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Inside the NHL
Posted: Tuesday February 15, 2000 08:14 PM Catching the Rocket on the alltime goals list is a humbling feat for the Kings' Luc Robitaille By Kostya Kennedy
Kings left wing Luc Robitaille approaches hockey with the enthusiasm of a kid skating on a Montreal pond, which he once was and which he seemingly became again last week when he talked of the NHL milestone he was on the verge of achieving. "I get so excited and then so humbled," said Robitaille, who through Sunday had 543 career goals, 19th in the NHL alltime rankings and one shy of tying Rocket Richard."In a way it's embarrassing. I mean, he's the Rocket."
To this day the 78-year-old Richard remains his country's most beloved and esteemed French Canadian hockey hero. He not only was the first Montreal native to win the Hart Trophy, in 1947, but was also a symbol of the Quebecois spirit. In '54-55 Richard slugged a linesman during a late regular-season game and was suspended through the playoffs by the NHL's Anglophone commissioner, Clarence Campbell, setting off the infamous Richard Riot. The five-hour uprising by 10,000 fans outside the Montreal Forum is regarded as a touchstone of the Quebec independence movement. Robitaille has had a magnificent career, thanks mostly to his supple hands, but he's a plodding skater who would never evoke memories of the supersonic Richard. What they share is a heritage. When Robitaille scored his 500th goal last season, Richard sent him a note saying, "It's good to see another little Quebecker get No. 500." Robitaille cherishes that letter as well as the occasions, at the NHL All-Star Games of 1993 and '99, when Richard, who attended those matches, gazed upon him with those fabled eyes. "I can't remember what we talked about," says Robitaille. "I was in awe he even knew who I was." Issue date: February 21, 2000
For more Inside the NHL see this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands Wednesday, February 16. Click here to subscribe to SI.
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