A bronze statue of Luc Robitaille, the NHL’s highest scoring left wing, will be unveiled outside Staples Center tonight.
Wayne Gretzky, the NHL’s scoring record holder, fellow Hockey Hall of Fame member Mario Lemieux and basketball legend Jerry West are among those joining Robitaille in taking part in the ceremony, which is set to begin at 6 p.m.
The ceremony is free and open to the public. Fans are encouraged to arrive early because viewing space is limited.
The ceremony will be shown live on Fox Sports West and on screens inside Staples Center before the Los Angeles Kings-Pittsburgh Penguins game.
The nearly 19-foot statue was created by Julie Rotblatt Amrany and Omri Amrany. It will be the seventh in Star Plaza, joining those of West and fellow retired Los Angeles Laker stars Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the late Lakers announcer Chick Hearn, Gretzky and retired boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya.
Robitaille was selected by the Kings in the ninth round of the 1984 draft, five rounds after they chose Tom Glavine, a Massachusetts high school hockey star who instead opted for a career in baseball and was elected to that sport’s Hall of Fame last year.
Robitaille scored 668 goals during a 19-season NHL career, the 12th most in NHL history. Robitaille scored 557 goals in 14 seasons with the Kings, a team record.
The unveiling coincides with the final game of the Kings three-game Legends Series. The Kings will wear their vintage gold jerseys with a crown on the front.
Robitaille has been the Kings president of business operations since May 25, 2007.
