Scoring Points : New Captain Robitaille and New Coach Melrose Are Getting Along Fine, Thanks

Luc Robitaille always figured that his credentials didn’t mean much whenever a new coach surfaced in Los Angeles. Which, of course, has happened with frequency during his King career.

Robitaille has played for five coaches since he joined the team in 1986. That means four major shifts in coaching philosophies. And the league’s highest-scoring left wing since 1986 has greeted each coaching change with traces of insecurity and trepidation.

“Most of my coaches didn’t like me from the beginning,” said Robitaille, who has scored 40-plus goals in six consecutive seasons.

“Everybody has an opinion of a player. Me, it was always that I was just a guy who scored, never had to work for anything. All the coaches thought I was one of those guys who would come in and score. I’ve always had to work for everything I’ve got.”

What Robitaille didn’t know was that a minor league coach named Barry Melrose spent a lot of time last season watching Kings’ games off the satellite dish at his team’s rink in Glens Falls, N.Y. Melrose didn’t merely spot a talented, proven goal-scorer, he noticed and appreciated Robitaille’s fighting spirit around the net.

When Melrose became the Kings’ most recent new coach, he started praising Robitaille even before the opening practice. He managed to work Robitaille and Tony Granato into almost every conversation about the Kings.

And he openly admired Robitaille’s passion for the game. Once, angry because he had not been on the ice for a crucial, game-ending power play, Robitaille tossed a cooler full of ice against the dressing room wall at the Montreal Forum.

Melrose grinned when someone mentioned that tantrum.

“Good,” he said, nodding. “That means he wanted to be out there. I like that.”

At training camp, Melrose sat down the first night with nine of the team’s veterans, including Robitaille. He spoke about leadership and it became clear that he expected the 26-year-old forward to assume more responsibility.

“It really surprised me,” Robitaille said. “I didn’t think he would like me. I didn’t know him at all. I knew I would have to work really hard and prove myself.”

Weeks later, Melrose named Robitaille the team’s captain, replacing an injured Wayne Gretzky. The significance of the move was no mystery. Melrose’s underlying message suggested that this was Robitaille’s team now.

And there have been noticeable differences in Robitaille, on and off the ice.

On the ice, he is having his most successful season, with 19 goals and 36 points in 21 games. His pace projects to a 76-goal, 144-point season, well above his career-best of five seasons ago, when he totaled 53 goals and 111 points.

“He’s a more aggressive player against us than he was last year,” Winnipeg Coach John Paddock said. “We’ve always had to be very aware of him. He is one of the premier goal-scorers in the NHL. I think this aggressiveness comes from the coaching change. But he’s the same dangerous player he’s always been.”

Calgary Coach Dave King has noticed Robitaille’s leadership skills, saying: “Before, he didn’t have to do it. Now he’s stepping forward and doing that.”

Players from other Smythe Division teams privately acknowledge that Robitaille is more motivated, playing a tougher brand of hockey.

And in the dressing room, the Kings (13-6-2) have changed, becoming a much closer team.

“I think it was the best thing that could have happened to him,” defenseman Rob Blake said. “We’ve had more team meals together than I can ever remember. Luc’s much more vocal now. He organizes team meals and he’s very easy to get along with.”

Said goaltender Kelly Hrudey: “I think everybody has shared the responsibility. The captaincy is good for him. It makes him view things differently. In this situation, with a coaching change, it’s not a bad idea to have a fresh start.”

After last season’s disappointing first-round playoff loss to Edmonton, Robitaille did a lot of reflecting. He realized he was nearing the prime of his hockey career.

And the Kings were changing from an older team to a younger group. Previously, Robitaille had joked that he still felt like a rookie because the Kings kept getting older players. He said some of them were old enough to be his dad.

Now, though, the Kings are bringing in real rookies. And Robitaille himself became husband and father when he got married last summer to Stacy Rae back home in Montreal. Since she had a 4-year-old, Steven, Robitaille found himself with a ready-made family.

“Steven and I grew up together,” Robitaille said, joking.

Less than two weeks after his marriage, Robitaille’s father, Claude, suffered a mild heart attack. His father has recovered, but the summer of change and responsibility got Robitaille thinking about his role with the Kings.

“I didn’t like what happened last year,” he said. “Even if Wayne had been here, I was going to talk more this year and make sure my presence was felt more. I just wanted to come here and help our guys, be more vocal. In my mind, I think I’m a better player when I think about winning or about the team. I become a worse player if I think about myself.

“Before, I was always the youngest. What could I say to Larry Robinson? I tried to watch and learn.”

He is still learning. Last week against Vancouver, Robitaille lost his temper and received a rare, triple minor after his lengthy outburst. The Kings killed off the six-minute penalty and Robitaille sat on the bench the rest of the period.

Melrose spoke with him between periods and Robitaille took his regular shift the rest of the game.

“One thing I love about Luc is his fire,” Melrose said. “I never want to take that away from him. It has to be channeled properly. You know, I’m trying to change five years of habits in a month. There will be good days and bad days.

“The one thing Luc loves is ice time. Again, he’s a good person and he knew he was wrong. He had six minutes to think about it and he handled it like a pro.”

The added responsibility in Robitaille’s life hasn’t changed his nature. He is rarely without a smile or a joke. The other day, he was talking about the newest member of the family, a dachshund.

“I’ve stepped on him twice,” he said, laughing. “Now when he sees me, he runs away!”

If the dog is smart, though, he will run back to Robitaille, who always has been conscious of helping others. When an acquaintance lost his job last summer, Robitaille helped him find new opportunities in his own businesses.

“My life has changed,” he said. “There’s a lot of things I didn’t appreciate before that I appreciate more now. I just didn’t think of certain things before. In the past, all I did was get ready for the games. I didn’t care about anything else. Now that we already have a kid, everything has changed. Everything fell into place.”