Jimmy Roberts, the original St. Louis Blues player, dies
Jimmy Roberts, the first skater taken by the Blues in the 1967 NHL expansion draft, died of cancer Friday. He was 75.
Roberts, a defenseman, led the Blues to the Stanley Cup Final in each of their first three seasons. On April 4, 1967, Roberts scored the Blues’ first Stanley Cup Playoff goal with 6:47 remaining in the third period to give them a 1-0 victory in Game 1 against theFlyers in a quarterfinal series the Blues ultimately won in seven games.
A statement released by the Blues stated:
“The St. Louis Blues and the Blues Alumni organization are deeply saddened by the passing of the original Blue Jimmy Roberts. Jimmy was the franchise’s first-ever draft pick and was instrumental in building the foundation of Blues hockey as a player and upholding its tradition as an alumnus. His tireless contributions to St. Louis, the Blues and the game of hockey as a whole will forever live as an example for future generations to follow. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Judy, and their two daughters.”
Jimmy Roberts was a five-time Stanley Cup Champion (1965, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1977) with the Montreal Canadiens and a three-time NHL All-Star (1965, 1969, 1970). He was the St. Louis Blues’ original member – the club’s first-ever draft pick in the 1967 expansion draft – and led them to the Stanley Cup Finals in each of the franchise’s first three seasons.
Overall, he dressed in 1,159 career NHL games, including 447 with the Blues, before retiring in St. Louis after the 1977-78 season.
After his playing career, Jimmy went on to coach Buffalo (1981-82), Hartford (1991-92) and St. Louis (1996-97).”
Prior to playing in the NHL, Roberts had Scotty Bowman as his coach with the Peterborough Petes in the Ontario Hockey Association. Roberts also spent time in the Eastern Professional Hockey League with the Montreal Royals and Hull-Ottawa Canadiens before joining the Cleveland Barons in the American Hockey League in 1962-63.
Roberts made his NHL debut in 1963-64, getting one assist in 15 games with the Canadiens. He had 126 goals and 320 points in 1,006 regular-season games and 20 goals and 36 points in 153 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Information from St. Louis Blues, staff and NHL.
