Robbie Ftorek
| Robbie Ftorek | |||||||||||||||
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| Born |
January 2, 1952 Needham, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Center/Left Wing | ||||||||||||||
| Shot | Left | ||||||||||||||
| Played for |
NHL Detroit Red Wings Quebec Nordiques New York Rangers WHA Phoenix Roadruners Cincinnati Stingers |
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| National team |
 United States
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| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1972–1986 | ||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Robert Brian Ftorek (born January 2, 1952 in Needham, Massachusetts) is a former ice hockey player and coach. He currently is head coach of the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL. He was enshrined as member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.
As a player, he was a member of the 1972 United States Olympic Hockey team that surprisingly won the silver medal at the 1972 Winter Olympics. Ftorek also played for Team USA at the 1972 "Pool B" Ice Hockey World Championship where he was selected to the tournament all-star team. Originally drafted by the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association in 1972, he instead signed with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings. However, the Red Wings regarded Ftorek as too small to make it as a professional and he only appeared in a handful of NHL games. Having spent most of his time in the minors with the AHL's Virginia Wings, Ftorek decided to move over to the WHA in 1974, and it was at this time the Whalers traded his WHA rights to the Phoenix Roadrunners. Ftorek quickly became the Roadrunners' biggest star and he made history in 1977 when he won the Gordie Howe Trophy as the league's most valuable player—the first American ice hockey player in major professional hockey to accomplish this feat. Ftorek confirmed his status as the most accomplished American player of the 1970s in the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup where he was elected MVP of Team USA and also was the US team's leading scorer. After playing parts of three seasons in Phoenix and when the Roadrunners franchise folded, Ftorek signed with the Cincinnati Stingers. After the WHA folded following the 1978–79 season, he signed with the Quebec Nordiques of the NHL and served as the team's captain in 1981. Ftorek played for Team USA at the 1981 Canada Cup tournament. He was traded to the New York Rangers during the 1981–82 NHL season, where he played through the 1984–85 NHL season and finished his NHL career. He played several seasons with the New Haven Nighthawks before retiring from professional play.
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