Larry Robinson

Larry Robinson
Born	(1951-06-02) June 2, 1951 Canada
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey player, coach, executive
Years active	1971–1992 (player), 1993–2017 (coach/executive)
Known for	NHL player for Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings; head coach of New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings; Hockey Hall of Fame inductee (1995)

Larry Clark Robinson (born June 2, 1951) is a retired Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and executive. He held head coaching positions with the New Jersey Devils on two occasions and the Los Angeles Kings. Robinson's playing career in the NHL included stints with the Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings. His achievements earned him induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2017, he was honored as one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players." He is also known as the brother of Moe Robinson.

Playing career

Robinson's early hockey journey began in Junior 'A' with the Brockville Braves, followed by Major Junior play with the Kitchener Rangers before turning pro. From 1971 to 1973, he competed with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in the AHL prior to advancing to the NHL with Montreal.

Standing 6'4" and weighing 225 pounds, Robinson earned the nickname "Big Bird" due to his imposing stature. He was recognized as a strong yet agile defenseman. His NHL tenure spanned 17 seasons with Montreal and an additional three seasons with Los Angeles, concluding after the 1991–92 season. Robinson twice received the James Norris Memorial Trophy (1976–77, 1979–80) as the league’s premier defenseman and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1978. He was selected for first and second all-star teams three times each. His prime years ranged from 1976 through 1981, highlighted by a significant resurgence in 1985–86 when he tallied 82 points and earned a spot on the second all-star team.

Robinson’s leadership contributed to Montreal’s capture of six Stanley Cups (1973, 1976–79, 1986). On the international stage, he represented Canada in the Canada Cup tournaments of 1976, 1981, and 1984, and was named an All-Star at the 1981 IIHF World Championships. Throughout his career, he appeared in ten NHL All-Star games and amassed totals of 208 goals and 750 assists (958 points) during regular seasons, along with an additional 144 playoff points—an exceptional output for a defenseman. He holds the NHL record for career plus-minus at +730, including a remarkable +120 in the 1976–77 season; this places him among only three players ever to surpass +100 in a single season, alongside Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky. Along with Nicklas Lidstrom, he shares the NHL record for most consecutive playoff appearances at twenty seasons.

His accolades include induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995 and ranking twenty-fourth on The Hockey News’ list of the top 100 hockey players (1998). The Canadiens retired his jersey number 19 in 2007. Robinson’s name is engraved on the Stanley Cup ten times: six as a player, three as a coach or assistant coach, and once as a scout.

Coaching career

Following his playing retirement, Robinson joined the New Jersey Devils as an assistant coach in 1993. He was part of the coaching staff when New Jersey won the Stanley Cup that year before accepting the head coaching position with the Los Angeles Kings in 1995—the same year he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. After leaving Los Angeles following the 1998–99 season, he returned to New Jersey as an assistant coach. On March 23, 2000, Robinson was appointed interim head coach and led the Devils to victory in the 2000 Stanley Cup, becoming history’s first interim NHL head coach to win the championship—a distinction later matched by Craig Berube in 2019. Robinson cited this accomplishment as his most memorable moment in hockey.

He continued as head coach through the subsequent season, steering New Jersey to the Stanley Cup finals, where they were defeated by the Colorado Avalanche in seven games. Despite being dismissed during the following season (2001–02), he returned as assistant coach in February 2002 and contributed to winning his ninth Stanley Cup in 2003.

When Pat Burns experienced a cancer relapse, Robinson resumed head coaching duties on July 14, 2005; however, he stepped down on December 19, citing health concerns and stress.

Robinson rejoined New Jersey's coaching staff as an assistant under Brent Sutter for the 2007–08 campaign. Prior to the start of the 2008–09 season, he transitioned into a special assignment coaching role focused on managing prospects between Lowell, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. His contract concluded in mid-2012; although he expressed interest in an assistant coaching role with the Montreal Canadiens, that position was filled by J.J. Daigneault. Subsequently, Robinson was named associate coach of the San Jose Sharks on July 10, 2012. On May 23, 2014, he expanded his duties by taking on director of player development responsibilities. After completing a five-year contract in 2017, Robinson departed from San Jose and accepted a role as Senior Consultant to Hockey Operations for the St. Louis Blues.

With St. Louis capturing the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals over the Boston Bruins, Robinson secured his tenth Stanley Cup championship while serving as senior consultant.

Polo and horse racing

Robinson’s enthusiasm for horses was cultivated during his upbringing on a farm in Marvelville, Ontario. While residing in the countryside of Saint-Lazare, Quebec, he played a pivotal role in establishing the Montreal Polo Club located in Sainte-Marthe, Quebec, alongside former teammate Steve Shutt, Michael Sinclair-Smith, and veterinarian Dr. Gilbert Hallé.

While competing in Los Angeles, Robinson ventured into thoroughbred horse racing by collaborating with Kings owner Bruce McNall's Summa Stable. One of their significant achievements was Down Again’s victory in the 1990 Monrovia Handicap at Santa Anita Park.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1969–70	Brockville Braves	CJHL		40	22	29	51	74		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Ottawa M&W Rangers	CJHL		—	—	—	—	—		5	2	1	3	2
1970–71	Kitchener Rangers	OHA-Jr.		61	12	39	51	65		4	1	2	3	5
1971–72	Nova Scotia Voyageurs	AHL		74	10	14	24	54		15	2	10	12	31
1972–73	Nova Scotia Voyageurs	AHL		38	6	33	39	33		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		36	2	4	6	20		11	1	4	5	9
1973–74	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		78	6	20	26	66		6	0	1	1	26
1974–75	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		80	14	47	61	76		11	0	4	4	27
1975–76	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		80	10	30	40	59		13	3	3	6	10
1976–77	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		77	19	66	85	45		14	2	10	12	12
1977–78	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		80	13	52	65	39		15	4	17	21	6
1978–79	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		67	16	45	61	33		16	6	9	15	8
1979–80	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		72	14	61	75	39		10	0	4	4	2
1980–81	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		65	12	38	50	37		3	0	1	1	2
1981–82	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		=71	=12	=47	=59	=41		=5	=0	=1	=1	=8
1982–83	= Montreal Canadiens	= NHL		=71	=14	=49	=63	=33		=3	=0	=0	=0	=2
1983–84	= Montreal Canadiens	= NHL		=74	=9	=34	=43	=39		=15	=0	=5	=5	=22
1984–85 |= Montreal Canadiens |= NHL |=76 |=13 |=34 |=47 |=44 |=12 |=3 |=8 |=11 |=8
1985–86 |= Montreal Canadiens |= NHL |=78 |=19 |=63 |=82 |=39 |=20 |=0 |=13 |=13 |=22
1986–87 |= Montreal Canadiens |= NHL |=70 |=13 |=37 |=50 |=44 |=17 |=3 |=17 |=20 |=6
1987–88 |= Montreal Canadiens |= NHL |=53 |=6 |=34 |=40 |=30 |=11 |=1 |=4 |=5 |=4
1988–89 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL |74 |4 |26 |30 |22 |21 |2 |8 |10 |12
1989–90 |=Los Angeles Kings |NHL |64 |7 |32 |39 |34 |10 |2 |3 |5 |10
1990–91 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL |62 |1 |22 |23 |16 |12 |1 |4 |5 |15
1991–92 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL |56 |3 |10 |13 |37 |2 |- |- |- |-
NHL totals				1,384	207	751	958	793		227	28	116	144	211

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1976	Canada	CC		7	0	0	0	0
1979	NHL All-Stars	Exhib.		3	1	0	1	0
1981	Canada	WC		6	1	1	2	2
1981	Canada	CC		7	1	0	1	2
1984	Canada	CC		8	1	2	3	2
Senior totals				31	4	3	7	6

Coaching career statistics

Team	Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	Standing	Playoff W	Playoff L	Win %	Outcome
LA	1995–96	82	24	40	18	—	66	6th in Pacific	—	—	—	Did not qualify for playoffs
LA	1996–97	82	28	43	11	—	67	6th in Pacific	—	—	—	Did not qualify for playoffs
LA	1997–98	82	38	33	11	—	87	2nd in Pacific	0	4	Template:Winning percentage	Eliminated in Conference Quarterfinals (STL)
LA	1998–99	82	32	45	5	—	69	5th in Pacific	—	—	—	Did not qualify for playoffs
LA total		328	122	161	45	—	.441		0	4	Template:Winning percentage	One playoff appearance
NJ	1999–2000	8	4	4	0	0	(103)	2nd in Atlantic	16	7	Template:Winning percentage	Captured Stanley Cup (DAL)
NJ	2000–01	82	48	19	12	3	111	1st in Atlantic	15	10	Template:Winning percentage	Runner-up in 2001 Stanley Cup Finals (COL)
NJ	2001–02	51	21	20	7	3	(95)	(dismissed)	—	—	—	—
NJ	2005–06	32	14	13	0	5	(101)	(resigned)	—	—	—	—
NJ total		173	87	56	19	11	.590	31	17	Template:Winning percentage	Two playoff appearances, one Stanley Cup title