Bob Neely

Bob Neely
Date of birth	November 9, 1953
place of birth	Sarnia , Ontario , Canada
size	183 cm
Weight	91 kg
position	defender
Shot hand	Left
Draft
NHL Amateur Draft	1973 , 1st round, 10th position Toronto Maple Leafs
WHA Amateur Draft	1973 , 1st lap, 1st position Chicago Cougars
Career stations
1970-1971	Hamilton Red Wings
1971-1973	Peterborough Petes
1973-1978	Toronto Maple Leafs
1978	Colorado Rockies
1978-1980	New Brunswick Hawks

Robert Barry "Bob" Neely (born November 9, 1953 in Sarnia , Ontario ) is a retired Canadian ice hockey player (defender) who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Rockies in the National Hockey League from 1973 to 1978 .

Career

As a junior he played with the Hamilton Red Wings in the OHA . Within the league, he moved to the Peterborough Petes . Here he played very physically and resolutely. This not only earned him respect from his opponents, but also aroused the interest of the scouts. In 1972 he reached the Memorial Cup finals with the Petes , but had to admit defeat there to the Cornwall Royals with Al Sims and Richard Brodeur .

He had his big days in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft , when the Toronto Maple Leafs selected him in the first round as tenth, and in the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft , when the Chicago Cougars secured the rights to him as the first player in the draft.

In the 1973/74 season he made the leap into the NHL. Here he could not distinguish himself as a great scorer, but due to his physical style of play, which showed his commitment, he was very popular with the fans. Neely was dissatisfied, however, that the Maple Leafs used him as a tough guy , i.e. as a player for physical confrontations and not as a full-fledged defender. His coach Roger Neilson also often used him as a left winger. During the 1977/78 season he was given to the Colorado Rockies . After the end of the season, the Maple Leafs took back the rights to him. However, he did not return to the NHL.

He played two more years in the American Hockey League for the New Brunswick Hawks before retiring.

NHL statistics

	Seasons	Games	Gates	Assists	Points	Penalty minutes
Regular season	13	283	39	59	98	266
Playoffs	11	26th	5	7th	12	15th

Sporting successes

Personal awards

• OMJHL First All-Star Team: 1973
• AHL First All-Star Team : 1980

Web links

• Bob Neely at hockeydb.com (English)
• Bob Neely at legendsofhockey.net (English)