# Bob Plager

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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bob_Plager.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Plager
> Source revision: 1357209051
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{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (1943–2021)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| name = Bob Plager
| image = BobPlager2014.jpg
| caption = Plager in 2014
| played_for = [New York Rangers](/source/New_York_Rangers)<br />[St. Louis Blues](/source/St._Louis_Blues)
| position = [Defence](/source/Defenceman)
| shoots = Left
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 11
| weight_lb = 195
| birth_date = {{birth date|1943|3|11|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [Kirkland Lake, Ontario](/source/Kirkland_Lake%2C_Ontario), Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|3|24|1943|3|11}}
| death_place = [St. Louis](/source/St._Louis), [Missouri](/source/Missouri), U.S.
| career_start = 1962
| career_end = 1978
}}
'''Robert Bryant Plager''' (March 11, 1943 – March 24, 2021) was a Canadian professional [ice hockey](/source/ice_hockey) [defenceman](/source/defenceman) who played in the [National Hockey League](/source/National_Hockey_League) (NHL) for 14 seasons from [1964](/source/1964%E2%80%9365_NHL_season) until [1978](/source/1977%E2%80%9378_NHL_season), primarily for the [St. Louis Blues](/source/St._Louis_Blues). Plager spent over half a century with the Blues organization in various capacities.

==Early career==
Plager was born in [Kirkland Lake, Ontario](/source/Kirkland_Lake%2C_Ontario), on March 11, 1943.<ref name="HR player"/>  His father, Gus, worked as the chief official in the [Northern Ontario Hockey Association](/source/Northern_Ontario_Hockey_Association).<ref name=Timmermann>{{cite news|title=Bob Plager remembered for all he meant to team and St. Louis|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/article_49529cdc-9c15-5f05-86b8-113fc0a6019f.html|first=Tom|last=Timmermann|date=March 24, 2021|access-date=March 24, 2021|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch}}</ref>  Plager played junior hockey with the [Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters](/source/Guelph_Biltmore_Mad_Hatters) and the [Guelph Royals](/source/Guelph_Royals_(ice_hockey)).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=4305|title=Bob Plager Hockey Stats and Profile|work=HockeyDB|publisher=The Internet Hockey Database|access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref>  Known for his aggressive, highly physical play, he broke what was then the [Ontario Hockey Association](/source/Ontario_Hockey_Association) record for penalty minutes in a season in 1961–62.<ref name=Timmermann/>  He subsequently signed a professional contract with the [New York Rangers](/source/New_York_Rangers) in 1964, but only played 29 games with this club over the next three years, spending most of his time with the minor league [Baltimore Clippers](/source/Baltimore_Clippers).  The NHL's expansion gave Plager his chance to become an NHL regular; he was traded to St. Louis with [Gary Sabourin](/source/Gary_Sabourin), [Tim Ecclestone](/source/Tim_Ecclestone), and [Gord Kannegiesser](/source/Gord_Kannegiesser) for [Rod Seiling](/source/Rod_Seiling) on June 6, 1967.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13992|title=Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Bob Plager|website=Legendsofhockey.net}}</ref>

==Blues playing career==
Plager was reunited with his brothers [Bill](/source/Bill_Plager) and [Barclay](/source/Barclay_Plager) as all three took the ice for [St. Louis Blues](/source/St._Louis_Blues) as the team started its existence with a hard-hitting, defensive-oriented squad that appeared in three straight Stanley Cup Finals. Plager earned a reputation as a bruising player with a devastating hip check. Off the ice, he was known as a prankster who was able to bond teammates through his lighthearted demeanor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blues.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=34447|title=Honored Numbers - Bob Plager|website=Blues.nhl.com}}</ref> Despite injuries, Plager was able to play 615 games over 11 years on the St. Louis blue line.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/p/plagebo01.html|title=Bob Plager|editor=<!--Not stated-->|department=Players|website=Hockey-Reference.com|publisher=[Sports Reference](/source/Sports_Reference)|language=en|type=Profile|access-date=December 12, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201161156/http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/p/plagebo01.html |archive-date=December 1, 2008 }}</ref>

==Post-playing career==
Plager retired from on-ice action in 1978 and took a job with the Blues front office. He is credited with developing the process of advanced scouting. During the 1990–91 season, he took over as head coach of the [Peoria Rivermen](/source/Peoria_Rivermen_(IHL)), a Blues affiliate club. In his one-season behind the bench, he led the team to a [Turner Cup](/source/Turner_Cup) championship and won the Commissioners' Trophy as coach of the year. During the 1992–93 season, he became the Blues' head coach, but, unhappy with his new role, he resigned after 11 games to return to his job as vice president of player development.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inquirer.com/archives/|title=Archives &#124; The Philadelphia Inquirer|website=Inquirer.com}}</ref>

His jersey was retired on February 2, 2017, the seventh for a Blues player.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nhl.com/blues/news/plager-retirement-ceremony-set-for-630-pm/c-286032768 |title=Plager retirement ceremony set for 6:30 p.m. |publisher=NHL.com |date=January 23, 2017}}</ref>  He was either a player, coach or executive for nearly all of the Blues' existence until his death.<ref>{{cite web|title=St. Louis Blues legend Bob Plager dies in car accident at age 78|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31129801/st-louis-blues-legend-bob-plager-dies-car-accident|first=Emily|last=Kaplan|date=March 24, 2021|access-date=March 24, 2021|website=ESPN.com}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Plager's brothers, [Bill](/source/Bill_Plager) and [Barclay](/source/Barclay_Plager), also played in the NHL.<ref name="HR player"/>  All three of them played together with the [St. Louis Blues](/source/St._Louis_Blues) from 1968 to 1972.<ref name="HR player"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/p/plagebi01.html|title=Bill Plager Stats|work=Hockey-Reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/p/plageba01.html|title=Barclay Plager Stats|work=Hockey-Reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref> Plager was a [convert to Judaism](/source/convert_to_Judaism).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jewsinsports.org/profile.asp?sport=hockey&ID=30 |title=Plager, Bob : Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum |publisher=Jewsinsports.org |date=March 11, 1943 |access-date=October 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171917/http://jewsinsports.org/profile.asp?sport=hockey&ID=30 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jewishsportsreview.com/totalhockey.htm|title=All-Time List of Jewish Skaters in the NHL|website=Jewishsportsreview.com|access-date=May 3, 2018|archive-date=March 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310020901/http://www.jewishsportsreview.com/totalhockey.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Death==
Plager died of a "cardiac event" suffered while driving eastbound on [Interstate 64](/source/Interstate_64_in_Missouri), on March 24, 2021, leading to a two-vehicle collision.<ref name=Death>{{Cite web |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/blues-hockey-legend-plager-killed-in-crash-on-highway-40-in-st-louis/article_8edbff6b-f3fd-5702-9190-5c4b2c5100d5.html |title=Blues hockey legend Plager killed in crash on Highway 40 |date=March 24, 2021 |last=Heffernan |first=Erin |website=[The St. Louis Post-Dispatch](/source/St._Louis_Post-Dispatch) |access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Blues legend Bobby Plager dead in car accident on Interstate 64|url=https://www.kmov.com/news/sources-blues-legend-bobby-plager-dead-in-car-accident-on-interstate-64/article_12d6bd1a-8cd4-11eb-b4f2-2f4048beba25.html|access-date=March 24, 2021|website=Kmov.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/blues-legend-bob-plager-died-from-cardiac-related-issue/63-250ac785-c4fa-4efe-9b81-21b28b1141b0|title=Blues legend Bob Plager died from cardiac-related issue|website=Ksdk.com|date=March 26, 2021}}</ref> During a commemoration ceremony at [Enterprise Center](/source/Enterprise_Center), organist [Jeremy Boyer](/source/Jeremy_Boyer) played "When The Blues Go Marching In" while Blues alumni carried his coffin out of Enterprise Center to be transported.<ref>{{Citation|title=Jeremy playing "When the Blues Go Marching In" one last time for Bobby| date=April 19, 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8QUIO_4Xww|language=en|access-date=2022-01-12}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
<small>Source:<ref name="HR player">{{cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/p/plagebo01.html|title=Bob Plager Stats|work=Hockey-Reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref></small>

===Regular season and playoffs===
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! colspan="5"|[Regular season](/source/Regular_season)
! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"|
! colspan="5"|[Playoffs](/source/Playoffs)
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! [Season](/source/Season_(sports))
! Team
! League
! GP !! [G](/source/Goal_(ice_hockey)) !! [A](/source/Assist_(ice_hockey)) !! [Pts](/source/Point_(ice_hockey)) !! [PIM](/source/Penalty_(ice_hockey))
! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM
|-
| [1959–60](/source/1959%E2%80%9360_OHA_season)
| [Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters](/source/Guelph_Biltmore_Mad_Hatters)
| [OHA](/source/Ontario_Hockey_League)
| 44 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 37
| 5 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 4
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 
| [1960–61](/source/1960%E2%80%9361_OHA_season)
| [Guelph Royals](/source/Guelph_Royals_(ice_hockey))
| OHA
| 43 || 3 || 12 || 15 || 99
| 14 || 3 || 8 || 11 || 73
|-
| [1961–62](/source/1961%E2%80%9362_OHA_season)
| Guelph Royals
| OHA
| 50 || 5 || 22 || 27 || 161
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 
| [1961–62](/source/1961%E2%80%9362_EPHL_season)
| [Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers](/source/Kitchener-Waterloo_Beavers)
| [EPHL](/source/Eastern_Professional_Hockey_League_(1959%E2%80%9363))
| 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2
| — || — || — || — || —
|-
| [1962–63](/source/1962%E2%80%9363_OHA_season)
| Guelph Royals
| OHA
| 45 || 11 || 28 || 39 || 97
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 
| [1962–63](/source/1962%E2%80%9363_AHL_season)
| [Baltimore Clippers](/source/Baltimore_Clippers)
| [AHL](/source/American_Hockey_League)
| 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 6
| 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 10
|-
| [1963–64](/source/1963%E2%80%9364_CPHL_season)
| [St. Paul Rangers](/source/St._Paul_Rangers)
| [CHL](/source/Central_Professional_Hockey_League)
| 61 || 13 || 35 || 48 || 158
| 8 || 3 || 6 || 9 || 21
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [1964–65](/source/1964%E2%80%9365_NHL_season)
| [New York Rangers](/source/New_York_Rangers)
| [NHL](/source/National_Hockey_League)
| 10 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 18
| — || — || — || — || —
|- 
| [1964–65](/source/1964%E2%80%9365_WHL_season)
| [Vancouver Canucks](/source/Vancouver_Canucks_(WHL))
| [WHL](/source/Western_Hockey_League_(1952%E2%80%9374))
| 31 || 5 || 12 || 17 || 103
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [1964–65](/source/1964%E2%80%9365_AHL_season)
| Baltimore Clippers
| AHL
| 19 || 2 || 12 || 14 || 27
| 5 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 6
|-
| [1965–66](/source/1965%E2%80%9366_NHL_season)
| New York Rangers
| NHL
| 18 || 0 || 5 || 5 || 22
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 
| [1965–66](/source/1965%E2%80%9366_CHL_season)
| [Minnesota Rangers](/source/Minnesota_Rangers)
| CHL
| 44 || 7 || 12 || 19 || 145
| — || — || — || — || —
|-
| [1966–67](/source/1966%E2%80%9367_NHL_season)
| New York Rangers
| NHL
| 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 
| [1966–67](/source/1966%E2%80%9367_AHL_season)
| Baltimore Clippers
| AHL
| 63 || 3 || 16 || 19 || 169
| 9 || 0 || 5 || 5 || 15
|-
| [1967–68](/source/1967%E2%80%9368_NHL_season)
| [St. Louis Blues](/source/St._Louis_Blues)
| NHL
| 53 || 2 || 5 || 7 || 86
| 18 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 69
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 
| [1968–69](/source/1968%E2%80%9369_NHL_season)
| St. Louis Blues
| NHL
| 32 || 0 || 7 || 7 || 43
| 9 || 0 || 4 || 4 || 47
|-
| [1968–69](/source/1968%E2%80%9369_CHL_season)
| [Kansas City Blues](/source/Kansas_City_Blues_(ice_hockey))
| CHL
| 5 || 1 || 3 || 4 || 16
| — || — || — || — || —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [1969–70](/source/1969%E2%80%9370_NHL_season)
| St. Louis Blues 
| NHL
| 64 || 3 || 11 || 14 || 113
| 16 || 0 || 3 || 3 || 46
|-
| [1970–71](/source/1970%E2%80%9371_NHL_season)
| St. Louis Blues 
| NHL
| 70 || 1 || 19 || 20 || 114
| 6 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 4
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [1971–72](/source/1971%E2%80%9372_NHL_season)
| St. Louis Blues 
| NHL
| 50 || 4 || 7 || 11 || 81
| 11 || 1 || 4 || 5 || 5
|-
| [1972–73](/source/1972%E2%80%9373_NHL_season)
| St. Louis Blues 
| NHL
| 77 || 2 || 31 || 33 || 107
| 5 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 2
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [1973–74](/source/1973%E2%80%9374_NHL_season)
| St. Louis Blues 
| NHL
| 61 || 3 || 10 || 13 || 48
| — || — || — || — || —
|-
| [1974–75](/source/1974%E2%80%9375_NHL_season)
| St. Louis Blues 
| NHL
| 73 || 1 || 14 || 15 || 53
| 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 20
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [1975–76](/source/1975%E2%80%9376_NHL_season)
| St. Louis Blues 
| NHL
| 63 || 3 || 8 || 11 || 90
| 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2
|-
| [1976–77](/source/1976%E2%80%9377_NHL_season)
| St. Louis Blues 
| NHL
| 54 || 1 || 9 || 10 || 23
| 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| [1976–77](/source/1976%E2%80%9377_CHL_season)
| Kansas City Blues 
| CHL
| 4 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 15
| — || — || — || — || —
|-
| [1977–78](/source/1977%E2%80%9378_CHL_season)
| [Salt Lake Golden Eagles](/source/Salt_Lake_Golden_Eagles)
| CHL
| 11 || 0 || 3 || 3 || 52
| 6 || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals
! 644 !! 20 !! 126 !! 146 !! 802
! 74 !! 2 !! 17 !! 19 !! 195
|}

==Coaching record==
<small>Source:<ref name="HR coach">{{cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/coaches/plagebo01c.html|title=Bob Plager NHL & WHA Hockey Coaching Record|work=Hockey-Reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=March 24, 2021}}</ref></small>
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="6"|[Regular season](/source/Regular_season) !!|[Postseason](/source/Postseason)
|-
! G !! W !! L !! T !! Pts !! Division rank !! Result
|-
![St. Louis Blues](/source/St._Louis_Blues)||[1992–93](/source/1992%E2%80%9393_NHL_season)
|11||4||6||1||(9)||(resigned)||—
|}

==See also==
*[List of select Jewish ice hockey players](/source/List_of_Jews_in_sports)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{icehockeystats}}
*[http://blues.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=34447 St. Louis Blues biography]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box | before = [Brian Sutter](/source/Brian_Sutter) | title = [Head coach of the St. Louis Blues](/source/List_of_St._Louis_Blues_head_coaches) | years = [1992](/source/1992-93_NHL_season) | after = [Bob Berry](/source/Bob_Berry_(ice_hockey))}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plager, Bob}}
Category:1943 births
Category:2021 deaths
Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen
Category:Baltimore Clippers players
Category:Burials at Bellerive Gardens Cemetery
Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches
Category:Canadian ice hockey defencemen
Category:Converts to Judaism
Category:Guelph Biltmores players
Category:Guelph Royals players
Category:Ice hockey people from Kirkland Lake
Category:Jewish Canadian sportspeople
Category:Minnesota Rangers players
Category:National Hockey League players with retired numbers
Category:New York Rangers players
Category:Road incident deaths in Missouri
Category:St. Louis Blues announcers
Category:St. Louis Blues coaches
Category:St. Louis Blues executives
Category:St. Louis Blues players
Category:St. Louis Blues scouts
Category:St. Paul Rangers players

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bob Plager](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Plager) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Plager?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.