A GIFT named Larry Robinson has been dropped into Glen Sather’s lap. The Rangers officially received permission from the Devils yesterday to talk to Robinson about the vacant head-coaching job, The Post has learned.
Now is no time for the GM to let Robinson slide.
Ken Hitchcock won in Dallas by inspiring fear and loathing from his players, who had to form a committee of veterans that included Guy Carbonneau, Mike Keane, Craig Ludwig and Joe Nieuwendyk in order to keep peace in their room.
Robinson won in New Jersey by inspiring respect from his players – before, that is, they took him and everything they had constructed together for granted.
Forget the talk that came from The Swamp in mid-winter. Robinson is a great teacher of defense. When Robinson arrived in New Jersey as an assistant in 1993, his work elevated Scott Stevens, a very good defenseman his first 11 years, into a Hall of Famer. Scott Niedermayer worships Robinson.
Imagine the impact Robinson would have on Brian Leetch, who desperately needs someone or something to reinvigorate a career that has been diminished by the last five seasons. Could there be anyone better to work with Tom Poti, an extremely smooth lad who can’t possibly survive in the NHL playing so soft as he did last season? Wouldn’t it be to everyone’s best interests to have Robinson teaching Dale Purinton something about the game?
Fact is, if the Rangers truly do have prospects, they’re defensemen, starting with Tomas Kloucek and Fedor Tutin. Could either have a better tutor? Wouldn’t you be able to cut 50 goals off the Rangers’ goals-against total the moment Robinson signs a contract?
As a head coach, Robinson allows his team to play with a personality. He will allow Eric Lindros, Pavel Bure and whichever free agents the team signs this summer to create. He believes in freedom of artistic expression. Hitchcock, caustic and sarcastic running the bench, believes in freedom of expression the way Rudolph Giuliani does.
I have previously endorsed Herb Brooks for the position, and Mark Messier, too, but that was before Robinson became a candidate. It’s hard to explain why Brooks, a bit quirky to begin with, hasn’t been able to make time to meet with Sather before late next week; maybe the job isn’t that important to him.
With no disrespect intended to the great Oilers or the great Islanders, the NHL bluebloods descend from Montreal. The Rangers have never had someone of Robinson’s pedigree coaching the team. With Hitchcock, everything will be about friction and negative energy. Guaranteed, there will be turmoil. With Robinson – who told The Post on Tuesday he has learned once and for all the necessity of holding all players accountable – it will be about respect and class.
And success.
You don’t get many chances like this. The Devils had theirs and blew it. Now it’s incumbent upon Sather not to blow his opportunity to have Robinson run his team.
He’d be crazy if he does.