Bob Plager

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Bob Plager
BobPlager2014.jpg
Plager in 2014
Born (1943-03-11)March 11, 1943
Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for New York Rangers
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 1962–1978

Robert Bryant Plager (March 11, 1943 – March 24, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 14 seasons from 1964 until 1978, primarily for the St. Louis Blues. Plager spent over half a century with the Blues organization in various capacities.

Early career

Plager was born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, on March 11, 1943.[1] His father, Gus, worked as the chief official in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association.[2] Plager played junior hockey with the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters and the Guelph Royals.[3] Known for his aggressive, highly physical play, he broke what was then the Ontario Hockey Association record for penalty minutes in a season in 1961–62.[2] He subsequently 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.[4]

Blues playing career

Plager was reunited with his brothers Bill and Barclay as all three took the ice for St. Louis Blues as the team started its existence with a hard-hitting, defensive-oriented squad that appeared in three straight Stanley Cup Finals. Bob 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.[5] Despite injuries, Plager was able to play 615 games over 11 years on the St. Louis blue line.[6]

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 Rivermen, 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 became the 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.[7]

His jersey was retired on February 2, 2017, the seventh for a Blues player.[8] He was either a player, coach or executive for nearly all of the Blues' existence until his death.[9]

Personal life

Plager's brothers, Bill and Barclay, also played in the NHL.[1] All three of them played together with the St. Louis Blues from 1968 to 1972.[1][10][11] Plager was a convert to Judaism.[12][13]

Death

Plager died of a "cardiac event" suffered while driving eastbound near St. Louis' Vandeventer neighborhood, on Interstate 64, on March 24, 2021, leading to a two-vehicle collision.[14][15][16]

Career statistics

Source:[1]

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1959–60 Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters OHA 44 0 1 1 37 5 0 1 1 4
1960–61 Guelph Royals OHA 43 3 12 15 99 14 3 8 11 73
1961–62 Guelph Royals OHA 50 5 22 27 161 — — — — —
1961–62 Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers EPHL 3 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
1962–63 Guelph Royals OHA 45 11 28 39 97 — — — — —
1962–63 Baltimore Clippers AHL 4 0 0 0 6 2 0 0 0 10
1963–64 St. Paul Rangers CHL 61 13 35 48 158 8 3 6 9 21
1964–65 New York Rangers NHL 10 0 0 0 18 — — — — —
1964–65 Vancouver Canucks WHL 31 5 12 17 103 — — — — —
1964–65 Baltimore Clippers AHL 19 2 12 14 27 5 0 0 0 6
1965–66 New York Rangers NHL 18 0 5 5 22 — — — — —
1965–66 Minnesota Rangers CHL 44 7 12 19 145 — — — — —
1966–67 New York Rangers NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1966–67 Baltimore Clippers AHL 63 3 16 19 169 9 0 5 5 15
1967–68 St. Louis Blues NHL 53 2 5 7 86 18 1 2 3 69
1968–69 St. Louis Blues NHL 32 0 7 7 43 9 0 4 4 47
1968–69 Kansas City Blues CHL 5 1 3 4 16 — — — — —
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 St. Louis Blues NHL 54 1 9 10 23 4 0 0 0 0
1976–77 Kansas City Blues CHL 4 0 2 2 15 — — — — —
1977–78 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 11 0 3 3 52 6 0 3 3 6
NHL totals 644 20 126 146 802 74 2 17 19 195

Coaching record

Source:[17]

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Division rank Result
St. Louis Blues 1992–93 11 4 6 1 (9) (resigned) —

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/p/plagebo01.htm
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Preceded by Head coach of the St. Louis Blues
1992		 Succeeded by
Bob Berry
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