Hall of Famer Larry Robinson will not return to the DevilsNew Jersey Devils ‘ bench as assistant coach next season, GM Lou Lamoriello told The Post yesterday.
“It was his [choice],” Lamoriello said. “He did it for one year because we asked him to do it with Brent Sutter coming in.”
Lamoriello said Robinson will revert to his previous post as a special assignment coach.
Habster:
Over the last few years, there have been whispers (mostly from the Media) that the Canadiens organization should re-repatriate the Larry “Big Bird” Robinson back into the family by offering him an assistant coach’s position. Adding a great former Habs player/Hall Of Famer of Robinson’s stature would be a welcome addition to the staff especially with a relatively young defensive corp.
With that being said, I’m not sure Larry Robinson wants to coach any more after asking to be re-assigned within the Devils organization.
Whether anybody wants to admit it or not, there could still be a feeling of resentment between the Canadiens organization and Larry Robinson, even after a great jersey retirement ceremony which was long over due.
Perception is a funny animal once things are said and done, it almost takes on a life of its own. People or organizations might put a positive spin on things in public view but the reality is vastly different behind closed doors.
Has Larry Robinson been asked to be a coach for the Habs in the past? For all we know, he could have been asked and refused to leave the Devils organization of which he has tremendous loyalty.
Do the Canadiens need Larry Robinson’s services behind the bench? I thought Doug Jarvis did an admirable job with the Habs blueline last season. Adding Robinson to handle the blueline would be a step up as far as the experience he bring to the staff, being a former two time Norris trophy winner and having six Stanley Cup rings to his credit. Jarvis is an excellent coach but hasn’t played defense his entire career. Robinson would bring an even more respected/impressive career CV which the players would greatly benefit from.
The Habs defense was very good last season but there is a bit of room for improvement as far as front of the net/down low coverage is concerned. The defense should be stronger with Patrice Brisebois out of the picture (though he did play better than I expected which wasn’t high to begin with!!) and another year under the belts of Josh Gorges and Ryan O’Byrne.