Robyn Regehr Robyn Regehr ( born April 19 , 1980 ) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman . He was a first round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche , selected 19th overall at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft , but was traded to the Calgary Flames prior to the start of his professional career , and has also played for the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings in an NHL career that has spanned 1 , 089 games . Regehr won his first Stanley Cup in 2014 with the Kings , on what was his 15th year in the NHL . He was a member of the Canadian team at the 2006 Winter Olympics , and has won silver medals at the World Junior and Senior championships , as well as the championship at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey . Regehr was born in Brazil , and spent his early childhood in Indonesia before his parents settled back in Canada . At 19 , he was the youngest nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in NHL history after he made his NHL debut less than four months after suffering two broken legs in a serious automobile accident . He is best known for his strong defence and physical ability . His younger brother Richie briefly played with him on the Flames . Regher announced his retirement from the NHL on April 11th , 2015 . In early 2016 Regehr announced that he would return to the Calgary Flames and retire in their colours . Early life . Regehr was born on April 19 , 1980 in Recife , Brazil , the second son of Canadian Mennonite Missionaries Ron and Edith Regehr . Regehr only lived in Brazil for the first nine months of his life . From three to seven years old he lived in Indonesia , where his younger brother , Richie was born . He also has an older brother and a sister . The family finally settled back in Canada , at Rosthern , Saskatchewan around the time he turned seven . Regehr quickly picked up the game of hockey , but was held back in his first year of minor hockey as he was starting the game three years behind other kids his age . He helped his father operate the natural surface ice rink in Rosthern , often spending hours manually preparing the ice . Playing career . Junior . The Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League ( WHL ) selected Regehr with their first pick , 17th overall , in the 1995 WHL Bantam Draft . He played as a 15 - year - old with the Prince Albert Mintos of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League where he was named the team ' s top defenceman . He then joined the Blazers for the 1996 – 97 WHL season . Two years later , the Colorado Avalanche drafted him in the first round , 19th overall , at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft . Regehr broke out following the draft , scoring 12 goals and 32 points in 1998 – 99 , and helped the Blazers reach the WHL championship where they lost to the Calgary Hitmen . He was named a Western Conference All - Star by the WHL and a third - team All - Star by the Canadian Hockey League , and represented Canada at the 1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships , winning a silver medal . Late in that season , the Calgary Flames dealt all - star forward Theoren Fleury , along with Chris Dingman , to the Avalanche for Rene Corbet , Wade Belak , a draft pick and their choice of a prospect from a list provided by Colorado . Impressed with his defensive potential , the Flames later chose Regehr to complete that trade . His professional career nearly ended before it started , as he was seriously injured in an automobile accident near Saskatoon , Saskatchewan on July 4 , 1999 . Regehr , who was driving home from a summer trip with his elder brother Dinho ( Ronald ) and two female friends , was struck head - on by another vehicle that crossed into his path . He suffered two broken legs in the crash that killed two people in the other vehicle . Doctors initially feared that he would never play hockey again . National Hockey League . Calgary Flames . Following operations to repair the damage to Regehr ' s legs , doctors gained optimism , but expected he would be unable to skate before the end of the year . He far exceeded doctors ' expectations ; he was skating by the beginning of September and was back playing hockey less than four months following the accident . He played a five game conditioning stint with the Saint John Flames of the American Hockey League in late October before being recalled by the Flames on October 28 , 1999 . That night , he made his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators and was praised by his coach , Brian Sutter , for playing a mistake free game . He scored his first NHL goal on November 10 against the San Jose Sharks . Regehr played 57 games for the Flames in 1999 – 2000 , scoring five goals and 12 points . He was the Flames nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy , which recognizes perseverance , sportsmanship and dedication to hockey . At the age of 19 , he was the youngest nominee in NHL history . The Flames also presented him with the Ralph T . Scurfield Humanitarian Award in honour of his perseverance . Regehr struggled in 2001 – 02 , finishing with a team worst −24 plus / minus while occasionally being left out of the lineup as a healthy scratch . Unhappy with his season , he focused on improving his game . He overcame rib , abdominal and wrist injuries in 2002 – 03 to establish himself as a top defender with the team and earned a second Masterton Trophy nomination for his dedication . The Flames rewarded him with a five - year contract extension prior to the 2003 – 04 season . They also named him an alternate captain , a position he continuously held for the remainder of his stay in Calgary . Not known for his offensive ability , Regehr ended a 100 - game goal scoring drought early in the season , finishing with four for the season . He set a career high with 18 points , and was a key player in the Flames improbable run to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals facing top opposition players . He played the final two games of the Stanley Cup Final despite tearing ligaments in his foot in game five . His performance in the post season earned him the praise of his opponents . While the 2004 – 05 season was cancelled due to a labour dispute , Regehr played in a European charity tour that saw NHL players form a " Worldstars " team that played ten games in seven countries in December 2004 . While he enjoyed the tour , Regehr stated that he was not interested in joining the many other NHL players who signed on with European teams during the lockout . He was also critical of the position of the league in the lockout , and took on a greater role within the National Hockey League Players Association ( NHLPA ) when he succeeded Jarome Iginla as the Flames player representative following the lockout . While the NHL returned to action in 2005 – 06 , he missed the first month of the season after suffering a knee injury in a pre - season game . Doctors considered Regehr fortunate , believing that a knee brace he had been wearing prevented a more severe injury that would have seen him miss up to six months . Despite missing 14 games , he set career highs in goals ( 6 ) , assists ( 20 ) and points ( 26 ) . He continued to quietly lead the Flames defence and earned a spot on the Canadian Olympic team in 2006 . Regehr briefly played with his brother , Richie , who made his NHL debut with the Flames on December 29 , 2005 . He played the full season in 2006 – 07 , including his 500th career game on March 15 , 2007 , against the Dallas Stars and scored his 100th career point on March 31 against the Vancouver Canucks . However , he was again forced out of the lineup due to a knee injury after only one game in the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs . Following the season , the Flames signed Regehr to another five - year contract extension worth a total of US $ 20 - million . The deal was considered to be worth less than he could have gotten as an unrestricted free agent the following year , but he chose to take less to stay in a city his family enjoyed and on a team he felt was competitive . Regehr played all 82 games for the Flames in 2007 – 08 despite being hit in the face by the puck in a game , and suffering a deep bruise on his foot while blocking a shot that was initially feared to be a broken bone . Off the ice , Regehr was named to an NHLPA committee formed in 2007 to find a replacement for ousted Executive Director Ted Saskin . The union hired Paul Kelly in October 2007 , however he was controversially dismissed less than two years later . Regehr defended the firing , though he and all player representatives were criticized for how they handled Kelly ' s dismissal . Another knee injury ended his 2008 – 09 season after 75 games and left him unavailable for the playoffs . He expressed his frustrations with coach Mike Keenan , who was fired by the team after failing to advance past the first round of the playoffs , criticizing Keenan ' s lack of structure and expressing optimism for the team ' s chances under a new coach . After failing to score a goal in 2008 – 09 and the first half of the 2009 – 10 season , Regehr scored his first goal in 141 games on January 18 , 2010 , against the San Jose Sharks . He finished with 2 goals and 17 points that season and matched those totals in 2010 – 11 . Upon playing his 804th game late in the season , Regehr surpassed Al MacInnis as the team ' s all - time leader in games played by a defenceman . Buffalo and Los Angeles . After missing the playoffs in the two previous seasons and needing to clear salary cap space to sign Alex Tanguay , the Flames dealt Regehr to the Buffalo Sabres on June 25 , 2011 . He was sent to Buffalo , along with Aleš Kotalík and a second round selection at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Paul Byron and Chris Butler . According to Flames ' general manager Jay Feaster , the deal " surprised " Regehr , who initially was unsure he would waive his no - trade clause and agree to the deal . Regehr accepted the deal after speaking with Sabres ' management . In his first season with Buffalo , 2011 – 12 , Regehr led the Sabres with 172 hits and finished second with 112 blocked shots . His one goal on the season ended another lengthy scoring drought that lasted nearly 11 months . His tenure with the Sabres ended 21 games into the 2012 – 13 season . In the final year of his contract and with Buffalo out of playoff contention , he was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings on April 1 , 2013 , in exchange for two second round draft picks . The Kings acquired Regehr to add a veteran presence and aid the team ' s penalty kill . He appeared in 41 games during the season , split between the two teams , and recorded four assists . Shortly after the Kings reached the third round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs , Regehr and the team agreed to a two - year , $ 6 million contract extension . After the Kings were eliminated from the post - season by the Chicago Blackhawks , Kings ' coach Darryl Sutter revealed he had played the entire playoffs with an elbow injury that required off - season surgery to repair . In the 2013 - 14 NHL season , Regehr begun his 15th year in the NHL , and played his 1 , 000th game on February 1 , 2014 , against the Philadelphia Flyers . At the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs , Regher only played the first round against the San Jose Sharks before being sidelined with a knee injury . Once the Kings won the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals , captain Dustin Brown finished his victory lap by handing the Stanley Cup to Regehr , thanking the veteran for his off - ice presence . Following the last regular season game for the Kings and the last day of the 2014 – 2015 NHL regular season , Regehr announced that he would retire from professional hockey . International play . Regehr joined the Canadian junior team for the 1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships , playing all seven games for the silver medal winning Canadians . He made his first appearance with the senior team following his rookie season in the NHL , playing six games in the 2000 Men ' s World Ice Hockey Championships . His emergence in the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs earned him consideration for Canada ' s entry at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey . He was named to the team by executive director Wayne Gretzky as he looked to bring a younger team to this tournament than played at the 2002 Winter Olympics . The decision worked , as Regehr and the Canadians won the championship . He played in his second world championship in 2005 , where he won a silver medal after Canada lost the final to the Czech Republic 3 – 0 . The following year , he was named to the Canadian Olympic team for the 2006 Winter Olympics . He recorded one assist in six games , though Canada was unable to defend its 2002 gold medal , failing to medal entirely . Regehr participated in team Canada ' s orientation camp for the 2010 Games in the hopes of earning a second opportunity to win an Olympic medal . Off the ice . Regehr married his wife Kristina in late 2007 , and the couple have two sons , Wyatt and Shane . While in Calgary , they were active in the community , serving as honorary co - chairs of the Impact Foundation , an organization that aims to help kids deal with the challenges of growing up . Regehr donated $ 75 to the organization for every bodycheck he was credited with during the NHL season . He is also active with Right to Play , an athlete driven organization that aims to improve the lives of the worlds most impoverished children through sport . He made a trip to Mozambique in the summer of 2008 as an ambassador to the organization , and has participated in charity events for the organization . The Flames named him the inaugural recipient of the J . R . " Bud " McCaig Award in 2006 in honour of his contributions to society . He is an avid outdoorsman ; his favourite winter activity is snowmobiling . He favours wakeboarding in the summer , and has spent time teaching kids outdoor safety .