Robinson liked idea of Habs’ head coaching job
Interview fell apart when Hall of Famer stayed home to save farm from flood
When he was hired as coach Todd McLellan’s right-hand man in San Jose last summer, Larry Robinson told people he had absolutely no interest in being a head coach again.
But there was one caveat: If the Montreal Canadiens ever called ...
After playing 1,200 games for the Habs, making the Hall of Fame, and having his No. 19 hoisted to the rafters, Robinson considered coming full circle. He was very interested in the head coaching job last summer, but the 61-year-old couldn’t get together with general manager Marc Bergevin, who eventually hired Michel Therrien.
After being Devils coach Peter DeBoer’s assistant last season as New Jersey reached the Stanley Cup final, Robinson took a job in San Jose so he and his wife could be closer to his daughter and their twin, seven-year-old grandsons who live in Los Angeles. But the idea of taking a crack at the Habs job was percolating in his head.
“I kind of thought of working there (in Montreal) this year, but I guess the writing was on the wall ... it wasn’t going to happen,” said Robinson, who has served as a head coach for more than 500 games with the Los Angeles Kings and Devils. “I was supposed to meet with Bergevin (to interview) but we had a big storm and a flood in Florida and I wanted to make sure everything was fine at the farm. I wanted to make sure the horses and my machinery weren’t going to float away.
“Then he got word I was taking other offers (Sharks general manager Doug Wilson had called out of the blue to see about Robinson moving to San Jose). He did what he had to do and I did what I had to do. They found somebody else,” said Robinson, who scoffed at the suggestion they had to go for a FrenchCanadian coach after interim coach Randy Cunneyworth was left to hang in the wind.
“If Randy had gone on a 20-game winning streak, would they be talking whether he was English or French or British? No. To me that’s a crock, a lame excuse, any time you’re not having success,” he said. “I was an English-Canadian when I went to Montreal and lived there for 18 years and never felt un- comfortable. I never felt like I was an outsider. You hire the best people available.”
Big Bird is the ultimate insider, first because he’s arguably one of the top 25 players all-time, but also because he won six Stanley Cups as a player in Montreal and three more in New Jersey — one as head coach, one as Jacques Lemaire’s assistant and a third as a special assignment coach.
Robinson, who has been around National Hockey League rinks for 42 years, was also considering stepping away from hockey entirely after last season. “My wife and I had moved everything from New Jersey (to their home in Sarasosta, Fla.) made a few trips to Goodwill, then Doug (Wilson) got a hold of me,” said Robinson.
He said New Jersey was a lonely place for his wife.
“So many long days at the rink for me, nothing for her to do. But our daughter lives in L.A. They talk once or twice a day. It worked out with San Jose. My wife was all for it.”
“I’d never met Todd, but I phoned Dave Barr, who had worked with him, and he said Todd was one of the nicest people I’d ever meet, just like Peter DeBoer. I really liked Peter DeBoer, great man. So it was like, ‘Bingo.’ ”
So playing polo more often would have to wait.
“A partner and I have a horse farm on the polo grounds where I play with my horses. I leave at 6, 7 in the morning and get home at 5 ... always something to do on a farm,” he said.
“I’m going to quit playing polo competitively in another year or two. It’s getting too expensive by the time you hire a pro and play for your tournament games it’s 40, 50 grand in the winter season. I’ve got to look at my birth certificate too, because there are times when I get off the horse, I can barely walk the next day. I have broken my leg and fallen off a few times,” he said.
He’s still young at heart and still loves being at the rink.
“He’s 28 in a 60-year-old’s body,” said McLellan.
“When I was playing it was the same. As I got older, they said I still acted like I was 18. I said, ‘If I don’t, then why am I still playing?’ ”
Robinson was a mammoth defensive presence. He could skate, shoot, and defend. He could play all night long and never get tired. He had a big body, long legs, long reach, was excellent with the puck and a bear to get around if you were on the attack. He doesn’t see anybody like him in today’s game.
“Nah, the game’s different now. Guys (offensive weapons) are more like Drew Doughty. Defencemen today play more a style like Paul (Coffey). Joining the rush. The checkers close everything off so quickly, the game is so fast. You can’t interfere. You have to bring your defence. They have to become part of the offence or you don’t get chances,” said Robinson.
Robinson was a big Nicklas Lidstrom fan.
“You talk about (Bobby) Orr and Ray Bourque ... he’s right in there. His longevity, the Stanley Cups, the awards. A great person,” said Robinson. “He made it look easy. He’s one of the people I point to when I’m talking to our (team) guys. How good he was with his stick,” he said.