Larry Robinson (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #31)
Adjusted Stats
1972-1973 Mtl* 38 GP 2 goals 4 assists 6 points 0.16 PPG
1973-1974 Mtl 82 GP 6 goals 20 assists 26 points 0.32 PPG
1974-1975 Mtl 82 GP 13 goals 43 assists 56 points 0.68 PPG
1975-1976 Mtl* 82 GP 9 goals 28 assists 37 points 0.45 PPG
1976-1977 Mtl* 79 GP 18 goals 63 assists 81 points 1.02 PPG
1977-1978 Mtl* 82 GP 12 goals 50 assists 62 points 0.76 PPG
1978-1979 Mtl* 69 GP 14 goals 41 assists 55 points 0.80 PPG
1979-1980 Mtl 74 GP 13 goals 55 assists 67 points 0.91 PPG
1980-1981 Mtl 67 GP 10 goals 31 assists 41 points 0.62 PPG
1981-1982 Mtl 73 GP 9 goals 37 assists 46 points 0.64 PPG
1982-1983 Mtl 73 GP 11 goals 40 assists 51 points 0.71 PPG
1983-1984 Mtl 76 GP 7 goals 27 assists 34 points 0.45 PPG
1984-1985 Mtl 78 GP 11 goals 27 assists 38 points 0.49 PPG
1985-1986 Mtl* 80 GP 15 goals 50 assists 65 points 0.81 PPG
1986-1987 Mtl 72 GP 11 goals 32 assists 43 points 0.60 PPG
1987-1988 Mtl 54 GP 5 goals 29 assists 34 points 0.62 PPG
1988-1989 Mtl 76 GP 3 goals 22 assists 25 points 0.33 PPG
1989-1990 LA 66 GP 6 goals 27 assists 33 points 0.51 PPG
1990-1991 LA 64 GP 1 goal 20 assists 21 points 0.33 PPG
1991-1992 LA 57 GP 3 goals 9 assists 12 points 0.21 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1972-1973 Mtl* 11 GP 1 goal 4 assists 4 points 0.40 PPG
1973-1974 Mtl 6 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.16 PPG
1974-1975 Mtl 11 GP 0 goals 4 assists 4 points 0.33 PPG
1975-1976 Mtl* 13 GP 3 goals 3 assists 6 points 0.45 PPG
1976-1977 Mtl* 14 GP 2 goals 9 assists 11 points 0.75 PPG
1977-1978 Mtl* 15 GP 4 goals 17 assists 20 points 1.36 PPG
1978-1979 Mtl* 16 GP 5 goals 8 assists 14 points 0.85 PPG
1979-1980 Mtl 10 GP 0 goals 3 assists 3 points 0.34 PPG
1980-1981 Mtl 3 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.24 PPG
1981-1982 Mtl 5 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.16 PPG
1982-1983 Mtl 3 GP 0 goals 0 assists 0 points 0.00 PPG
1983-1984 Mtl 15 GP 0 goals 4 assists 4 points 0.30 PPG
1984-1985 Mtl 12 GP 2 goals 6 assists 8 points 0.69 PPG
1985-1986 Mtl* 20 GP 0 goals 11 assists 11 points 0.56 PPG
1986-1987 Mtl 17 GP 3 goals 15 assists 18 points 1.05 PPG
1987-1988 Mtl 11 GP 1 goal 3 assists 4 points 0.34 PPG
1988-1989 Mtl 21 GP 2 goals 7 assists 9 points 0.41 PPG
1989-1990 LA 10 GP 2 goals 3 assists 4 points 0.42 PPG
1990-1991 LA 12 GP 1 goal 3 assists 4 points 0.36 PPG
1991-1992 LA 2 GP 0 goals 0 assists 0 points 0.00 PPG
Career - 1424 GP, 179 goals, 655 assists, 833 points, 0.58 PPG
Career-Highs - 18 goals (76-77); 63 assists (76-77); 81 points (76-77); 1.02 PPG (76-77)
Avg. (20 seasons) - 71 GP, 9 goals, 33 assists, 42 points, 0.58 PPG
Peak Avg. (74-82) - 76 GP, 12 goals, 44 assists, 56 points, 0.73 PPG, 4 Cups
Playoff Career - 227 GP, 26 goals, 103 assists, 127 points, 0.56 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 5 goals (78-79); 17 assists (77-78); 20 points (77-78); 1.36 PPG (77-78)
Accolades - 2 Norris Trophies, 1 Conn Smythe
All-Star Teams - 3-time 1st-team, 3-time 2nd-team
6-time Stanley Cup Champion
Larry Robinson checks in at the top of Level 4 on the Pyramid. His scoring level and career accolades don't quite put him in the group that includes Lidstrom, Bourque and Potvin, but there is no doubt that his was one of the most successful careers ever by a defenceman. He was essentially his generation's Zdeno Chara, only even more adept defensively, and of course, more of a winner.
Robinson gets high marks from me for being the best defenceman on the team I believe to be the greatest of all time, the late-1970s Canadiens. As Robinson went, so seemed to go the Habs. His career year, in which he scored 81 points and was an incredible +120, also happened to be on a team that enjoyed the greatest any hockey team has ever had: the Habs of 1976-1977 accumulated 132 points, 60 wins, and the Stanley Cup title.
Larry Robinson holds the record for the best career +/-, and it's not even really close: he's at a staggering +730 for his career, while Bobby Orr is second at +597 (it goes without saying Orr would have the record had he played only a few more seasons). Per 82 games, Robinson averaged a +43. He was the defensive anchor of four Cup champions and a key part of two others (as a rookie in 1973, and as a 34 year-old veteran in 1986). No team he was on ever missed the playoffs, and Robinson never finished a season with a minus rating.
He wasn't the scorer that a Coffey or a MacInnis was. No, Robinson brought other things to the table. He was huge for his era (as mentioned before, the Pronger/Chara equivalent), and while he was actually not a pugilist, he could intimidate opponents just with his presence. His hitting was sublime, but it was more his defensive positioning that was key to the Canadiens' success (as a side note about his hitting, watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKd4HJNSbQg. Great hit, yes. But with all this clamoring about how headshots are a new phenomenon...is that not a headshot? I'm with Bob McCown...I call BS on all this "the players had more respect back in the day" crap). With Robinson, Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe on the blueline, Bob Gainey and Jacques Lemaire at forward, and Ken Dryden in net, the late-70s Habs were as good a shutdown team as any that has existed.
Do the numbers say top of Level 4 for Larry Robinson? Maybe, maybe not...but when judging defencemen (well, everyone for that matter, but especially defencemen), you have to go beyond just points. The accolades are enough, but the reason Robinson gets ranked highly by me is that he seemed to get it when it came to hockey. The guy was a winner...in the Habs' final three championships of their run ('77, '78, '79), Robinson had an astonishing 45 adjusted points in 45 playoff games, and won the Conn Smythe in '78 with 20 in 15. So he scored when it mattered. He shut you down when it mattered. He did everything at its best when it mattered, just like the legendary team that he played for...a team whose legend he helped cement.
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