They might be Stanley Cup champions, but most days, the Los Angeles Kings players are in flip-flops and shorts.

Their office is the ice, but their home is the beach.

And in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, where most of the players live, they’re just regular guys, pushing their carts through the grocery stores, eating out with their wives and kids at local restaurants and attending school fundraisers.

“They’re a part of our community,” former Manhattan Beach Councilman Richard Montgomery said. “Their kids go to our schools. They go to Uncle Bill’s after their morning skate to eat pancakes. You see them all over town. They’re part of the fabric of our community.

“There’s a joke — if you throw a rock, you’ll hit a King.”

In Hermosa Beach, that would include Drew Doughty, Jarret Stoll and Jeff Carter.

And next door in Manhattan Beach are Justin Williams, the NHL’s postseason MVP, team captain Dustin Brown, goalie Jonathan Quick, Anze Kopitar and Trevor Lewis.

Even their coach is in town.

“Out here in Manhattan Beach, it’s like a small town,” coach Darryl Sutter told NHL.com. “You know most of the people. You’ve got a main street. Apart from the ocean, it’s really no different. We go to into Los Angeles to play, that’s it.”

Manhattan Beach is no stranger to celebrities and pro athletes, boasting Maria Sharapova, Tiger Woods, Shaquille O’Neal, Blake Griffin, Mike Piazza, Eric Karros, Pete Carroll and many others among its current or former residents.

But the Kings carry a unique reputation. No matter who you ask, you’re likely to get a “they’re just super nice guys” response.

“They’re rough and tough on the ice, but when they come in, they’re all just the nicest, most down-to-earth guys, super humble, no ego. A few are even shy,” said Brett Anderson, assistant general manager of MB Post restaurant. “They clearly love living in the South Bay. You see them all around town.”

Hermosa Beach Mayor Michael DiVirgilio said the Kings don’t hide out in mega mansions or behind gates.

“What’s special is they’re living here and they’re showing up at the dry cleaners,” he said. “I often bump into them on the beach or on The Strand or walking around the plaza with their significant other. They’re not holed up in the most guarded house in town or the most secret place in town. In the truest sense, they’re living in town, and we have access to them.”

DiVirgilio and others say the Kings — who will hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup for the second time in three years during a parade Monday in downtown Los Angeles — are likely attracted to the beach cities because the residents allow the players privacy and to just be themselves.

“They’re able to go to any restaurant in flip-flops, shorts or jeans and not be harassed,” said Mike Zislis, who owns several beach cities restaurants and the Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach. “They don’t drink different wine than us, they don’t eat different food than us. You would not know they’re any different.”

Zislis said the players don’t even mention that they play with the Kings when they make a reservation.

“It’s just, normalcy,” he said. “There’s no space between the community and the Kings.”

Zislis added that the players often donate to local school fundraisers and are involved in PTAs and the education foundations.

Clearly, the South Bay has a simpler appeal to the players — it’s proximity. The Kings train at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, just north of the beach cities, and their games are held in the Staples Center downtown, an easy 20-mile commute. The high-performing schools and extremely low crime rates aren’t bad draws either, especially since most of the players are family men.

Residents have certainly embraced the Kings as their hometown team. Many call them the “South Bay Kings.”

“They aren’t walking around with a chip on their shoulder,” DiVirgilio said. “They’re about as regular as regular gets. I think that’s part of the appeal (to residents).”

Drive along the main drags in downtown Manhattan Beach, and nearly every storefront has a large “Go Kings Go” banner hanging prominently. Nearby homes proudly display Kings flags from their balconies.

Even the roof of the iconic Roundhouse Aquarium at the end of the Manhattan Beach Pier is decked out with “Go Kings Go” banners.

Fans packed into North End Bar and Grill in Hermosa Beach, the Kings’ local watering hole, for the final game against the New York Rangers Friday night, some arriving as early as 10:30 a.m. to secure a seat for the 5 p.m. game.

In describing the unique appeal of the Kings in a town where professional athletes are commonly sighted, fans emphasized that the players are, frankly, normal.

“They’re very approachable. They don’t try to act like they’re (big stuff),” said Hermosa Beach resident Gino Giordano, a longtime hockey fan. “They love the beach for the same reason we love the beach — they want to just be at this great place and hang out with people who love the sun and the fun.”

“Most people have no idea who they are,” added George Balen of Manhattan Beach. “They don’t have entourages.”

Brigid Dowd, a Michigan native who grew up around hockey, said the players easily blend in among the locals.

“Half the time you don’t even know (they’re there),” she said. “You’ll be hanging out at the bar and someone will go, ‘Oh, that’s so and so.’ They’re so normal. One lives two doors down from my boyfriend. He’s just a guy. He doesn’t drive some big, fancy car.”

Fans say the Lakers are more Hollywood, but the Kings are all South Bay.

“To me, it’s a Hermosa Beach story. We feel like part of it,” Giordano said. “The whole community’s into it.”

The Kings players, in turn, have embraced the community.

After winning the Stanley Cup in 2012, the players toured the beach cities, first with a parade from Hermosa Beach to Manhattan Beach, followed by visits to local schools, City Council meetings and local fire stations, allowing fans to touch and take photos with the cup.

They’ll have another local parade Wednesday to celebrate this year’s victory, starting at 3 p.m. in Redondo Beach and ending at the Manhattan Beach Pier.

“We’re simply proud that a King — let alone multiple Kings — call Hermosa Beach home,” DiVirgilio said. “We have a handful living here. That in and of itself is what’s wonderful. Them winning the Stanley Cup, that’s even sweeter.”

Just hours after the Kings each hoisted the Stanley Cup at Staples Center before a roaring crowd and a national television audience Friday night, they returned “home” for a private celebration at the North End bar.

It was past midnight when team captain Brown rolled up, firmly clutching the guest of honor — Lord Stanley’s Cup.