The 2012 Stanley Cup final matchup was, on the surface, a tough one to get excited about. The Kings and Devils had no real history together, there was essentially zero rivalry in place before the series started, and there were few if any ready-made storylines to focus on. Many expected that the series could wind up being a forgettable dud, and they looked like they'd be right when the Kings shot out to a 3–0 lead.
And then, almost without warning, the series took a turn. The Devils mounted an admirable comeback, extending the series twice before finally falling in an entertaining sixth game. So while the series isn't likely to be remembered as an all-time classic, it did end up providing its share of memorable moments.
Let's take a period-by-period look back at the 2012 Stanley Cup final:
Game One: Kings 2, Devils 1 (OT)
First period: The opening face-off is delayed briefly when NHL officials have to spend time reminding the Kings that “hockey” is a fun sport that they all used to enjoy playing right until their third-round series ended six weeks ago.
Second period: Anton Volchenkov scores for the Devils, delighting all those fans who drafted him as a sleeper in the 4,000th round of their playoff pool.
Third period: It's possible that all the neutral zone trapping, clutch-and-grab defensive play, and constant shot-blocking might be making these games a little less entertaining than they could be, Martin Brodeur and Jonathan Quick agree during an extended conversation at center ice as the period goes on.
Overtime: The Kings win the game by catching New Jersey off guard by executing a rarely seen play they refer to as “pass the puck directly to our best player who is skating down the middle of the ice with nobody covering him for some reason.”
Game Two: Kings 2, Devils 1 (OT)
First period: To mark the first game of the season to be played in June, the NHL apparently decides to air a summer re-run.
Second period: Fun trivia: According to the detailed research of league historians, this period did in fact exist despite nobody on the planet having a single memory of it.
Third period: While it's understandable that nobody wants a repeat of Marty McSorley's infamous illegal curve penalty from late in game two of the 1993 final, it still seems kind of excessive when the Kings play the entire third period using ringette sticks.
Overtime: Jeff Carter looked pretty good during the replay of his winning goal right up until that sledgehammer smashed through the screen, report people watching the game at Jack Johnson's house.
Game Three: Kings 4, Devils 0
First period: The Kings decide that it's time for Simon Gagne to make his return to the lineup, after they hear a rumor that there's still one Philadelphia Flyer fan left on the planet who doesn't hate them.
Second period: Somewhere, deep in the bowels of the arena, 2012 Dean Lombardi steps into the time machine to travel back and convince 2010 Dean Lombardi to back off on the bidding and just let Ilya Kovalchuk sign with the Devils.
Third period: The Devils' coaching staff begins to toy with the idea of making a radical change to their power play, such as maybe putting an extra guy out there sometimes.
Game Four: Devils 3, Kings 1
First period: Roughly 90 percent of the celebrities who will later claim to be diehard Kings fans become aware of the fact that this series is being played.
Second period: After the Stanley Cup's handlers explain that the case they're carrying holds something that's world famous, 120 years old, and takes twenty people to lift it, excited LA arena workers exclaim that they've always wanted to meet Jack Nicholson.
Third period: In one of those hilarious practical jokes that veterans are always playing on gullible rookies, the Devils wait until there are a few minutes left in the third period of a tie game and then convince Adam Henrique that overtime has already started.
Game Five: Devils 2, Kings 1
First period: Zach Parise realizes you have a chance to score on Jonathan Quick if you can execute a quick one-timer off a cross-ice pass, assuming the pass comes from thirty feet away and is made by Jonathan Quick.
Second period: An apparent goal by Jarret Stoll is waved off due to a high-stick, which is unfortunate because it took him a long time to climb all the way to the top of the arena rafters first.
Third period: Alexei Ponikarovsky and Dustin Penner are given roughing penalties after a late-game scrum that starts over an argument about whether it's a more amazing feeling to be traded away from the Maple Leafs or the Oilers.
Game Six: Kings 6, Devils 1
First period: With one ill-advised boarding major, Steve Bernier instantly becomes the single worst thing to happen to people living in New Jersey since living in New Jersey.
Second period: The Devils' attempt at a comeback is frustrated when every shot they try to take is immediately blocked by a member of the media who doesn't want to fly back to Newark.
Third period: As the seconds tick down and the Kings pile onto the ice to celebrate the franchise's first Stanley Cup win, somewhere, Bill Buckner knowingly clinks glasses with Marty McSorley.