With 668 career goals, Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille is widely considered one of the greatest goal scorers in hockey history. During his time with the Los Angeles Kings, he spent several seasons playing with Wayne Gretzky. But according to Robitaille himself, that opportunity came in an unexpected way—thanks to a lie he told the Kings’ general manager.
As a young NHL player in the 1980s, playing alongside Gretzky—arguably the greatest player of all time—was a dream come true. Even if it meant bending the truth. Robitaille had already established himself as a prolific goal scorer in 1988 when the trade happened and Gretzky arrived in Los Angeles. Naturally, Robitaille dreamed of playing with him. But there was a major obstacle: they played the same role on the ice.
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Luc Robitaille lied to his GM
Appearing on the Games with Names podcast, Robitaille recalled the situation following Gretzky’s arrival:
“I played what’s called the half-wall, but the best player in the world on the half-wall was Wayne Gretzky. I’m the half-wall, he’s the half-wall—and he’s Wayne Gretzky. So they said, ‘Okay Luc, you take Wayne on a change.’ A power play is two minutes. Most guys go for a minute, but Wayne Gretzky should stay for two. He’s f*cking Wayne Gretzky. So he’s staying out there the full two minutes or he’s scoring right away,” Robitaille said.
After a short scoring drought, Robitaille got a call from the team’s general manager:
“He said, ‘I know you haven’t scored, but keep working hard—you’re doing well. I know it’s tough on the power play since you’re not getting much time because of Wayne.’ I said, ‘Yeah,’—I wasn’t complaining. Then he said, ‘It’s too bad you don’t play in front of the net. We’re actually looking to trade for a guy who does.’”
That’s when Robitaille took a chance.
“I said, ‘Really? I play in front of the net.’ He goes, ‘You do?’ and I said, ‘Yeah—my whole junior career.’”
Hilarious memory
There was just one problem.
“I lied. I had never played in front of the net. That’s scary—100 mph shots coming at you, and half of them hit you. But I lied because I thought, ‘I’m going to get to play with Wayne on the power play.’ There was no video back then.”
The coaching staff quickly followed up:
“Our coach came to me and said, ‘You played in front of the net in junior?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘F*ck, I didn’t know that—we’re going to put you there.’ I said, ‘Alright, thanks.’ And that was it.”
That moment ended up shaping the rest of his career.
“I made my entire career there. Everyone knows me as a net-front guy—but it all started because I lied my way into playing with Wayne,” Robitaille said.
You can watch the incredible story below.
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