BOSTON — It never helps to have a little experience helping guide you through new situations. For the St. Louis Blues defensemen, none of them had ever played in a Stanley Cup Final before this postseason. So as the team’s blue liners got a taste of the rough and tumble fourth and final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they knew they could rely on one specific person who owns plenty of experience in that situation.
When Craig Berube took over from Mike Yeo in November, Larry Robinson moved from senior consultant to hockey operations to assistant coach.A nine-time Stanley Cup winner as a player and coach, his addition to Berube’s staff brought plenty of knowledge to the job.
“To have a guy like that with that experience around, you can’t beat it. He’s an unbelievable man,” said Berube.
It was a position, however, that Robinson only took on until Christmas as he cited the travel being too much for his 68-year-old body. As the season has progressed, especially now in the postseason, the Hall of Famer has been with them through their journey.
A 10-time All-Star, two-time Norris Trophy winner, and Conn Smythe winner, Robinson is a resource for any of the Blues’ defensemen to use for advice. He’s seen it all and any bit of information he can pass on that will assist, he will.
[NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]
“He’s been great for me. It’s just another sounding board,” said Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo. “When you’ve got nine Stanley Cups you’ve got a lot of information to provide. He’s fun to have around. If you’ve ever had a conversation with him, his demeanor and personality fit great with our group. I know for us, on the back end especially, he’s been fantastic for us.”
Now an eye in the sky during the playoffs, Robinson communicates things he sees from up top between periods. But it’s the defensemen who as a group have benefited most. With five players at least 6-foot-3 and Robinson listed at 6-foot-4, he knows the ins and outs of playing the position as a bigger player.
“It’s an advantage for us when we’re out there,” said 6-foot-4 Colton Parayko on working Robinson to improve his stick work. “It helps us where we can control the forward a little bit, which is important for us.”
Ask any of the defensemen and they’ll tell you that the way Robinson delivers his messages is in a clear manner and that the players aren’t overloaded with too much information. He knows just how to get his point through when he sees something that needs to be addressed.
Vince Dunn is the youngest and shortest defensemen on the Blues at 22 years old and 6-feet tall. This is his first postseason, and it’s been an eventful one. Having Robinson around and his years of experience behind the bench and on the ice has been very beneficial.
“He’s been amazing to have as a mentor,” Dunn said. “He knows there’s a lot going on with coaching and just learning from the other guys, too, who are on the team. He doesn’t try to push you too much but he’s definitely there for someone to talk to. He has a lot of very smart things to say that maybe you don’t really think about and other guys don’t think about because he’s been around for so long.”
Knowing they have such an asset at hand, the Blues players don’t hesitate to reach out to Robinson with any questions, or inquire about a good story from his 20-year NHL career. Robinson will also approach them if he sees something that he’s noticed in their games.
Every conversation has had a benefit for the defensemen.
“I think more than anything he wants you to feel confident about yourself and put yourself in good areas, just make the game easier on yourself,” said Dunn. “He doesn’t try to teach you how to shoot all over again or skate all over again, it’s little things that you don’t really think about out there. Those things make a huge difference when you’re on the ice.”
Game 5 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final airs Thursday on NBC at 8 p.m. ET (stream here).
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.