Robert Ivan Woytowich (August 18, 1941[1] – July 30, 1988) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He played for the National Hockey League from 1964 to 1972, and in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1976.
| Bob Woytowich | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | August 18, 1941 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Died | July 30, 1988 (aged 46) near St. Andrews, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Boston Bruins Minnesota North Stars Pittsburgh Penguins Los Angeles Kings Winnipeg Jets (WHA) Indianapolis Racers (WHA) | ||
| Playing career | 1962–1978 | ||
Playing career
Woytowich started his National Hockey League career with the Boston Bruins in 1964. He would also play for the Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Los Angeles Kings. He left for World Hockey Association after the 1972 season. He would play for the Winnipeg Jets and Indianapolis Racers.
During Woytowich's tenure in Pittsburgh, he became a favorite of fans who formed a fan club called Woytowich's Polish Army (Woytowich was of Polish descent). The club camped in the upper reaches of the Pittsburgh Civic Arena during weekday home games and filled an entire section during Saturday home games. Despite its name, one did not have to be of Polish descent to be a member of the Polish Army. Members had to have the money to purchase a general admission ticket and were forbidden from saying anything nice about Penguins opponents.
On July 30, 1988, Woytowich suffered a heart attack while driving his car near Winnipeg. The car was involved in an accident and he died.
Awards and achievements
- CPHL First All-Star Team (1964)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1970)
- Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1958–59 | Transcona Rangers | MJHL | 28 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1959–60 | Winnipeg Rangers | MJHL | 27 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 68 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 34 | ||
| 1960–61 | Winnipeg Rangers | MJHL | 30 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 82 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | ||
| 1960–61 | Seattle Totems | WHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1961–62 | Winnipeg Rangers | MJHL | 40 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1961–62 | Brandon Wheat Kings | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 | ||
| 1962–63 | Sudbury Wolves | EPHL | 71 | 17 | 27 | 44 | 69 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 1963–64 | St. Paul Rangers | CPHL | 68 | 9 | 31 | 40 | 101 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | ||
| 1964–65 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 21 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964–65 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 48 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 68 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966–67 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 64 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 66 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 63 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18 | ||
| 1968–69 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 71 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 68 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 49 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1970–71 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 78 | 4 | 22 | 26 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 31 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 36 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 62 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 47 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1973–74 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 72 | 6 | 28 | 34 | 43 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1974–75 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 24 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Indianapolis Racers | WHA | 42 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Indianapolis Racers | WHA | 42 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Mohawk Valley Comets | NAHL | 37 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Steinbach Stallions | CCSHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WHA totals | 242 | 9 | 51 | 60 | 140 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||
| NHL totals | 503 | 32 | 126 | 158 | 352 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 20 | ||||
References
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database