No one in the Kings' organization is more involved in both the hockey and business side than RobitailleGETTY IMAGES
NHL Kings President Luc Robitaille "understands his franchise's place" in a crowded L.A. sports market, but he continues the "inevitable and unending battle for local relevancy," according to Jack Harris of the L.A. TIMES. During almost every home game, Robitaille "follows this same routine, making the rounds to meet as many sponsors and fans as he can." He "might not be able to make everyone a hockey fan." He just "wants those who show up to want to come back," and the rest of the organization "follows his lead." Almost no one in the organization is "more involved in both the hockey and business sides of the operation than Robitaille." But he said that any discussion about local relevancy "has to start" with the fan base. Harris noted winning over fans has "become a top priority" for Robitaille. Two Stanley Cup titles in '12 and '14 have "turned winning into the baseline, not a bonus," and as the Kings have "languished near last place for most of the last two years, attendance has lessened." The Kings will "end their most successful decade struggling to drum up interest amid the doldrums of a rebuild," but Robitaille "continues to be the embodiment of the Kings' efforts to remain relevant -- selling the team all over again to one fan at a time" (L.A. TIMES, 12/4). Read THE DAILY's recent profile of Robitaille.
