Kings vs Rangers: Bizarro World

You know how some players just never look quite right in another team's jersey? You know, like Wayne Gretzky as a St. Louis Blue for a few games. Or Bernie Federko as a Red Wing. Or soon to be Marty Brodeur with whoever he signs with.

Well here's a few gems from the past concerning the 2014 Stanley Cup finalists New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings.

Ron Duguay: I'm not sure what is more bizarre about this hockey card. New York's ultimate playboy finishing his NHL career with Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings, or the fact that this is a Smokey The Bear hockey card.

Marcel Dionne: The King of the Kings finished his career with the Rangers before they unceremoniously dumped the NHL's 3rd all time highest scoring player (at the time) to the minor leagues.

Barry Beck - Barry "Bubba" Beck, the proud (and bare-headed) captain of the New York Rangers, not only finished his career with a season in Los Angeles, but he also donned one of Wayne Gretzky's flimsy Jofa helmets.

This is Juha Widing, a key player for the Los Angeles Kings in the 1970s. But he started his career with the New York Rangers, playing 44 games in 1969-70.

Harry Howell - Starting in 1972 Howell was a long time New York Rangers star on defense, winning the Norris Trophy in 1967 and being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979. But he finished his career out in California:

Bernie Nicholls - I never got over the fact that the Kings trade long-time scoring star Bernie Nicholls away after a 70 goal, 150 point season. Oh sure the Kings got Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato, but Nicholls was Wayne Gretzky's new right hand man. Did I mention 70 goals and 150 points in one season. Alas Pumper-Nicholl was gone, but Broadway Bernie emerged nicely in Manhattan.

Glenn Healy - The annoying Hockey Night in Canada color commentator is best remembered for playing with the New York Rangers where, as he will tell anyone who is listening, he won a Stanley Cup in 1994. He usually doesn't mention he was the back up to Mike Richter and only played in parts of two different games all spring. But did you know Healy started out as a promising young goaltender for the Los Angeles Kings?

Tom Laidlaw - Laidlaw was a defensive defenseman who did not make many headlines in his NHL career. Except for this magazine:

The fact that the underrated Rangers defensemen finished his career with three unheralded seasons in Los Angeles is a moot point. I just liked this photo.