Luc Robitaille – a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame – is the highest scoring left wing in NHL history and the all-time Kings leader in goals scored. He is in his ninth season as Kings President, Business Operations.
Robitaille, who had his popular No. 20 jersey retired by the Kings on January 20, 2007, is one of the greatest players in NHL history. He played 19 seasons in the NHL – including 14 with the Kings – and 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, had 1,394 points (668-726=1,394). In 159 playoff games, he had 127 points (58-69=127).
Since retiring as a player and assuming his current front office executive position, Robitaille has had a tremendous impact on the Kings Business Operations department, especially in the areas of Sponsorship Sales and Renewal, Fan and Customer Relations, Game Entertainment, Media Relations and Broadcasting. Since 2007-08, the Kings have increased their number of sellouts at STAPLES Center each full season, and the team entered the 2015-16 season with a club record sellout streak of 161 straight games, dating back to December 3, 2011, while enjoying record revenues on the whole. This past season, the Kings were named the Sports Team of the Year at the Sports Business Journal’s Sports Business Awards event. Robitaille has also been at the front of a revamped Kings Community Relations department including the club’s strategic Kings Care community partnerships, which is highlighted by the Kings $500,000 commitment to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ blood program. He has also helped direct the reorganization of the LA Kings Alumni Association while helping spearhead the popular Legends Night Series.
Robitaille serves as an Alternate Governor with the Kings and he is an active liaison when it comes to the Kings communication with the National Hockey League. He has been a driving force behind unique events including the 2010 NHL Entry Draft at STAPLES Center and LA Kings Hockey Fest. In January of 2014, the Kings hosted the Anaheim Ducks in a regular-season outdoor NHL game at Dodger Stadium in front of 54,099 fans. The event was the first outdoor regular season NHL game played in the U.S. west of the Mississippi River and the first in California. The Kings also played outdoor hockey again in 2015 when the team faced San Jose in front of 70,205 fans at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Robitaille as a player was honored with several awards and he set numerous records throughout his long and distinguished career. In addition to being the highest scoring left wing in NHL history, a mark he set in a Kings uniform with his 1,370th point to pass Hall-of-Famer John Bucyk on March 22, 2004, Robitaille holds the NHL record for left wingers for most goals (668). He is also 12th in overall NHL goal scoring with 668 goals (he was second among active players at the time of his retirement to former Red Wings teammate Steve Yzerman), 21st in overall NHL scoring with 1,394 points and he is the only left wing in NHL history to record eight consecutive 40-goal seasons (all with the Kings).
With the Kings, Robitaille ranks second all-time in games played (1,077), second in points (1,154) and fourth in assists (597). On January 19, 2006, Robitaille set the Kings all-time record for goals when his 551st goal as a King surpassed Marcel Dionne. In 1,077 total regular season games as a King, Robitaille had 557 goals.
Robitaille, 49 (2/17/66), was selected by the Kings in the ninth round (171st overall) of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. As a rookie, the Montreal native became the first King to win the Calder Memorial Trophy and he was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team. Later he helped lead the Kings to the club’s first trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993 and that season Robitaille set NHL records for the most goals (63) by a left wing and for the most points (125) by a left wing, a mark that still stands.
Robitaille would go on to reach other milestones in a Kings uniform, including his 500th career goal in 1999 and his 1,000th game as a King in 2004. When Robitaille had his jersey retired by the Kings, he became just the fifth player to be so honored (joining Wayne Gretzky, Dave Taylor, Dionne and Rogie Vachon; Rob Blake has since also been honored). On June 23, 2009, Robitaille – an eight-time All-Star – was selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Hall with former teammates Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Brian Leetch in Toronto along with Lou Lamoriello. In 2014, Robitaille was named a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
Robitaille has also immersed himself into the Southern California community. He is on the Board of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Ronald McDonald House, and he and his wife Stacia are the co-founders of a non-profit organization, Echoes of Hope. Founded in 2007, Echoes of Hope strives to awaken the spirit of hope in the lives of at-risk and emancipated foster youth by providing the resources, knowledge, skills, love and support they need to reach their full potential (echoesofhope.org).
Luc and Stacia have two sons, Steven and Jesse. They reside in Santa Monica.