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Bob Plager

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Bob Plager
Plager in 2014
Born (1943-03-11)March 11, 1943
Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
Died March 24, 2021(2021-03-24) (aged 78)
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

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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

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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. 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

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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

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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

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Plager died of a "cardiac event" suffered while driving eastbound on Interstate 64, on March 24, 2021, leading to a two-vehicle collision.[14][15][16] During a commemoration ceremony at Enterprise Center, organist Jeremy Boyer played "When The Blues Go Marching In" while Blues alumni carried his coffin out of Enterprise Center to be transported.[17]

Career statistics

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Source:[1]

Regular season and playoffs

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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

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Source:[18]

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

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Bob Plager Stats". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Timmermann, Tom (March 24, 2021). "Bob Plager remembered for all he meant to team and St. Louis". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  3. ^ "Bob Plager Hockey Stats and Profile". HockeyDB. The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Bob Plager". Legendsofhockey.net.
  5. ^ "Honored Numbers - Bob Plager". Blues.nhl.com.
  6. ^ "Bob Plager". Players. Hockey-Reference.com (Profile). Sports Reference. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  7. ^ "Archives | The Philadelphia Inquirer". Inquirer.com.
  8. ^ "Plager retirement ceremony set for 6:30 p.m." NHL.com. January 23, 2017.
  9. ^ Kaplan, Emily (March 24, 2021). "St. Louis Blues legend Bob Plager dies in car accident at age 78". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  10. ^ "Bill Plager Stats". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  11. ^ "Barclay Plager Stats". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  12. ^ "Plager, Bob : Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum". Jewsinsports.org. March 11, 1943. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  13. ^ "All-Time List of Jewish Skaters in the NHL". Jewishsportsreview.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  14. ^ Heffernan, Erin (March 24, 2021). "Blues hockey legend Plager killed in crash on Highway 40". The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  15. ^ "Blues legend Bobby Plager dead in car accident on Interstate 64". Kmov.com. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  16. ^ "Blues legend Bob Plager died from cardiac-related issue". Ksdk.com. March 26, 2021.
  17. ^ Jeremy playing "When the Blues Go Marching In" one last time for Bobby, retrieved January 12, 2022
  18. ^ "Bob Plager NHL & WHA Hockey Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
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Preceded by Head coach of the St. Louis Blues
1992 		Succeeded by
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