It's the moment Los Angeles hockey fans have been waiting 45 years for -- the LA Kings championship parade through downtown LA.
If you want to head downtown and congratulate the team in person (or give your playoff beard one last hurrah before shaving it all off), here are the details:
- The parade begins 12 noon on the corner of Figueroa and Fifth Street and will head south on Figueroa until it hits Staples Center.
- Parade-goers are encouraged to line up along Figueroa between Fifth Street and the Staples Center.
- It's going to be congested, so public transportation is encouraged. Plan your trip with the help of the LA Kings' metro suggestions, and LA Metro has more on the best bus routes, rails and parking garages near Staples Center.
- A "Celebration Rally" will take place inside Staples Center at 2:30 p.m. Fans need to sign up for free rally tickets to get a spot. Kings season ticket holders and suite and premier seat owners got a crack at the free rally tickets at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. Everyone else (i.e. bandwagon fans?) will have a chance at 6 p.m. to snag a spot. Reserve a maximum of four tickets here.
Parade route map courtesy of LA Kings.
LA Live Plaza will be closed to everyone without a free rally ticket, so if you don't have one, Figueroa is your best bet for taking in all the action.
Via KTLA are the known downtown LA road closures, which will begin as early as 4 a.m. Thursday:
- Figueroa between 3rd Street and Pico Boulevard
- Chick Hearn Way (formerly 11th Street) from Figueroa Street to Cherry Street
- L.A. Live Way from Olympic Boulevard to Pico Boulevard
LA Kings players and their families, coaches and mascot Bailey will ride on buses down the parade route, notes KTLA. Of course, the Stanley Cup will be the centerpiece of the parade.