Most people picture the Los Angeles Kings in black and silver. That look has dominated the team's image since the late eighties, and it is the one that drifted into street style and stayed there. But for the first two decades of their existence, the Kings dressed in something entirely different: a deep purple they insisted on calling Forum blue, paired with bright gold. It is one of the most distinctive colour schemes hockey has ever produced, and it belongs to a period of the franchise that many younger fans barely know.
This piece focuses on that earlier chapter, from the club's arrival in 1967 to the eve of the trade that changed everything in 1988. It looks at the arena that gave the colours their name, the players who wore them, the kinds of garments that survive from those years, and how to wear purple and gold without feeling like you are dressed for a different sport.
A team built for a fabulous building
The Kings joined the NHL in the 1967 expansion, when the league doubled in size and pushed into new American markets, including California. The team's founding owner, Jack Kent Cooke, also owned the Lakers and built a grand new arena for both clubs in Inglewood. He called it the Forum, and it was designed with colonnades and a classical flourish that made it look more like a monument than a hockey rink. The Kings spent their first few months in other venues while it was completed, then made it their home for decades.
Cooke's taste shaped the look. The Lakers wore purple and gold, and the Kings followed, with the purple branded as Forum blue in keeping with his idea of the arena as a royal setting. The crown logo, gold lettering and purple jerseys all fit that theme. For a team called the Kings, in a building styled after ancient Rome, the effect was appropriately regal.
This is a big part of the appeal of early vintage Los Angeles Kings pieces. They were not designed to look tough or modern. They were designed to look grand, with a little Hollywood showmanship, and the clothing from those years still has that warm, theatrical quality.
Dionne, the Triple Crown Line and a Canadian heart
The Kings of the seventies and early eighties were rarely contenders, but they had stars. The biggest was Marcel Dionne, a gifted centre from Quebec who arrived from Detroit in the mid-seventies and became one of the most prolific scorers of his generation. Alongside Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer, he formed what was known as the Triple Crown Line, one of the most productive forward units of its era.
For Canadian collectors, there is something satisfying about that. Long before the Kings became famous for a player who came from Edmonton, their best-loved figure was a francophone from small-town Quebec, playing for a purple and gold team in California. Pieces from those years carry a quieter kind of Canadian connection, one that does not rely on the trade everyone already talks about.
Then there is the 1982 playoff game that fans still call the Miracle on Manchester, named for the boulevard outside the Forum. Down heavily against a powerful Edmonton team, the Kings came back to win, and went on to take the series. It remains one of the most famous comebacks in playoff history, and it gives the purple and gold years a moment of genuine glory.
Before the black and silver became a city's uniform, the Kings dressed like royalty in a building that thought it was a palace.
What the clothing looked like
Fan merchandise in the late sixties and seventies was modest by later standards. The licensed sportswear boom had not yet arrived, and most of what people bought was simple: tees, sweatshirts, caps, pennants, the occasional jacket. By the early eighties things had expanded, but it was still nothing like the explosion of the following decade. That means purple and gold Kings clothing survives in smaller numbers, and what does survive tends to be plain and well worn.
Here is what you are most likely to encounter:
- Ringer and raglan tees. Thin cotton or cotton-blend tees with contrast trim, often with a crown logo or the team name in gold on purple or purple on gold.
- Crewneck sweatshirts. Lighter than nineties sweats, sometimes in grey with purple and gold printing, sometimes in the team colours themselves.
- Knit caps and toques. Striped toques in purple and gold, sometimes with a pom, are a natural hockey item and can be wonderfully bright.
- Snapback and mesh caps. Trucker-style caps with foam fronts and mesh backs were common in the seventies and early eighties.
- Jackets. Satin or nylon jackets in purple with gold trim are a strong find, though they are rarer than later black satin.
- Jerseys. Purple and gold jerseys from the Dionne era are hard to come by, and later reproductions are common, so look carefully at construction.
Collectors use tag designs, fabric weight, print method and stitching to estimate age, but those clues need to be read together and with caution. Reproduction and throwback pieces in purple and gold have been made in recent years, and some are very convincing. If you love the look, a well-made modern throwback can be a fine thing to wear. Just know what you are buying.
Reading a faded purple
Purple is a beautiful colour to watch age. On cotton tees and sweatshirts, it tends to soften toward a dusty violet, a lavender grey or, occasionally, a reddish plum. Gold drifts toward mustard, butter or ochre. Together, faded purple and gold can look far gentler than they did when new, with the kind of washed-out warmth people pay a lot to imitate.
The question is whether the fade is even. Hold the garment in daylight and compare the front, back and sleeves. Look inside a cuff or under the collar, where the original colour usually survives, to judge how far the outside has travelled. A uniform shift is appealing. A sharp line or patch, often where a shirt was folded in a shop window or on a car dashboard, is harder to live with.
Also check the gold lettering or logo carefully. Gold inks and gold threads can behave differently from the fabric around them, sometimes holding colour while the body fades, sometimes cracking or flaking faster. A crown that has cracked into fine lines across a soft purple ground can be lovely. One that is peeling away is another matter.
Fit across the decades
Clothing from the late sixties to the early eighties was often cut closer than later sportswear. Tees can be short in the body and narrow through the shoulders, and older sweatshirts may feel trim rather than boxy. That is a real contrast with the oversized black and silver gear of the nineties, and it means a vintage large from the seventies may fit like a modern medium.
Measure before you commit. Lay a tee you like flat and note the width across the chest and the length from shoulder to hem, then compare. If a vintage piece runs short, it can still work well tucked loosely into high-waisted trousers or worn over a longer white tee. A short, trim purple ringer tucked into wide cream trousers is a very seventies line, and it suits the era of the garment.
Jackets from the period are usually less padded than later hockey jackets, with knit collars and cuffs. They look best fairly close to the body, and they work well as spring and early autumn layers rather than winter coats.
Wearing Forum blue now
Purple and gold together can feel loud, but a few principles keep them easy to wear. First, surround them with neutrals that share their warmth. Cream, ecru, oatmeal, khaki and light camel all sit beautifully beside faded purple. A Kings ringer tee with cream trousers and tan suede shoes looks relaxed and quietly retro.
Second, use denim. Mid-wash blue jeans are almost always a safe partner for purple, and the blue makes the gold trim stand out without overwhelming it. Add a plain grey crewneck over the shoulders on a cool evening and you have a complete outfit.
Third, let one item carry the colour. A purple and gold toque with an otherwise all-neutral winter outfit, a camel coat, a grey scarf and dark jeans, is a lovely, cheerful accent. A satin purple jacket deserves equally calm partners: a white tee, straight-leg jeans, simple leather shoes.
Finally, do not be afraid of olive and brown. Purple and olive is an unexpected but very good pairing, and brown leather boots or a brown belt pick up the warmth of faded gold.
A different way into the Kings
Wearing a purple and gold Kings piece sends a slightly different message than wearing the black and silver crest. It says you know where the team came from: the Forum, the crown, Dionne and the Triple Crown Line, a famous comeback on Manchester Boulevard. It is a look for people who like their vintage NHL apparel a little off the main road.
If one of these turns up while you are digging, take a moment with it. Check the fade, the print and the fit against something you already wear, and think about how warm, faded purple will sit in your closet. Pieces from this era are uncommon, and our weekly drops at Queen West and Square One never come with promises, which is exactly why it is worth looking twice when Forum blue catches your eye.
