The rapidly improving Pittsburgh Penguins, the second-place team in the Atlantic Division, today acquired veteran left wing Gary Roberts from the Florida Panthers for defenseman Noah Welch.
At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Roberts is a dynamic and physical player who will add to the Penguins' leadership and scoring. Roberts, 40, has 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points in 50 games with Florida this season. He ranked fourth on the Panthers with a plus-5 rating. In 19 NHL seasons, Roberts has posted 424 goals and 451 assists for 875 points in 1,137 games. He is plus-248 for his career. He has also sat for 2,467 penalty minutes.
In Welch, the Panthers receive a 6-foot-4, 218 pound defenseman who was selected in the second round of the 2001 Entry Draft by the Penguins. He has a goal and an assist in 22 games for the Penguins this season.
The Penguins were the second-worst team in the NHL a year ago, but have bonded well under the direction of new GM Ray Shero and coach Michel Therrien. They are nine points behind the Atlantic-leading New Jersey Devils and five points ahead of the third-place New York Islanders. The Islanders are one point behind Carolina for the eight seed in the East, so the Penguins don't have a big comfort zone.
Roberts, who won the Stanley Cup with the 1989 Calgary Flames in his third NHL season, waived a no-trade clause to join the Penguins.
Numbers alone don't tell the Gary Roberts story.
Roberts is the personification of the player you want on your side or hate to play against. He is rabid in his intensity and finishes his many, many checks. He knows a few verbal ways to get opponents off their game, as well.
Roberts is the personification of the player you want on your side or hate to play against. He is rabid in his intensity and finishes his many, many checks. He knows a few verbal ways to get opponents off their game, as well.
Roberts suffered a broken neck during the 1994-95 season. He returned late the next year and re-injured his neck, causing him to miss the entire 1996-97 season. Roberts resumed his career with a newfound emphasis on nutrition and conditioning. He has become a guru on those subjects to his teammates as well as a willing instructor to younger players.
While the Penguins expect production from Roberts through the end of the season and into the playoffs, they're also expecting the fiery, steely-eyed leadership that Roberts provides. The Penguins boast a corps of young stars that includes forwards Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Colby Armstrong, Jordan Staal and Maxime Talbot, defenseman Ryan Whitney and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury who can all benefit from observing Roberts' game preparation and intensity.
Roberts played for the Hurricanes from 1997-2000 and it was there that he re-established his career after the neck injury. It was also there that he added to his reputation as a leader that other players are willing to follow.
Roberts played for the Hurricanes from 1997-2000 and it was there that he re-established his career after the neck injury. It was also there that he added to his reputation as a leader that other players are willing to follow.
Roberts signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2000 and the North York, Ontario, native had four exciting seasons under the coaching of Pat Quinn. Although he missed the first 57 games of the 2002-03 after shoulder surgery, Roberts led the Maple Leafs into the playoffs all four seasons. They went to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001-02, where they were defeated by the Hurricanes in a six-game series that included three overtime games and two other one-goal games.
Roberts has played the past two seasons for the Panthers. He was signed along with longtime friend and Calgary Stanley Cup winner Joe Nieuwendyk. But Nieuwendyk was plagued by back problems and retired earlier this season. --
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