René Robert
René Paul Robert ( born December 31, 1948 in Trois- Rivières, Quebec, Canada ) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played twelve seasons 1970-1982 for the Buffalo Sabres, Colorado Rockies and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League.
Career
Roberts career spans a total of 744 NHL games in which he scored 284 goals and 418 Assist contributed, reaching a total of 702 points. His most productive period he had in the season 1974/75, in which he was able to achieve 40 goals and 60 assists.
In his youth he played in his hometown of Trois- Rivieres Leafs and was accepted at this time of the Toronto Maple Leafs under contract. The first three years of his professional career was spent in lower leagues, including for the Tulsa Oilers, the Rochester Americans and the Vancouver Canucks. During the Inter -League Draft in June 1971, the Buffalo Sabres got the rights to Robert, but was not under contract and landed so with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He brought it in 49 NHL games on 18 points scorer before he was transferred for Eddie Shack to Buffalo.
In Buffalo, the best years of his career to follow, in which he formed together with Gilbert Perreault and Rick Martin in a storm series The French Connection. On October 5, 1979 Robert was transferred by the then manager of the Sabres, Scotty Bowman, to the Colorado Rockies for defender John Van Boxmeer - hence the French Connection was ended forever. In the Rockies he was in the 1979/80 season, the team captain. After two seasons in Colorado Robert returned once to Toronto and ended his career at the end of the 1981 season / 82nd
After his resignation, he became president of the NHL Alumni Association. His number 14 is no longer issued by the Sabres ( retired, November 15, 1995 together with Rick Martin) and is related to the other two members of the French Connection under the roof of the hall HSBC Arena.