| René Robert | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Robert with theColorado Rockies in 1980 | |||
| Born | (1948-12-31)December 31, 1948 Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Died | June 22, 2021(2021-06-22) (aged 72) Port Charlotte, Florida, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 184 lb (83 kg; 13 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Toronto Maple Leafs Pittsburgh Penguins Buffalo Sabres Colorado Rockies | ||
| National team |  Canada | ||
| Playing career | 1968–1982 | ||
René Paul Robert (December 31, 1948 – June 22, 2021) was a Canadian professionalice hockeywinger who played 12 seasons in theNational Hockey League (NHL). He played for theToronto Maple Leafs,Pittsburgh Penguins,Buffalo Sabres, andColorado Rockies from 1970 to 1982. He made twoAll-Star appearances and was selected as thesecond NHL All-Star team right wing in1974–75.[1] He also played in the1975 Stanley Cup Finals with the Sabres, in which he scored the game-winning goal in Game 3.
Robert was born inTrois-Rivières, on December 31, 1948.[2] As a youth, he played in the 1961Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with Trois-Rivières.[3] While playing for the Trois-Rivieres Maple Leafs of theQuebec Junior A Hockey League in 1967–68, he set the QJAHL record with 69 goals in 49 games, a record that has subsequently been broken.[4] He was signed by theToronto Maple Leafs to a five-game tryout contract on March 20, 1968.[2]
Robert made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs in1970–71. He played five games during his first season and did not record anypoints. He was claimed by thePittsburgh Penguins on June 8, 1971, in theNHL Intra-League Draft. He played most of the1971–72 season with that franchise until he was traded to theBuffalo Sabres forEddie Shack on March 4, 1972.[2] He was subsequently placed in the same forwardline as centerGilbert Perreault and left wingerRick Martin, and the trio became known asThe French Connection.[5][6] A statue of the famous forward line, unveiled in 2012,[7] is located in front the Sabres arena, KeyBank Center.[8]
In his first season with the Sabres, Robert led the franchise ingoals with 40,[5] and he was named to his firstNHL All-Star Game.[2] The team then unexpectedly advanced to the1973 Stanley Cup playoffs,[6] with Robert scoring the franchise's firstovertime goal on April 10, 1973, in Game 5 against theMontreal Canadiens, who went on to win the series.[5][6] Robert's best offensive season came during the1974–75 season, when he recorded 40 goals and 60 assists for 100 points.[2] It was the Sabres' first 100-point season by an individual,[1][5] and he was also named to thesecond NHL All-Star team that year.[2] In Game 3 of the1975 Stanley Cup Finals, dubbed the "Fog Game", Robert scored after 18:29 of overtime against thePhiladelphia Flyers to help the Sabres win their first game of the series.[5][6] The Flyers ultimately clinched the Cup in six games.[9] Robert led the league in games played (80) andhat-tricks (3) the following season. He was traded to theColorado Rockies on October 5, 1979, in exchange fordefencemanJohn Van Boxmeer.[2] Robert was named captain of the Rockies,[10] before being traded on January 30, 1981, to the Maple Leafs, with whom he played his final season in1981–82. He finished his NHL career with 744 games, recording 284 goals and 418 assists for 702 points.[2]
After retiring from professional ice hockey, Robert acted as president of the NHL Alumni Association.[11] He was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame along with Perreault and Martin in 1989.[12] His number 14 was retired by the Sabres on November 15, 1995,[5] along with Rick Martin's number 7 jersey. They were reunited with Perreault whose number 11 was retired in a 1990 ceremony.[13]
Robert divided his time betweenWestern New York and Florida. The driveway at his home in Buffalo was constructed from pieces of theBuffalo Memorial Auditorium after its demolition in 2009. He had a heart attack on June 18, 2021, and was placed on life support.[14] He died four days later on June 22 at a hospital inPort Charlotte, Florida, at the age of 72.[6][15]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1965–66 | Trois-Rivières Leafs | QJHL | 42 | 13 | 38 | 51 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 1966–67 | Trois-Rivières Leafs | QJHL | 41 | 34 | 32 | 66 | 73 | 11 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 15 | ||
| 1967–68 | Trois-Rivières Leafs | QJHL | 49 | 69 | 74 | 143 | — | 4 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 1967–68 | Tulsa Oilers | CPHL | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 1968–69 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 59 | 21 | 30 | 51 | 57 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 1969–70 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 49 | 23 | 40 | 63 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 58 | 26 | 36 | 62 | 85 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Phoenix Roadrunners | WHL | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 7 | ||
| 1971–72 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 49 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 12 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 75 | 40 | 43 | 83 | 83 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 1973–74 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 76 | 21 | 44 | 65 | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 74 | 40 | 60 | 100 | 75 | 16 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 16 | ||
| 1975–76 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 72 | 35 | 52 | 87 | 53 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1976–77 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 80 | 33 | 40 | 73 | 46 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 20 | ||
| 1977–78 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 67 | 25 | 48 | 73 | 25 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 23 | ||
| 1978–79 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 68 | 22 | 40 | 62 | 46 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1979–80 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 69 | 28 | 35 | 63 | 79 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 28 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 14 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1981–82 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 55 | 13 | 24 | 37 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 744 | 284 | 418 | 702 | 597 | 50 | 22 | 19 | 41 | 73 | ||||
| Preceded by | Colorado Rockies captain 1980–81 | Succeeded by |