I love Nieuwendyk, Gilmour, Loob, McDonald, MacInnis, Suter, Iginla, Vernon, Kipper, Otto, Hunter, etc., etc., etc., but when I have to pick a single player that epitomizes what the Calgary Flames were, there was no better example than Gary Roberts.
Guy was all heart and soul, and thinking about his comeback still sends me shivers. Flames should have kept him and made him the captain. He is exactly what you wanted your 'young guns' to aspire to. He never quit - ever! - and would do whatever it took for the Flames to win.
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Roberts was the man, I loved that guy on the Flames. I attended the Booster Club and later the Gary Roberts hockey schools growing up and it was the most amazing thing when he would show up and play soccer with us kids. Even later on when his neck injury prevented any activity he would still try to show up and meet everyone. What a great guy and player.
Being -37 with 94 points scored in 88-89 has to be some type of record. Even as a Flame his plus minus was pretty bad. Still came into the NHL as n 18 year old and put up 52 points in 54 games. He could put up points.
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One of my favourite Gary Roberts moments. When he went all old man strength.....I think it was someone here that had the best analogy, he didn't just fight Ben Eager, he taught him a lesson.
41 years old with a buggered neck, and he just beats down a guy nearly half his age. Roberts is one of my all time favourites.
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the Flames #### the bed when they let this guy slip away
I don't think you are remembering correctly. The Flames and Roberts made a mutual decision to trade him to an Eastern team so his injury recovery would be helped by the easier travel schedule. Roberts went on to play the rest of his career in the East.
The Flames made a lot of bad moves in the 90s but this was not one of them. Considering they would have lost Roberts for nothing if he retired or left for the East as a free agent getting Cassels and Giguere for Roberts and Kidd was a decent trade.
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I don't think you are remembering correctly. The Flames and Roberts made a mutual decision to trade him to an Eastern team so his injury recovery would be helped by the easier travel schedule. Roberts went on to play the rest of his career in the East.
The Flames made a lot of bad moves in the 90s but this was not one of them. Considering they would have lost Roberts for nothing if he retired or left for the East as a free agent getting Cassels and Giguere for Roberts and Kidd was a decent trade.
A lot of people thought that Roberts was done as a key player at that point, but he ended up being productive after that.
He was my favourite player at the time.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
A lot of people thought that Roberts was done as a key player at that point, but he ended up being productive after that.
He was my favourite player at the time.
Well he did retire for a year and only returned after eventually finding successful treatment. I can see why many people didn't think he had many years in him or would be a contributing player again. It was sad when Calgary traded Roberts but his recovery and lengthy career afterwards was very exciting.
Well he did retire for a year and only returned after eventually finding successful treatment. I can see why many people didn't think he had many years in him or would be a contributing player again. It was sad when Calgary traded Roberts but his recovery and lengthy career afterwards was very exciting.
IIRC, even Roberts himself was hoping to only get a couple years in. Nobody expected he'd go another 12 years after those surgeries.
