Gary R. Roberts (born May 23, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Tampa Bay Lightning. Renowned for his physical fitness during his career, Roberts has become a high performance trainer for players at all levels of the sport.
Roberts was a member of Memorial Cup and Minto Cup winning teams as Canadian junior hockey and box lacrosse champions, respectively. He was a first round selection of the Calgary Flames, 12th overall, at the 1984 NHL entry draft and played ten seasons in Calgary. Roberts was a member of the Flames' 1989 Stanley Cup championship team and made two of his three NHL All-Star Game appearances as a representative of the team. A serious neck injury forced him to miss the majority of two seasons, and while his return earned him the 1996 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and dedication to the game, he was forced into retirement following the 1995–96 season.
After sitting out a full season, Roberts successfully returned to the NHL in 1997 as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes, with whom he played three seasons. Stints in Toronto, Florida and Pittsburgh followed, and Roberts ended his career in 2009 as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played 11 seasons following his comeback, finishing with 1,224 games played, 438 goals, and 910 points.
Roberts was born on May 23, 1966, in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in Whitby. His best friend growing up was future NHL teammate Joe Nieuwendyk; the pair played minor hockey together in the winter, and box lacrosse in the summer. Roberts played Junior A lacrosse with the Whitby Warriors in the mid-1980s, with whom he won a Minto Cup, the Canadian junior championship.[a]
In junior hockey, Roberts was drafted into the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He joined the Ottawa 67's in 1982–83 and scored 20 points in 53 games. Roberts improved to 57 points in his second season and added 17 points in 13 playoff games. The 67's reached the OHL final and defeated the Kitchener Rangers to win the J. Ross Robertson Cup. The victory advanced the 67's to the 1984 Memorial Cup tournament where Ottawa reached the final. They again faced Kitchener, who were the tournament hosts, and won the national championship with a 7–2 victory. Following the season, the Calgary Flames selected Roberts with their first round selection, 12th overall, at the 1984 NHL entry draft.
Returned by the Flames to Ottawa for his third junior season in 1984–85, Roberts served as the team's captain. He recorded 106 points, including 44 goals, and was named to the OHL's second All-Star Team. Entering a rebuilding phase, the 67's were quickly eliminated from the playoffs, after which the Flames assigned Roberts to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Moncton Golden Flames. In his first professional stint, Roberts scored four goals and added two assists in seven games. Roberts returned to Ottawa for a final junior season in 1985–86, a season in which he played with the Canadian junior team at the 1986 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Roberts finished second on the team with six goals for the silver medal-winning Canadians. In the OHL, he split the season between the last place 67's and, following a trade, the Guelph Platers. Roberts finished with 84 points combined between the two teams, and helped the Platers record a 15–3–2 record in the playoffs and lead Guelph past the Belleville Bulls to win the OHL championship. He scored four goals in four games at the 1986 Memorial Cup, and the Platers defeated the Hull Olympiques, 6–2 in the final. Roberts ended his junior career as a two-time Memorial Cup champion.
In his first professional season, 1986–87, Roberts shuttled between Calgary and Moncton. He was recalled to the Flames three times during the season and scored his first NHL goal in his NHL debut on November 11, 1986, against the Vancouver Canucks. He recorded 15 points in 32 games with Calgary and added 38 points in 38 AHL games with Moncton. In his first full season in Calgary, 1987–88, Roberts improved to 28 points in 74 NHL games, while his 282 penalty minutes were ultimately the highest total of his career, and the first of five consecutive seasons which he recorded over 200 minutes in penalties. Roberts joined the Flames as a grinder; He played a physical style and frequently engaged opponents in fights, but credited Nieuwendyk with helping him establish his place as a power forward and offensive threat with the team. Playing on a line with Nieuwendyk and Håkan Loob, Roberts scored 22 goals in 1988–89. He added 12 points in the 1989 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including two goals in the Flames' 5–3 victory in the fourth game of the Smythe Division final that eliminated the Los Angeles Kings. Roberts and the Flames went on to defeat the Montreal Canadiens in the 1989 Stanley Cup Final to earn the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship.
Developing into an offensive leader, Roberts scored more goals (39) in 1989–90 than he had points (38) the previous season. He scored his first career hat trick in a 6–2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on March 30, 1990. After regressing to 22 goals and 53 points in 1990–91, Roberts set career highs in 1991–92 with 53 goals and 90 points. Both totals led the Flames and 53 goals remains the second highest single-season total in Flames history, behind Lanny McDonald's 66 goals in 1982–83. He played in his first NHL All-Star Game in 1992, and became one of the first two players in NHL history to score 50 goals and record 200 penalty minutes in the same season (along with Kevin Stevens of the Pittsburgh Penguins).
Roberts tied a Flames franchise record with goals in eight consecutive games in 1992–93, a streak that came to an end when he suffered a quadriceps injury that caused him to miss 25 games. He finished the season with 79 points in 58 games, and appeared in his second All-Star Game. Healthy for most of the 1993–94 season, Roberts led the Flames with 41 goals. He missed the final two weeks due to damage to nerves in his neck, an injury he had experienced previously in his career. The injury worsened in the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season as he appeared in only eight games. Degeneration of the nerves in his neck left Roberts unable to lift a 2 pounds (0.91 kg) dumbbell above his shoulder with his left arm.
The injury was considered career threatening and required two surgeries, in March and October 1995, to repair. After missing the first half of the 1995–96 season, Roberts made his return on January 10, 1996, against the Hartford Whalers. The fans greeted him with a standing ovation and he responded by scoring a goal and throwing several bodychecks in the game. Although he played only 35 games, Roberts scored 22 goals and had 42 points. His return and performance earned him the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and dedication to the game. The problems with his neck failed to abate however, and on June 17, 1996, Roberts elected to retire from the NHL at the age of 30.
Several months after retiring, Roberts was put in touch with Dr. Michael Leahy, a chiropractor from Colorado, whose "active release technique" of physiotherapy led to an immediate improvement in his mobility. Determined to try and resume his career, Roberts then spent most of the next year with a physical therapist learning a new training regimen. After sitting out the entire 1996–97 season, Roberts announced his return to the NHL. He remained a member of the Flames, but the team agreed to trade him to an Eastern team to reduce strain due to travel. The Flames dealt Roberts, along with goaltender Trevor Kidd, to the Carolina Hurricanes on August 25, 1997, in exchange for Andrew Cassels and Jean-Sébastien Giguère.
In his return season of 1997–98, Roberts recorded 49 points in 61 games. He dropped to 42 points in 1998–99, but finished fifth in team scoring to help Carolina win a Southeast Division championship. He scored his first playoff goal in five years in Carolina's first round series against the Boston Bruins, though the Hurricanes ultimately lost the series in six games. Roberts scored 53 points in 1999–2000 before leaving Carolina as a free agent.