Meet Darcy Kuemper: The Newest LA Kings Goaltender

There is a new masked man in an LA Kings jersey this season. At six-feet, four inches, the blonde-haired 27-year-old with the ear-to-ear grin is pretty hard to miss.
On July 1, after leaving the Minnesota Wild to become a free agent, Darcy Kuemper signed a one-year contract with the Kings to back up starting netminder Jonathan Quick. After having been drafted by the Wild in the sixth round, 161st overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Kuemper had spent his entire NHL career thus far with the Minnesota organization.
Only when he saw his name on scouting lists for the upcoming NHL draft, did Kuemper realize he actually had a shot at playing in the NHL.

"That was the first time I really thought about getting drafted. I was fortunate enough that I did get drafted and got to experience an NHL training camp and went from there," says Kuemper, who went on to play a total of five seasons with the Wild.
Not knowing anyone on the Kings roster prior to signing with the team, Kuemper was eager to start a new hockey chapter in a city that he associated with Disneyland - where he took a family trip as a kid - and warm weather.
"I actually didn't know anyone in the locker room, but I knew some guys that had played here previously and they told me a lot of good things about the guys, and they were correct, and everyone was really welcoming, so it's been really enjoyable," explains Kuemper, affectionately known as "Kuemps."

Former Wild player, Christian Folin, also came to Los Angeles as a free agent this summer. The two have become roommates, living in Hermosa Beach, where a walk to Java Man for the day's coffee is a frequent habit. The two make an ideal living situation, if only for their mutual love of cooking, which is typically powered by a grocery run to Whole Foods.
"We take turns cooking or we do it together, we both enjoy it, so it works out pretty good," admits Kuemper, who loves having sushi at Izakaya if he's not cooking.
During the summer, Kuemper likes to golf and fish, but on days off during the hockey season he can be found on his Xbox playing Call of Duty with some of his teammates. He also has a weakness for television shows - Netflix is his platform of choice - where his favorites include 'Breaking Bad,' 'Game of Thrones,' and he most recently finished 'Ozark.'
The best concert in Kuemper's book was Bruce Springsteen at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, but his music tastes range from Hip Hop to Country to Classic Rock, depending on his mood.
These days, there's little reason for his mood to be anything but positive. He has had an auspicious career, no doubt the result of hard work, ambition, and a good support system - which for Kuemper, began at home with his parents.
"Just how much they helped me growing up, not only in hockey, but in school and whatever passions I pursued growing up they did their best to make it work and make it happen. They helped me big time get to where I am now," expresses Kuemper, who draws inspiration from his parents.
Kuemper grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where hockey was quite the norm.
"Hockey is super big back home, it's the sport everyone plays. My dad played rec hockey, so I watched his games when I was really little, so as soon as I could I wanted to play myself," recalls the goaltender.
He began skating at the age of three, and by the age of 10, Kuemper made the decision to play goal; as he, unlike others, relished the goalie rotation when it came to be his turn.
"I always liked goalie, so it was an easy decision, I wanted to play it right away," remembers Kuemper, who idolized Patrick Roy.
Although hockey has brought him to a different country for work, Kuemper remains close to his family, still in his hometown. During the summer, he lives in a house with his younger brother, Brendon, and Brendon's Golden Retriever, Aero, and all the kids go home to their parents' house for dinner at least a couple times a week.
In addition to Brendon, Kuemper has a younger sister, Nicole, and he maintains that the family keeps in touch daily via a family text message chat, and phone calls happen every couple of days. At the very least, Darcy calls his dad after every game.
Starting from those first few games of his Dad's that Kuemper took in as a toddler, the game of hockey has brought him so much to be thankful for.
"A lot of life experiences, living in different cities, traveling to different cities, I think [hockey has] made me more open as a person with always having new teammates and meeting new people," reflects Kuemper. "Just the relationships you establish throughout the years, I think that's my biggest takeaway."
If he weren't playing hockey, Kuemper has no idea what career path he would have chosen, but he does know where he wouldn't be. As a kid, Kuemper spent one year playing the saxophone, and it's safe to say the year wasn't exactly memorable.
"I didn't really enjoy the practice part of it, so band wasn't a big future for me," he says with a laugh.
Good thing he picked hockey.