Robert L. Esche (born January 22, 1978) is an American 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 hock ...
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
who is the current president of the
Utica Comets
The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York, with home games at the Adirondack Bank Center. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated wi ...
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 Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
(AHL) and the
Utica City FC
Utica City FC is a professional indoor soccer team based in Utica, New York that plays in the Eastern Conference of the Major Arena Soccer League.
History
The team formed in 2011 as the Syracuse Silver Knights with the intention of playing in t ...
of the
Major Arena Soccer League
The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a North American professional indoor soccer league. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico.
MASL is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. MASL players ...
(MASL). He previously played eight 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 ...
(NHL) for the
Phoenix Coyotes and
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...
.
Playing career
Esche started his career with the
Phoenix Coyotes, only to be traded to the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...
in a deal involving
Michal Handzuš and
Brian Boucher
Brian Boucher ( ; born January 2, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender who is a game and studio analyst on national ESPN and ABC games and also Philadelphia Flyers games on NBC Sports Philadelphia. He played 13 season ...
. In 2004, he claimed the starting goaltending spot for the Flyers, and led them to the
Eastern Conference Finals, only to fall in seven games to the eventual
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
champion
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
.
While playing in Russia for
Ak Bars Kazan
Hockey Club Ak Bars (russian: Ак Барс, tt-Cyrl, Ак Барс, en, Snow Leopard), also known as Ak Bars Kazan, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Kazan. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey ...
, he posted a record of 22–5–2 with a 2.01
goals against average
Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on s ...
(GAA) and a .912 save percentage, along with four shutouts.
Esche skated with
Dinamo Minsk during the
2010–11 KHL season. In 2008–09, he posted a record of 21–14 with a 1.87 GAA and .912 save percentage, as well as nine shutouts.
On June 16, 2011, the
SCL Tigers
SC Langnau Tigers are a professional ice hockey team from Langnau im Emmental, Switzerland. They play in the National League (NL). The team plays its home games in the 6,000-seat Ilfis Stadium, which is currently one of the smallest arenas in the ...
announced they had signed the 33-year-old Esche to a contract,
where he played 40 games, going 15-25, with a 3.05 GAA and .898 save percentage.
International play
Esche has represented the United States in the 1997 and 1998
World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), or simply the "World Juniors" in ice hockey circles, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is t ...
and the IIHF World Championships in 2000, shutting out Russia in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, an accomplishment he still lists as his greatest moment in hockey. He represented the US team in 2001 and also received the starting nod at the
2004 World Cup of Hockey.
Esche was named to the 2006 US Men's Olympic Hockey Team in
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
. He played one game in the Olympic tournament, losing 5–4 to Russia.
Esche played for the 2008 Team USA Hockey team in the World Championships which took place in Canada. He had earned some starts after sitting out the first few games, including a 42 save performance in a controversial 3–2 loss against Finland. He also posted a 9–1 victory against Norway.
Personal
Esche has two children with his former wife Kelly.
Esche is nicknamed "Chico" after former NHL goaltender
Chico Resch
Glenn Allan "Chico" Resch (born July 10, 1948) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey goaltender and television sportscaster. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1973 to 1987, and won a Stanley Cup with the New ...
because his sticks were labeled R. Esche.
Awards and accomplishments
*
1997–98: Second All-Star Team (
OHL OHL or Ohl may refer to:
Initialisms
*Latvian Hockey Higher League, known in Latvian as the ''Optibet hokeja līga''
*Oberste Heeresleitung, the Supreme Army Command of Germany in World War I
*Obrascón Huarte Lain, a Spanish construction company
* ...
)
*
1998–99: All-Rookie Team (
AHL)
*
2002–03:
William M. Jennings Trophy
The William M. Jennings Trophy is an annual National Hockey League (NHL) award given to "the goaltender(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it ... based on regular-season play." From 1946 until ...
''shared with
Roman Čechmánek
Roman Čechmánek (; born March 2, 1971) is a Czech former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played professionally in the United States, Czech Republic, and Germany, including in the National Hockey League with the Philadelphia Flyers and Lo ...
,
PHI
Phi (; uppercase Φ, lowercase φ or ϕ; grc, ϕεῖ ''pheî'' ; Modern Greek: ''fi'' ) is the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet.
In Archaic and Classical Greek (c. 9th century BC to 4th century BC), it represented an aspirated voicele ...
and
Martin Brodeur,
NJ'' (
NHL
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 ...
)
*2002–03:
Yanick Dupre Memorial (Philadelphia Flyers)
*
2003–04:
Pelle Lindbergh Memorial
The Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
(Philadelphia Flyers)
*
2008 World Championships: Best save percentage (.931)
*
2008–09: Played in KHL All-Star Game
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
Robert Esche biographya
hockeygoalies.org- advanced statistics and game logs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Esche, Robert
1978 births
Ak Bars Kazan players
American men's ice hockey goaltenders
Detroit Whalers players
American expatriate ice hockey players in Russia
HC Dinamo Minsk players
Houston Aeros (1994–2013) players
Ice hockey players from New York (state)
Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Living people
Olympic ice hockey players of the United States
Sportspeople from Utica, New York
Philadelphia Flyers players
Arizona Coyotes draft picks
Phoenix Coyotes players
Plymouth Whalers players
SCL Tigers players
SKA Saint Petersburg players
Springfield Falcons players
William M. Jennings Trophy winners
People from Whitesboro, New York