Bob Plager

Bob Plager
Born (1943-03-11) March 11, 1943
Kirkland Lake, ON, CAN
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Left
Played for AHL
Baltimore Clippers
NHL
New York Rangers
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 19621978

Robert Bryant Plager (born March 11, 1943) is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for fourteen seasons from 1964–65 until 1977–78. He had two brothers, Bill and Barclay, who also played in the NHL.

Early career

Plager grew up in Kirkland Lake, Ontario in a hockey family. His father was the chief official in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Plager played junior hockey with the Guelph Biltmore's. Known for his aggressive, highly physical player, Plager broke what was then the Ontario Hockey Association record for penalty minutes in a season in 1961-62. He 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.

Blues playing career

Plager was reunited with his brothers as the St. Louis Blues started their 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. Despite injuries, Plager was able to play 615 games over 11 years on the St. Louis blue line.

Post-playing career

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 Riverman, 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 was slated to begin his tenure as 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.

Personal life

Plager is a convert to Judaism.[1]

Career statistics

Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1961–62 Kitchener-Waterloo EPHL 3 0 0 0 2 - - - - -
1962–63 Baltimore Clippers AHL 4 0 0 0 6 2 0 0 0 10
1963–64 St. Paul Rangers CPHL 61 13 35 48 158 8 3 6 9 21
1964–65 Vancouver Canucks WHL 31 5 12 17 103 - - - - -
Baltimore Clippers AHL 19 2 12 14 27 5 0 0 0 6
New York Rangers NHL 10 0 0 0 18 - - - - -
1965–66 Minnesota Rangers CPHL 44 7 12 19 145 - - - - -
New York Rangers NHL 18 0 5 5 22 - - - - -
1967–68 St. Louis Blues NHL 53 2 5 7 86 18 1 2 3 69
1968–69 Kansas City Blues CHL 5 1 3 4 16 - - - - -
St. Louis Blues NHL 32 0 7 7 43 9 0 4 4 47
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 Kansas City Blues CHL 4 0 2 2 15 - - - - -
St. Louis Blues NHL 54 1 9 10 23 4 0 0 0 0
1977–78 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 11 0 3 3 52 6 0 3 3 6
St. Louis Blues NHL 18 0 0 0 4 - - - - -
NHL Totals 644 20 126 146 802 74 2 17 19 195

Coaching record

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Division rank Result
St. Louis Blues1992–93 11461(9)4th in Norris(resigned)

References

  1. "Plager, Bob : Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum". Jewsinsports.org. 1943-03-11. Retrieved 2016-10-29.

External links

Preceded by
Brian Sutter
Head coach of the St. Louis Blues
1992
Succeeded by
Bob Berry
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