The Hockey Hall of Fame is welcoming six new members into its prestigious halls on Friday November 14th, 2014. Join us here at Last Word On Sports as we take an in depth look every day at the new inductees. Today we are looking at the legendary defenseman Rob Blake.
2014 HHOF Induction Profile: Rob Blake
There haven’t been many players in NHL history who were as intimidating at both ends of the ice as Rob Blake. At 6’4” and with decent closing speed, every opposing player had to keep their head up when entering Blake’s defensive zone or risk ending up on one of his hip-check highlight reels.
While Blake’s thunderous hip checks became his hallmark, he was just as scary in the offensive zone, winding up his laser of a slap shot. As one of the best power play point men in league history, Blake scored 240 career goals, good for 11th all-time among defensmen.
NCAA Beginnings
Blake’s journey to the NHL was unique for a Canadian defenseman. While he did spend two seasons playing junior hockey for the Brantford Classics and Stratford Cullitons, it was at Bowling Green State University of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) that Blake established himself as an elite prospect.
After his freshman season with Bowling Green, Blake was picked 70th overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. He spent two more seasons with the team, where he won First Team All-Star honors in the NCAA West as well as winning Best Offensive Defenseman in the CCHA. In addition, Blake scored 23 goals in the 1989-90 season, establishing a team record for defensemen that still stands.
NHL Career
Thanks to his impressive collegiate career, the Los Angeles Kings called up Blake at the end of the 1989-90 season where he played in four regular season and eight playoff games. In his rookie season of 1990-91, Blake helped the Kings win their only division title in team history and earn First Team All-Rookie honors in the NHL after scoring 12 goals and 46 points for the year.
Two years later, Blake established himself during the regular season as one of the league’s best young defensemen. In the middle of the 1992-93 season, the Kings traded away future Hall-of-Fame defenseman Paul Coffey. This left Blake as the Kings’ first option on defense, a position he wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of his career. The Kings would make their first ever trip to the Stanley Cup Final that season, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens.
The 1995-96 season was rough for the Kings as a team, especially Blake who played only six games due to injury. During that season the team traded captain Wayne Gretzky to the St. Louis Blues. Despite his limited games played in the year, Blake was chosen as the 11th captain in Kings history, a title he held for the next five seasons.
In 1997-98, Blake had the best season of his career. While it wasn’t his highest point scoring season, he did set a personal record with 23 goals that season. Thanks in part to his scoring prowess, but more so due to his defense play, Blake won the James Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman. This was the only time Blake would win the award, and he remains to date the only Los Angeles Kings player ever to win the Norris Trophy.
The 2000-01 season was the last year of Blake’s contract with the Kings, and as the season progressed, it became clear that Blake would probably test free agency, as he wanted to play for a Stanley Cup contender. Because of this, the Kings’ management traded their captain to the Colorado Avalanche in a mutually beneficial deal. Blake and the Avalanche went on to win the Stanley Cup that year; the only time Blake won the cup as a player.
After spending four and a half seasons with the Avalanche, Blake returned to the Kings for two more years in 2006. Ultimately, he left the Kings, opting for free agency in 2008. The defenseman went on to sign with the San Jose Sharks, where he played out the final two years of his career.
International Impact
While Blake’s NHL career is impressive enough to earn him a Hall Of Fame nod, he was also a fantastic international hockey player for Team Canada.
Blake represented Team Canada at three Olympic tournaments (1998, 2002, 2006). At the 1998 Olympics Games, Blake was honored as top defensive player of the tournament. His only Olympic medal win would come in 2002, when Canada beat the United States in the gold medal game. With Team Canada, Blake won World Championship gold medals in 1994 and 1997, a silver medal in 1991, and another silver medal at the the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.
Post Playing Career
Since retiring as a player, Blake has continued to work in the NHL. In 2011, the former defenseman was hired to work as the Hockey Operations Manager for the NHL, a position he held until 2013 when the Kings hired him as Assistant General Manager. Blake retains that role to this day.
He also served as General Manager for team Canada’s 2014 Men’s World Ice Hockey Championship.
Legacy
Blake retired from the NHL in 2010 after 19 seasons. When looking at his stats it’s easy to see why he’ll join so many other great players in the Hall Of Fame this week:
- 21st all-time among defensemen in games played (1,270)
- 11th all-time among defensemen in goals (240)
- 24th all-time among defensemen in assists (537)
- 19th all-time among defensemen in points (777)
- 3rd all-time among defensemen in power play goals (136)
- 6th all-time among defensemen in game-winning goals (41)
- 4th all-time among defensemen in shots (3,896)
Playoff accomplishments:
- T-13th all-time among defensemen in goals (26)
- 25th all-time among defensemen in points (73)
Blake becomes the first Canadian defenseman drafted out of the NCAA to be enshrined in the Hall Of Fame. The Los Angeles Kings will retire Blake’s #4 jersey on January 17th, 2015, making him the first defenseman in team history to have his number retired.
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