–1 LAK
2ndSJSMike HoffmanTomas Hertl, Mackenzie Blackwood14:452–2
3rdLAKTrevor MooreViktor Arvidsson, Phillip Danault3:283–2 LAK
3rdSJSThomas BordeleauWilliam Eklund14:153–3
OTLAKAdrian KempeAnze Kopitar, Drew Doughty0:174–3 LAK

Frozen Fury SLC IV (2024)

Intended to be the third meeting between Los Angeles and Vegas, the game was originally scheduled for September 23, 2024. However, it was officially cancelled on June 20, 2024, due to the Salt Lake City-based Utah Hockey Club entering the NHL. The game was replaced by a matchup between the Kings and the Utah Hockey Club on the same date, without the Frozen Fury branding.

Records