The foundation for the Los Angeles Kings' first Stanley Cup championship was built in Manchester.

On Monday night, 14 men who at one time or another wore a Manchester Monarchs jersey lifted the Stanley Cup over their heads for a victorious skate on home ice after eliminating the New Jersey Devils four games to two in the finals.

“I think we all felt like we were a big part of it,” said Monarchs president Darren Abbott. “To see those kids that spent so much time here in Manchester in the celebration and to have (Kings general manager) Dean Lombardi mention (Monarchs coach) Mark Morris on the post-game show, I think that really puts in perspective all the hard work that's gone into it here in Manchester for the first 11 years. It feels like it paid off Monday night.”

Morris was in L.A. along with assistant coach Scott Pellerin, director of hockey operations Hubie McDonough and a few other members of the staff. They were able to take part in the celebration and get their moment with the Stanley Cup.

“It was almost like an out-of-body experience,” Morris said. “You're watching people that you know and worked with, coaches and players and here they are in front of you playing on the world's biggest stage. It's very surreal. Just watching it all unfold was pretty special.”

The heart and soul of the Kings team, captain Dustin Brown and goaltender Jonathan Quick, both spent important formative years in Manchester. Brown broke into the NHL as a rookie in 2003-04 but then had to spend a year with the Monarchs to hone his game.

Quick bounced between Manchester and L.A. from 2007 to 2009 before sticking in the NHL to stay. On Monday, before the Stanley Cup was presented, Quick was handed another trophy, the Conn Smythe, for playoff MVP.

“I think a lot of people are going to come to realize how good our players are, not just here in Manchester but in the American Hockey League,” Abbott said. “For hockey fans here, you're going to come out and see the future. You're going to see the Jonathan Quicks and the Dustin Browns.”

Beyond that key duo are others whose contributions made the Cup possible. From Davis Drewiskie to Trevor Lewis to Alec Martinez, all 14 former Manchester players (except Brown, who played under Bruce Boudreau) skated for Morris. Another key cog, defenseman Willie Mitchell, played for Morris at Clarkson University.

“To be included and to see these players celebrate with their parents and wives and girlfriends brings it all full circle,” Morris said. “To experience it up close is a unique thing and something I'll always remember.”

Two young players, Dwight King and Jordan Nolan, were a surprising catalyst for the Kings. After Darryl Sutter was named head coach of L.A. in December when Terry Murray was fired, Sutter came to Manchester to see the farm team play during the NHL All-Star break in February.

Nolan and King clearly impressed him and were called up soon after, bringing a brand of physical play and youthful enthusiasm that sparked the Kings.

“Dean Lombardi was saying that ... it was the addition of the guys from Manchester — and I know he was referring to Nolan and King — that really helped them become a bigger team,” Morris said. “Their big bodies and tenacity gave the Kings that strong play over the puck.”

Their contributions continued into the postseason, where Nolan had a goal and assist and King scored five goals and three assists, including the helper on the crucial, back-breaking third goal from Lewis in the first period of Monday's 6-1 win.

And then there was defenseman Slava Voynov, who got in Sutter's doghouse and was sent to Manchester for 15 games before being recalled. The 22-year-old Russian learned his lesson and went on to become a steady top-four defenseman, recording a goal and two assists in the playoffs.

There are also the role-players that started in Manchester, like backup goalie Jonathan Bernier and forwards Scott Parse, Andrei Loktionov, Kyle Clifford and Kevin Westgarth. While none of them played in the Cup-clinching game, all were in uniform when the final buzzer sounded and the Cup was passed around. So were three Monarchs in town to practice with the team: Martin Jones, Marc-Andre Cliche and Jake Muzzin.

Westgarth, a fan favorite during his 234 games as a Monarch, was easy to spot in the locker room revelry, his 6-foot-4 frame, long hair and missing-tooth smile standing out above the others as he celebrated with the Stanley Cup.

The connection to Manchester should result in a visit from Lord Stanley's prize sometime next season. Abbott and several other Monarchs staffers were in L.A. for Games 3 and 4 last week and got a verbal agreement from Phil Pritchard, the NHL's “keeper of the Cup.”

“(We) were at a pool in Los Angeles with Phil and he was giggling about where the Cup was going to be and I said 'I just want to see it make its way to Manchester if the Kings win' and he said 'absolutely,'” Abbott said. “So hopefully I can take him on his word for that. We'll pick a night in the winter and try and get that taken care of.”

Ian Clark covers pro hockey for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. His e-mail address is <\/script>'); })();