Larry Robinson
Larry Robinson's first impression was as a policeman obtained to protect the Habs smaller, more gifted skaters. His last impression was as one of the greatest defenseman of all time.
Robinson, at 6'4" and well over 200lbs, was exactly what the Canadiens needed to create the dynasty of the 1970s that many consider the greatest team of all time. The team was loaded with smaller and extremely talented skaters, but what they needed was a tough, no-nonsense blueliner who would force the opposition to think twice before taking any liberties on the Habs skilled stars, as well as to the keep the crease clear of giants, thus making Ken Dryden's job much easier. Robinson established himself in this position early in his career when he defeated infamous pugilist Dave "The Hammer" Schultz in front of a national TV audience. His reputation was quickly established, and he rarely had to drop the gloves again to prove it. Instead he played an intimidating and physical but clean game that was his natural style.
Big Bird, as he became known as, was always more than just a goon though. When he was drafted he was a bit of a diamond in the rough with great potential. I think even the biggest Robinson supporters were surprised that all of that potential was reached and then some.
Robinson became an almost flawless defender. Blessed with a near perfect understanding of positioning, an amazingly long reach, and physical prowess combined with a frequent mean streak, Robinson became the pre-eminent defenseman in the modern era. Every team covets a monster on the blue line who can control the games power forward by installing fear in the minds before the game even starts, yet add an offensive level that is well above average. Modern day warriors like Rob Blake, Chris Pronger, Scott Stevens and Derian Hatcher do their best to imitate Robinson, an intimidating devastator who almost never made a defensive mistake.
Robinson developed into an offensive threat as well. He was a catalyst on the power plays as he was a strong puck carrier and brilliant passer. In his younger days he was a frequent puck rusher. He finished his career with 208 goals, 750 assists for 958 points in 1384 games. He accumulated 793 minutes in penalties in 20 years, 17 with Montreal, the final three with Los Angeles.
Robinson was a major part of 6 Stanley Cup Championships. A six time All-Star, he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP in the playoffs in 1978, as well as 2 Norris Trophies as the top defenseman in the NHL. He once held the record for most playoff games participated in in NHL history.
There is little doubt that Robinson played on one of the greatest teams ever assembled. It should not be underestimated that he was a big a part of those teams as anyone.
"He's taken quite a few games I've seen and broken them open with an end-to-end rush" admired long time Boston Bruins defenseman Mike Milbury. "As far as I'm concerned, Larry's far and away the Canadiens' MVP."
And Robinson thrived in the Montreal pressure cooker.
"I honestly believe that if I'd played somewhere else, I might not have had the career I had. It wasn't just a game in Montreal," Robinson told interviewer Adam Proteau. "Every day you had to be at your best. You needed that drive. You needed to be pushed."
3 comments:
I have two very vivid memories of Larry Robinson, the first was the fight with Dave Schultz, the broad street bullies had been running roughshod over all the Teams in the NHL up to that point and when Larry pounded Dave that seemed to be the turning point, the other Was in the playoffs, Montreal was playing the Bruins and Larry rushed up the Ice and scored a spectacular goal.
My favourite hab of all time. Lafleur a close second. All talent, tough and clean. The schultz fight still thrills me.
Larry Robinson might have been the most feared player ever. Interestingly enough, other than the Schultz fight he never really did much. The fact that he rarely fought helped him. As Ken Dryden said, nobody knew how good (a fighter Robinson was - and nobody wanted to find out.
There were some indications that Robinson wasn't quite what he was cracked yp to be. In 75-76, after he beat up little Bobby Schmautz, Robinson was chakllenged by Terry Oreilly after the Bruin winger had left the Boston bench. Then, the coup de grace. It's 1981-82 and the Flyers are losing 6-2 to the Canadians at the old Forum. Philly defenceman Behn Wilson moved up to the Montreal net, and took a swipe at a loose puck as Robinson went to his knees in an attempt to smother the puck. The puck skittered away, but Wilson slashed at Robinson. Then he slashed at him again. And again. Still kneeling down, Robison appeared to be trying to ignore Wilson. Finally he couldn't ignore the Flyer defenceman any longer. The Big Bird rose majestically to his feet and took a menacing half stride toward Wilson. Wilson dropped his gloves and Robinson backed off. The crowd at the Forum let out a collective groan. Wilson circled trying to get at Robinson, who was yelling at him from behind the linesmen.
Robinson had tried to bluff Wilson, but the Philadelphia hangman had not gone for it - and Robinson had been made to look very foolish in the process. During the course of his career, Robinson took on 4 NHL contenders: Schultz, Jonathan, Hutchison, and Cronin. He was 2-2 in these fights. So how good a fighter was Larry Robinson? He was the best that never was.
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