| Bob Gassoff | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1953-04-17)April 17, 1953 Quesnel,British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Died | May 29, 1977(1977-05-29) (aged 24) nearGray Summit, Missouri, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | St. Louis Blues | ||
| NHL draft | 48th overall,1973 St. Louis Blues | ||
| WHA draft | 33rd overall,1973 Minnesota Fighting Saints | ||
| Playing career | 1973–1977 | ||
Robert Allen Gassoff (April 17, 1953 – May 29, 1977) was a professionalice hockey player, born in Quesnel, British Columbia. From an early age he was passionate about hockey, playing first on a rink on the family farm on the Quesnel Hydraulic Road and then on a variety of local junior leagues. He played four seasons in theNHL for theSt. Louis Blues. He was killed in a motorcycle accident on the country property of his friend and teammateGarry Unger near Gray Summit, Missouri; his number three was subsequently retired by the Blues.
Gassoff was killed in a motorcycle accident on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend in 1977. He and his pregnant wife, Diane, had been invited to a postseason barbecue at teammate Garry Unger's 200-acre (0.81 km2) farm near Gray Summit, Mo. At roughly 6:00 p.m., Gassoff joined several others in riding motorcycles around Unger's property. Unger later said that he remembered wondering if it was a good idea for Gassoff to ride the motorcycle because he had been drinking and did not have any riding experience. Gassoff drove out of Unger's property on a gravel road that merged into a winding road leading up a hill toVilla Ridge, Missouri. Gassoff was not wearing a helmet and had no license plate on his motorcycle and decided to take a short run up the hill and come right back. On his way back down the hill, he collided head-on with a car driven by a man named Douglas Klekamp. The crash killed Gassoff, and Klekamp walked away uninjured. In October 1977, Gassoff's widow filed a $3 million lawsuit against Unger, his wife, and Klekamp, whom the suit alleged was one of Unger's employees running an errand for the Ungers. Unger describes Gassoff's death as one of the most devastating moments of his life.
Gassoff's parents, Albert and Denise, were staunch supporters of his interest in hockey and encouraged him from a very early age. Gassoff's brother,Brad, was also an NHL hockey player. His brother Ken, born October 9, 1954, was drafted by theNew York Rangers in the1974 NHL amateur draft and by theHouston Aeros in the1974 WHA Amateur Draft.[1] Gassoff's son Bob Gassoff Jr. (born two months after the fatal motorcycle accident in 1977) eventually also became a hockey player, briefly playing minor league professional hockey for thePeoria Rivermen (ECHL) after a four-year college hockey career with the university ofMichigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team. He became aNavy SEAL after retiring from hockey.[2]
Following his death, theBob Gassoff Trophy was created to be presented annually to the most improveddefenseman in theCentral Hockey League (CHL).[3]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1970–71 | Vernon Lakers | BCJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 64 | 1 | 16 | 17 | 314 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 29 | ||
| 1972–73 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 68 | 11 | 51 | 62 | 388 | 17 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 152 | ||
| 1973–74 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 28 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Denver Spurs | WHL | 45 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 301 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 60 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 222 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1974–75 | Denver Spurs | CHL | 19 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 114 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 80 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 306 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1976–77 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 77 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 254 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| NHL totals | 245 | 11 | 47 | 58 | 866 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | ||||