The Los Angeles Kings' not-so-surprising announcement that they are increasing season-ticket prices by an average of just under six percent next season was accompanied by a more surprising admission: the team is apparently losing more money than ever.

In spite of the 2004-05 NHL lockout, which owners claimed would stabilize teams' finances, the Kings claim to be operating in the red. They did not release figures, but before the lockout, they claimed to be losing between $8 million to $10 million per season.

The news didn't sit well with fans, particularly since the Kings haven't made the playoffs since 2002, and it seemed a bit incongruous to some, considering that ticket prices have increased slightly and payroll has decreased greatly since 2004.

"We're building our organization differently, to meet the reality that we're losing even more than we did before the lockout," Chris McGowan, the team's chief marketing officer, said. "We have to run a better business."

In part to help offset those financial woes, the Kings announced a "blended" season-ticket price increase of 5.66 percent. A small percentage of tickets inside Staples Center will decrease in price, while others will increase by up to 16 percent.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT
On Nov. 10 at Staples Center, the Kings trailed Dallas 4-0 with less than eight minutes remaining in the third period. Facing elite goalie Marty Turco, the Kings scored five goals on their next six shots and took the lead when Ladislav Nagy scored a power-play goal with 2:07 remaining. The Stars tied the game on Mike Modano's power-play goal with 1:05 remaining, but Anze Kopitar scored 2:34 into overtime to give the Kings the remarkable 6-5 victory.

TURNING POINT
With victories in two of their previous three games, the Kings were inching toward respectability as they started a two-game road trip with a winnable game against Chicago on Dec. 12. Instead, the Kings suffered a dreadful 6-3 loss in which they were outshot 36-28. That game was the start of an eight-game losing streak that dropped the Kings to the bottom of the Western Conference for the rest of the season.

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