Larry Clark Robinson was a player and a coach in the National Hockey League. He was born in Winchester, Ontario, Canada on June 2, 1951. In 1995, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and is currently an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils. He was nicknamed “Big Bird” for his height (6’4”) and his blond hair that resembled Sesame Street’s Big Bird. He was known as a big, strong defenseman who was also highly mobile.
Robinson played 17 seasons for the Montreal Canadiens and another three for the Los Angeles Kings before retiring in 1993. He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy twice as the league’s most outstanding defenseman and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 1978 playoffs. He helped lead the Canadiens to six Stanley Cups. Robinson was also a member of Team Canada in the 1976, 1981, and 1984 Canada Cup tournaments. During his career, he played in 10 All-Star games. Over his 20-year career as a player, he scored 208 goals, made 750 assists and accumulated 958 regular-season points.
After he retired, Robinson was hired as an assistant coach with the Devils in 1993 and won the Stanley Cup with them in 1995. He became the head coach of the Kings in 1995 and left them at the end of the 1998-1999 seasons, signing on as assistant coach with the Devils once again.
