Luc Robitaille vs Anze Kopitar

[Felidae]

The greatest goalscorer in kings history vs the greatest two way player in kings history.

In the top 200 HOF project, they were only seperated by 14 spots with Kopitar ahead. But based on past polls I've done, that's not always indicative of how the results will go down here..

So who was the better player?


Anze Kopitar

Top 30 scoring finishes

Point finishes: 7, 13, 17, 17, 17, 20, 23, 28, 28, 30
Goals: 12, 15, 20, 22,

Hart: 3, 8, 8, 17
Selke: 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 15


Postseason 2010s stats (starting at 23 years old)
73 GPs
23rd in points
49th in goals
26th in PPG




Luc Robitaille

Top 30

Points: 5, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 16, 17, 24
Goals: 4, 4, 6, 7, 7, 9, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16



Postseason 1990s stats (starting at 24 years old)
88 GP
21st in points
10th in goals
27th in PPG
19th in GPG

Also just because it may be brought up, i just want to say that Robitaille did NOT need Gretzky. The year before Gretzky joined the LA Kings, Robitaille had 111 points and 53 goals, good for 4th in Goals and 5th in points. He was only 21 years old in his 2nd season. Statistically, this is actually his highest goalacoring and Point placement.

 

[Sol]

Oh come on. Like you don’t know.

 

[Regal]

I just can’t imagine building a 2 time cup winner around Robitaille as my best forward. He was really good, but felt more of an opportunistic scorer than a real play driver

 

[tabness]

I absolutely love Luc Robitaille, he is one of the few hockey players that seem to have good character too and just be a good guy, and he's an iconic nineties player, but this is Kopitar. It's not by so much that there aren't some cases where you prefer Robitaille, but in general you go Kopitar.

I do think the peaks are closer than the careers, because a lot of the stereotypes of Luc are lazy, and he did work on improving his skating and it shows like by the early nineties, but yeah.

 

[Nasti]

Luc was a one dimensional scoring winger. Kopitar was a center who could score while shutting down your top player at the same time. He was also a puck possession monster. This isn’t close.

 

[Felidae]

Luc was a one dimensional scoring winger. Kopitar was a center who could score while shutting down your top player at the same time. He was also a puck possession monster. This isn’t close.

It's a hell of a dimension to be good at though. He was the best LW in the late 80s and early 90s.