1975-76 O-Pee-Chee WHA 19 Robbie Ftorek Hockey Card (Front)
1975-76 O-Pee-Chee WHA 19 Robbie Ftorek Hockey Card (Back)
1975-76 O-Pee-Chee WHA Checklist
Card Notes
Hustling Robbie was voted most popular Roadrunner by Phoenix fans last season. He scored a hat trick in the season opener, led the club in multiple goal games, scored 2 or more goals in 10 games and was red-hot in final 19 games of the season with 17 goals and 22 assists. Robbie holds the club record with 6 points in one game. Had 3 assists in one period of playoff game vs. Quebec, April 15, 1975.
En Français
En 1975, Robbie fut vote le Roadruner le plus populaire par les spectateurs de Phoenix. Il marqua trois buts durant la joute d’ouverture, produisit 2 buts ou plus par match à dix reprises et durant les 19 dernières rencontres de la saison 1974-75, il contribua 17 buts et 22 assistances. Le 15 avril 1975 contre les Nordiques il contribua 3 assistances en une seule période d’un match éliminatoire.
Details
Robbie Ftorek had an outstanding rookie season in the WHA with the Phoenix Roadrunners. In just 53 games, he scored 31 goals and assisted on 37 for 68 points. Pretty great numbers after starting the season in the Central Hockey League with the Tulsa Oilers. Ftorek missed out on the Lou Kaplan Trophy for WHA rookie of the year. Anders Hedberg of the Winnipeg Jets took that honour, putting up 53 goals and 100 points.
The following four seasons in the World Hockey Association saw Robbie accumulate at least 109 points per campaign. He topped out with 117 points in 1976-77 with the Roadrunners and 59 goals with the Cincinnati Stingers the following year. He won the Gary Davidson Trophy in 1976-77 as the league’s MVP.
Little known fact, Ftorek saw action in the National Hockey League prior to his stellar days in the WHA. Robbie played three games with the Detroit Red Wings in 1972-73 and 12 more with the club in 1973-74 before making his move to the Rebel League.
When the two major leagues merged for the 1979-80 season, Ftorek joined up with the Quebec Nordiques. He played in the NHL until the end of the 1984-85 season with the Nordiques and New York Rangers. Following that, Robbie embarked on a pretty epic coaching career that saw him behind the bench in the NHL, AHL, OHL and ECHL.