Shortly after the end of the Kings’ final game of the regular season, veteran blue-liner Robyn Regehr announced that he is heading for retirement.
Robyn Regehr has often been a whipping boy for Kings fans, but he was a good dude. He forged a long career out of hitting dudes and was even pretty good for awhile. I won’t call his Kings career a disaster, but things probably didn’t go as well as anyone would’ve liked.
After beginning his career with the Calgary Flames, the Brazil-born defender quickly established a reputation as one of the strongest defensive defensemen in the NHL. Team Canada selected him to join their roster for the 2006 Winter Olympics, where he picked up 1 assist in 6 games.
At the peak of his career, the rugged defenseman even notched some Norris votes; he finished 14th in Norris voting in 2005-06, and 21st in 06-07. In that 05-06 season, he set a career high in points with 26.
Never known for offense, Regehr picked up 199 points in 1088 NHL games. He added an additional 18 points in 67 playoff games.
Unfortunately for Regehr, he didn’t experience much playoff success prior to joining the Kings. Though he didn’t go out on top, he earned his first and only Stanley Cup in 2014.
Robyn was never flashy or hugely important to the Kings’ success, but he was a consummate professional. His teammates always appeared to love him, as is evidenced by Dustin Brown handing him the Cup first last season.
Robyn, you seem like a good dude. You don’t need to bleed for this silly game any more. Go enjoy your life.