# Jim Roberts (ice hockey, born 1940)

James Wilfred Roberts (April 9, 1940 – October 23, 2015), known as Jim Roberts or Jimmy Roberts, was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman and forward.

## Early life

Roberts was born in Toronto. After playing for future Montreal Canadiens coach Scotty Bowman with the OHA junior Peterborough Petes, Roberts was signed by the Canadiens and turned pro with the Montreal Royals minor league team in 1959.

## Career

In the 1964 season, he saw his first NHL action with Montreal and remained the next several seasons, winning two Stanley Cups before becoming the first selection of the St. Louis Blues in 1967 NHL Expansion Draft. He played solidly for the Blues for five seasons, being named the team captain in 1971 before his trade back to Montreal, where he played for three more Cup winners. Roberts rejoined the Blues for one final season in 1978 before his retirement. He was known for his defensive skills and often used as a "shadow" against high scoring enemy forwards.
After his retirement as a player, Roberts was an interim coach of the Buffalo Sabres under his old mentor Bowman before coaching the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League to back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 1990 and 1991, after which he was named the head coach of the Hartford Whalers. He went on to be the coach and general manager of the Worcester IceCats of the AHL for two seasons before moving on to be an assistant coach with the St. Louis parent club between 1996 and 2000, including a short stint as the interim head coach in 1997.
Roberts played in 1,006 NHL games, scoring 126 goals and 194 assists for 320 points, and playing in three All-Star Games in 1965, 1969 and 1970. "Jimmy Roberts" was engraved on the Stanley Cup in 1965, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1977 (all with Montreal).
On October 22, 2024, the St. Louis Blues announced Roberts would be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in January, 2025 along with Wayne Babych and Curtis Joseph

## Personal life

Roberts died on October 23, 2015, of cancer, which had been diagnosed weeks prior. On October 27, 2015, the St. Louis Blues announced team members would wear helmet decals for the home stand that read "JR" in the lower left corner to honor Roberts.

## Career statistics

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1958–59 | Peterborough Petes | OHA-Jr. | 54 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 34 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1958–59 | Peterborough Petes | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 1959–60 | Peterborough Petes | OHA-Jr. | 48 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 55 | 12 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18 |
| 1959–60 | Montreal Royals | EPHL | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1960–61 | Montreal Royals | EPHL | 51 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1961–62 | Hull-Ottawa Canadiens | EPHL | 67 | 11 | 28 | 39 | 42 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 18 |
| 1962–63 | Hull-Ottawa Canadiens | EPHL | 72 | 2 | 27 | 29 | 78 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1962–63 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1963–64 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 1963–64 | Omaha Knights | CPHL | 46 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1963–64 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1963–64 | Quebec Aces | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1964–65 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 70 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 40 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 1965–66 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 70 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 1966–67 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 63 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1967–68 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 74 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 66 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 20 |
| 1968–69 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 72 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 81 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 1969–70 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 76 | 13 | 17 | 30 | 51 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 29 |
| 1970–71 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 72 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 77 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 1971–72 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 26 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1971–72 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 51 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 53 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1972–73 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 77 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 28 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 22 |
| 1973–74 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 67 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 39 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1974–75 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 79 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 52 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 1975–76 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 74 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 35 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 1976–77 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 45 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| 1977–78 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 75 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | NHL totals | 1,006 | 126 | 194 | 320 | 621 | 153 | 20 | 16 | 36 | 160 |

## Coaching statistics

| Team | Year | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Post-season |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | T | Pts | Finish | Result |
| BUF | 1981–82 | 45 | 21 | 16 | 8 | (93) | 3rd in Adams | (interim; returned to assistant coaching role) |
| HAR | 1991–92 | 80 | 26 | 41 | 13 | 65 | 4th in Adams | Lost in first round |
| STL | 1996–97 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | (83) | 4th in Central | (interim; returned to assistant coaching role) |
| Total | Total | 134 | 50 | 60 | 24 |