Bobby Gould (ice hockey) explained

Bobby Gould
Position:Right Wing
Shoots:Right
Height Ft:6
Height In:0
Weight Lb:195
Played For:Atlanta Flames
Calgary Flames
Washington Capitals
Boston Bruins
Birth Date:September 2, 1957
Birth Place:Petrolia, Ontario, Canada
Draft:118th overall
Draft Year:1977
Draft Team:Atlanta Flames
Wha Draft:70th overall
Wha Draft Year:1977
Wha Draft Team:Calgary Cowboys
Career Start:1979
Career End:1991

Robert Alexander Gould (born September 2, 1957) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played eleven seasons in the National Hockey League between 1980 and 1990 with the Atlanta Flames, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, and Boston Bruins.

Playing career

Bob Gould was drafted by the Atlanta Flames of the National Hockey League in the seventh round, 118th overall, of the 1977 NHL amateur draft. He was also drafted by the Calgary Cowboys of the World Hockey Association in the eighth round, 70th overall, of the 1977 WHA Amateur Draft. Gould never played in the WHA, although he did eventually play in Calgary; after one game for the Atlanta Flames in 1979–80 he relocated to Calgary with the team the following season. He played parts of the next two seasons, 1980–81 and 1981–82, for the Calgary Flames before being traded to the Washington Capitals on 25 November 1981 along with Randy Holt for Pat Ribble and a second round selection from the 1983 NHL Entry Draft.

After three seasons of bouncing between the minors and the NHL, Gould finally got a chance to play full-time at the NHL level with the Capitals and made the most of it, scoring 18 goals and 31 points in his first 60 games. He continued to play well with three straight seasons with over 20 goals, peaking in 1986–87 with a career-high 23 goals and 50 points.

Gould is also remembered for a March 20, 1987 fight with Mario Lemieux. Giving up 6 inches and 25 lbs, Gould ended up breaking Lemieux's jaw with a solid right uppercut. Lemieux spent the night at George Washington University Hospital. "The first thing that came to mind when he said, 'Let's go,' was that I could get him off the ice for five minutes," Gould said. "I never thought about hurting him." Lemieux would not fight again in the NHL for another 9 years.[1]

Nearing the end of his career, Gould was traded by the Capitals to the Boston Bruins for defenseman Alain Cote on 28 September 1989. This was Gould's final NHL season, and he helped the Bruins reach the Stanley Cup finals, including advancing past his former team, the Capitals. Gould played for the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League in 1990–91 before retiring altogether.

In 697 NHL games, he finished with 145 goals and 159 assists.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
1974–75Petrolia JetsWOHL
1975–76University of New HampshireECAC31 13 14 27 16
1976–77University of New HampshireECAC39 24 25 49 36
1977–78University of New HampshireECAC30 23 34 57 40
1978–79University of New HampshireECAC35 31 28 59 46
1978–79Tulsa OilersCHL5 2 0 2 4
1979–80Birmingham BullsCHL79 27 33 60 734 2 4 6 0
1979–80Atlanta FlamesNHL1 0 0 0 0
1980–81Birmingham BullsCHL58 25 25 50 43
1980–81Fort Worth TexansCHL18 8 6 14 65 5 2 7 10
1980–81Calgary FlamesNHL3 0 0 0 011 3 1 4 4
1981–82Oklahoma City StarsCHL1 0 1 1 0
1981–82Calgary FlamesNHL16 3 0 3 4
1981–82Washington CapitalsNHL60 18 13 31 69
1982–83Washington CapitalsNHL80 22 18 40 434 5 0 5 4
1983–84Washington CapitalsNHL78 21 19 40 745 0 2 2 4
1984–85Washington CapitalsNHL78 14 19 33 695 0 1 1 2
1985–86Washington CapitalsNHL79 19 19 38 269 4 3 7 11
1986–87Washington CapitalsNHL78 23 27 50 747 0 3 3 8
1987–88Washington CapitalsNHL72 12 14 26 5614 3 1 4 21
1988–89Washington CapitalsNHL75 5 13 18 656 0 2 2 0
1989–90Boston BruinsNHL77 8 17 25 9217 0 0 0 4
1990–91Maine MarinersAHL71 10 15 25 302 0 0 0 0
NHL totals697 145 159 304 57278 15 13 28 58

Notes and References

  1. Fachet, R., 'Lemieux: Beaten to The Punch', 'Washington Post', March 22, 1987
  2. News: ECAC All-Teams. College Hockey Historical Archives. May 19, 2013.