Robert Lang, You Will Be Missed

For those of you who may not already know, the suspicions on Robert Lang's injury have been confirmed today. Thankfully, he went through successful surgery on his Achilles tendon. He will have to miss the rest of the season to recover from this injury. The 38 year old finishes the season with 39 points (18G, 21A) with a +6 rating in 50 games.

Lang, a native of Czechoslovakia, was drafted 133rd overall by LA in 1990. After shuffling back and forth between the NHL, IHL and Czech, he was signed by Pittsburgh as a free agent in 1997. He settled into a niche and put up solid points throughout his 5 seasons with them. The best season of his career came in the 2000-01 season where he put up 80 points (32G, 48A) in 82 games on a line with Alex Kovalev (that too was Kovy's best season as well).

In 2002, Lang was signed by Washington as a free agent. In 145 games with the Caps, he recorded 143 points. Now at age 33, Robert was truly in his prime, and highly valuable. A struggling and desperate Washington went for broke and traded their star player to Detroit for a T.Fleischmann, a first round pick (Mike Green) and a 4th round pick. He again put up solid points (119 in 159 points) for Detroit and 54 points in one season for Chicago.

With one year left on his contract, Bob Gainey acquired Lang from the Blackhawks in exchange for a 2nd round pick. The plan was for Lang to be a two-way 3rd line center who could contribute every now and then on offense. Also, many believed that he would spend the year in Montreal and then become a free agent at the end of the year. Well, knowing the Canadiens, things never go as planned. When top center Koivu got injured for a lengthy period, a number 1 centerman was needed, and Plekanec wasn't getting the job done. Lang stepped up for the Canadiens, and was a regular on the score sheet. Getting powerplay, shorthanded and 1st line playing time, Lang ended up becoming the leading scorer on the team. He quickly became a fan fave because of his consistent production.

Maybe it's because so much is going wrong for Montreal right now that losing this guy hurts that much more. And maybe it was his smile or his long streaky hair that made him so graceful. Exceeding all expectations, Lang was a discreet leader, a positive energy and a workaholic. Because of all these characteristics, he had me sold on him! Robert Lang, we all wish you a speedy recovery!

Photos: Montreal Canadiens Official Website, Daylife

References: Yahoo! Sports, Wikipedia