Bob Gassoff
Bob Gassoff was a tough, hard-nosed, rough and ready defenseman who played for the St. Louis Blues in the 1970s. Although he only played 4 years in the NHL, he established himself as one of the elite enforcers during the "anything goes era" including bench clearing brawls and all-out fighting on a regular basis.
During his brief time with the Blues, Gassoff was not only the Blues’ chief enforcer, but was evolving into a fine all-around defenseman and leader. Standing only 5-foot-10, and weighing 195 pounds, Gassoff was never going to be a true league heavy weight like Clark Gillies or Willi Plett, but he was fearless and possessed with a drive and determination to succeed. He earned the respect of teammates and the entire league.
The Quesnel, British Columbia native was selected the 48th pick in round #3 of the 1973 amateur draft by St. Louis. Breaking in with the in with the Blues in 1973-74 with a 28 game stint, he had no goals, three assists and 84 penalty minutes. A left-handed shooter, he played 60, 80 and 77 games the next three seasons and established himself as one of the most rugged players in a brutally physical game. In 1975-76, Gassoff had a career high 306 penalty minutes. In his final season, 1976-77 he had a career-high six goals and 24 points, with another 254 minutes in penalties.
But most people will remember Gassoff as a roughian. Gassoff's most celebrated fight was with Dave "Tiger" Williams in 1974-75 in which he bloodied the Tiger and received a match penalty.
Gassoff never shied from dropping the gloves in but began to feel frustrated by NHL referees.
"They figure that anything that happens to me, I deserve it," Gassoff once said of the referees. "But I don’t think I play that dirty. When I go to take out a big guy — and I’m not big — they see me coming and they get their stick up. If I bring my stick up, even though I don’t hit them with it, the ref thinks so.
"I’m proud that I’m known as being tough, but I’d like to have people recognize my hockey skills. I’ve proved that I can fight. Now I have to work on the rest of my game. I don’t want to be known as a goon. I’ll fight anytime someone tries to push me or one of teammates around, but I don’t go out on the ice looking for fights."
Gassoff fought all comers, once challenging the entire Philadelphia Flyers bench. Former Teammate Gary Unger once said of him, "I remember playing against the Flyers, and Don Saleski and Dave Schultz kept taking runs at our smaller players. Bobby came on the ice and blasted Saleski with a hit at mid-ice, and as Saleski laid there, Bobby just looked down at him, daring him to get up. Saleski never did."
Gassoff was a big part of the Blues' building puzzle in the 1970s, a piece they would have to deal with losing. Tragedy claimed the life of Bob Gassoff much too young.
On Memorial Day weekend, 1977, the Blues team gathered for a post-season party at Garry Unger’s farm near Gray Summit, Missouri. Gassoff was riding one of the farm's motorcycles and collided with a vehicle on a road near the far. Not wearing a helmet, Gassoff died instantly.
Gassoff’s death stunned the Blues, who did not recover from the death of their leader. The Blues failed to reach the playoffs the next two seasons and in 1978-79, they managed only 48 points which was a franchise low.
Teammate Bernie Federko once said that "Bobby was irreplaceable" and former defense partner Bruce Affleck stated that Gassoff was without peer as an enforcer. "He was the toughest player I’ve ever seen," said Affleck.
The Bob Gassoff Trophy was established in 1978 in his honor and was given to the most improved defenseman of the Central Hockey League. His #3 jersey was retired by the Blues in 1977.
Two months after Bob Gassoff's death, wife Diane gave birth to the couples' only child, Bob Gassoff Jr. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently profiled Gassoff Jr., a former hockey star at the University of Michigan who is now a Navy SEAL, an elite commando unit, in the United States military. He is operating somewhere in the middle east, although his exact whereabouts is classified.
