Robitaille Still Benched and Pissed - Kings Win 2 Straight
The Phoenix Coyotes don't know when coach Wayne Gretzky will be back behind the bench. Their first game without him prompted many questions about how they will play without him.
Just hours after Gretzky took an indefinite leave from the team to return to Canada to be with his mother who has lung cancer the Coyotes lost 4-1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
"It's something that you deal with. We have good leadership in this room, so we'll be more than OK in that area," Phoenix captain Shane Doan said.
"We were ready. We were well prepared and we had decent scoring opportunities. But something like this makes you realize that hockey isn't important in the grand scheme of things, and our thoughts and prayers are with the whole Gretzky family."
Craig Conroy ended a 13-game goal drought during a power play and set up set up goals by Pavol Demitra and Joe Corvo in the Kings' victory.
Coyotes associate coach Rick Tocchet ran the club in place of Gretzky, the NHL's career scoring leader and the team's managing partner. Tocchet will be behind the bench until Gretzky returns, but he'll have help from Barry Smith and Rick Bowness.
Luc Robitaille is upset at being benched for two consecutive games but has no plans to retire, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Robitaille, a future Hall of Famer, said Saturday he was unhappy with the way Coach Andy Murray told him that he had been scratched from the lineup on Friday, the Los Angeles Times said. Robitaille was then scratched from the lineup on Saturday for a second consecutive game.
Robitaille, 39, has been scratched for non-health reasons seven times in his 19-season NHL career, five in the last two seasons with the Kings.
"It really bothers me that I'm not playing," Robitaille told the newspaper. "I feel I should be playing.
"I know how much I have given to this team, even to Andy. ... I still believe I can do it. We'll wait and see what happens. I'm not going away," Robitaille told the Times.
Robitaille told the paper it was not so much the decision, but, "the way it happened really bothered me."
He learned he was not playing against the Mighty Ducks on Friday during a general team meeting in the morning, according to the Times.
"Everybody mentions Detroit and [veteran center Steve] Yzerman and Andy keeps mentioning that," Robitaille told the Times. "Well, I don't think they treat Yzerman the same way. They have conversations where they talk with him. It's a whole different thing."
Murray and Robitaille met Saturday morning, but Robitaille said they only discussed what he had said in a newspaper article.
"The last thing I have to worry about is what's written in the newspaper," Robitaille told the paper. "It's not about that, it's about playing."
Murray said the two were going to talk again later in the day.
"From my perspective, I obviously don't see friction," Murray told the Times. "I'm trying to do my job, trying to make decisions that I think will benefit the hockey club. You always like those decisions to be in favor of players&. I'm just coaching and making decisions on what I think is merit."
Robitaille's production has dropped significantly this season. He has five goals and eight points in 21 games. He missed nine games with a broken leg and his ice time has decreased since returning Nov. 22.
Just hours after Gretzky took an indefinite leave from the team to return to Canada to be with his mother who has lung cancer the Coyotes lost 4-1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
"It's something that you deal with. We have good leadership in this room, so we'll be more than OK in that area," Phoenix captain Shane Doan said.
"We were ready. We were well prepared and we had decent scoring opportunities. But something like this makes you realize that hockey isn't important in the grand scheme of things, and our thoughts and prayers are with the whole Gretzky family."
Craig Conroy ended a 13-game goal drought during a power play and set up set up goals by Pavol Demitra and Joe Corvo in the Kings' victory.
Coyotes associate coach Rick Tocchet ran the club in place of Gretzky, the NHL's career scoring leader and the team's managing partner. Tocchet will be behind the bench until Gretzky returns, but he'll have help from Barry Smith and Rick Bowness.
Luc Robitaille is upset at being benched for two consecutive games but has no plans to retire, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Robitaille, a future Hall of Famer, said Saturday he was unhappy with the way Coach Andy Murray told him that he had been scratched from the lineup on Friday, the Los Angeles Times said. Robitaille was then scratched from the lineup on Saturday for a second consecutive game.
Robitaille, 39, has been scratched for non-health reasons seven times in his 19-season NHL career, five in the last two seasons with the Kings.
"It really bothers me that I'm not playing," Robitaille told the newspaper. "I feel I should be playing.
"I know how much I have given to this team, even to Andy. ... I still believe I can do it. We'll wait and see what happens. I'm not going away," Robitaille told the Times.
Robitaille told the paper it was not so much the decision, but, "the way it happened really bothered me."
He learned he was not playing against the Mighty Ducks on Friday during a general team meeting in the morning, according to the Times.
"Everybody mentions Detroit and [veteran center Steve] Yzerman and Andy keeps mentioning that," Robitaille told the Times. "Well, I don't think they treat Yzerman the same way. They have conversations where they talk with him. It's a whole different thing."
Murray and Robitaille met Saturday morning, but Robitaille said they only discussed what he had said in a newspaper article.
"The last thing I have to worry about is what's written in the newspaper," Robitaille told the paper. "It's not about that, it's about playing."
Murray said the two were going to talk again later in the day.
"From my perspective, I obviously don't see friction," Murray told the Times. "I'm trying to do my job, trying to make decisions that I think will benefit the hockey club. You always like those decisions to be in favor of players&. I'm just coaching and making decisions on what I think is merit."
Robitaille's production has dropped significantly this season. He has five goals and eight points in 21 games. He missed nine games with a broken leg and his ice time has decreased since returning Nov. 22.
posted by KB at 5:02 AM
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