NHL mourns legend as longtime Capitals forward dies at 69: Remembering Bobby Gould
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Former NHL forward Bob Gould has died at 69. The ex-Capitals and Bruins player once scored a hat trick on the night of his first career goal.
The hockey world is mourning Bob Gould.
The NHL Alumni Association shared the sad news that the former forward from Petrolia, Ontario, has passed away at the age of 69.
He spent a decade in the NHL and left a real mark in Washington, so Capitals fans in particular will feel this one.
Gould played college hockey at the University of New Hampshire starting in 1975.
The Atlanta Flames picked him in the 1977 draft after his sophomore season, but he went back to school for two more years before turning pro with the Tulsa Oilers late in 1978-79.
A hat trick to remember
He made his NHL debut with Atlanta on January 4, 1980, and the franchise moved to Calgary ahead of the 1980-81 season.
Then came October 10, 1981, when Gould scored his first, second and third career goals in a single night.
Very few players can say their first goal was part of a hat trick.
That November he landed in Washington, and the Capitals became his home.
He played 600 games for the club between 1981 and 1989 and kept collecting Selke Trophy votes as one of the league's top defensive forwards.
Life after the NHL
Gould wrapped up his career with the Boston Bruins in 1989-90, and that club made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
All told, he played 697 regular season games and 78 more in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Once the skates came off, he became a teacher.
For more than two decades he was a trusted mentor and coach to his students.
Our thoughts are with Bob's family, friends and former teammates.
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