Robbie Irons
| Robbie Irons | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
November 19, 1946 Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg; 10 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for | St. Louis Blues | ||
| Playing career | 1967–1981 | ||
Robert Richard Irons (born November 19, 1946) is a retired Canadian ice hockey goaltender. His lone National Hockey League appearance came with the St. Louis Blues during the 1968–69 season, while the majority of his career, spanning from 1967 to 1981, was spent playing in the International Hockey League.
Playing career
[edit]Born in Toronto, Ontario, Irons made a single NHL appearance with the St. Louis Blues during the 1968–69 season, playing just 2 minutes and 59 seconds. He was pressed into action when starting goalie Glenn Hall was ejected and Jacques Plante was not yet ready to enter, covering the net until Plante could step in.[1]
Irons once held, alongside Christian Soucy, the NHL record for the fewest career minutes played by a goaltender.[2] That mark was broken on December 31, 2016, when Jorge Alves appeared for just 7.6 seconds in his lone NHL game.
Irons spent an impressive 11 seasons competing in the IHL as the longtime goaltender for the Fort Wayne Komets. Throughout his tenure with the team, he established himself as one of the franchise's most reliable and celebrated players, earning six selections to the IHL All-Star team. In honour of his outstanding achievements and lasting influence on the organization, the Komets permanently retired his jersey number 30.[1]
Broadcasting career
[edit]Following his playing career, Irons became a longtime analyst alongside the Komets' iconic play-by-play broadcaster, Bob Chase. The duo worked together for 33 years, remaining a staple of Komets coverage until Chase's passing in 2016.[3]
Career statistics
[edit]Regular season and playoffs
[edit]| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1964–65 | Etobicoke Indians | MetJBHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Etobicoke Indians | MetJBHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966–67 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA | 33 | — | — | — | 1940 | 95 | 3 | 2.94 | — | 13 | — | — | 780 | 49 | 0 | 3.77 | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 43 | — | — | — | 2398 | 134 | 1 | 3.35 | — | 5 | 1 | 3 | 262 | 19 | 0 | 4.35 | — | ||
| 1968–69 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Kansas City Blues | CHL | 24 | — | — | — | 1309 | 83 | 0 | 3.80 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Kansas City Blues | CHL | 30 | 10 | 16 | 4 | 1800 | 104 | 2 | 3.47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Kansas City Blues | CHL | 6 | — | — | — | 360 | 23 | 0 | 3.83 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 31 | — | — | — | 1811 | 80 | 1 | 2.25 | — | 4 | 0 | 4 | 240 | 22 | 0 | 5.50 | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 21 | — | — | — | 1251 | 83 | 1 | 4.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 46 | — | — | — | 2737 | 132 | 2 | 2.89 | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 47 | — | — | — | 2701 | 148 | 2 | 3.29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 46 | — | — | — | 2713 | 146 | 2 | 3.27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 63 | — | — | — | 3321 | 199 | 1 | 3.60 | — | 9 | 5 | 4 | 530 | 39 | 0 | 5.44 | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 41 | — | — | — | 2248 | 141 | 1 | 3.70 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 39 | — | — | — | 2152 | 129 | 0 | 3.60 | — | 7 | — | — | 319 | 20 | 0 | 3.76 | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 54 | — | — | — | 2490 | 193 | 1 | 3.90 | — | 13 | 7 | 6 | 780 | 56 | 0 | 4.29 | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 41 | — | — | — | 2188 | 147 | 1 | 4.03 | — | 14 | — | — | 806 | 44 | 1 | 3.28 | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 51 | — | — | — | 2719 | 168 | 0 | 3.71 | — | 11 | — | — | 633 | 47 | 0 | 4.45 | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Fischler, Stan (July 16, 2024). "Hall ejection from 1st game wearing mask led NHL to impose new rule". NHL.com. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
- ^ Weekes, Don (2003). The Unofficial Guide to Hockey's Most Unusual Records. Canada: Greystone Publishing. pp. 240. ISBN 9781550549423.
- ^ Deitsch, Richard (8 June 2015). "Bob Chase, Doc Emrick's inspiration, still calling games at 89 and loving it". Sports Illustrated.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Robbie Irons @ hockeygoalies.org