The 2008–09 Los Angeles Kings season was the 40th season in the club's history. The Kings showed improvement while fielding the youngest team in the league (in terms of average age per player), but came up short of breaking a playoff drought that stretches back to the 2001-02 season. Despite a crazy schedule which saw them play 17 of their final 24 games away from Staples Center, the Kings managed to stay in the playoff hunt for much of the year. They played in 43 games decided by one goal, and their record in these games was 20-12-11, which bodes well for next season.