Morris "Maurice, Moe" Roberts (December 13, 1905 – February 7, 1975) was an American ice hockey goaltender with the Boston Bruins, New York Americans, and Chicago Black Hawks for periods between 1925 and 1951, spending the rest of his career in different minor leagues. Roberts was the oldest man to play the position of goaltender in National Hockey League history, and in two different stretches of several decades was both the oldest player to play an NHL game and the youngest to play goal in the NHL. Roberts was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, but grew up in Somerville, Massachusetts.
| Maurice Roberts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
December 13, 1905 Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S. | ||
| Died |
February 7, 1975 (aged 69) Somerville, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Right | ||
| Played for |
Boston Bruins New York Americans Chicago Black Hawks | ||
| Playing career |
1925–1946 1951 | ||
History
editRoberts played a total of ten games in the NHL with the Boston Bruins, New York Americans, and Chicago Black Hawks, as well as playing sixteen seasons in the minor leagues, most notably for the Cleveland Barons and the New Haven Eagles. His career was interrupted for four seasons after he enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II.[1] After the war, he played only one more regular season of professional hockey.
Roberts made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins on December 8, 1925, substituting for injured regular Doc Stewart in a 3-2 win against the Montreal Maroons. At age 19, he was the youngest goaltender in NHL history, until surpassed by Harry Lumley nearly twenty years later.
On November 25, 1951, Roberts, then an assistant trainer with the Black Hawks, had to finish the third period for the injured Lumley, at that point the Black Hawks' starter. Although Roberts didn't yield a goal, his Hawks still fell to the Detroit Red Wings, 5-2. The then 45-year-old Roberts, in his last NHL game, became the oldest player to play in an NHL game; a record he held until broken by Gordie Howe in 1979, and also passed by Chris Chelios. He remains the oldest goaltender to play in an NHL game.[2] He also was the final NHL player who was active in the 1920s.[3]
Roberts was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005.[4]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | Min | GA | SO | GAA | GP | W | L | T | Min | GA | SO | GAA | ||
| 1923–24 | Somerville High School | HS-MA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1924–25 | Boston Athletic Association | USAHA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 1.50 | ||
| 1925–26 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 85 | 5 | 0 | 3.53 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1926–27 | New Haven Eagles | Can-Am | 32 | 18 | 14 | 0 | 1980 | 66 | 1 | 2.00 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 240 | 9 | 0 | 2.25 | ||
| 1927–28 | New Haven Eagles | Can-Am | 40 | 16 | 20 | 4 | 2450 | 90 | 4 | 2.20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1928–29 | Philadelphia Arrows | Can-Am | 40 | 12 | 21 | 7 | 2490 | 73 | 5 | 1.76 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1929–30 | Philadelphia Arrows | Can-Am | 40 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 2470 | 121 | 3 | 2.94 | 1 | — | — | — | 120 | 5 | 0 | 2.50 | ||
| 1930–31 | Philadelphia Arrows | Can-Am | 40 | 12 | 22 | 6 | 2460 | 108 | 3 | 2.63 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1931–32 | New York Americans | NHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1931–32 | New Haven Eagles | Can-Am | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 1370 | 48 | 2 | 2.10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 120 | 8 | 0 | 4.00 | ||
| 1932–33 | New Haven Eagles | Can-Am | 44 | 16 | 23 | 5 | 2680 | 123 | 4 | 2.75 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1933–34 | New York Americans | NHL | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 336 | 25 | 0 | 4.46 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1933–34 | Cleveland Indians | IHL | 35 | — | — | — | 2100 | 98 | 3 | 2.80 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1934–35 | Cleveland Falcons | IHL | 44 | 20 | 23 | 1 | 2670 | 132 | 4 | 2.97 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 140 | 6 | 0 | 2.57 | ||
| 1935–36 | Cleveland Falcons | IHL | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 810 | 28 | 2 | 2.07 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 3 | 1 | 1.50 | ||
| 1935–36 | Syracuse Stars | IHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1935–36 | Rochester Cardinals | IHL | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 930 | 31 | 2 | 2.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1936–37 | Cleveland Falcons | IAHL | 45 | 13 | 24 | 8 | 2840 | 134 | 3 | 2.83 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1937–38 | Cleveland Barons | IAHL | 45 | 24 | 11 | 9 | 2810 | 103 | 5 | 2.20 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 183 | 9 | 0 | 2.95 | ||
| 1938–39 | Cleveland Barons | IAHL | 54 | 23 | 22 | 9 | 3410 | 138 | 4 | 2.43 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 635 | 12 | 4 | 1.13 | ||
| 1939–40 | Cleveland Barons | IAHL | 56 | 24 | 24 | 8 | 3482 | 130 | 5 | 2.24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1940–41 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | 43 | 20 | 15 | 7 | 2640 | 122 | 3 | 2.77 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 239 | 10 | 0 | 2.51 | ||
| 1941–42 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | 27 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 1560 | 79 | 2 | 3.04 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1941–42 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 180 | 14 | 0 | 4.67 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1945–46 | Washington Lions | EAHL | 24 | — | — | — | 1440 | 97 | 2 | 4.04 | 6 | — | — | — | 360 | 22 | 1 | 3.67 | ||
| 1951–52 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 10 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 501 | 31 | 0 | 3.71 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Moe Roberts Joins U.S. Navy". Montreal Gazette. Montreal, PQ. October 24, 1942. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ Proteau, Adam (November 2, 2014). "Dwayne Roloson – at 45 years of age – makes a surprise return to an NHL team". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
- ^ Goaltending Legends: Maurice "Moe" Roberts
- ^ "'HUFFER' JOINS THE HALL OF FAME". Duluth News-Tribune. November 6, 2005.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Maurice Roberts at Find a Grave