Bob Cook

Robert Arthur Cook (January 6, 1946 – March 29, 1978) was a Canadian ice hockey player. Cook played professional ice hockey from 1966 to 1975, including 72 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with four teams. Cook finished his career with the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League (AHL) during the 1974–75 season.

Bob Cook
Born (1946-01-06)January 6, 1946
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Died March 29, 1978(1978-03-29) (aged 32)
London, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for Vancouver Canucks
Detroit Red Wings
New York Islanders
Minnesota North Stars
Playing career 19661975

Playing career

Cook began in junior hockey with the London Nationals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 1963. He was looked at as a role player that could finish chances when they were given. He continued to develop with the Nationals until midway through his 1965–66 season, when he was traded to the Kitchener Rangers. In only 31 games, Cook put up 72 penalty minutes to go with his 17 points. He also threw in 14 points and 51 penalty minutes in the Rangers 19-game playoff run in which they lost to the Oshawa Generals, featuring a young Bobby Orr.

In 1966, Cook turned professional with the Vancouver Canucks,[1] then of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Cook appeared in 55 games for the Canucks, registering 7 goals and 14 points, but was ultimately moved to the Rochester Americans for the 1967–68 season. Playing for the Americans, Cook put up the highest point totals of his career. Excluding a brief stint with the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League (CHL), Cook played almost four full seasons with Rochester. He netted 133 points during that span including 44 during the 1969–70 season. However the 1970–71 season would finally see Cook reaching his goal.

In 1970, the Vancouver Canucks, who owned the Rochester Americans, were granted an NHL expansion franchise and Cook's rights were transferred to Vancouver. Cook played two games for the Vancouver Canucks, now of the NHL, before the end of the season. After allowing Cook a short reconditioning stint with the Seattle Totems of the WHL, his rights were traded to the Detroit Red Wings for cash on November 21, 1971.[2]

Cook again found himself in a team's farm system and he tried to prove himself playing for the Fort Worth Wings of the CHL and the Tidewater Wings of the AHL. After a season in the minors, Cook again got to play in the NHL, when he joined the Red Wings during the 1972–73 season. He played 13 games and put up four points before being traded along with Ralph Stewart for Ken Murray and Brian Lavender to the New York Islanders on January 17, 1973.[2]

Cook had his longest stay in the NHL with New York, playing in 55 games throughout the 1972–73 and 1973–74 seasons. His time with the Islanders is notable for his hat trick in a game against his former team, the Vancouver Canucks, on March 3, 1973, when he became the second player in franchise history to record a hat trick as a rookie, a feat duplicated only nine more times in the first 50 years of the franchise. However, Cook netted only 17 points in his season with the Islander and was sent down to Baltimore Clippers of the AHL for the remainder of the season. He again found his form, scoring 19 goals and 19 assists and helping the Clippers into the playoffs. He scored 10 points in the playoffs but the Clippers lost to the eventual champions, the Hershey Bears. For the 1974–75 season, Cook began play with the Fort Worth Texans of the CHL but ended the season with the New Haven Nighthawks of the AHL. The Nighthawks were a minor league team for the Minnesota North Stars of the NHL and Cook was called up to play his last two NHL games with them midway through the season. Those games would be his last and Cook retired at the end of 1975 after helping yet another team reach the finals, but the Nighthawks would fall to the Springfield Indians in five games.

From 1975 to 1976, in the ending slope of his career, Cook played for the London Kings in the Colorado Springs Adult Hockey League (CSAHL).[3]

Post-hockey life

After retiring from hockey, Cook returned to London, Ontario, where he died on March 29, 1978 at 32 years of age. He is buried in Cowal-McBrides Cemetery in Elgin County, Ontario.[4]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1965–66 London Nationals WOHL 142101214
1965–66 Kitchener Rangers OHA 311071772 19951451
1966–67 Vancouver Canucks WHL 55771431 500011
1967–68 Vancouver Canucks WHL 10000
1967–68 Rochester Americans AHL 6122163895 10000
1968–69 Rochester Americans AHL 59461024
1968–69 Tulsa Oilers CHL 12671314 60228
1969–70 Rochester Americans AHL 7126184478
1970–71 Vancouver Canucks NHL 20000
1970–71 Rochester Americans AHL 6822194166
1971–72 Fort Worth Wings CHL 1544824
1971–72 Seattle Totems WHL 1533627
1971–72 Tidewater Wings AHL 35981740
1972–73 Detroit Red Wings NHL 133144
1972–73 Virginia Wings AHL 231792670
1972–73 New York Islanders NHL 33861414
1973–74 New York Islanders NHL 222134
1973–74 Baltimore Clippers AHL 5219193835 9551010
1974–75 Fort Worth Texans CHL 2236937
1974–75 Minnesota North Stars NHL 20110
1974–75 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 5015264143 16751214
AHL totals 419134121255451 2612102224
NHL totals 721392222

References

  1. Wagner, Daniel (May 3, 2019). "Looking back at some of the best Bobs in hockey history". Vancouver Courier. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019.
  2. "Bob Arthur Cook". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  3. Bob Cook on hockeydb.com.
  4. "Robert A. COOK". GenWeb. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
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