Veteran Forward Gary Roberts Retires

Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Gary Roberts announced his retirement from the NHL during a press conference on Tuesday, ending a 20-season career. The Lightning placed him on waivers last week just prior to the trade deadline. Despite the rumor of several teams apparently having interest in Roberts, he went unclaimed and questions quickly arose over whether he would retire or not. Roberts was limited to 30 games this season after suffering a groin injury in December. He had four goals and three assists for seven points and 27 penalty minutes with the Lightning this season. In 1224 NHL games, Roberts had 438 goals and 472 assists for 910 points and 2374 penalty minutes with the Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Tampa Bay Lightning. He won a Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989 and previously announced his retirement in 1996 due to chronic neck pain, but made a comeback with the Hurricanes in 1997. He also reached the Stanley Cup Finals last season with the Penguins. Roberts was a very gritty forward and talented goal scorer with lots of leadership qualities during his career and that could eventually translate into a place in the Hall of Fame. It's too bad he ended his NHL career on the lowly Lightning and that injuries limited his play this season, but he should be very proud of everything he accomplished in his career.