Gordie Roberts

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size=
played_for = Hartford Whalers
Minnesota North Stars
Philadelphia Flyers
St. Louis Blues
Pittsburgh Penguins
Boston Bruins
New England Whalers
position = Defense
shot = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 0
weight_lb = 195
nickname = Gordie
nationality = USA
birth_date = birth date and age|1957|10|02
birth_place = Detroit, MI, U.S.
draft = 54th Overall, Round 3
draft_year = 1977
draft_team = Montreal Canadiens
career_start = 1980
career_end = 1994

Gordon "Gordie" Douglas Roberts (Born October 2, 1957 in Detroit, Michigan) is a retired professional ice hockey defenseman who played 1,097 NHL regular season games from 1979 to 1994. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. His brother Doug Roberts is also a former NHL player.

Amateur career

Roberts was named after legendary Detroit Red Wings star Gordie Howe and grew up playing junior hockey hockey in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League for the Detroit Jr. Red Wings.

Professional career

Roberts was drafted in the third round, 54th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft. His professional career started in 1975 when he was signed as a 17-year old underage junior by the WHA New England Whalers. He represented the Whalers in the 1977 and 1978 WHA All-Star Game and was still with New England when the NHL and WHA merged in 1979.

In 1980, the Whalers traded Roberts to the Minnesota North Stars for Mike Fidler. He remained a North Star for eight seasons before moving to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1988, who promptly traded him to the St.Louis Blues after only 11 games. During this time, Roberts also played for Team USA in the 1984 Canada Cup as well as the 1982 and 1987 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments.

Roberts won 2 Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992 and became the first American player to appear in 1000 NHL games in 1992. He played for the Boston Bruins during his final two years in the NHL.

Post Playing Career

Roberts served as the player/coach of the 1994–95 International Hockey League Chicago Wolves as well as the assistant coach of the Phoenix Coyotes for the 1998 and 1999 seasons. In recent years, he has worked as a pro scout for the Montreal Canadiens, specializing in Western Canada and the Western U.S..

Awards and Achievements

*Inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999.
*Played in 1977 and 1978 WHA All-Star Game

References

*hockeydb|4599
*legendsofhockey|11387
* [http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1977/77054.html HockeyDraftCentral profile]