King of LA Kings

After 19 NHL seasons, 1400 NHL games, 4 teams and a cameo appearance in a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, it's only fitting for the true face of Los Angeles Kings hockey to finally take his rightful throne.

Luc Robitaille has finally surpassed all others to become the leading goal scorer in Kings franchise history. And he did so with dramatic fashion yesterday with a hat-trick against a hot Atlanta team who won 5 games in a row.

"It's certainly something I'll cherish forever," Robitaille said. "It was an amazing night. Nights like this are always fun when you win on top of it. I wanted it to happen earlier, but it was special to do it at home. I have so many great memories here."

Translation: I can retire now.

It won't be long now before the #20 is raised to the LA Staples Center wall. The fans have certainly appreciated him long enough through his 50% French 50% broken English accent. And they also seem to have forgiven him to go play for rival Detroit and winning a Cup there unable bring LA one.

The only real injustice comes with the way that #99's legacy overshadows the team's history when Robitaille, the real face of the franchise, was with the Kings almost twice as long. Do the fans ever reference the guy that Luc surpassed in Marcel Dionne and Rogatien "Roggie" Vachon?

Hopefully, this scoring title will launch Lucky Luc to be remembered as one of the great LA sports icons.

[Via: TSN.ca]