Gary Roberts

At 58 years old, Gary Roberts has this physical status:

Gary R. Roberts (born May 23, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Renowned for his physical fitness during his career, Roberts has become a high performance trainer for players at all levels of the sport. Roberts was a member of Memorial Cup and Minto Cup winning teams as Canadian junior hockey and box lacrosse champions, respectively.

He was a first round selection of the Calgary Flames, 12th overall, at the 1984 NHL Entry Draft and played ten seasons in Calgary.

Roberts was a member of the Flames' 1989 Stanley Cup championship team and made two of his three NHL All-Star Game appearances as a representative of the team.

A serious neck injury forced him to miss the majority of two seasons, and while his return earned him the 1996 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and dedication to the game, he was forced into retirement following the 1995–96 season. After sitting out a full season, Roberts successfully returned to the NHL in 1997 as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes, with whom he played three seasons.

Stints in Toronto, Florida and Pittsburgh followed, and Roberts ended his career in 2009 as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He played 11 seasons following his comeback, finishing with 1,224 games played, 438 goals and 910 points.

Early life

Roberts was born on May 23, 1966, in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in Whitby. His best friend growing up was future NHL teammate Joe Nieuwendyk; the pair played minor hockey together in the winter, and box lacrosse in the summer. Roberts played Junior A lacrosse with the Whitby Warriors in the mid-1980s, with whom he won a Minto Cup, the Canadian junior championship.

Personal life

Roberts has been married twice and has four children. He and his first wife Tamra have a daughter. The couple were divorced while Roberts was a member of the Maple Leafs. With his second wife, Michelle, he has two sons and a daughter. Michelle assists her husband at the training centre. Roberts hosts an annual charity golf tournament in Uxbridge, Ontario, in support of Canadian Tire's Jumpstart program, which helps young people get involved in sports. He is an honoured member of the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame, inducted in 2010. Roberts coached his son's minor hockey team, the Central Ontario Wolves, in 2005.

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Playing career

Roberts was drafted into the Ontario Hockey League in junior hockey (OHL). He appeared in 53 games for the Ottawa 67's in 1982-83 and has scored 20 points. In his second season, Roberts led to 57 points and then added 17 points in 13 playoff games. The 67's reached the OHL final and defeated the Kitchener Rangers to win the J. Ross Robertson Cup. The victory took the 67's to the 1984 Memorial Cup tournament, where Ottawa qualified for the final. They met Kitchener, the tournament's hosts, and won the national championship by 7–2 victory. The Calgary Flames selected Roberts in their first round pick, 12th overall, at the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, naming him 12th overall.

Roberts, who was recalled by the Flames to Ottawa for his third junior season in 1984-85, served as the team's captain. He scored 106 points, including 44 goals, and was named to the OHL's second All-Star Team. The 67's were quickly dropped from the playoffs after the Flames assigned Roberts to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Moncton Golden Flames, shortly after being forced to resurrecting phase. Roberts had four goals and two assists in seven games during his first professional career. Roberts played for the Canadian junior team at the 1986 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Ottawa, Canada. For the silver medal-winning Canadians, Roberts finished second on the team with six goals. He split the season between the last place 67's and the Guelph Platers following a trade. Roberts led Guelph to victory over the OHL championship with 84 points between the two teams, helping the Platers set a new record in the playoffs and lead Guelph over the Belleville Bulls to victory. In the final, he scored four goals in four games at the 1986 Memorial Cup, and the Platers defeated the Hull Olympiques, 6–2. Roberts finished his junior career as a two-time Memorial Cup champion.

Roberts shuttled between Calgary and Moncton during his first professional season (1986–87). During the season, he was recalled three times and scored his first NHL goal against the Vancouver Canucks on November 11, 1986. In 32 games with Calgary, he scored 15 points and added 38 points, with Moncton in 38 AHL games. Roberts' first full season in Calgary (1987–88) saw him score 28 points in 74 NHL games, his 282 penalty minutes were the highest total of his career, his first season in which he had more than 200 minutes was recorded. Roberts came to the Flames as a narcotic and a frequent participant in combats, but Nieuwendyk was credited with helping him establish himself as a power forward and offensive threat to the team. Roberts scored 22 goals in 1988-89, playing on a line with Nieuwendyk and Hkan Loob. In the 1989 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he scored 12 points, including two goals in the Flames' 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in the fourth game of the Smythe Division final. In the final, Roberts and the Flames defeated the Montreal Canadiens to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship.

Roberts, who converted into an offensive coach, scored more goals (39) in 1989-1990 than he had (48) in the previous season. In a 6–2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on March 30, 1990, he scored his first hat trick in his career. Roberts set career highs in 1991-92, with 53 goals and 53 points after regressing to 22 goals and 53 points in 1990-91. Both totals led to the Flames' and 53 goals, the second highest single-season total in Flames history, behind Lanny McDonald's 66 goals in 1982–83. He appeared in his first NHL All-Star Game in 1992 and became one of the first two players to score 50 goals and 200 penalty minutes in the same season (along with Pittsburgh Penguin Kevin Stevens).

In 1992-93, Roberts tied for the most goals in eight games in a row, an offseason that came to an end when he sustained a quadriceps injury that required him to miss 25 games. He finished the season with 79 points in 58 games, and in his second All-Star Game. Roberts was the Flames' most healthy during the 1993-94 season. He missed the final two weeks due to nerve damage to his neck's nerves, which he had not suffered before in his career. He appeared in only eight games during the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season. Roberts was unable to lift a 2 pounds (0.91 kg) dumbbell above his shoulder with his left arm due to degeneration of his neck nerves.

The injury was considered career threatening and needed two surgeries in March and October 1995 to repair. Roberts made his return against the Hartford Whalers on January 10, 1996, after missing the first half of the 1995–96 season. He received a standing ovation and replied by scoring a goal and tossing several bodychecks in the game. Roberts scored 22 goals and had 42 points in his first 35 games. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy was awarded to him for his tenacity and dedication to the sport as a result of his return and success. Roberts' neck injury did not improve, but he did not fully recover, and on June 17, 1996, he decided to retire from the NHL at the age of 30.

Roberts was put in touch with Dr. Michael Leahy, a Colorado chiropractor, whose "active release strategy" of physiotherapy resulted in an immediate improvement in his mobility just months after retiring. Roberts spent the majority of the next year as a physical therapist continuing to work and resurrecting his career. Roberts announced his return to the league after being ruled out for the entire 1996-97 season. He remained a member of the Flames, but the team decided to move him to an Eastern team in order to minimize strain from traveling. On August 25, 1997, the Flames traded Roberts, as well as goaltender Trevor Kidd, to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Andrew Cassels and Jean-Sébastien Gibère.

Roberts scored 49 points in 61 games during his 96-year tenure. In 1998-99, he dropped to 42 points, but he came in fifth in team scoring to help Carolina win the Southeast Division championship. In Carolina's first round series against the Boston Bruins, he scored his first playoff goal in five years, but the Hurricanes lost the series in six games. In 1999–2000, Roberts scored 53 points before leaving Carolina as a free agent.

Roberts, a former immigrant, has signed a three-year, $8 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He favored the Maple Leafs over Carolina because they had a greater chance to win the Stanley Cup than Carolina did. In 2000-2001, he scored 53 points in 2000–01 and his 29 goals led the team. After team captain Mats Sundin suffered a fractured leg, he played 48 points in 2001–02 and took over the Maple Leafs during the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In an often violent seven game series, Roberts led Toronto over their first round opponents, the New York Islanders. In game five, Roberts played a role in the chaos, with a hit that brought Kenny Jonsson into the boards head-first, resulting in Jonsson's season-ending concussion. Roberts was given a major fine but it was not suspended, which was surprising. The Maple Leafs advanced to the Eastern Conference final, where they ultimately lost to Carolina. With 19 points in 19 games, Roberts led Toronto in playoff scoring.

Roberts' upper body took its toll on his body once more, and he required surgery on both shoulders following the season. As a result, he missed the first four and a half months of the 2002–03 season; he appeared in only 14 games for Toronto. Straight after recovering from the injury, the Maple Leafs signed him to a one-year deal extension. Roberts played his 1,000th NHL game over the Calgary Flames on January 13, 2004, a landslide midway through the 2003-2004 season. He played in his third All-Star Game and ended the season with 48 points in 72 games.

Although the NHL was postponed due to a labour dispute in 2004-05, the National Lacrosse League (NLL)'s Calgary Roughnecks selected Roberts in the sixth round of the 2004 NLL Draft, partially as a public relations stunt. He turned down the opportunity to compete competitive lacrosse. In 2005-06, Roberts and Nieuwendyk both agreed to a two-year deal with the Florida Panthers. The two, who worked in Toronto as well as Calgary, hoped to finish their careers in Florida together. It didn't happen, as Nieuwendyk's resignation in December 2006 was delayed due to persistent back pain.

Roberts did not stay in Florida much longer than he did in 2005–06 as a result of a 40-point season, the Panthers tried to trade him to the Pittsburgh Penguins late in the 2006–07 season. Multiple Penguins, including Mario Lemieux and general manager Ray Shero, tried to convince Roberts to sign the contract when he was initially uncertain about leaving Florida, but eventually agreed to the move. The contract was completed on February 27, 2007, the Pittsburgh prospect Noah Welch was released to Florida in exchange for Roberts. He was brought in to provide a leadership presence to a young Penguins team. He appeared in 19 games in Pittsburgh and helped the Penguins reach the playoffs for the first time in six years.

In 2007, the injuries of Roberts were hampered again. He missed time early in the season due to a viral infection and then fractured his left fibula in a game against the Buffalo Sabres. Despite the injury, he was praised for skating off the ice with no assistance, but he missed more than two months of action while his leg healed. Roberts returned from injury in time to score two goals and lead Pittsburgh to a victory in the first game of their inaugural playoff series against the Ottawa Senators after being in only 38 games during the regular season. He was the first player in NHL history to score more than a goal in a post-season game at 41 years old and 322 days old. In ten other playoff games for the Penguins, he had two assists.

Following the season, Pittsburgh did not re-sign Roberts to a new one, and traded him and Ryan Malone, who was also a pending free agent, to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a third round draft pick on June 28, 2008. The offer gave Tampa Bay a brief glimpse at how they had exclusive power to negotiate a contract. He has committed to a one-year deal with the Lightning. Roberts missed 33 games of the 2008–09 season due to another injury to his elbow. He appeared in only 30 games and gained seven points. As the 2009 trade deadline approached, the Lightning put him on waivers, but no team claimed him. Roberts announced his retirement on March 10, 2009, nine days after playing his last NHL game, an 8–6 win in Calgary, where he had an assist.

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