Bobby Rousseau

Bobby Rousseau
Born (1940-07-26) July 26, 1940
Montreal, QC, CAN
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for AHL
Rochester Americans
NHL
Montreal Canadiens
Minnesota North Stars
New York Rangers
National team  Canada
Playing career 19581975

Joseph Jean-Paul Robert Rousseau (born July 26, 1940) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger.

Playing career

Early career

Rousseau started his career with the St. Jean Braves of the Quebec Junior Hockey League in 1955-56 where he led the league in scoring with 53 goals and 85 points in 44 games. The next season, Rousseau moved on with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens. Rousseau helped the team reach the 1957 Memorial Cup finals where they would play against the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters. The Canadiens took their opponents to a game 7 where they lost 3-2.[1] This would not deter the Canadiens as they returned to the Memorial Cup again in 1957-58. Rousseau and his team won the Memorial Cup this time as they beat the Regina Pats in 6 games.[2]

Olympic medal record
Men's ice hockey
Competitor for  Canada
1960 Squaw Valley Ice hockey

In 1960, Rousseau was loaned to the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen, the team that would represent Team Canada, at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley.[3] Canada would finish with a silver medal at the tournament, while the USA won gold and the Soviets took the bronze. Rousseau scored a total of 5 goals, 4 of which came in a 19-1 victory over Japan, and 9 points in 7 games during Canada's Olympic run.[4]

NHL career

In 1960-61, Rousseau earned his first chance in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens. Rousseau played in 15 games earning 3 points with the Canadiens. His style of play earned him a full spot on the roster with the Canadiens next season. He scored 21 goals and had 45 points during his first season, and was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as top rookie in the NHL that year. After winning the Calder, Rousseau had a less productive year as he scored 37 points only. In 1963-64, Rousseau scored 25 goals and had 56 points. Rousseau also had a 5 goal game against the Detroit Red Wings on February 1, 1964.[5] The Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1964-65 against the Chicago Black Hawks. The series would go to 7 games, where the Canadiens would emerge victorious, giving Rousseau his first Stanley Cup win. Rousseau was also invited to the 1965 All-Star Game. During the 1965-66 NHL season, Rousseau registered 78 points and tied with Stan Mikita for second overall in the scoring race.[6] His hard work earned him a spot on the NHL Second All-Star Team that season. Rousseau would help the Canadiens defend their Stanley Cup title as they beat the Detroit Red Wings in 6 games. The Canadiens would return to the Finals for a third straight time in 1966-67. However, Rousseau and his team could not accomplish the three-peat as they were beaten by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 6 games. This did not matter to the Canadiens and Rousseau, as they made the finals for the next 2 seasons, winning the Stanley Cup both times.

After 9 seasons, with the Canadiens, and following a 24-goal performance the previous season, Rousseau was traded to the Minnesota North Stars where he spent the 1970-71 season. After just one season with the North Stars, he was traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for right winger Bob Nevin. Rousseau helped the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 1971-72. Rousseau had a total of 17 points during the Rangers' run as they lost the Stanley Cup in 6 games to the Boston Bruins. After playing 2 more seasons with the Rangers, Rousseau retired after playing 8 games in 1974-75.

Awards and achievements

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1955–56 St. Jean Braves QJHL 44 53 32 85 25
1956–57 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens OHA-Jr. 28 7 15 22 18
1956–57 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EOHL 15 4 2 6 2
1956–57 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens M-Cup 8 7 4 11 8
1957–58 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens OHA-Jr. 27 24 27 51 64
1957–58 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EOHL 36 26 26 52 14
1957–58 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens M-Cup 13 7 17 24 6
1958–59 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EOHL 18 7 18 25 26 3 1 1 2 2
1958–59 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens M-Cup 9 2 6 8 19
1959–60 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EPHL 4 4 2 6 4
1959–60 Brockville Jr. Canadiens M-Cup 13 14 9 23 14
1960–61 Montreal Canadiens NHL 15 1 2 3 4
1960–61 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EPHL 38 34 26 60 18 14 12 7 19 10
1961–62 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 21 24 45 26 6 0 2 2 0
1962–63 Montreal Canadiens NHL 62 19 18 37 15 5 0 1 1 2
1963–64 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 25 31 56 32 7 1 1 2 2
1964–65 Montreal Canadiens NHL 66 12 35 47 26 13 5 8 13 24
1965–66 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 30 48 78 20 10 4 4 8 6
1966–67 Montreal Canadiens NHL 68 19 44 63 58 10 1 7 8 4
1967–68 Montreal Canadiens NHL 74 19 46 65 47 13 2 4 6 8
1968–69 Montreal Canadiens NHL 76 30 40 70 59 14 3 2 5 8
1969–70 Montreal Canadiens NHL 72 24 34 58 30
1970–71 Minnesota North Stars NHL 63 4 20 24 12 12 2 6 8 0
1971–72 New York Rangers NHL 78 21 36 57 12 16 6 11 17 7
1972–73 New York Rangers NHL 78 8 37 45 14 10 2 3 5 4
1973–74 New York Rangers NHL 72 10 41 51 4 12 1 8 9 4
1974–75 New York Rangers NHL 8 2 2 4 0
NHL totals 942 245 458 703 359 128 27 57 84 69

International


Year Team Event   GP G A P PIM
1960 Canada Oly 7 5 4 9 2
Senior totals 7 5 4 9 2

See also

References

  1. "The Memorial Cup: A History...1957". Taking Note with Gregg Drinnan. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  2. "The Memorial Cup: A History...1958". Taking Note with Gregg Drinnan. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  3. Hockey's Glory Days: The 1950s and '60s, Dan Diamond, p.147 Published in Canada by Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2003,ISBN 978-0-7407-3829-6
  4. "Bobby Rousseau". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  5. "Five Goal Games in NHL History". Joe Pelletier. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  6. The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D’Arcy Jenish, p.184, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0

External links

Preceded by
Dave Keon
Winner of the Calder Trophy
1962
Succeeded by
Kent Douglas
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