3/10/2009

Gary Roberts Retires

You can read a good synopsis of his career here.

As a heart-and-soul guy who was tough as nails and good in the locker room he was unparalleled. Pittsburgh brought him on board for a run at the finals to add grit and depth but also to help improve the fitness level of their stars, and for a guy who was 40 years old at the time, that speaks volumes.

Is he Hall of Fame worthy? Only I suspect to die-hard Leaf fans. He had only one 50 goal season, never cracked 100 points, and was only the 5th best player on his cup winning team (behind Nieuwendyk, MacInnis, Vernon, and Gilmour). In his career he played over 1200 games but didn't get to 500 goals or 1000 points - so the odds seem stacked against him.

He'll make a fine coach though, as he was someone who always demanded the most from himself and those around him, while also being very smart about the details of the game.

We may have seen the last of Gary Roberts the player, but I suspect we'll see more of him in the future behind a bench somewhere.

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