MUSKEGON – Muskegon has a way of absorbing and permanently adopting many of its professional hockey heroes from the past.

Thousands of hopeful young players found their way to town over five decades of pro hockey, just to get their feet in the door with a minor league team, earn a steady if not overwhelming paycheck, and further develop their skills as they tried to move up in the professional ranks.

Virtually none of them intended to stay for very long, yet quite a few ended up putting down roots.

Todd Robinson is a perfect example. He first came to Muskegon before the 2000-01 hockey season, just because he was looking for his next opportunity as he worked his way toward a shot in the NHL.

As it turned out, he ended up playing nine terrific seasons here. Robinson became one of the most prolific point producers in the city’s long pro hockey history, helped the old Muskegon Fury win three league championships, met his wife and started a family here, and still lives here.

“Rich Kromm was the coach at the time, he was from my hometown, and he contacted me to come and play in Muskegon,” Robinson said about his first connection to the city. “I had no idea where I was going. Muskegon, Michigan – where is that? But it kind of worked out pretty well!”

Now Robinson’s amazing career with the old Muskegon Fury will be recognized and immortalized on Friday night, when the Muskegon Lumberjacks retire his No. 19 Fury jersey in a special ceremony between the first and second periods of their game with the Chicago Steel.

It will be the highlight of the Jacks’ annual “Fury Night,” when the team honors the old pro team and wears Fury jerseys during the game.

Robinson’s family – his wife Alexis and daughters Cambell, 16, and Harper, 12 – will be there for the ceremony, along with his father and two brothers who are coming from out of state.

Several old teammates will also be on hand, including Robin Bouchard, Bill Zalba, Rob Melanson, Trevor Johnson, Matt Gens and Dave VanDrunen.

The retirement of the number won’t have any practical impact on the ice, because pro hockey left Muskegon more than a decade ago. But a Fury jersey with Robinson’s name and the No. 19 will hang in perpetuity at Mercy Health Arena, along with the jerseys of other honored veterans of Muskegon’s pro hockey past.

“It’s going to be a fun night,” Robinson said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

He always found his way back to Muskegon

Robinson, 43, grew in up in Trail, British Columbia, and like all talented young hockey players, dreamed of someday playing in the NHL.

His career started with five seasons of elite junior hockey with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League, where he established himself as a prolific goal scorer and earned a stint on the Canadian national team.

But his junior eligibility ran out after the 1999-98 season, he was not drafted by an NHL team, and was at a career crossroads.

So he pursued professional minor league hockey, and had short stints with the Idado Steelheads and Colorado Gold Kings of the West Coast Hockey league, the Chicago Wolves of the International Hockey League and the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League.

Before the 2000-01 season, he received the call from Kromm, an old acquaintance who was coaching the Fury, and was invited to join the team.

While he didn’t know it at the time, from that point on Muskegon became Robinson’s permanent, year-round home.

He still made a few attempts to move up to higher pro leagues. He had a short playoff stint with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League in 2000-01, and left the Fury to play for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the IHL in the 2004-05 season.

He did well in Grand Rapids, but after half of a season he knew he was ready to come home to his family, friends and fans in Muskegon. He gained permission from the Griffins to play for the Fury during the IHL All-Star break that season, with the understanding that he would return to GR in a few days – but that never happened.

He stayed with the Fury for the rest of the season, because he was happier in Muskegon.

“I just told them my heart was in Muskegon,” Robinson said. “I’m not sure if it was a great career choice, but I was happy with my decision.”

Robinson took one more career detour in 2007, after the Fury was sold to new owners and the name was changed back to the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He spent a season playing in Denmark and had a lot of success, with 23 goals and 47 assists in 45 games, but the next year he came back and joined the Lumberjacks for two more seasons.

Needless to say, there were a lot of very bright spots for Robinson during his years in Muskegon.

He scored 222 goals for the Fury/Lumberjacks over nine seasons, which is second in franchise history behind the legendary Bouchard, He also holds the franchise record for career assists with 612.

Robinson played an integral role in leading the Fury to three Colonia Cup championships, in 2001-02, 2003-04 and 2004-05.

His most famous moment came in Game 6 of the 2001-02 Colonial Cup finals, when he scored the game-winner on a breakaway in overtime to give Muskegon the win over the Elmira Jackals, and the league championship.

Robinson remembers that moment, in front of a packed house at L.C. Walker Arena, like it was yesterday.

“Every time I see it I get the chills,” he said about watching the video of the dramatic goal. “It was fantastic. Todd Nelson (his teammate) got the puck and flipped it out of our zone, one of their defensemen went to get it, but I stripped the puck away from him and scored on the breakaway, and the rest is history!”

Pro hockey ceased in Muskegon after the 2009-10 season, and Robinson still wanted to play, so he spent a few years in the Central Hockey League and East Coast Hockey League. But even while he was playing in various cities for a few more seasons, Muskegon remained home in the offseason.

“We kept our place here, and we always came back in the summer,” he said.

Robinson finally retired after the 2013-14 season and joined the current Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League as an assistant coach.

He did that for three years before leaving to take a job at Betten-Baker, a vehicle dealership in Muskegon, where he still works.

‘It was just kind of time to move on,” Robinson said about the career change. “Our kids were getting a little older and I was missing out on a lot of their things. I had never really had a job before. (Betten) was kind of my first real job. But later on, when my kids are older and on their own, I think I might like to get back into coaching.”

Robinson says he still misses the excitement of playing hockey in Muskegon. Besides all of the success he had on the ice, he says he really loved the great way he was treated by the local fans over the years.

He recalls the days when a simple trip to the grocery store could take a few hours, because he was constantly stopped by folks who just wanted to say hello and talk Fury hockey.

“There are so many great memories,” he said. “Obviously the championships were the best, but I also have great memories of all of my teammates and linemates and coaches. I had a great run for quite a few years.

“I came here and just fell in love with the city. I never really wanted to play anywhere else. I had success early and often here, and it was a great way to live my life.”