Kings promote Robitaille
Luc Robitaille, who retired last year after 19 seasons in the NHL, will be promoted to president of business operations for the Kings today, according to league sources.
Robitaille, the highest-scoring left wing in NHL history and probably a future Hall of Famer, will work closely with General Manager Dean Lombardi and oversee daily business operations for the franchise.
“This is a move aimed to help make the Kings the best organization in the NHL,” Robitaille said Thursday night. “There’s always been the talk that the Kings weren’t too concerned about winning because AEG was taking care of them, [but now] the organization will be on its own. We will have it where it will be a Kings-only focus.”
When Robitaille joined the Kings’ front office a year ago, he said a goal was to help turn the struggling franchise into a consistent winner. He worked for AEG -- the Kings’ parent company -- concentrating on projects that included luring a tenant to the AEG-operated Sprint Center in Kansas City and developing a new arena in Ontario, near Interstate 10.
But in 2006-07, the Kings took their lumps, finishing with the second-to-worst record in the Western Conference at 27-41-14. That set the stage for AEG President Tim Leiweke to promote Robitaille into a position previously held by Shawn Hunter, who will continue in his role as president of AEG Sports.
“I’ve seen Luc’s work ethic firsthand and I am confident in his abilities,” Leiweke said through a Kings spokesperson Thursday night. “His passion for the Kings is second to none. Having Luc in this role alongside Dean Lombardi is a critical step for AEG in giving the Kings a stand-alone leadership that does nothing but focus on the Kings.”
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