Team
Hangin' at the Dome's pick of
#14 overall goes to Defenseman
Robyn Regehr
Robyn Regehr, (born
April 19,
1980, in
Recife,
Brazil and grew up in
Rosthern,
Saskatchewan) is
alternate captain with Flames and the
premiere shutdown defenseman in the league. (Don't try to argue this
)
Quote:
Selected 19th overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, Regehr was traded to the Calgary Flames with Rene Corbet, Wade Belak and a draft pick for Chris Dingman and Theoren Fleury before he even played a game with the Avalanche.
Regehr's strong performance in the 2003–04 NHL season and in the playoffs netted the young defender international play with Team Canada, where he was part of the team which won the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. He was also selected for Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He is currently one of the Flames' three alternate captains, known for his physical presence on the ice and his strong work ethic in the defensive zone.
Personal life
Regehr was born in Brazil to Canadian Mennonite missionaries. They later spent time in Indonesia and then returned to Canada where he grew up in Rosthern, Saskatchewan. His brother Richie also played briefly for the Calgary Flames. Robyn is the only current player in the NHL who was born in Brazil.
In 1999, Regehr had to overcome personal tragedy in a deadly automobile accident. On July 4, near his hometown of Rosthern, another car hit Regehr's Chevy Nova head-on. Two people in the other car died, and both of Regehr's tibias were fractured. Regehr put himself through a strict rehabilitation program and ended up playing 58 games in the 1999–2000 season. Regehr was on the Flames team in 2004 that made the unbelievable cup run. On April 5, 2008, the last game of the regular season, an away game against Vancouver, the Flames won 7-1. This was speculated to be the last game of Canucks star Trevor Linden. When it was over, Flames captain Jarome Iginla and defenceman Regehr led a procession of Calgary players to centre ice to shake Linden's hand.
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A winning team is built on the foundation of a strong defense. I'm of the opinion that, next to Kipper when on his game, Regehr is the most valuable player on the Flames team. When Iggy is injured, other players have stepped up to pick up the slack. When Robyn's missing, it all falls apart, as we've seen in the 2007 playoffs vs. Detroit and in the 2008 season opener vs. Vancouver.
(sorry for how long it took me to make this pick!)