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Bobby Schmautz

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Bobby Schmautz
Schmautz in 1975
Born (1945-03-28)March 28, 1945
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Died March 28, 2021(2021-03-28) (aged 76)
Peoria, Arizona, United States
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Right
Played for Chicago Black Hawks
Vancouver Canucks
Boston Bruins
Edmonton Oilers
Colorado Rockies
Playing career 1967–1981

Robert James Schmautz (March 28, 1945 – March 28, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, and Colorado Rockies from 1967 to 1981. He featured in three Stanley Cup Finals with the Bruins.

Early life

Schmautz was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on March 28, 1945.[1] He played junior hockey in his hometown with the junior Quakers and the Blades, before signing his first professional contract in 1964 with the Los Angeles Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL).[2]

Career

Schmautz played with the Blades until 1967, when he was signed by the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). His NHL rights were transferred to the St. Louis Blues in the 1969 intraleague draft; he ultimately never played for the Blues, instead being traded to the Montreal Canadiens three weeks later, and subsequently sold to the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the WHL. Salt Lake would also trade him, to the Seattle Totems.[1][3]

Schmautz was signed as a free agent in 1970 by the Vancouver Canucks, an expansion team starting their first season in the NHL. Though he started the season in the WHL, he joined the Canucks in February 1971. He led the team in scoring during the 1972–73 season with 38 goals and 33 assists,[3] and had the second-most hat-tricks in the NHL with three. He was named to the 1973 and 1974 NHL All-Star Games.[1]

Schmautz was subsequently traded to the Boston Bruins midway through the 1974 season.[3] Playing under Bruin coach Don Cherry, Schmautz developed into an accomplished forechecker and backchecker, usually playing right wing on a line with future Hall-of-Famer Johnny Bucyk and versatile center Gregg Sheppard.[4] He spent five seasons with Boston in all, finishing ninth in the NHL in game-winning goals in 1976 and 1978.[1] Schmautz scored the overtime goal for Boston in Game Four of the 1978 Stanley Cup Finals versus Montreal to level the series at two games apiece.[5] A photograph of Schmautz celebrating his goal was used as the cover photo for the Bruins' 1978–1979 media guide.[6] Overall, Schmautz scored 26 playoff goals for Boston – the same total as Bobby Orr.[5][7] At the time of Schmautz's death, he ranked 20th in Boston history with 56 playoff points. Schmautz was known for having perhaps the great snap shot in the game.

He then briefly played for the Colorado Rockies and Edmonton Oilers, before signing back with Vancouver in 1980. After the 1980–81 season, Schmautz was not offered a new contract by the Canucks, so he opted to retire. He subsequently moved to Portland, Oregon and worked in roofing.[8]

Personal life

Two of Schmautz's brothers also played hockey. Cliff Schmautz played one season in the NHL at the same position as Bobby, appearing in 57 games for the Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers and scoring 32 points in 1970–71.[9] Arnie Schmautz played 13 seasons in the WHL with the New Westminster Royals, Victoria Cougars, and Portland Buckaroos.[10] Both his brothers predeceased him.[9][10]

Schmautz died on March 28, 2021, his 76th birthday, at his home in Peoria, Arizona.[11][5][4]

Career statistics

Source:[1]

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1962–63 Saskatoon Quakers SJHL 54 28 31 59 42 — — — — —
1962–63 Saskatoon Quakers SSHL — — — — — 7 1 1 2 0
1963–64 Saskatoon Quakers SJHL 60 55 43 98 114 12 12 12 24 20
1964–65 Saskatoon Blades SJHL 44 45 34 79 113 5 4 4 8 10
1964–65 Los Angeles Blades WHL 5 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
1965–66 Los Angeles Blades WHL 70 7 16 23 27 — — — — —
1966–67 Los Angeles Blades WHL 37 3 7 10 19 — — — — —
1967–68 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 13 3 2 5 6 11 2 3 5 2
1967–68 Dallas Black Hawks CPHL 54 23 23 46 83 — — — — —
1968–69 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 63 9 7 16 37 — — — — —
1969–70 Salt Lake Golden Eagles WHL 12 5 7 12 17 — — — — —
1969–70 Seattle Totems WHL 66 32 27 59 89 3 0 2 2 5
1970–71 Vancouver Canucks NHL 26 5 5 10 14 — — — — —
1971–72 Vancouver Canucks NHL 60 12 13 25 82 — — — — —
1971–72 Rochester Americans AHL 7 7 8 15 8 — — — — —
1972–73 Vancouver Canucks NHL 77 38 33 71 137 — — — — —
1973–74 Vancouver Canucks NHL 49 26 19 45 58 — — — — —
1973–74 Boston Bruins NHL 27 7 13 20 31 16 3 6 9 44
1974–75 Boston Bruins NHL 56 21 30 51 63 3 1 5 6 6
1975–76 Boston Bruins NHL 75 28 34 62 116 11 2 8 10 13
1976–77 Boston Bruins NHL 57 23 29 52 62 14 11 1 12 10
1977–78 Boston Bruins NHL 54 27 27 54 87 15 7 8 15 11
1978–79 Boston Bruins NHL 65 20 22 42 77 11 2 2 4 6
1979–80 Boston Bruins NHL 20 8 6 14 8 — — — — —
1979–80 Edmonton Oilers NHL 29 8 8 16 20 — — — — —
1979–80 Colorado Rockies NHL 20 9 4 13 53 — — — — —
1980–81 Vancouver Canucks NHL 73 27 34 61 137 3 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 764 271 286 557 988 84 28 33 61 92

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Bobby Schmautz Stats". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  2. ^ "Bobby Schmautz Hockey Stats and Profile". HockeyDB. The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Rud, Jeff (2006). Canucks Legends: Vancouver's Hockey Heroes. Vancouver: Raincoast Books. p. 54. ISBN 978-1-55192-809-8.
  4. ^ a b "Schmautz dies at 76, scored OT goal for Bruins in 1978 Stanley Cup Final". National Hockey League. March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Russo, Eric (March 29, 2021). "Former Bruin Bobby Schmautz Passes Away at 76". Boston Bruins. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  6. ^ Robertson, John G. (July 26, 2018). Too Many Men on the Ice: The 1978–1979 Boston Bruins and the Most Famous Penalty in Hockey History. McFarland. p. 34. ISBN 9781476632889.
  7. ^ "Bobby Orr Stats". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  8. ^ Rud. Canucks Legends. p. 55.
  9. ^ a b "Cliff Schmautz Stats". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Arnie Schmautz Hockey Stats and Profile". HockeyDB. The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  11. ^ "Remembering the life of Robert".
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