Bobby Rousseau
Joseph Jean-Paul Robert Rousseau (born July 26, 1940) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL), most notably for the Montreal Canadiens. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1962 as NHL rookie of the year.
| Bobby Rousseau | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
July 26, 1940 Montreal, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Montreal Canadiens Minnesota North Stars New York Rangers | ||
| National team |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada | ||
| Playing career | 1958–1975 | ||
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 | ||
| Representing Canada | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 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 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 full NHL season, and was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as top rookie in the NHL that year.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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.
Personal life
Rousseau is the brother of former NHL players Rollie and Guy Rousseau.
Awards and achievements
- Memorial Cup champion — 1958 (with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens)
- EPHL Second All-Star Team — 1961
- Calder Memorial Trophy — 1962
- NHL All-Star Games — 1965, 1967, 1969
- NHL Second All-Star Team — 1966
- Stanley Cup champion — 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969 (with the Montreal Canadiens)
- On February 1, 1964, Rousseau scored 5 goals in one game and became one of 44 players in the NHL to score 5 or more goals in one game.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| 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 | 28 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1956–57 | Hull-Ottawa Canadiens | EOHL | 15 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1956–57 | Hull-Ottawa Canadiens | MC | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 8 | ||
| 1957–58 | Hull-Ottawa Canadiens | OHA | 27 | 24 | 27 | 51 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1957–58 | Hull-Ottawa Canadiens | EOHL | 36 | 26 | 26 | 52 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1957–58 | Hull-Ottawa Canadiens | MC | — | — | — | — | — | 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 | MC | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 19 | ||
| 1958–59 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1959–60 | Hull-Ottawa Canadiens | EPHL | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1959–60 | Brockville Jr. Canadiens | MC | — | — | — | — | — | 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 | ||||
References
- "The Memorial Cup: A History...1957". Taking Note with Gregg Drinnan. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
- "The Memorial Cup: A History...1958". Taking Note with Gregg Drinnan. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
- 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
- "Bobby Rousseau". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
- "Habs great Bobby Rousseau hosts 2nd annual Martlet Basketball Golf Tournament". McGill University Athletics. McGill University. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- "Five Goal Games in NHL History". Joe Pelletier. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
- 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 Memorial Trophy 1962 |
Succeeded by Kent Douglas |