McMillan compared to Hab legend
r Kelowna's Brandon McMillan continues to draw rave reviews for his play at the World Junior Hockey Championships. During Canada's semi-final game against Switzerland, TSN's Pierre McGuire loved McMillan's play.
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r "He makes things happen," said McGuire. "He can score, he play forward or defense, he can play with elite players."
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r McGuire then compared McMillan to Jimmy Roberts of the Montreal Canadiens. Habs fans might know who Roberts is, but here's a story for the rest of us.—kelownarockets.com
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r Story courtesy of www.ourhistory.canadiens.com
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r Toronto native Jimmy Roberts played over 1,000 games during his 14-year NHL career. Most of his time was spent in Montreal as a member of the squads of the 1960s and 1970s, while having his name engraved on the Stanley Cup five times.
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r A tireless worker, Roberts was the ultimate team player. Toiling in relative obscurity and driven by a ferocious competitive nature, he contributed to some of the greatest teams in Habs history.
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r The Canadiens were the fourth team for which Roberts suited up in 1963-64. He appeared in 15 regular season matches, picking up his first NHL point (an assist) and he dressed for all seven of the Habs’ playoff games that season.
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r Cracking the Canadiens’ lineup permanently in the fall of 1965, his job was to kill penalties and cover the top scorers in the league, a role he embraced and performed as well as anyone in the NHL. Fast enough to match most opponents and strong enough to handle the physical requirements of his specialty, Roberts was a key contributor to the Stanley Cup Championships of 1965 and 1966.
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r Left unprotected prior to the expansion draft in 1967, Roberts was scooped up early. St. Louis selected him with their first pick, and he played a big role in helping the expansion Blues to the Finals in each of their first three years of operation. No longer limited to an exclusively defensive role, Roberts showed that he had a scoring touch as well, picking up a dozen or more goals in each of his four complete seasons with St. Louis.
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r Reacquired by the Canadiens in 1971-72, Roberts resumed his defensive responsibilities and was soon smothering opposing forwards with his energetic and effective play. He managed to find the twine 14 times the next season, one that ended with his third Stanley Cup parade. He potted 13 goals in 1976, the year Scotty Bowman took over the Montreal bench, and helped lead the Habs to the fourth Stanley Cup of his career.
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r Months after earning his fifth mention on the Cup, Roberts was sent back to St. Louis in August 1977, traded for the Blues’ third round pick in the 1979 Amateur Draft. The Habs completed the transaction with the selection of promising young forward Guy Carbonneau.
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r Roberts retired after the 1977-78 campaign and began a successful and ongoing coaching career.
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