# Luc Robitaille
**Luc Robitaille** (born 1966 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left wing who retired in 2006 as the highest-scoring left wing in NHL history, with 668 goals and 1,394 points, and who has served as president of the [Los Angeles Kings](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-kings) since 2017[1](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/r/robitlu01.html) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/news/luc-robitaille-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285394498) • [3](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/bhnpiwbdxzoqnjh9ssl0.pdf). Nicknamed "Lucky" and "Cool Hand Luc", he played 19 NHL seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and [Detroit Red Wings](https://www.edgepedia.org/detroit-red-wings), winning the [Stanley Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-cup) with Detroit in 2002 and entering the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009[1](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/r/robitlu01.html) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/news/luc-robitaille-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285394498).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1966, Montreal, Quebec; left wing, shoots left; 6 ft 1 in, 215 lb (185 cm, 97 kg)[1](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/r/robitlu01.html) |
| Draft | Los Angeles Kings, 9th round, 171st overall, 1984 NHL Entry Draft, from the Hull Olympiques[1](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/r/robitlu01.html) |
| Career totals | 1,431 games, 668 goals, 726 assists, 1,394 points[1](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/r/robitlu01.html) |
| Left-wing records | NHL career records for a left wing at his retirement, in goals (668) and points (1,394), and single-season records of 63 goals and 125 points in 1992-93[4](https://cdn.chl.ca/archive/chl-wordpress-uploads/app/uploads/2015/01/2007_robitaille_luc.pdf) • [5](https://records.nhl.com/records/skater-records/scoring-by-a-left-wing/most-points-left-wing-one-season) |
| Honors | Calder Trophy 1987; NHL First All-Star Team five times, Second Team three times; No. 20 retired by the Kings in 2007; Hockey Hall of Fame 2009[6](https://www.nhl.com/news/super-16-nhl-power-rankings-top-left-wings-316772536) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/news/luc-robitaille-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285394498) |
| Stanley Cup | Won with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002[6](https://www.nhl.com/news/super-16-nhl-power-rankings-top-left-wings-316772536) |
| Post-career | Kings team president since 2017; co-founder, with his wife Stacia, of the non-profit Echoes of Hope[3](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/bhnpiwbdxzoqnjh9ssl0.pdf) |
## Draft and early career
Robitaille entered the 1984 NHL Entry Draft as a Quebec junior player with the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he played three seasons[4](https://cdn.chl.ca/archive/chl-wordpress-uploads/app/uploads/2015/01/2007_robitaille_luc.pdf). Scouts dismissed him because of a slow, unimpressive skating stride and questionable toughness, and he fell to the ninth round, where the Kings selected him 171st overall[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/luc-robitaille-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285394498). The part-time scout Alex Smart, who had recommended him, saw a player with intelligence, drive, and what the NHL.com profile calls the obsession with putting the puck in the net that all great goal scorers have[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/luc-robitaille-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285394498). In junior he played for a Hull team owned by a young [Wayne Gretzky](https://www.edgepedia.org/wayne-gretzky), who later knew Robitaille from age 17[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-09-sp-41575-story.html) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/news/luc-robitaille-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285394498).
**Rookie season.** Robitaille made his NHL debut with the Kings in 1986 and scored 45 goals and 84 points in 79 games, winning the [Calder Memorial Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/calder-memorial-trophy) as the league's rookie of the year for 1986-87[6](https://www.nhl.com/news/super-16-nhl-power-rankings-top-left-wings-316772536) • [3](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/bhnpiwbdxzoqnjh9ssl0.pdf). He was the first Kings player to win the Calder and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team[3](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/bhnpiwbdxzoqnjh9ssl0.pdf).
## Peak years with the Kings
Robitaille's best seasons came with Los Angeles from 1986 to 1994[6](https://www.nhl.com/news/super-16-nhl-power-rankings-top-left-wings-316772536). He began his career with eight straight seasons of at least 44 goals, including 53 in 1987-88, 52 in 1989-90, and a career-high 63 in 1992-93[6](https://www.nhl.com/news/super-16-nhl-power-rankings-top-left-wings-316772536). The 1992-93 season, in which he recorded 63 goals and 62 assists for 125 points in 84 games, still stands as the NHL record for points by a left wing in one season, and the 63 goals stand as the position's single-season goal record[5](https://records.nhl.com/records/skater-records/scoring-by-a-left-wing/most-points-left-wing-one-season) • [4](https://cdn.chl.ca/archive/chl-wordpress-uploads/app/uploads/2015/01/2007_robitaille_luc.pdf).
He was named to the NHL First All-Star Team five times (1988-91 and 1993) and to the Second Team three times (1987, 1992, and 2001)[6](https://www.nhl.com/news/super-16-nhl-power-rankings-top-left-wings-316772536). He joined [Brett Hull](https://www.edgepedia.org/brett-hull), the fifth player in NHL history, among those to record 50 goals in 50 games or less[8](https://legends.hhof.com/pdf/ind2009Brochure.pdf) • [14](https://gallery.hhof.com/induction_archives/ind09Hull.shtml).
## Later career and the 2002 Stanley Cup
After his first Kings stint, Robitaille was traded to the [New York Rangers](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-rangers) and later played for the [Pittsburgh Penguins](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh-penguins) before returning to Los Angeles for another four-year run[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/luc-robitaille-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285394498) • [9](https://www.nhl.com/news/best-player-in-kings-history-debated-by-nhl-com). He signed with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent in 2001, and at age 36 scored 30 goals playing alongside [Igor Larionov](https://www.edgepedia.org/igor-larionov) and Tomas Holmstrom on a team that won the 2002 Stanley Cup[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/luc-robitaille-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285394498).
On November 9, 2001, as a Red Wing, he scored his 600th career goal against the [Anaheim Ducks](https://www.edgepedia.org/anaheim-ducks), becoming the 13th player in NHL history to reach the milestone[10](https://www.hhof.com/pdf/TeammatesFall13_S.pdf). He spent one more season in Detroit and finished his career in Los Angeles, playing his last game on April 17, 2006 after 19 NHL seasons[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/luc-robitaille-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285394498) • [11](https://www.hhof.com/induction_archives/ind09Robitaille.shtml).
## Records and honors
At retirement, Robitaille held the NHL records for a left wing in career goals (668), career points (1,394), and single-season points (125)[4](https://cdn.chl.ca/archive/chl-wordpress-uploads/app/uploads/2015/01/2007_robitaille_luc.pdf) • [8](https://legends.hhof.com/pdf/ind2009Brochure.pdf). Alex Ovechkin of the [Washington Capitals](https://www.edgepedia.org/washington-capitals) has since passed him in both categories, leaving Robitaille the second-highest-scoring left wing in league history behind Ovechkin's 1,486 points[9](https://www.nhl.com/news/best-player-in-kings-history-debated-by-nhl-com).
The Kings retired his No. 20 in 2007, and he was inducted into the [Hockey Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/hockey-hall-of-fame) in 2009 on the first ballot, in a class with [Steve Yzerman](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-yzerman), Brian Leetch, Brett Hull, and [Lou Lamoriello](https://www.edgepedia.org/lou-lamoriello)[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/luc-robitaille-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285394498) • [12](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-24-sp-elliott-luc-robitaille24-story.html). He is one of the former Kings, along with Wayne Gretzky, honored with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena[9](https://www.nhl.com/news/best-player-in-kings-history-debated-by-nhl-com).
## Kings executive
With his wife Stacia he co-founded the non-profit organization Echoes of Hope, and he serves on the boards of Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Ronald McDonald House[3](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/bhnpiwbdxzoqnjh9ssl0.pdf). In February 2025 he conceived "Skate for LA Strong", a four-team exhibition tournament at [Crypto.com Arena](https://www.edgepedia.org/crypto-com-arena) that raised funds for recovery from the Southern California wildfires[13](https://apnews.com/article/e3545f17a31ad01371315f1c5e3bed06).
## References
1. [Luc Robitaille Stats, Hockey-Reference.com](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/r/robitlu01.html)
2. [Luc Robitaille: 100 Greatest NHL Players, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/luc-robitaille-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285394498)
3. [Luc Robitaille biography, NHL media guide](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/bhnpiwbdxzoqnjh9ssl0.pdf)
4. [Luc Robitaille plaque, CHL archive](https://cdn.chl.ca/archive/chl-wordpress-uploads/app/uploads/2015/01/2007_robitaille_luc.pdf)
5. [Most Points, Left Wing, Season, NHL Records](https://records.nhl.com/records/skater-records/scoring-by-a-left-wing/most-points-left-wing-one-season)
6. [Super 16: Ovechkin, Robitaille best left wings in expansion era, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/super-16-nhl-power-rankings-top-left-wings-316772536)
7. [Robitaille Is No Surprise to Gretzky, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-09-sp-41575-story.html)
8. [Hockey Hall of Fame 2009 induction brochure](https://legends.hhof.com/pdf/ind2009Brochure.pdf)
9. [Best player in Kings history debated by NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/best-player-in-kings-history-debated-by-nhl-com)
10. [Recent Acquisitions, Hockey Hall of Fame](https://www.hhof.com/pdf/TeammatesFall13_S.pdf)
11. [Luc Robitaille induction archive, Hockey Hall of Fame](https://www.hhof.com/induction_archives/ind09Robitaille.shtml)
12. [This left wing truly deserved every vote, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-24-sp-elliott-luc-robitaille24-story.html)
13. [Bieber, Roenick among those who skate in hockey benefit for LA fire relief fund, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/e3545f17a31ad01371315f1c5e3bed06)
14. [Legends of Hockey - Induction Showcase - Brett Hull](https://gallery.hhof.com/induction_archives/ind09Hull.shtml)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › Ice hockey players and personnel › Wingers › Retired wingers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license