The Coyotes and Taylor Swift Own the Los Angeles Kings

The Arizona Coyotes poked some fun at the Los Angeles Kings and their alleged “Taylor Swift Banner Curse” in Monday’s 3-0 shutout win at home. It was an excellently planned out troll job by the Coyotes, but Los Angeles took it in stride and managed to get their own clap back in.

Earlier this season, the Kings decided to cover a Taylor Swift banner during all home games. The team plays at the Staples Center, which also acts as a major concert venue. The venue raised a “Most Sold Out Performances” banner for Taylor Swift in 2015. With the Kings’ last Stanley Cup in 2014 and the team in a downward spiral since 2015, fans decided that the banner was the cause of the team’s misfortune. And thus the “Taylor Swift Banner Curse” gained traction. Enough for the Kings organization to cover the banner to preserve the fan experience. 

It seemed to work out, or at least correlate because the Kings went on a brief win streak thereafter.

Although a little ridiculous, the spectacle of the “Taylor Swift Banner Curse” quietly died down, especially as the Kings reverted to their old ways, currently brandishing an 8-12-1 record.

Kings at Coyotes

But the Arizona Coyotes did not forget, instead of seeing it as a perfectly good pot waiting to be stirred again. As part of the in-arena entertainment, Arizona’s mascot, Howler the Coyote, unveiled an identical version of the Taylor Swift banner, hung right above the visitor’s tunnel.

They even dropped a Taylor Swift-themed tweet, just for good measure. Up by two, it was too perfect a clever opportunity to let slide. 

But over the years, the Los Angeles Kings have gained a reputation for an engaging and entertaining social media presence. Taking the jab in stride, they clapped back on Twitter, referencing their own Stanley Cup banners and the Coyotes’ lack thereof.

And if that’s not enough, they owned their reputation regarding Taylor Swift. The Kings updated their Twitter bio to let everyone know where they stand.

At the end of the day, the “Taylor Swift Banner Curse” is still kind of ridiculous. But it seems to still be in effect if the Kings’ devastating loss to the Coyotes is anything to stand by. The Kings were effectively shut out by Antti Raanta. Meanwhile, the Coyotes enjoyed three goals from Conor Garland, Derek Stepan, and Jakob Chychrun in a blowout win.

The Arizona Coyotes currently sit at a second Pacific division playoff spot at 13-7-2. Comparatively, the Los Angeles Kings are at the bottom of the division with 8-12-1.

Maybe the Kings should start covering more banners.

Follow Jacqueline on Twitter at @jxcquelineoh