The rivalry was showcased for the NHL premiere at the O2 Arena in London at the start of the 2007–08 season with two games between the teams.

The rivalry was further heated during the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, which was hosted by the Kings at Staples Center (renamed Crypto.com Arena in 2021).

When the Ducks took the stage to announce Cam Fowler as their first-round, 12th overall pick, the audience predominantly consisting of Kings fans, let out boos.

[10] Both teams, along with their California rival, the San Jose Sharks were part of the West Division with the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, and Minnesota Wild of the Central and the two other United States-based teams in the Pacific (Arizona Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights).

This differs from the similar Freeway Series between MLB's Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers, who are in separate conferences (the American League and National League, respectively) so they can only meet in the final round of the MLB postseason, the World Series; and the Chargers–Rams rivalry (Chargers and Rams are in the American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC), respectively) so they can only meet in the final round of the NFL postseason, the Super Bowl.

Anaheim held home ice advantage as a result of having the best regular season record in the Western Conference.

The rivalry is also known for local bragging rights, pitting big-city Los Angeles against its southern neighbor Orange County, which is more suburban.