René Robert
Robert with the Colorado Rockies in 1980
Born (1948-12-31)December 31, 1948
Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
Died June 22, 2021(2021-06-22) (aged 72)
Port Charlotte, Florida, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 184 lb (83 kg; 13 st 2 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Right
Played for Toronto Maple Leafs
Pittsburgh Penguins
Buffalo Sabres
Colorado Rockies
National team  Canada
Playing career 1968–1982

René Paul Robert (December 31, 1948 – June 22, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and Colorado Rockies from 1970 to 1982. He made two All-Star appearances and was selected as the second NHL All-Star team right wing in 1974–75.[1] He also played in the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals with the Sabres, in which he scored the game-winning goal in Game 3.

Early life

Robert was born in Trois-Rivières, on December 31, 1948.[2] As a youth, he played in the 1961 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with Trois-Rivières.[3] While playing for the Trois-Rivieres Maple Leafs of the Quebec Junior A Hockey League in 1967–68, he set the QJAHL record with 69 goals in 49 games, a record that has subsequently been broken.[4] He was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs to a five-game tryout contract on March 20, 1968.[2]

Playing career

Robert made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs in 1970–71. He played five games during his first season and did not record any points. He was claimed by the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 8, 1971, in the NHL Intra-League Draft. He played most of the 1971–72 season with that franchise until he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for Eddie Shack on March 4, 1972.[2] He was subsequently placed in the same forward line as center Gilbert Perreault and left winger Rick Martin, and the trio became known as The French Connection.[5][6] A statue of the famous forward line, unveiled in 2012,[7] is located in front the Sabres arena, KeyBank Center.[8]

In his first season with the Sabres, Robert led the franchise in goals with 40,[5] and he was named to his first NHL All-Star Game.[2] The team then unexpectedly advanced to the 1973 Stanley Cup playoffs,[6] with Robert scoring the franchise's first overtime goal on April 10, 1973, in Game 5 against the Montreal Canadiens, who went on to win the series.[5][6] Robert's best offensive season came during the 1974–75 season, when he recorded 40 goals and 60 assists for 100 points.[2] It was the Sabres' first 100-point season by an individual,[1][5] and he was also named to the second NHL All-Star team that year.[2] In Game 3 of the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals, dubbed the "Fog Game", Robert scored after 18:29 of overtime against the Philadelphia Flyers to help the Sabres win their first game of the series.[5][6] The Flyers ultimately clinched the Cup in six games.[9] Robert led the league in games played (80) and hat-tricks (3) the following season. He was traded to the Colorado Rockies on October 5, 1979, in exchange for defenceman John Van Boxmeer.[2] Robert was named captain of the Rockies,[10] before being traded on January 30, 1981, to the Maple Leafs, with whom he played his final season in 1981–82. He finished his NHL career with 744 games, recording 284 goals and 418 assists for 702 points.[2]

Later life

After retiring from professional ice hockey, Robert acted as president of the NHL Alumni Association.[11] He was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame along with Perreault and Martin in 1989.[12] His number 14 was retired by the Sabres on November 15, 1995,[5] along with Rick Martin's number 7 jersey. They were reunited with Perreault whose number 11 was retired in a 1990 ceremony.[13]

Robert divided his time between Western New York and Florida. The driveway at his home in Buffalo was constructed from pieces of the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium after its demolition in 2009. He had a heart attack on June 18, 2021, and was placed on life support.[14] He died four days later on June 22 at a hospital in Port Charlotte, Florida, at the age of 72.[6][15]

Career statistics

Source: [2][16]

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1965–66 Trois-Rivières Leafs QJHL 4213385131 50227
1966–67 Trois-Rivières Leafs QJHL 4134326673 115121715
1967–68 Trois-Rivières Leafs QJHL 496974143— 43584
1967–68 Tulsa Oilers CPHL 30220 204414
1968–69 Tulsa Oilers CHL 5921305157 74372
1969–70 Vancouver Canucks WHL 50002 —————
1969–70 Rochester Americans AHL 4923406357 —————
1970–71 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 50000 —————
1970–71 Tulsa Oilers CHL 5826366285 —————
1970–71 Phoenix Roadrunners WHL 74376 105387
1971–72 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 497111842 —————
1971–72 Buffalo Sabres NHL 126392 —————
1972–73 Buffalo Sabres NHL 7540438383 65382
1973–74 Buffalo Sabres NHL 7621446571 —————
1974–75 Buffalo Sabres NHL 74406010075 16581316
1975–76 Buffalo Sabres NHL 7235528753 93256
1976–77 Buffalo Sabres NHL 8033407346 652720
1977–78 Buffalo Sabres NHL 6725487325 720223
1978–79 Buffalo Sabres NHL 6822406246 32244
1979–80 Colorado Rockies NHL 6928356379 —————
1980–81 Colorado Rockies NHL 288111930 —————
1980–81 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 1467138 30222
1981–82 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 5513243737 —————
NHL totals 744284418702597 5022194173

References

  1. 1 2 "History" (PDF). Buffalo Sabres and the National Hockey League. 2006. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "René Robert Stats". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Famed "French Connection" great Rene Robert hospitalized". www.boxscorenews.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Duff, Brian; LaBarber, Jourdon (June 22, 2021). "Remembering Buffalo Sabres legend Rene Robert". Buffalo Sabres. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Harrington, Mike (June 22, 2021). "Rene Robert, Sabres 'French Connection' right winger, dies at 72". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Sabres unveil statue honoring French Connection". USA Today. Associated Press. October 12, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  8. ↑ DeLuca, Dave (September 19, 2016). "20 years, 1 building, 4 names: Buffalo's downtown arena". The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  9. ↑ "1975 NHL Stanley Cup Final: BUF vs. PHI". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  10. ↑ Shoalts, David (May 26, 2001). "It's the Devils' turn to laugh". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  11. ↑ Hornby, Lance (June 22, 2021). "French Connection winger and ex-Leaf Rene Robert dies". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Pair of Numbers To Be Retired". Buffalo Sabres. October 16, 2005. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  14. ↑ Wawrow, John (June 19, 2021). "Sabres 'French Connection' winger Rene Robert hospitalized". Associated Press. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  15. ↑ Wawrow, John (June 22, 2021). "Sabres 'French Connection' winger Rene Robert dies at 72". Associated Press. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Rene Robert Hockey Stats and Profile". HockeyDB. The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
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