Bobby Carpenter

Bobby Carpenter
Position	Center
Height Weight	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg)
Teams	Washington Capitals New York Rangers Los Angeles Kings Boston Bruins New Jersey Devils
Nationality	USA
Born	(1963-07-13)July 13, 1963, Beverly, Massachusetts
NHL Draft	Round 1, 3rd overall, 1981 Washington Capitals
Pro Career	1981 – 1999

Robert E. Carpenter Jr. (born July 13, 1963 in Beverly, Massachusetts) 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 be drafted into the National Hockey League directly out of high school, and the first U.S.-born hockey player to be selected within the top five picks of the NHL Draft. He is currently the Director of Program Development for the Valley Jr. Warriors of the Eastern Junior Hockey League.

Playing career

Early Career

Carpenter would attend St. John's Preparatory School playing for the schools hockey team all 4 years. He would really show off his potential during his sophomore year where he would lead the team to a Division I state championship with 54 points in 23 games. His junior year he would appear in 33 games accumulating 65 points. This would lead to him being named Massachusetts High School Player of the year. His senior year he would only play in 18 games but would still go on to have a 47 point season. He would once aging be named Massachusetts player of the year for a second straight year. He would finish his time at the prep with 166 points the most in school history. He would later be inducted into the St. John’s prep athletics hall of fame in 1986.

He would lead the 1981 U.S. National Junior Team with nine points (5-4) in five games and was named the team’s most valuable player.

After his stint with the world juniors team Carpenter would be faced with a decision. As Providence College had offered him a spot on their team. So he could either play at the college level for a few years or jump straight to the pros. Which he would ultimately end up doing.

Rookie year 1981–82

Carpenter was selected third overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft out of St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts. At the time no American developed player had been drafted that high. In the February 23, 1981 issue of Sports Illustrated, Carpenter was featured in a cover story that labeled him the "Can’t-Miss Kid" and the greatest high school hockey player in history as well as chronicled his potential. During his first season with the Capitals, He would make his NHL debut On October 7, 1981 At just 18 years old he would make his first appearance Vs the Buffalo sabers scoring 1 goal and tallying 1 assist. He would he would end up playing every game his rookie year finishing with 67 points.

Washington Capitals 1982-1986

Carpenter would continue to produce solid numbers for the Capitals the next 2 seasons. Having a 69 point season his second year in 1982–83 and a 68 point season in 1983-84. Then in his 4th year he would go on to have his best statistical season during 1984-85 when he would a 95 point season scoring 53 goals and 42 assists. Making him the first US-born player to score 50 goals in a season. This resulted in him being invited to play in the 1985 NHL All-Star game. He also participated in the Canada Cup tournament as a member of Team USA for the first time in 1984. The following year would be his final full year with the Capitals having going on to have a 56 point season. During this time Carpenter would not miss a single game for the capitals. All the way from his rookie year into his 6th season. Setting a team record 442 consecutive games played in the process.

1986-87 season

After 5 full seasons with the capitals Carpenter would be traded. 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. He would only play 28 games for the Rangers when later in the season, he would be dealt again, to the Los Angeles Kings in the trade that sent Marcel Dionne to the Rangers. After playing 15 games with the kings. He would finish 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.

LA Kings 1987-88

After the end of the 1986-87 season Carpenter would go on to play full season with the kings during the 1987-88 season he would appear in 71 games tallying 19 goals and 33 assists. The following season he would appear in 39 games before being traded.

Boston Bruins 1988-92

Carpenter would be traded to the Boston Bruins during the 1988–89 NHL season. A later year during the 1989-90 season in his first full season with the Bruins he would play in all 80 games. Scoring 25 goals and 31 assists helping guide the Bruins to a president’s trophy and the NHL Stanley Cup Finals making 21 appearances in the playoffs. 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. The following year During the 1990-91 season. In December 1990, he got injured in Montreal when his skates went out from under him and he slammed into the boards, shattering his kneecap into six pieces. The injury was initially thought to be career ending. But after his knee was reconstructed with screws and wires, then being put him on a CPM machine for six weeks, 24 hours a day. He would be able to make a miraculous comeback the following year. Playing one more year with the Bruins having a 48 point season.

Return to the capitals

Carpenter signed with the Capitals in 1992 and spent one season in his second tour with the team that originally drafted him playing in 68 games.

New Jersey Devils/retirement

In 1993, he signed with the New Jersey Devils, where he would play for the final six seasons of his NHL career. In his first year with the team he would appear in 76 games with 33 points. In his second year with New Jersey during the lockout-shortened 1994–95 NHL season. He would appear in 41 regular season games and 17 playoff games. Being a key part in helping the team win their first Stanley Cup. Carpenter would play 4 more years with the Devils before retire a he would then retire after the conclusion of 1998–99 season. Putting his 19 year career to an end. After retirement, Carpenter stayed on as an assistant coach, winning two more cups with New Jersey in 2000 and 2003.

In 2007 Carpenter would be inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame.

Coaching Career

One year after retiring from the NHL Carpenter would remain a member of the New Jersey devils organization. As he would move up and down as an assistant coach for the Devils and their AHL affiliate the Albany river rats. He would win a Stanley cup as an assistant during the 1999-2000 season. Then during the 2001-02 season he would be named head coach of the River rats going 14-42-12 overall. He would then return as an assistant for the Devils the next 2 seasons winning another Stanley cup in 2003.

Carpenter would then become a team consultant for the Toronto Maples leafs from 2009 to 2015.

In 2017 he would join the Kunlun Red Star as an assistant. Later on in the year he would take over as head coach after Mike Keenan was fired. Carpenter would go 7-13 as interim head coach.

In 2019 he would take over interim head coach of EC Kassel Huskies.

Awards and achievements

NHL

• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1985)
• Scored an assist on a goal by Ryan Walter after only 12 seconds of his debut game against the Buffalo Sabres on October 7, 1981. This is still the quickest assist by a player in his first game.
• Stanley Cup champion: 1995 (player); 2000, 2003 (coach assistant)

International

• US Hockey Hall of Fame (class of 2007)

High school

• Massachusetts High School Player of the year (1980, 1981)
• St John’s Prep Hall of Fame (class of 1986)

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1981–82	Washington Capitals	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	NHL		28	2	8	10	20		—	—	—	—	—
1986–87	Los Angeles Kings	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	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	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

External links

• Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
• Bob Carpenter's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Bob Carpenter's biography at Legends of Hockey