Q&A: Robitaille talks league improvement
Question: Because you played in the league for so long, and because you occupy this role now, do you have any opinions about ways in which the league could improve, either on the ice or in terms of improving popularity?
ROBITAILLE: ``I really like the way we're going as a league right now. If you go back and look at the NBA, Magic and Larry Bird kind of saved the league at that time. Even though there was Kareem and a lot of other guys, it was Magic and Larry Bird. Then it was Michael Jordan. That's not a lot of guys. It was them, and then you started liking other guys. It was Shaq and Kobe, and now LeBron and Kobe, and you always hear just a few names.
``I believe that, for the first time, the league is trying to do the right thing and really trying to promote a few players. It's Sidney and Ovechkin, and at the end of the day those are our guys. They're breaking records and they're leading the league in scoring. I love the fact that they're doing a big event on New Year's Day. The outdoor game is huge. They're really trying with the awards show, bringing it to Vegas. At least they're trying to make big events out of things. They're starting to promote the league more as a player league. You always remember things because of the players. I love the 49ers, and it's because of Joe Montana. I remember Joe Montana. That was my guy. I liked Magic with the Lakers. I loved the Lakers, but it was because of Magic. You always relate to a player. For years, the league always said, `Logo, logo, logo, team, team, team.' Now the league is kind of turning it around and promoting the players.
``It's going to take a while, but you're seeing it already. The TV ratings are getting better. They're not great, but they're getting better. Everything is increasing. The other thing that I like, from going to the board of governors meetings, is that in the past, the league would try to promote to 300 million Americans. Now they're trying to promote to the 55 million hockey fans. Which is...55 million is a lot of people. It's the same thing for us in L.A. I think it's 2.3 million hockey fans. Those are the people we should focus on. I guarantee, if we get them, everybody else will start paying attention. So I like where the league is going.
``I do keep reminding them to never forget that when L.A. was good, out of nowhere there were teams in Anaheim, San Jose, Phoenix, Dallas and two teams in Florida. I said, `Never forget that.' They want us and they need us to be good.''
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J.P. Hoornstra writes about NHL and IHL hockey for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. He welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
E-mail J.P. at jp.hoornstra@inlandnewspapers.com.
Jill Painter joined the Daily News in 2000 and during the last eight years she's covered the Dodgers, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Kings, golf and everything in between. Even though she's from Colorado, she still freezes in the Staples Center press box but always manages to thaw her fingers in time to make deadline. E-mail Jill at jill.painter@dailynews
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Vincent Bonsignore is a sports columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News. E-mail Vinny at vincent.bonsignore
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I agree, the league is going in the right direction. And when LA is a top team, it will be huge again. Of course, being back on ESPN would help. Hopefully, this latest development will reignite the discussion between the league and the network:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-versus-directv22-2009aug22,0,4477246.story
Hey Luke, I saw your son play on the Promenade over the weekend. I din't know he was your kid, but in all honesty...he's good. He had a huge crowd down there.
I don't think it all should be about player player player. Does anyone remember MLB's advertising of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa and then Barry Bonds and the resulting scandal? The league completely exploited those players when the league knew they were all doing steroids and then threw them under the bus completely under the bus when it was appropriate for the league.
Careful what you wish for...