Robitaille thanks parents, fans, in touching Hall of Fame acceptance speech

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Luc Robitaille started to thank his mother, Madeleine, and father, Claude, early in his hockey Hall of Fame acceptance speech, then paused as he looked out into the audience.

‘Don’t cry, dad,’ he said, seeing tears roll down Claude’s face. ‘You’re going to make me cry.’

Luc didn’t cry, but his heartfelt acceptance speech Monday night did stir emotions.

He thanked his youth coaches and the King scout who persuaded the organization to give this slow-footed kid a chance. The Kings chose him 171st overall in 1984 and the rest, as they say, was history. He went on to become the highest-scoring left wing in NHL history with 668 goals and 1,394 points.

‘I was on one list. There was one person that believed in me,’ he said of scout Alex Smart. ‘Thank you for giving me a great life.’

He also thanked a slew of former teammates, ‘all the fans, especially the fans in L.A.,’ and former Kings owner Bruce McNall, especially for ‘giving me a chance to play with my idol,’ Wayne Gretzky.

He also thanked current owner Phil Anschutz, Kings governor Tim Leiweke and General Manager Dean Lombardi. ‘With the help of Dean we will have the Stanley Cup in L.A.,’ he said.

More from the induction ceremony later at www.latimes.com/sports

-- Helene Elliott in Toronto