The circumstances were particularly meaningful for Pittsburgh forward Blake Lizotte, who started his NHL career with the Kings and had 106 points (37 goals, 69 assists) in 320 games for them. This was his first game at Crypto.com Arena as a visitor, but the LAFD hat he wore after the morning skate reflected the larger circumstances.

Los Angeles Kings’ broadcaster Patrick O’Neal is one of the many residents of the city to become a victim of the area’s massive wildfires. O’Neal shared a video of himself in front of the charred remains of his family’s home during the Kings’ pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network West before the team’s matchup against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.

The Los Angeles Kings honored firefighters and first responders in the first game back in their downtown arena since the catastrophic wildfires that devastated large parts of Los Angeles

In their first home game back to Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles Kings and the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins honoured the local fire department by wearing LAFD hats during warm-ups and partaking in a centre-ice ceremony ahead of first puck drop.