Then the sellout crowd of 16,811 at the Forum gave Robinson a warm, one-minute standing ovation.
And what were Robinson's thoughts?
"Let's get the game going," he said.
Bad idea. The Kings, playing their worst game of Robinson's eight-game tenure, suffered their first loss of the season, 6-3. Los Angeles (4-1-3) entered the game as the last unbeaten team in the NHL.
Montreal is 2-0 under Houle and new head coach Mario Tremblay, after an 0-5 start to the season.
Lifting the Canadiens was Finnish rookie center Saku Koivu, a prot?g? of King right wing Jari Kurri. Koivu scored his first two goals of the season, pleasing about 50 friends, family and journalists from his hometown of Turku.
The Kings, in their third game in four nights, were playing without two of their top six defensemen -- Rob Blake (torn ligament) and Denis Tsygurov (broken right index finger) -- and Arto Blomsten lasted 10 minutes before leaving with back spasms.
Avalanche 3, Mighty Ducks 1. Milos Holan shed the weight of a secret Sunday, and Monday night in McNichols Arena it no longer mattered to him how many people in the crowd of 16,000 knew it as they watched him play.
The day before, Holan, 24, somberly announced that he has chronic granulocytic leukemia, a slow-progressing but deadly form of the disease that requires a bone-marrow transplant as soon as a donor can be found. But as he emerged from the Mighty Ducks' dressing room after a 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, Holan smiled and his eyes danced. He had his own victory.
"When I step on the ice, everything's behind me, and I concentrate on hock-ey," he said. "I want to forget on the ice."
Holan started the game and played a regular defensive shift, as well as one of the points on the power play. Adam Deadmarsh, Mike Ricci and Valery Kamensky scored first-period goals for Colorado, which has not lost at home. Mike Sillinger got the only Ducks goal.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.