Robert Alexander Gould (born September 2, 1957) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

player. He played eleven seasons in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

between 1980 and 1990 with the

Atlanta Flames The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980. They played home games in the Omni Coliseum and were members of the West and later Patrick divisions of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with t ...

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

, and

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

Playing career

Bob Gould was drafted by the

of the National Hockey League in the seventh round, 118th overall, of the 1977 NHL amateur draft. He was also drafted by the

Calgary Cowboys The Calgary Cowboys were an ice hockey team that played two seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1975–1977. The Cowboys played at the Stampede Corral in Calgary. The franchise was founded in 1972 as the Miami Screaming Eagles, t ...

of the World Hockey Association in the eighth round, 70th overall, of the

1977 WHA Amateur Draft The 1977 WHA Amateur Draft was the fifth and final draft held by the World Hockey Association. __NOTOC__ Selections by Round Below are listed the selections in the 1977 WHA Amateur Draft. Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 ...

. Gould never played in the WHA, although he did eventually play in Calgary; after one game for the Atlanta Flames in 1979–80 he relocated to Calgary with the team the following season. He played parts of the next two seasons, 1980–81 and 1981–82, for the

before being traded to the

on 25 November 1981 along with Randy Holt for Pat Ribble and a second round selection from the

1983 NHL Entry Draft The 1983 NHL Entry Draft was the 21st NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, on June 8, 1983. The NHL Entry Draft is the primary means by which players arrive in the National Hockey League. The St. Louis Blues did ...

. After three seasons of bouncing between the minors and the NHL, Gould finally got a chance to play full-time at the NHL level with the Capitals and made the most of it, scoring 18 goals and 31 points in his first 60 games. He continued to play well with three straight seasons with over 20 goals, peaking in 1986–87 with a career-high 23 goals and 50 points. Gould is also remembered for a March 20, 1987 fight with

Mario Lemieux Mario Lemieux (; ; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played parts of 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984 and 2006, and he assumed ownership of the f ...

. Giving up 6 inches and 25 lbs, Gould ended up breaking Lemieux's jaw with a solid right uppercut. Lemieux spent the night at George Washington University Hospital. "The first thing that came to mind when he said, 'Let's go,' was that I could get him off the ice for five minutes," Gould said. "I never thought about hurting him." Lemieux would not fight again in the NHL for another 9 years.Fachet, R., 'Lemieux: Beaten to The Punch', 'Washington Post', March 22, 1987 Nearing the end of his career, Gould was traded by the Capitals to the

for defenseman Alain Cote on 28 September 1989. This was Gould's final NHL season, and he helped the Bruins reach the Stanley Cup finals, including advancing past his former team, the Capitals. Gould played for the Maine Mariners of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

in 1990–91 before retiring altogether. In 697 NHL games, he finished with 145 goals and 159 assists.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gould, Bobby 1957 births Living people Atlanta Flames draft picks Atlanta Flames players Birmingham Bulls (CHL) players Boston Bruins players Calgary Cowboys draft picks Calgary Flames players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey forwards Fort Worth Texans players Ice hockey people from Ontario Maine Mariners (AHL) players New Hampshire Wildcats men's ice hockey players Oklahoma City Stars players Tulsa Oilers (1964–1984) players Washington Capitals players