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Larry Robinson had his share of bumps, bruises and stitches through his 1,738-game professional career.

The Hall of Fame defenceman mostly recalls having had his nose broken a time or two, which in itself seems like a paper cut given how the 6-foot-4 giant patrolled the blue line for the Canadiens and the Los Angeles Kings.

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Robinson seemed mostly indestructible, to opponents and probably to himself. But then he sat down in his doctor’s office late this June and was told he had melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer.

“That makes you think long and hard about what life is truly about,” the 64-year-old said during a talk this week.

The good news is, following immediate, aggressive treatment, Robinson was given the all-clear in mid-July and is breathing more comfortably today, having imagined the worst.

“Maybe it’s worse for people who are hit closer to home,” he said, having lost his brother, Brian, to brain cancer in 2005 at age 56. “When I was given the diagnosis, I imagined the worst-case scenario.”