Bob Plager
Bob Plager | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Kirkland Lake, ON, CAN | March 11, 1943||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
Position | Defense | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
AHL Baltimore Clippers NHL New York Rangers St. Louis Blues | ||
Playing career | 1962–1978 |
Robert Bryant Plager (born March 11, 1943) is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for fourteen seasons from 1964–65 until 1977–78. He had two brothers, Bill and Barclay, who also played in the NHL.
Early career
Plager grew up in Kirkland Lake, Ontario in a hockey family. His father was the chief official in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Plager played junior hockey with the Guelph Biltmore's. Known for his aggressive, highly physical player, Plager broke what was then the Ontario Hockey Association record for penalty minutes in a season in 1961-62. He signed a professional contract with the New York Rangers in 1964 but only played 29 games with this club over the next three years, spending most of his time with the minor league Baltimore Clippers. The NHL's expansion gave Plager his chance to become an NHL regular; he was traded to St. Louis with Gary Sabourin, Tim Ecclestone and Gord Kannegiesser for Rod Seiling on June 6, 1967.
Blues playing career
Plager was reunited with his brothers as the St. Louis Blues started their existence with a hard-hitting, defensive-oriented squad that appeared in three straight Stanley Cup Finals. Plager earned a reputation as a bruising player with a devastating hip check. Off the ice, he was known as a prankster who was able to bond teammates through his lighthearted demeanor. Despite injuries, Plager was able to play 615 games over 11 years on the St. Louis blue line.
Post-playing career
Plager retired from on-ice action in 1978 and took a job with the Blues front office. He is credited with developing the process of advanced scouting. During the 1990–91 season, he took over as head coach of the Peoria Riverman, a Blues affiliate club. In his one season behind the bench, he led the team to a Turner Cup championship and won the Commissioners' Trophy as coach of the year. During the 1992–93 season, he was slated to begin his tenure as Blues head coach, but, unhappy with his new role, he resigned after 11 games to return to his job as vice president of player development.
Personal life
Plager is a convert to Judaism.[1]
Career statistics
Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
1961–62 | Kitchener-Waterloo | EPHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
1962–63 | Baltimore Clippers | AHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
1963–64 | St. Paul Rangers | CPHL | 61 | 13 | 35 | 48 | 158 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 21 |
1964–65 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 31 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 103 | - | - | - | - | - |
Baltimore Clippers | AHL | 19 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
New York Rangers | NHL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | |
1965–66 | Minnesota Rangers | CPHL | 44 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 145 | - | - | - | - | - |
New York Rangers | NHL | 18 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 22 | - | - | - | - | - | |
1967–68 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 53 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 86 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 69 |
1968–69 | Kansas City Blues | CHL | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 16 | - | - | - | - | - |
St. Louis Blues | NHL | 32 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 43 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 47 | |
1969–70 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 64 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 113 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 46 |
1970–71 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 70 | 1 | 19 | 20 | 114 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
1971–72 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 50 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 81 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
1972–73 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 77 | 2 | 31 | 33 | 107 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
1973–74 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 61 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 48 | - | - | - | - | - |
1974–75 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 73 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 53 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
1975–76 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 63 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 90 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
1976–77 | Kansas City Blues | CHL | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15 | - | - | - | - | - |
St. Louis Blues | NHL | 54 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
1977–78 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 52 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
St. Louis Blues | NHL | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | |
NHL Totals | 644 | 20 | 126 | 146 | 802 | 74 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 195 |
Coaching record
Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | T | Pts | Division rank | Result | ||
St. Louis Blues | 1992–93 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 1 | (9) | 4th in Norris | (resigned) |
References
- ↑ "Plager, Bob : Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum". Jewsinsports.org. 1943-03-11. Retrieved 2016-10-29.
External links
Preceded by Brian Sutter |
Head coach of the St. Louis Blues 1992 |
Succeeded by Bob Berry |