Bobby Crawford (ice hockey)
Robert Crawford | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 27, 1960 United States |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player |
| Years active | 1974–1992 |
| Known for | National Hockey League right winger for Colorado Rockies and Detroit Red Wings |
Robert Crawford (born May 27, 1960) is a former American professional ice hockey right winger who appeared in 16 National Hockey League games with the Colorado Rockies and Detroit Red Wings.
Early and minor league hockey
At the age of 14, Crawford began his hockey journey with the Austin Mavericks in the Midwest Junior Hockey League. After completing high school, he returned to compete in the United States Hockey League, where he tallied 17 points over ten games in the 1977–78 season. His performance earned him a spot on the U.S. squad for the World Junior Championships, contributing 13 points across six contests. Pursuing more challenging play, he spent three seasons with the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey Association, amassing a total of 265 points (123 goals and 142 assists) in 144 games. The New York Rangers signed him as a free agent in November 1979. During the 1979–80 season, Crawford led the Generals with 129 points, ranking seventh league-wide in both goals and points. He received OHA Second All-star recognition and played a key role in guiding Oshawa to the postseason. In January 1980, he was traded to the Colorado Rockies as part of a transaction involving Barry Beck.
National Hockey League
Crawford started the 1980–81 NHL campaign with Colorado, registering three points within his first five appearances before being sent down to their Central Hockey League affiliate, the Fort Worth Texans. There, he led the team with 37 points and added two playoff goals. The subsequent season saw him accumulate 54 points for Fort Worth; however, the team did not qualify for postseason play. Following his release from Colorado, Crawford inked a deal with the Detroit Red Wings in June 1982.
During the 1982–83 season, he predominantly played for Detroit’s American Hockey League affiliate, Adirondack Red Wings, finishing second on the squad with 61 points behind teammate Ted Nolan. He made one NHL appearance that year but did not record any points. In Adirondack’s playoff series against Fredericton Express, Crawford contributed seven points over six games, although the team was eliminated in the opening round. After this season, he concluded his North American professional career and sought opportunities abroad.
International career
Crawford initiated his international tenure by competing in Switzerland’s Nationalliga B with HC La Chaux-de-Fonds, where he scored 78 points in 38 contests. He then spent two seasons (1984–85 and 1985–86) with EHC Olten before transferring to Germany’s EC Bad Tölz. There, he recorded an impressive 137 points over 50 games, ranking seventh among league scorers. Including postseason play, he amassed a total of 178 points in 67 games during the 1986–87 season, averaging approximately 2.7 points per game. Subsequently, Crawford joined Italy’s HC Merano competing in Serie A and posted 38 points before moving on to Britain’s Southampton Vikings of the British Hockey League, where he achieved 102 points during the 1987–88 campaign. He later returned to Germany to play for Star Bulls Rosenheim, Bayreuth SV, and Regensburg EV before retiring after the conclusion of the 1991–92 season.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1974–75 | Austin Mavericks | MidJHL | 34 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Austin Mavericks | MidJHL | 44 | 26 | 34 | 60 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Austin Mavericks | USHL | 10 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Oshawa Generals | OMJHL | 38 | 21 | 16 | 37 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1978–79 | Oshawa Generals | OMJHL | 66 | 41 | 58 | 99 | 68 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 13 | ||
| 1979–80 | Oshawa Generals | OMJHL | 68 | 61 | 68 | 129 | 48 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 1979–80 | Fort Worth Texans | CHL | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 6 | ||
| 1980–81 | Fort Worth Texans | CHL | 61 | 19 | 18 | 37 | 32 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1980–81 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Fort Worth Texans | CHL | 80 | 23 | 31 | 54 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 76 | 28 | 33 | 61 | 32 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1982–83 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | HC La Chaux-de-Fonds | Swiss League (NLB) | 38 | 52 | 26 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | SC Langenthal | NLB | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 Austrian National League season | ATSE Graz | AUT-2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 2nd Bundesliga (ice hockey) season | EC Bad Tölz | GER-2 | 36 | 43 | 53 | 96 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Southampton Vikings | BD1 | 28 | 42 | 60 | 102 | 34 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1987–88 Serie A (ice hockey) season | HC Merano | ITA | 23 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 11 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1987–88 ice hockey Bundesliga season | Sportbund DJK Rosenheim | GER | 8 | 3 | 5 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1988–89 2nd Bundesliga (ice hockey) season | SV Bayreuth | GER-2 | 40 | 38 | 38 | 76 | 28 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1989–90 Oberliga (ice hockey) season | EV Regensburg | GER-3 | 23 | 34 | 35 | 69 | 24 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1990–91 Oberliga (ice hockey) season | EV Regensburg | GER-3 | 40 | 68 | 47 | 115 | 21 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1991–92 Oberliga (ice hockey) season | EV Regensburg | GER-3 | 30 | 53 | 36 | 89 | 16 | — | — | — | — | |||
| NHL totals | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | United States | WJC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1978 | United States | WJC | 6 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 4 | |
| 1979 | United States | WJC | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| Aggregate junior statistics | 18 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 6 | |||
Awards and achievements
- Selected for the OHA Second All-star Team: 1979–80 season