Bob Carpenter
Encyclopedia
Robert E. Carpenter, Jr. (born July 13, 1963) is a former professional ice hockey
center
who played in the National Hockey League
for 18 seasons from 1981–82 until 1998–99. In his NHL
career that spanned 18 years, Carpenter played 1,178 games, scoring 320 goals and 408 assists for 728 points. He has the distinction of being the first U.S. citizen to play in the National Hockey League
directly from high school, and the first U.S.-born hockey player to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft. He is currently the Director of Program Development for the Valley Jr. Warriors of the Eastern Junior Hockey League
. His work for the Toronto Maple Leafs
since the fall of 2009 consists of being a development coach for players from the time they were drafted into the organization until they turn professional, scouting US College and QMJHL hockey, and steering free agents Toronto's way.
out of St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers
, Massachusetts, Carpenter was called the "Can't-Miss Kid" in the February 23, 1981 issue of Sports Illustrated
. He was the first U.S. born hockey player to be featured on the cover of SI. During his first tour with the Capitals, he would have his best statistical season during 1984-85 when he scored 53 goals and 42 assists and was the first US-born player to score 50 goals in a season. He was invited to play in the 1985 NHL All-Star game and he also participated in the 1984 Canada Cup
as a member of Team USA.
Primarily due to his clashes with head coach Bryan Murray, the Capitals traded Carpenter to the New York Rangers
in the deal that sent Mike Ridley
and Kelly Miller
to Washington during the middle of the 1986–87 NHL season. Later in the season, he would be dealt again, to the Los Angeles Kings
in the trade that sent Marcel Dionne
to the Rangers. He finished the 1986–87 season with the United States team at the 1987 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament in Moscow
after the Kings were eliminated in the first round of the 1987 Stanley Cup
playoffs. Carpenter represented the US nationals for the final time in the 1987 Canada Cup
.
Carpenter was traded to the Boston Bruins
during the 1988–89 NHL season, and a year later he would help guide the Bruins to the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. By this stage of his career, Carpenter was contributing more as a defensive-minded center than the high-scoring superstar whom he was once projected to be.
Carpenter signed with the Capitals in 1992 and spent one season in his second tour with the team that originally drafted him. In 1993, he signed with the New Jersey Devils
, where he would play for the final six seasons of his NHL career. It was during his time with the Devils that he would help the team win their first Stanley Cup in the lockout-shortened 1994–95 NHL season. After retirement, Bobby Carpenter stayed on as an assistant coach, winning two more cups with New Jersey in 2000 and 2003.
His daughter Alexandra Carpenter Played for Team USA Women's U-18 National Women's Hockey Team as just a sophomore in High School
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
center
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
who played in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
for 18 seasons from 1981–82 until 1998–99. In his NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
career that spanned 18 years, Carpenter played 1,178 games, scoring 320 goals and 408 assists for 728 points. He has the distinction of being the first U.S. citizen to play in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
directly from high school, and the first U.S.-born hockey player to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft. He is currently the Director of Program Development for the Valley Jr. Warriors of the Eastern Junior Hockey League
Eastern Junior Hockey League
The Eastern Junior Hockey League is an American Tier III Junior A ice hockey league. Founded in 1993 by Dan Esdale, the EJHL has fourteen teams from across the Northeastern United States. The EJHL is a member of USA Hockey, and the EJHL champion goes on to play for the National Championship...
. His work for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
since the fall of 2009 consists of being a development coach for players from the time they were drafted into the organization until they turn professional, scouting US College and QMJHL hockey, and steering free agents Toronto's way.
Playing career
Selected third overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft1981 NHL Entry Draft
The 1981 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 211 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1980–81 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the list of those players...
out of St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers
Danvers, Massachusetts
Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, Danvers is most widely known for its association with the 1692 Salem witch trials, and for its famous asylum, the Danvers State Hospital.-17th century:The land...
, Massachusetts, Carpenter was called the "Can't-Miss Kid" in the February 23, 1981 issue of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
. He was the first U.S. born hockey player to be featured on the cover of SI. During his first tour with the Capitals, he would have his best statistical season during 1984-85 when he scored 53 goals and 42 assists and was the first US-born player to score 50 goals in a season. He was invited to play in the 1985 NHL All-Star game and he also participated in the 1984 Canada Cup
1984 Canada Cup
The 1984 Canada Cup was a professional international ice hockey tournament played during the first three weeks of September 1984. The best-of-three final took place between Canada and Sweden, with Canada winning two games to nil...
as a member of Team USA.
Primarily due to his clashes with head coach Bryan Murray, the Capitals traded Carpenter to the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
in the deal that sent Mike Ridley
Mike Ridley
Michael Owen Guy Ridley is a retired professional ice hockey centre who played in the NHL for 12 seasons from 1985 until 1997....
and Kelly Miller
Kelly Miller (hockey)
Kelly David Miller is a retired American National Hockey League player. He was one of three Miller brothers who played in the NHL, and is a cousin of current Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller and Ryan's brother Drew Miller who plays for the Detroit Red Wings.Miller is one of ten members of...
to Washington during the middle of the 1986–87 NHL season. Later in the season, he would be dealt again, to the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the trade that sent Marcel Dionne
Marcel Dionne
Marcel Elphege "Little Beaver" Dionne is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers...
to the Rangers. He finished the 1986–87 season with the United States team at the 1987 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
after the Kings were eliminated in the first round of the 1987 Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
playoffs. Carpenter represented the US nationals for the final time in the 1987 Canada Cup
1987 Canada Cup
The 1987 Canada Cup was a professional international ice hockey tournament held from August 28 to September 15, 1987. The finals took place in Montreal on September 11 and Hamilton, Ontario, on September 13 and September 15, and were won by Team Canada....
.
Carpenter was traded to the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
during the 1988–89 NHL season, and a year later he would help guide the Bruins to the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. By this stage of his career, Carpenter was contributing more as a defensive-minded center than the high-scoring superstar whom he was once projected to be.
Carpenter signed with the Capitals in 1992 and spent one season in his second tour with the team that originally drafted him. In 1993, he signed with the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, where he would play for the final six seasons of his NHL career. It was during his time with the Devils that he would help the team win their first Stanley Cup in the lockout-shortened 1994–95 NHL season. After retirement, Bobby Carpenter stayed on as an assistant coach, winning two more cups with New Jersey in 2000 and 2003.
Awards and achievements
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1985)
His daughter Alexandra Carpenter Played for Team USA Women's U-18 National Women's Hockey Team as just a sophomore in High School
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1981–82 | Washington Capitals Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup... |
NHL | 80 | 32 | 35 | 67 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 32 | 37 | 69 | 64 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1983–84 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 28 | 40 | 68 | 51 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 25 | ||
| 1984–85 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 53 | 42 | 95 | 87 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 1985–86 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 27 | 39 | 56 | 105 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 12 | ||
| 1986–87 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 22 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | New York Rangers New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the... |
NHL | 28 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Los Angeles Kings Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1987–88 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 71 | 19 | 33 | 52 | 84 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1988–89 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 39 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Boston Bruins Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the... |
NHL | 18 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1989–90 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 80 | 25 | 31 | 56 | 97 | 21 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 39 | ||
| 1990–91 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 29 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1991–92 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 60 | 25 | 23 | 48 | 46 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1992–93 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 68 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 65 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1993–94 | New Jersey Devils New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 76 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 51 | 20 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 20 | ||
| 1994–95 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 41 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1995–96 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 52 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 62 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1997–98 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 66 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 56 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 36 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 1178 | 320 | 408 | 728 | 919 | 140 | 21 | 38 | 59 | 136 | ||||