Improbably, Robinson Feels Like a King Now

A year ago, Larry Robinson was a victim of coaching burnout after leading the Kings through four seasons that were mostly rocky.

He rejected a contract extension and returned to the New Jersey Devils as an assistant coach, staying close to the game but assuring himself fewer sleepless nights.

“I didn’t know if I really wanted to do it again,” Robinson said. “I didn’t know if I was going to get another opportunity.”

That chance came unexpectedly, when Robbie Ftorek was fired with eight games left in the season. Maybe it was the sheer improbability of it all that made the Devils’ six-game Stanley Cup victory over the defending champion Dallas Stars so exhilarating for Robinson, who flung his arms in the air after Jason Arnott’s double-overtime winner Saturday and hugged everyone who came within reach.

“Even though we weren’t really setting the world on fire those last few weeks before the playoffs started, I felt that we started to come together more as a group and we started to believe more in what we were doing on the ice,” said Robinson, the third coach to win the Cup after taking over during the season. “And as the playoffs wore on, we just became a closer and closer-knit group.”

That closeness didn’t unravel when they fell behind the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-1, in the Eastern Conference finals and Robinson scolded his players about wasting such a marvelous opportunity. The Devils rallied to win in seven games and showed more resilience in the finals, when they scored three times in the third period of Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead, and again after a potentially demoralizing triple-overtime 1-0 loss in Game 5.

The Devils were more disciplined than the Stars, a considerable accomplishment. They killed four disadvantages Saturday, including one late in the first overtime, 14 of 16 in the finals and 62 of 67 in 23 games, a record for the fewest power-play goals given up by a Cup finalist since the playoff format went to four rounds in 1980. The Devils also tied the record they set in 1995 by winning 10 road games and held the Stars to one goal in each of the last four games.

“As you get older, you know you’re not going to get that many opportunities to do this,” said winger Claude Lemieux, whose name will be engraved on the Cup for the second time with the Devils and fourth overall. “It was who was going to want it the most.”

The Stars’ desire was never in doubt but their freshness was. And their offense never clicked, putting constant pressure on goalie Ed Belfour. “It isn’t one team that beats you when you’re the defending champion,” Coach Ken Hitchcock said. “It’s the cumulative effect of teams getting up for you.”

The Devils’ triumph ended an era. Owner John McMullen, who bought the franchise for $10 million in 1982 and moved it from Colorado to New Jersey, recently sold it to George Steinbrenner’s YankeeNets consortium for $176 million--including a $1 million Cup bonus. The deal will close in July. His departure may be followed by the exit of General Manager Lou Lamoriello, who owns about 10% of the club. Robinson’s future is unclear too, although he said coaching was “a great experience” and hasn’t decided whether to return.

McMullen will be missed by players, who saw him as a paternal figure. “This is something I really wanted to dedicate to him from my heart,” defenseman Ken Daneyko said. “I know a lot of other guys felt the same way.”

Said goaltender Martin Brodeur: “We as players sometimes got criticized for staying in New Jersey [instead of becoming free agents], but winning is what it’s all about. This organization gave me the chance to be successful. I’m just happy for the Doc [McMullen].”

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Devil winger Petr Sykora was released from Baylor University Medical Center on Sunday after staying overnight for observation of a head injury he suffered when he was hit by Derian Hatcher in the first period Saturday. His teammates brought the Cup to him at the hospital.

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U.S. Stronghold

Only one Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup over the past 10 years:

1991: Pittsburgh

1992: Pittsburgh

1993: MONTREAL

1994: N.Y. Rangers

1995: New Jersey

1996: Colorado

1997: Detroit

1998: Detroit

1999: Dallas

2000: New Jersey