Career Vitals

Career NHL Statistics

Teams: Montreal,California, Chicago, Detroit,
N.Y. Rangers, Colorado, Los Angeles
Years: 1970-1981. Playoffs: 1971-1979

Pre-Draft Highlights

Attended Weymouth High School, where his season was only 14 games, so he also played for a New Hampshire high school team under the names of either Bobby Black or Bob Terry -- just to get the icetime and game conditions. ...Turned down multiple college scholarship offers to play in Nova Scotia, where he felt he would have quicker path to NHL. ... Led Nova Scotia junior league with 54 goals for Halifax Junior Canadiens in 1966-67. ... Led Nova Scotia junior league in playoff goals (24), playoff assists (28), and playoff points (52) in 1967. He registered the 52 points in only 17 postseason games. ... Won Maritime Junior championships with Halifax in 1967 and 1968. ... Played for Halifax in both the 1967 and 1968 Memorial Cup tournaments, but missed seven games of the 1968 tournament due to suspension by team.

Career Highlights

Also playeed left wing during his pro career. ... Played on 1969-70 Montreal team that won AHL regular-season title. ... Played for first New York Raiders team in WHA's inaugural season of 1972-73 and scored two goals in the team's first game on Oct. 12, 1972, vs. Winnipeg at Madison Square Garden. ... Played on N.Y. Rangers team that lost to Montreal in 1979 Stanley Cup Finals. ... Named to AHL All-Star Second Team with New Haven in 1978-79. ... Played 13 games for 1979-80 New Haven team that went on to win AHL regular-season title. ... Played on Team USA squad that finished fifth in 1981 World Championships at Gothenburg, Sweden.

Sheehan's 1979 Heroics

Although he never played in a regular-season game for the New York Rangers, Sheehan is well-known by Rangers fans for his contributions to the 1978-79 team that beat the Islanders in the playoff semifinals to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals against Montreal. Called up to the Rangers on April 17, one day after the Rangers lost Game 1 of their second-round playoff series at Philadelphia, Although he did not score a point in Game 2, the 30-year-old Sheehan helped spark the team in his Rangers debut on Apri 18, as the Blueshirts routed the Flyers 7-1 to even the series on the road. In Game 3 of the series at The Garden, Sheehan picked up a third-period assist in 5-1 win, and fans -- as well as some teammates -- suddenly started to view him as some kind of good luck charm. Phil Esposito jokingly called him "Moses", saying he would lead them to the Promised Land. The speedy Sheehan seemed to click extremely well with right winger Ron Duguay, and the run continued in Game 3, as he he scored his first Rangers goal for a 4-0 lead in a 6-0 win that put the home team up 3-1 in the series heading back to Philadelphia. The remarkable run continued in Game 5, as the Rangers crushed the Flyers 8-3 to reach the Stanley Cup semifinals. Sheehan did not get a point in that game, but it was already evident that he was having a special impact on the team as it got set for a showdown with the league-leading Islanders. The Rangers would go on to upset the Islanders in that well-documented six-game series, and Sheehan played a big role. In Game 1, a 4-1 Rangers victory on Long Island, Sheehan set up Duguay for a 3-1 lead in the second period and then scored the game's final goal at 6:34 of the second. He scored again in Game 2, which the Islanders won 4-3. In Game 3 of the series at Madison Square Garden, Sheehan broke a scoreless tie at 3:14 of the second, and hte Rangers never trailed in a 3-1 win. Game 4, an Islanders victory, saw Sheehan held off the scoresheet, and he was shut down again in Game 5, but the Rangers pulled out a 4-3 win anyway, thanks to Anders Hedberg's goal at 17:47 of the third period. Leading the series 3-2, the Rangers returned to MSG and wrapped it up with a 2-1 win. Sheehan did not score in that game either, but his work was a big part of the series win. He also had an assist in the team's Stanley Cup Finals loss to Montreal. Incredibly, the seven points Sheehan scored in the Rangers' 1979 playoff run were the only postseason points of his NHL career, which included 10 other playoff games as well as a Stanley Cup ring earned with the Montreal Canadiens in 1971. The experience was a great redemption for Sheehan, who had often been criticized for being a very talented player whose "wild" off-ice lifestyle prevented him from fulfilling his potential in the NHL.

Transaction History

May 25, 1971 -- Rights sold by Montreal to California. July 1972 -- WHA rights traded by New England to New York Raiders in exchange for 1973 WHA first-round pick (Glenn Goldup) and 1973 WHA fourth-round pick (Tom Colley). July 24, 1972 -- Signed WHA contract with New York Raiders. Dec. 5, 1972 -- NHL rights traded by California with Dick Redmond to Chicago in exchange for Darryl Maggs. March 16, 1974 -- Traded by New York/New Jersey (WHA) to Edmonton in exchange for future considerations (Bob Falkenberg in May 1974). September 1975 -- Signed contract with Chicago to return to NHL. August 1976 -- Released by Chicago. Oct. 8, 1976 -- Signed with Detroit as an unrestricted free agent. July 1977 -- Signed with Indianapolis (WHA) as an unrestricted free agent. Oct. 1, 1978 -- Signed with N.Y. Rangers as an unrestricted free agent. Nov. 12, 1979 -- Sent by New Haven (AHL) at request of parent N.Y. Rangers to Colorado in exchange for loan of Dennis Owchar and Larry Skinner to New Haven to complete the Nov. 2 trade involving Barry Beck. The Rangers also allowed Colorado to convert Sheehan's AHL contract to an NHL contract with the Rockies. As part of the Sheehan minor-league transfer, Colorado agreed to waive its right to an additional player from Rangers' NHL roster as dictated by terms of the Beck trade. July 8, 1981 -- Signed with Los Angeles as an unrestricted free agent. December 1982 -- Signed with Binghamton (AHL) as an unrestricted free agent.

Life Outside the NHL

Full Name: Robert Richard Sheehan

Other Post-Draft Teams: Montreal (AHL); New York/New Jersey, Edmonton (WHA); Rhode Island (AHL); Indianapolis (WHA); New Haven (AHL); Fort Worth (CHL); Binghamton (AHL)

Career Beyond Hockey: Returned home to the Boston area after his retirement and eventually became an investigator in the finance department of the Massachusetts State Lottery. He was no stranger to the organization, since his mother had won the state lottery back in 1972. .. Also worked as an instructor in the New England College Development League in the 1980s and 1990s.

Family: Son of former Rhode Island high school player Tom Sheehan. ... Older brother of former minor-leaguer Kevin Sheehan.

Miscellaneous:

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