Larry Robinson - The Great Defender: From the Canadiens to Coaching and Everything In-between—My Total NHL Experience

Copyright 2014 by Larry Robinson

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Library and Archives of Canada Cataloguing in Publication

ISBN : 978-0-7710-7236-9
ebook ISBN : 978-0-7710-7237-6

Published simultaneously in the United States of America by McClelland & Stewart, a division of Random House of Canada Limited

Library of Congress Control Number available upon request

McClelland & Stewart,
a division of Random House of Canada Limited,
a Penguin Random House Company
www.randomhouse.ca

v3.1

I dedicate this book to my wife, Jeannette,
my two kids and three grandkids, as well as all family,
friends, and teammates who have made
telling this story possible.

May 11, 1976.

Game Two of the 1976 Stanley Cup final.

The Montreal Canadiens hosted the defending Stanley Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers, who had brawled their way to celebrations in 1974 and 1975.

They wouldnt win a third.

T he Flyers thought the way they were going to beat us was the same way they won the Cup the previous two yearsthrough intimidation. They had 118 points during the regular season, but we finished with 127. We had a better team than the Flyers that year.

Gary Dornhoefer was one of those pests who got under the skin of a lot of teams, including the Canadiens. He was forever in front of the net, banging and crashing the crease, distracting Kenny Dryden. It wasnt that he was particularly big, but he was fearless. He added that extra dimension to the Flyers lineup.

In the third period, just past the halfway mark, Dornhoefer took off, lugging the puck up the boards in the neutral zone. I was skating backwards and had read where the puck was going, so I angled towards him, readying a hip check, kind of lying in wait. As he took a stride, thinking he could beat me, I accelerated and hit him hard into the boards with my shoulder. We were both going at full speed, and the force of the collision caused us both to crash to the ice. The play was whistled dead, and when I got to my feet I saw a member of the maintenance crew shuffling across the ice. I wondered what he was doing as he went over with a hammer and started working on the boards. It turned out that the force of the hit had caused one of the supports to come loose and the boards were indented a couple of inches. They stopped the game for a few minutes while he tried to bang everything back into place.

It was the best body check Ive ever seen, stated broadcaster Bob Miller, shaking his head in amazement.

Its the hardest Ive ever been hit, admitted Dornhoefer.

Ive spoken to Gary since then, and he told me he was spitting up blood after the gameand every bone in his body hurt.

I remember the check, but it wasnt until an event probably 15 or 16 years later that I actually watched it for the first time. I generally didnt like to watch myself on the ice because I was very hard on myself.

Youre not necessarily looking for the hit, but when theres an opportunity, you take it. That was my chance. The club needed a lift.

He had done it with crushing ease. Just simple aw shucks destruction; the kind that leaves behind the shuddering hint of something more to come. He had delivered a messageto the Flyers, to the league, to himself.

It was the watershed moment of the series. The Canadiens won that game 21, and went on to sweep the reigningchampions. The Broad Street Bullies had finally been brought down to earth: the intimidators became the intimidated. The reign of the Flyers came to a halt, and the start of a dynasty in Montreal had begun.

All the pieces had finally fallen into place. [Larry] had found his gamea game of strength and agility, a commanding mix of offence and defence; his size a lingering reminder of violence. In the next few years, more than just an outstanding player, Robinson became a presence.

Ken Dryden, The Game

I t is nearly impossible to select a definitive moment for any hockey player, but for someone like Larry Robinson, the chore becomes even more challenging when you consider the collection of highlights from his extraordinary 20-season NHL career, plus his subsequent career coaching at hockeys most elite level.

Consider this: Robinson is a six-time Stanley Cup champion, all with the Canadiens, and he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable playoff performer in 1978. Not once during his 20 seasons in the NHL did a team on which he played fail to participate in postseason action, a record equalled only recently by Nicklas Lidstrom of the Red Wings. Robinson was twice the recipient of the Norris Trophy as the leagues premier defenceman, and he played in the NHL All-Star Game on ten occasions.

He was equally dominant on the world stage, earning gold medals with Team Canada at the Canada Cup championships of 1976, 1981, and 1984. He was also named Best Defenceman at the 1981 World Championships in Sweden.

His coaching career includes three additional Stanley Cup championships, all with the New Jersey Devils.

But it is in Montreal where he is remembered best, and to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the franchise in 1984, the Canadiens revealed their all-time dream team. Coached by Toe Blake, the team included goaltender Jacques Plante; forwards Jean Bliveau, Dickie Moore, and Maurice Richard; and, paired on the blue line, Doug Harvey and Larry Robinson. Journalist Red Fisher, who covered the team from 1954 to 2012, rated his top ten Canadiens of the last half-century, placing Robinson at number six behind legends Jean Bliveau, Maurice Richard, Guy Lafleur, Doug Harvey, and Henri Richard. Robinson was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995, and in 2007 his number 19 was retired by the Montreal Canadiens.

This book chronicles the wonderful life and sensational career of The Great Defender, Larry Robinson, in his own words.