Bobby Sheehan (ice hockey)
Robert Richard Sheehan | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 11, 1949 |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey center |
| Years active | 1969–1983 |
| Known for | Played in the NHL and WHA; member of 1971 Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens roster; represented USA at 1981 Ice Hockey World Championship |
Robert Richard Sheehan (born January 11, 1949) is a retired American professional ice hockey center who competed in both the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) between 1969 and 1982.
Career
Sheehan initiated his hockey journey by participating in the first-ever 1960 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament as a member of the junior Boston Bruins. Despite being relatively undersized, he dominated the NSJHL minor league by scoring 64 goals during his debut season. Selected 32nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens, he appeared in parts of three NHL seasons and served as a backup on the Canadiens' 1971 Stanley Cup championship roster. Subsequently, he established himself as a significant forward for the California Golden Seals.
In 1972, Sheehan transitioned to the WHA, joining the New York Raiders after their player rights were transferred from the New England Whalers. He made a comeback to the NHL in the 1975–76 season with the Chicago Black Hawks, alternating between NHL, AHL, and WHA teams until his retirement in 1983.
During most of the 1978–79 campaign, Sheehan played with the New Haven Nighthawks in the AHL before being summoned by the New York Rangers for their playoff run. Positioned as center alongside Pat Hickey and Ron Duguay, his efforts helped propel the Rangers to the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals, where they were defeated by Montreal in five games. Across 15 postseason matches, Sheehan contributed four goals and three assists.
Throughout his NHL tenure spanning over 310 games, Sheehan accumulated a total of 48 goals and 63 assists, amounting to 111 points.
International play
Sheehan represented Team USA at the 1981 Ice Hockey World Championship, where he tallied one goal and one assist over eight contests.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1966–67 | Halifax Junior Canadiens | MJrHL | 50 | 64 | 51 | 115 | 21 | 17 | 24 | 28 | 52 | 19 | ||
| 1967–68 | Halifax Junior Canadiens | MJrHL | 44 | 51 | 47 | 98 | 25 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 1968–69 | St. Catharines Black Hawks | OHA | 44 | 44 | 41 | 85 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 2 | ||
| 1969–70 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 16 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Montreal Voyageurs | AHL | 46 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1970–71 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 29 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1970–71 | Montreal Voyageurs | AHL | 35 | 24 | 21 | 45 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1971–72 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 78 | 20 | 26 | 46 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | New York Raiders | WHA | 75 | 35 | 53 | 88 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights | WHA | 50 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |||||||
| 1974–75 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 77 | 19 | 39 | 58 | 16 | |||||||
| Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 78 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1976–77 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 34 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Providence Reds | AHL | 36 | 28 | 26 | 54 | — |— |— |— |— | ||||||||
| 1977–78 | Indianapolis Racers | WHA | 29 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 6 | |||||||
| 1977–78 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 43 | 13 | 26 | 39 | 14 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 4 | ||
| 1978–79 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 70 | 33 | 48 | 81 | 26 | |||||||
| 1978–79 | New York Rangers | NHL | — | — | — | — | 15 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 8 | ||||||
| WHA totals | 241 | 75 | 110 | 185 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 310 | 48 | 63 | 111 | 40 | 25 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 8 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | United States | WC | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Senior career totals | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |||
Achievements & awards
- MJrHL leading scorer (1966–67)
- Selected for WHA All-Star Games (1973, 1974)
- Named to AHL Second All-Star Team (1979)