page_title: Gary Roberts (ice hockey)
section_title: Calgary Flames
hierarchical_section_title: Gary Roberts (ice hockey) / Playing career / Calgary Flames
caption_attribution_description: English: Former NHL player Gary Roberts during the alumni game at the 2011 Heritage Classic in Calgary.
context_page_description: Gary R. Roberts is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League 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.
context_section_description: 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 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.
caption: Roberts played with the Flames' alumni team at the 2011 Heritage Classic.
exif: {}