Former Kings forward Gene Carr died on Thursday at age 72.
Carr, the son of a pro hockey player and an accomplished speed skater, played for five NHL teams. He enjoyed many of his most notable moments during parts of five seasons with the Kings, scoring 104 of his 215 career points with the club. He played in his native British Columbia as well as in Manitoba at the junior level, but adapted quickly to the vibes of 1970s Los Angeles after stints in stodgier St. Louis and more buttoned-down New York.
“He was a charismatic player on the ice, featuring his trademark blonde hair along with being a fast and flashy skater,” read part of a statement from the Kings. “Off the ice, the native of Canada took to the Southern California lifestyle where he enjoyed the music scene and was close friends with accomplished bands.”
That included Eagles frontman Glenn Frey, and Carr was speculated to be the inspiration for the group’s No. 1 single “New Kid in Town.” Frey would later help Carr escape from L.A. when he wanted a trade (he landed in Pittsburgh and finished his career in Atlanta). Even after Carr’s NHL career, Carr has said that Eddie Van Halen took the title of his eponymous band’s 5150 Studio from a T-shirt he saw Carr wearing.
Carr’s career was marred significantly by two serious automobile accidents and the injuries they caused. He also became a journeyman despite his remarkable footspeed and sound two-way game, in an era where the economics of hockey were changing rapidly amid rapid expansion and competition from the World Hockey Association.
After hockey, Carr paid a hefty price for his crashes on the road and ice alike, battling physical maladies, addiction and psychological distress. Notably, he also connected with an adult daughter whom he had never met and did not know he was her father, as chronicled by former SCNG reporter Lisa Dillman and The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek.
“I was happy he connected with a daughter many years later, something he did not hide. Rather he embraced that newfound relationship, even bringing her to a Kings game,” former Kings broadcaster Bob Miller said on social media. “I believe it was a role he relished and something special later in life.”