Saturday night before the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 overtime loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins the Kings franchise honored one of their all-time greats.
Prior to the start of the game a statue of former Kings star and current Kings President of Business Operations Luc Robitaille was unveiled.
The statue is a 19-foot, 2,500 pound bronze image of Robitaille with his hands raised above his head, as if celebrating a recently scored goal. It’s the way many Kings fans should remember him.
Los Angeles Kings
The ceremony featured an introduction by Kings legendary announcer Bob Miller, and speeches by Dan Beckerman – President and CEO of AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group – owner of the Kings, L.A. Galaxy, Manchester Monarchs, Ontraio Reign, and has interests in the L.A. Lakers), Jerry West a former L.A. Lakers legend, former Kings teammates and legends in their own right: Rob Blake, Wayne Gretzky, and Luc’s wife Stacia and son Jessarae Robitaille.
Finally the ceremony featured a video look-back at Luc’s playing highlights, the unveiling of the statue, and an acceptance speech by Luc himself.
To view video highlights of the ceremony on Kings.com click here.
Robitaille will be the second King to be immortalized in bronze outside Staples Center. Former teammate and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky was the first.
Robitaille’s statue will be the 7th outside Staples Center. Gretzky, as well as L.A. Lakers Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Jerry West; former Lakers announcer Chick Hearn, and boxer Oscar De La Hoya all stand in bronze alongside Robitaille.
It was a special event for a player that made Kings hockey a staple in Los Angeles. Robitaille’s play on the ice, as much as his candor, friendliness and open-sociable personality off the ice helped to expand hockey in California; making it what it is today.
As Rob Blake said in his speech, “If you think of how far hockey in California has come for the last two decades, a lot has been built around Luc. . . . If you walk around the concourse here in L.A. it’s the same thing. He’ll stop and talk to everyone.”
Born on February 17th of 1966, forward Luc Robitaille was drafted into the NHL in the 9th (that’s right 9th!) round, 171st overall, by the Los Angeles Kings.
Robitaille played for 14 seasons over 3 different stints: from 1986-1994, 1997-2001, and 2003-2006 (including the 2004-2005 lockout). Robitaille also suited up for the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings.
Robitaille won his only Stanley Cup as a player with the legendary Scotty Bowman and the Red Wings in 2002 in five games over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Robitaille started and ended his career with the Kings. Robitaille finished his career at the top of the Kings all-time stat leaders. All-time he ranks 2nd in games played with 1,077, 1st in goals: 577, 4th in assists: 597, 2nd in points: 1,154, 1st in power-play goals: 210, and 1st in game-winning goals: 73.
In the eyes of L.A., all who know him, and Robitaille himself, Luc will always be known as a King.
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Mar 7, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings former player Luc Robitaille speaks at a ceremony to unveil his statue before the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports