Mike Robitaille

Last updated
Mike Robitaille
Born (1948-02-12) February 12, 1948 (age 74)
Midland, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Right
Played for New York Rangers
Detroit Red Wings
Buffalo Sabres
Vancouver Canucks
Playing career 19681977

Michael James David Robitaille (born February 12, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and commentator. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks in a career that lasted from 1968 to 1977.

Contents

Playing career

Robitaille played in 382 regular season NHL games, scoring 23 goals and adding 105 assists. He was most well known for his punishing hip checks. He also appeared in 13 playoff games, six with Buffalo and seven for Vancouver, tallying one assist. His career ended pre-maturely in 1977 when he was blind-sided by Dennis Owchar of the Pittsburgh Penguins, which caused nerve damage in his neck. [1] He later won a lawsuit against the Canucks for mistreating his injuries.

Post-playing career

After retiring, Robitaille joined the Sabres' broadcasting arm in 1985. He was one of the founders of Hockey Hotline, the Buffalo Sabres' postgame show on Empire Sports Network, in 1991 and worked for the Sabres and various sister outlets until his retirement from television in 2014. He is known for his colorful analogies and exaggerations.

During the 2000s, Robitaille was the fill-in commentator whenever play-by-play announcer Rick Jeanneret and former color commentators Jim Lorentz or Harry Neale couldn't fulfill their duties on a game day broadcast.

In February 2010, Robitaille was injured in a car accident suffering a spinal cord injury with neurological damage. Robitaille’s injuries from the accident resulted in him missing broadcast duties for the remainder of the 2009-2010 NHL season. Through months of rehabilitation from the time of accident through September of that year, doctors and Robitaille said that he was not at 100% yet. He said he felt ready and returned to his broadcast duties in time for the start of the 2010-11 NHL season with the Sabres. [2] On October 3, 2013, it was announced that Robitaille would be partially retiring after the season and that former Sabres forward Brad May would join the crew on a limited basis before moving into Robitaille's slot in a full-time role the following year. Robitaille continued his radio work and some limited television work during his retirement. [3]

Personal life

Robitaille was born in Midland, Ontario. He lives with his wife, Isabel, in the Buffalo area; the couple also has a second home in Mexico. When not working with the Sabres, Robitaille is the vice president of development and community affairs for his wife's company, Robitaille Real Estate. [4] He has two daughters—Sarah, a salesperson with her mother's company, [5] and Anique, a recording artist in Toronto. Mike Robitaille is distantly related to former NHLer Luc Robitaille. Mike's 6th great-grandfather and Luc's 8th great-grandfather were brothers.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1963–64 Kitchener Greenshirts CJBHL
1963–64 Kitchener Rangers OHA 10000
1964–65Kitchener GreenshirtsCJBHL
1964–65 Kitchener RangersOHA37281083
1965–66Kitchener GreenshirtsCJBHL
1965–66 Kitchener RangersOHA10000
1966–67 Kitchener RangersOHA4873037701326815
1967–68 Kitchener RangersOHA5120517177144101434
1968–69 Omaha Knights CHL 43535405271349
1969–70 New York Rangers NHL 40008
1969–70 Omaha KnightsCHL64124658115122141615
1969–70 Buffalo Bisons AHL 504414
1970–71 New York RangersNHL111127
1970–71 Omaha KnightsCHL1309932
1970–71 Detroit Red Wings NHL23481222
1971–72 Buffalo Sabres NHL312101222
1971–72 Cincinnati Swords AHL801112
1972–73 Buffalo SabresNHL65417214060000
1973–74 Buffalo SabresNHL712182060
1974–75 Buffalo SabresNHL30110
1974–75 Vancouver Canucks NHL63222243150112
1975–76 Vancouver CanucksNHL71819276920002
1976–77 Vancouver CanucksNHL4009921
NHL totals38223105128280130114

Related Research Articles

Vancouver Canucks National Hockey League team in Vancouver, British Columbia

The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce Boudreau is the head coach, Jim Rutherford serves as the president of hockey operations, and Patrik Allvin serves as the general manager.

Orland Kurtenbach Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Orland John Kurtenbach is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. A centre notable for his defensive skill and as one of the toughest fighters in the game, he played for several National Hockey League (NHL) teams during his twenty professional seasons, principally the Vancouver Canucks, with whom he became the NHL franchise's inaugural captain.

Taylor Pyatt Canadian ice hockey player

Taylor William Pyatt is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. Drafted from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), he played major junior hockey with the Sudbury Wolves.

Jyrki Lumme Finnish ice hockey player

Jyrki Olavi Lumme is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and SM-liiga. After beginning his career in Finland, playing with Ilves Tampere for three seasons, he moved to North America to join the Montreal Canadiens in 1988. The Canadiens had selected Lumme two years prior in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft 57th overall. In his second NHL season, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, with whom he spent the majority of his career and enjoyed the most success. Over nine seasons with the Canucks, Lumme was named the club's annual top defenceman on four occasions, became the team's all-time top goal- and point-scoring defenceman, and was a part of the squad's run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. Towards the end of his NHL career, he additionally played for the Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs over the span of five seasons. In 2005, Lumme returned to Ilves Tampere of the SM-liiga after a two-year playing hiatus. He played two final campaigns in Finland before retiring, at which point he became a part-owner of Ilves Tampere.

Michael Peca Canadian ice hockey player

Michael Anthony Peca is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Peca served as the Washington Capitals player development coach and is an assistant coach for the Rochester Americans as of 2021.

Brad May Canadian ice hockey player

Bradley Scott May is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). In the 2006–07 season he won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. He currently works as an NHL analyst with AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain. May was born in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in Markham, Ontario.

John Richard Jeanneret is a Canadian retired television and radio personality best known as the play-by-play announcer for the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres and its broadcast network, the Sabres Hockey Network for 51 years. Having started with the team on radio during the team's second season in 1971–72, and ending his career after the 2021–22 season, he is the longest-tenured play-by-play announcer with a single team in NHL history. He moved to television during the 1995–96 season and began doubling both television and radio play-by-play duties during the 1997–98 season. He is known as "RJ" within the Sabres organization and by close associates.

Harold Watson Neale is a retired NCAA, NHL and WHA coach and general manager, and ice hockey broadcaster.

Ryan Miller American ice hockey player

Ryan Dean Miller is an American former ice hockey goaltender who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) mostly for the Buffalo Sabres. Miller was drafted 138th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. In 2010, he won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender. On February 17, 2019, Miller became the winningest American-born goaltender in NHL history, surpassing John Vanbiesbrouck.

Peter McNab Canadian-born American ice hockey player

Peter Maxwell McNab is a Canadian-born American former professional ice hockey player who appeared in 954 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season games between 1973 and 1987. He has served as the color commentator for the Colorado Avalanche since the inaugural 1995–96 season.

Nathan Paetsch Canadian ice hockey player

Nathan Paetsch is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Robert John Ray is a Canadian sports broadcaster and former professional ice hockey player for the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators. He was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy by the National Hockey League in 1999 for leadership and humanitarianism. He was known for his role as an enforcer and currently holds the Sabres record for most penalty minutes in one player's tenure with the club with 3,189 penalty minutes.

Tom Larscheid is a former Vancouver-based radio sports broadcaster and football player. After a career playing college and CFL football, he was the colour commentator for the CFL's BC Lions and the NHL's Vancouver Canucks for many years. After 45 years in broadcasting and covering the Canucks for 27 seasons, he did his last game on October 9, 2010 for the 2010-11 season opener.

Dane K. Jackson is a Canadian coach and former professional ice hockey right wing who spent parts of four seasons in the National Hockey League between 1993 and 1998. Selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, he spent four years at the University of North Dakota before making his professional debut for the Canucks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in 1992. Jackson made his NHL debut in 1993, and would split the next two seasons between the Canucks and their AHL affiliates, the Hamilton Canucks and Syracuse Crunch. He joined the Buffalo Sabres in 1995, though spent most of the next two years with their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, and in 1997 signed with the New York Islanders. Jackson spent the final six seasons of his playing career in the AHL, moving between the Americans, Lowell Lock Monsters, and Manchester Monarchs, before retiring in 2003. Company Since then he has worked as a coach, and has been on the coaching staff of North Dakota since 2006.

Lawrence Robert Carrière is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and executive. He was drafted in the second round, 25th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft. He played in the National Hockey League with the Sabres, Atlanta Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Tyler Myers Canadian ice hockey player

Tyler Paul Myers is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round, 12th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Myers won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best rookie. Standing at 6 feet 8 inches tall, he is nicknamed "The Big Easy" or "Big Tex" because he was born in Houston, Texas.

The Sabres Hockey Network is the official radio network and production company of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). The network is currently operated jointly by the Sabres and Audacy, Inc.

The 1976–77 Vancouver Canucks season was the team's seventh in the NHL. The Canucks failed to reach the playoffs. Phil Maloney, the team's general manager and head coach, was replaced mid-season as head coach by Orland Kurtenbach, the first captain of the Canucks.

Alex Biega (ice hockey) Canadian ice hockey player

Alex Biega is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Milwaukee Admirals in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Biega was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 5th round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Justin Bailey American ice hockey player

Justin Bailey is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for the Abbotsford Canucks in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bailey grew up in Williamsville, New York, a suburb of Buffalo.

References

  1. Owchar KO check on Robitaille 1/19/77. YouTube . Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.
  2. "Robitaille ready to get back behind the microphone - Sports - The Buffalo News". Archived from the original on September 25, 2010.
  3. Pergament, Alan (April 15, 2014). "Robitaille really isn't retiring, plans to continue on radio". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on April 18, 2014.
  4. "Meet the Staff: Michael Robitaille". robrealestate.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2007.
  5. "Sarah Robitaille-Kubiak". robrealestate.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2011.