In the spring of 1990 baby-faced 20-year-old defenseman Rob Blake
joined the Kings straight from Bowling Green and played so well
in the postseason that teammate Wayne Gretzky said, "I don't
know if he even knows how good he's going to be." Since then
everyone has been waiting for Blake to take charge on the ice
and stay healthy long enough to control games night after
night—in short, to make a run at the Norris Trophy. "I've
thought about that award since I came into the league," says
Blake, who was named Los Angeles captain before the '96-97
season. "Now that I have a chance for it, I want it. That's
driving me."
After three injury-plagued seasons Blake is playing
like a Norris Trophy candidate.
(Tom Hauck/Allsport)
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The assorted injuries that kept Blake out of 118 games during
the past three seasons have healed, and now he's the
unquestioned leader of one of the NHL's most improved teams.
(The Kings, 28-43-11 a year ago, were 32-25-11 through last
weekend.) In the Kings' 3-2 win over the Coyotes last Saturday,
Blake scored his 20th goal—tops among NHL defensemen this
season. "When he came here he would do things almost
apologetically," says L.A. coach Larry Robinson, who was Blake's
defensive partner at times in his first two seasons. "Now he
takes command."
The Kings wouldn't be in second place in the Pacific Division
without the sharp play of goaltender Stephane Fiset or the
on-the-tape passing of center Jozef Stumpel, but it's Blake who,
according to L.A. defenseman Garry Galley, "has taken this team
as his own." When discussing Blake's impact, the other Kings
rarely mention his offensive numbers. They point to days like
Feb. 25, when Los Angeles had its first post-Nagano game. While
many travel-weary Olympians around the league took time off,
Blake, who had played for Canada and was named the top
defenseman at the Games, was on the ice for almost 31 minutes in
a 1-1 tie against the Red Wings.
His teammates also recall plays like the one he made against the
Sharks earlier this year, when he caught streaking center
Patrick Marleau from behind and plucked the puck neatly off his
stick. And they talk about the way the 6'3", 220-pound Blake
can, in the words of Robinson, "destroy somebody with a hit that
turns a game around."
Blake approaches opponents almost benignly, crouched over and
butt-first. Then he levels them with his trademark hip check. He
hits hard and often—"It's a way to control a game," he
says—and he regularly drops players in open ice. "You're always
aware of him physically," says San Jose center Bernie Nicholls.
"In our meetings before we play the Kings, our focus is on how
to handle Blake. He's the best defenseman we play against, and
he's having the best season of his life."
Issue date: March 30, 1998
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