The Los Angeles Kings bid farwell to one of the truly great former collegians
to ever play in the NHL.  I thought I would share this account of Dave Taylor's
farewell since he is often looked to as the first collegian to really make it
big in the NHL.
 
From the LA kings mailing list (GANN):
 
>                      TAYLOR GOES OUT IN STYLE
>                KINGS AND OILERS SKATE TO A 2-2 DRAW
>
>
> INGLEWOOD -- It was Dave Taylor's night in Los Angeles on Thursday as
> the Los Angeles Kings played their final game of the 1993-94 season
> against the Edmonton Oilers.  But more important, it was Taylor's final
> game in the NHL as he retired from the Los Angeles Kings after a
> brilliant 17-year career.
>
> A sell-out crowd of 16,005 (the Kings' first sell-out in about four
> games) was there to thank Taylor for his stellar effort throughout his
> career.  In a pre-game ceremony, Taylor was joined by his wife Beth, his
> two beautiful daughters, Jamie and Katie (one was wearing Taylor's Kings'
> jersey, the other wore his Western Conference All-Star jersey), and his
> parents, Andy and Margaret.  The television "Voice of the Kings," Bob
> Miller, emceed the ceremony, comparing Taylor's achievements with other
> NHL players, past and present, showing what great company he has among
> the NHL's all-time greats.  Miller also read congratulatory telegrams
> from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and from city officials from Taylor's
> hometown of Levack, Ontario, Canada.
>
> Taylor opened his remarks in typical Dave Taylor style...humble, classy.
> He said, "Thinking back to 1977, I was a young kid with a dream to play
> in the NHL and I was fortunate to live that dream for 17 years... ."
>
> He went on to thank just about everyone affiliated with the Kings, from
> the owners to the front-office staff, his coaches (past and present) and
> his current and former teammates.  He specifically mentioned Marcel
> Dionne and Rogie Vachon and would mention Charlie Simmer and others in TV
> interviews.
>
> Taylor, who wore the Captain's "C" on his jersey, closed his remarks by
> thanking the fans for their support throughout his 17-year career.  In
> later interviews, Taylor said, "It meant a lot to me to get the
> opportunity to go out there and thank the fans.  That's the main reason I
> went out there tonight... ."
>
> After the ceremony, Taylor lined up at center ice to take the opening
> face-off against Edmonton's rookie sensation, Jason Arnott.  Taylor "won"
> the ceremonial, but official, face-off, drawing the puck back to Kings'
> left winger, Luc Robitaille, who had asked to be on the ice for the
> face-off.  Robitaille has played his entire 8-year career with Taylor.
>
> "It was kind of neat," Robitaille said.  "Davey certainly deserved this.
> I was really proud to be on the ice with him.  I asked Barry (Melrose)
> yesterday to put me out there.  He said, 'we already decided.'"
>
> After the face-off, Robitaille picked up the puck and handed it to
> Taylor.  Taylor then shook hands and shared hugs with all the Kings
> players, coaches, and trainers, and all six Oilers who were on the ice.
> The Kings on the bench gave Taylor a great ovation, banging their sticks
> against the boards.  In a classy move, so did the Oilers at their bench.
>
> Taylor skated off the ice to a thunderous ovation by the fans, which
> Taylor acknowledged with a wave.  He was greeted by Wayne Gretzky as he
> left the ice and headed to the dressing room.
 
- Patrick E. Fleming -----------------------------------------------------
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