Left Wing in all the Right Ways

1,431 games and 1,394 points: a record that will be hard to beat.

I decided that it's time to show Luc Robitaille the respect he deserves. This comes in the way of an entire post dedicated to his years in the NHL, not just a passing line noting his retirement. I wish I still had Comcast so I could have watched the game. For the short span of time that OLN came through yesterday, I got to see Luc skate one last time and celebrate a goal with his linemates one last time and through a picture that was fuzzy and kept cutting out, say good-bye one last time. And I imagined the emotional turmoil that comes with saying good-bye to something that has been his entire life. This post is a cheezy way of celebrating the career of my second favorite player ever, but I don't think that matters in the least.

Little things irritate me more than the politics surrounding Dave Lewis' tenure as Detroit's head coach and his treatment of a handful of players. Sadly I did not get to experience the Wings under the great Scotty and am most likely only going to get to enjoy the rookie season of the Babcock years. But I was a part of Luc's team for awhile, and out of all the Fame-bound players I've had the privilege of seeing play the game, it is Luc Robitaille who makes it that much better of a story. And my irritation with Lewis as head coach comes by way of him benching Luc and making him part of a fourth line. This is the greatest left wing ever to play the game, playing alongside Brett Hull, whose father's record was broken by Luc. I doubt Luc will look back on his Detroit years with an angry bitterness, but perhaps more with a bittersweetness and wonderment of whether he ever could have led his beloved Kings to a Stanley Cup victory as he aided in Detroit's picture-perfect 2002 championship.

Great Wings have worn number twenty, Redmond, Lapointe, and Lang included. But when I see a #20 jersey, I'll always think of Luc and his brief stint in Detroit, and always, always remember how much fun he had at the victory parade. Pictures of pictures are poor quality, but eye contact from Luc...priceless!