When Luc Robitaille and Jimmy Carson broke into the NHL as Kings rookies 21 years ago, few would have predicted that Robitaille would be the one whose jersey would be retired this Saturday night in Staples Center and Carson would be the one flying in for the ceremony to honor his longtime friend.
Robitaille, two years older than his teammate and a ninth-round pick in the 1984 draft, was considered a long shot for NHL stardom.
Carson, the No. 2 pick in 1986, was said to be a sure bet.
But Carson's ascendant career trajectory was thrown off course, starting with his inclusion in one of the most sensational and unlikeliest trades in sports history, and his playing days ended without fanfare 10 years ago, his last official shift skated in a minor league playoff game with the Detroit Vipers.
Que sera sera, he says.
"I am not one to look back and complain, 'What if, what if, what if,' " Carson, 38, says from Michigan, where he is a partner in a small investment bank and lives about 45 minutes outside Detroit with his Downey-bred wife, Paula, and their four young children. "Yeah, in a perfect world, I would have stayed with the Kings, scored 50 goals for a number of years, won a Stanley Cup or two and I'd be getting my jersey retired too. That would have been great....
"But being bitter and being one of those guys that says, 'I could have done this, I could have done that' -- that just doesn't serve any purpose."
For two seasons together, Robitaille and Carson prospered, Robitaille exceeding expectations and Carson, a goal-oriented son of a lawyer from well-to-do Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., more than living up to his advance billing.
Robitaille won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year in 1987, Carson joining him on the all-rookie team. The next season, Carson scored 55 goals to give him 92 before his 20th birthday, more than any other player in NHL history.
But then came Aug. 9, 1988, when everything changed.
Carson, who had just signed a new, multiyear contract and bought a house in Redondo Beach, was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in the blockbuster, multiplayer trade that brought hockey icon Wayne Gretzky to the Kings.
The Kings and their fans were beside themselves. The news conference introducing Gretzky to Los Angeles was more a party than a news event. Celebrities who had previously shunned owner Bruce McNall's team lined up for tickets.
