Luc Robitaille Draft position

[markrander87]

How did the scouts/teams get this so wrong?

Insane numbers in the Q pre and post NHL draft.

Drafted in the 9th round 171st overall.

Over a PPG in the WJC for Canada

84 points in 79 games a rookie and wins the Calder and named as a 2nd team All-star

Named as a 1st/2nd team All-Star the next 6 seasons straight

Hockey Hall of Fame etc.. etc..

How How How does this happen?

Click to read more...

 

[Nick Hansen]

His numbers before the draft weren't that impressive. Second best on his own team (outscored by two-year older David Purcell who never amounted to anything) and 35th in the league. Obviously he was a lot more impressive the succeeding years in the Q.

 

[Michael Farkas]

No one was really looking for him in the first place...

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

The reason he was drafted so low was because his skating was so poor. (at least that was the perception) I guess the thinking by ALL teams, was that skating would not improve and never be at NHL calibre.
Skating or lack of, is the main reason some high scoring juniors and AHLers never make the jump to the NHL

 

[VanIslander]

... and post 84 points in 79 games a rookie and wins the Calder and named as a 2nd team All-star

Named as a 1st/2nd team All-Star the next 6 seasons straight

803 points over his first 8 seasons!! Seven consecutive top-10 in goal seasons.

People tend to remember Luc as a cup winner in his 16th season as a secondary scorer, and judge his induction as "compiler" recognition whereas he was four-fifths the way to the HHOF before the midway of his career.

 

[Big Phil]

Here is the irony, none other than Tom Glavine - yes THAT one - was drafted 70th overall by the Kings that spring. Glavine was a Hall of Famer too though...............in baseball.

I remember watching an interview with Robitaille when he had his 500th goal and they brought up his poor draft position in 1984. The idea was that his skating was poor and Robitaille said: "Some people still say that about me." I guess it never improved that much since he wasn't the fleet of foot by any means but he made up for it. Still has the points record, single season, for LWers if I am not mistaken.

Scouts make mistakes all of the time. Curtis Joseph and Martin St. Louis were never drafted. Neither was Ed Belfour. Zetterberg and Datsyuk were low draft picks too. It happens. Sometimes other players are late bloomers.

 

[The Panther]

It's funny how he was too slow for the mid-80s, yet in 2001 he was still a top scorer.

 

[Passchendaele]

It's funny how he was too slow for the mid-80s, yet in 2001 he was still a top scorer.

And yet, people still claim that Gretzky (who was pretty quick himself) couldn't keep up with today's fast game.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

one thing to note is that if luc had gone undrafted in his first year of eligibility, he probably would have been a mid-round pick in year two or three.

look at mark recchi—went undrafted twice, tore up the whl, went in the 4th round of the 1988 draft.

 

[Franck]

803 points over his first 8 seasons!! Seven consecutive top-10 in goal seasons.

People tend to remember Luc as a cup winner in his 16th season as a secondary scorer, and judge his induction as "compiler" recognition whereas he was four-fifths the way to the HHOF before the midway of his career.

The historical weakness of the position plays a role, but he is legitimately one of the greatest left wingers of all time. Anyone accusing him of being a compiler is out for lunch.