Phil Roberto

{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (1949–2025)}} {{Infobox ice hockey player | name = Phil Roberto |image=PhilRoberto.png |caption=Roberto in 1978 photo | image_size = | position = Right wing | shoots = Right | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 1 | weight_lb = 190 | played_for = Montreal Canadiens St. Louis Blues Detroit Red Wings Kansas City Scouts Colorado Rockies Cleveland Barons Birmingham Bulls | birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1949|1|1}} | birth_place = Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada | death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2025|4|30|1949|1|1}} | death_place = Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada | career_start = 1969 | career_end = 1978 }}

'''Phillip Joseph Roberto''' (January 1, 1949 – April 30, 2025) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, Kansas City Scouts, Colorado Rockies, and Cleveland Barons between 1969 and 1978. He also played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the Birmingham Bulls.

== NHL career == [[File:VickersRoberto.png|thumb|Roberto (right) in action for St. Louis Blues against Steve Vickers (left) in 1971]] Roberto won the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1971. That same year, Roberto assisted Canadiens legend Jean Béliveau's landmark 500th goal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jean Béliveau: By the Numbers |url=https://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/montreal-canadiens/article530979.html}}</ref>

In 385 NHL games, Roberto recorded 75 goals and 106 assists for a total of 181 points.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-30 |title=Phil Roberto Passes Away |url=https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2025/04/phil-roberto-passes-away.html |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=Pro Hockey Rumors |language=en-US}}</ref>

Roberto's 1973-74 hockey card depicts him fighting with New York Islanders goalie Billy Smith, marking the first time a player was shown in a fight on a card.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Duff |first=Bob |date=2025-05-01 |title=Former Red Wings Forward Roberto Remembered For Groundbreaking Trading Card |url=https://detroithockeynow.com/2025/05/01/former-red-wings-forward-roberto-remembered-for-groundbreaking-trading-card/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=Detroit Hockey Now |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Coaching career == Roberto coached the ECHL's Birmingham Bulls from 1993-96.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Phil Roberto (b.1949) Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com |url=https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=4595 |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=www.hockeydb.com}}</ref> He then served as general manager of the CHL/ECHL's Columbus (Ga.) Cottonmouths for several seasons before coaching the team for the latter half of the 2002-03 season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Columbus Cottonmouths history |url=http://www.georgiahockeymuseum.com/cottonmouths |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=www.georgiahockeymuseum.com}}</ref>

== Death == Roberto died on April 30, 2025, at the age of 76.<ref>[https://www.tvasports.ca/2025/04/30/lancien-du-ch-phil-roberto-est-decede L'ancien du CH Phil Roberto est décédé] {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

==Career statistics== ===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 ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM |- | 1965–66 | Niagara Falls Flyers | OHA | 2 || 2 || 0 || 2 || 0 | 6 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 6 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1965–66 | Niagara Falls Canucks | OHA-B | — || — || — || — || — | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1966–67 | Niagara Falls Flyers | OHA | 14 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 6 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1966–67 | Niagara Falls Canucks | OHA-B | — || — || — || — || — | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1967–68 | Niagara Falls Flyers | OHA | 53 || 19 || 20 || 39 || 92 | 19 || 13 || 14 || 27 || 71 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1968–69 | Niagara Falls Flyers | OHA | 52 || 29 || 65 || 94 || 152 | 14 || 7 || 15 || 22 || 38 |- | 1969–70 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 8 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 8 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1969–70 | Montreal Voyageurs | AHL | 54 || 20 || 19 || 39 || 160 | 8 || 3 || 1 || 4 || 19 |- | 1970–71 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 39 || 14 || 7 || 21 || 76 | 15 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 36 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1970–71 | Montreal Voyageurs | AHL | 32 || 19 || 22 || 41 || 127 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1971–72 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 27 || 3 || 2 || 5 || 22 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1971–72 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 49 || 12 || 13 || 25 || 76 | 11 || 7 || 6 || 13 || 29 |- | 1972–73 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 77 || 20 || 22 || 42 || 99 | 5 || 2 || 1 || 3 || 4 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1973–74 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 15 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 10 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1973–74 | Denver Spurs | WHL | 8 || 5 || 4 || 9 || 40 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1974–75 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 7 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 2 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1974–75 | Denver Spurs | CHL | 8 || 3 || 2 || 5 || 12 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1974–75 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 46 || 13 || 27 || 40 || 30 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1975–76 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 37 || 1 || 7 || 8 || 68 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1975–76 | Kansas City Scouts | NHL | 37 || 7 || 15 || 22 || 42 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1976–77 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 22 || 1 || 5 || 6 || 23 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1976–77 | Cleveland Barons | NHL | 21 || 3 || 4 || 7 || 8 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 1977–78 | Birmingham Bulls | WHA | 53 || 8 || 20 || 28 || 91 | 4 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 20 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3"| WHA totals ! 53 !! 8 !! 20 !! 28 !! 91 ! 4 !! 1 !! 0 !! 1 !! 20 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3"| NHL totals ! 385 !! 75 !! 106 !! 181 !! 464 ! 31 !! 9 !! 8 !! 17 !! 69 |}

== References == {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{IMDb name| 12971325}} * {{icehockeystats}} * [https://www.psacard.com/cardfacts/hockey-cards/1973-o-pee-chee/phil-roberto-3/142418 Roberto's 1973-74 hockey card].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberto, Phil}} Category:1949 births Category:2025 deaths Category:Birmingham Bulls (WHA) players Category:Canadian ice hockey forwards Category:Cleveland Barons (NHL) players Category:Colorado Rockies (NHL) players Category:Denver Spurs players Category:Denver Spurs (WHL) players Category:Detroit Red Wings players Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Category:Ice hockey people from Niagara Falls, Ontario Category:Kansas City Scouts players Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen Category:Montreal Canadiens players Category:Montreal Voyageurs players Category:Niagara Falls Flyers (1960–1972) players Category:St. Louis Blues players Category:Stanley Cup champions