(Photo by Noah Graham/Getty Images)
On June 23, former Los Angeles Kings left wing Luc Robitaille was named to the 2009 class that will be inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame on November 9, 2009, in Toronto.
Along with Robitaille, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch and Steve Yzerman were named in the players category, while New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello was named in the builders category.
Robitaille, the highest scoring left wing in National Hockey League history and the all-time Kings leader in goals, played in 1,431 career regular season games with the Kings, Detroit Red Wings (where he won a Stanley Cup in 2002), New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. “Lucky” scored 668 goals and added 726 assists for 1,394 points over his 19-year NHL career.
In 159 playoff games, Robitaille scored 58 with 69 assists for 127 points.
“This is a tremendous achievement for Luc, his family and the entire Kings organization,” said Kings Governor/Chief Executive Officer Tim Leiweke. “We have always been honored to have the greatest left winger represent our franchise and our fans, and we are thrilled to now share Luc with the Hockey Hall of Fame.”
Robitaille said he was excited when he got the call.
“When I saw the 416 [Toronto] area code on my phone, I called back right away,” said Robitaille. “Certainly, I figured if they were calling me, it wasn’t to give me bad news, so I was excited.”
The ninth round pick (171st overall) in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft said that he never dreamed of becoming an honored member of the Hockey Hall Of Fame.
“What I am feeling right now is very difficult to explain,” said Robitaille. “I never set out to accomplish anything like this. When I was a kid, I dreamed of playing in the National Hockey League and to now be alongside greats like Rocket Richard, Guy Lafleur and Wayne Gretzky is not only indescribable, it is beyond anything I ever dreamed of.”
“When I came into the league, I just wanted to play in the NHL,” added Robitaille. “I was fortunate that they put me on the same line with Marcel Dionne and Marcel basically said ‘just go to the net, kid, and I’ll find you.’ So I just found a way to get to the net. But at the end of the day, I always felt it was about winning.”
Robitaille also talked about being inducted with Hull and Yzerman, two of his teammates from the 2002 Detroit Red Wings team that won the Stanley Cup.
“Certainly, being [inducted] with [two] of my teammates is very special,” said Robitaille. “I want to thank everyone.”
After the Kings decided they were not interested in Robitaille’s services after the 2000-01 season, Robitaille set his sights on Hockeytown.
“The biggest thing for me was we [the Kings] beat Detroit [in the 2000-01 playoffs] so, in a way, that helped me,” Robitaille explained. “When the decision came and I was a free agent, I remember talking with my wife, trying to figure out where we were going to go. She asked me who I thought had the best shot to win the Cup. I said Detroit, so she said ‘well, why don’t we try to go there first?’”
“I’ll never forget when my agent called [Red Wings general manager] Ken Holland,” Robitaille elaborated. “He came back and said they were interested. So we didn’t really shop any other team. That was really the goal, to go there and we were able to get it done."
"To go there the next year and to see the team that was put together, it was a great amount of good pressure where we were expected to win, but it was good fun.”
The 2001-02 Red Wings was a team that was so loaded with talent, they are sometimes compared to the all-time greatest NHL teams.
“Looking back, I do remember someone [telling] me at the time that they thought there were ten to eleven potential Hall of Famers on that team,” said Robitaille. “It certainly was something very special. At the time, the goal was simply to win, but looking back, it certainly was an amazing team.”
Despite having to leave the Kings to win the Stanley Cup with Detroit, for Robitaille, it all comes back to Los Angeles and the Kings.
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