One of my favorite hockey memories is of Larry Robinson and his futility as coach of the Los Angeles Kings.
Not that I reveled in Robinson’s misery. Because he was so great to us media folk, especially young guys like me just starting out covering hockey in the mid-1990s, I secretly rooted for the Kings to do well.
But nothing went right for the Kings back then. Robinson’s acid cynicism about it all was what was so memorable to me—and hilarious. You couldn’t help but laugh when, during one practice in suburban Denver, Robinson blew his whistle, then proceeded to mock how his Kings players went to the net. He spread his feet wide apart in a pigeon-toed stance and gave a biting demonstration of how weak he thought his players were in fighting for space in front of the cage.
“Effete” would be a word to describe what he thought of his team. Then, another time, after a loss in Denver to the Avalanche, Robinson blasted his group, saying “If they don’t care, why should I?” You had to be there, but it was funny. He didn’t last much longer as coach of the King ...
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Article written by Adrian Dater
Los Angeles Kings’ Never-Say-Die History and Attitude Will Prevail Over Chicago
May 23rd, 2014 by Adrian Dater Leave a reply »
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