The Kings issued some remarkably nice comments about former coach Pat Quinn, who died Sunday at 71. There’s no faulting their intentions, but Luc Robitaille, Jim Fox and Bob Miller had nothing but kind words for Quinn. It’s important to note that Quinn bailed on the Kings while coaching the team to sign a deal to become the Vancouver Canucks’ team president and general manager. The NHL suspended him from coaching the Kings or working for the Canucks for three years starting in 1987. It did little, in the end, to harm Quinn’s mighty reputation, but it was another black eye for the Kings. So it was more than a little surprising to read all the nice things about Quinn in prepared statements from Robitaille, Fox and Miller.

Said Robitaille: “He was a great man for the game of hockey and a person who commanded a lot of respect. He was my first NHL coach and he made quite an impression on me as I was breaking into the league and learning the game.”