Robbie Ftorek

Robert Brian Ftorek (born January 2, 1952 in Needham, Massachusetts) is a professional ice hockey coach and former player. He was enshrined as member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.\n', ' Ftorek played in the 1962, 1963 and 1964 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with his Boston youth team. He later played on the 1972 United States Olympic Hockey team that surprisingly won the silver medal at the 1972 Winter Olympics. He also played for Team USA at the 1972 "Pool B" Ice Hockey World Championship where he was selected to the tournament all-star team. Originally drafted by the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1972, Ftorek instead signed with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). However, the Red Wings regarded him as too small to make it as a professional and he only appeared in a handful of NHL games. Having spent most of his time in the minors with the Virginia Wings of the American Hockey League (AHL), Ftorek decided to move over to the WHA in 1974, and at this time the Whalers traded his WHA rights to the Phoenix Roadrunners.\n', ' Ftorek quickly became the Roadrunners\' biggest star and he made history in 1977 when he won the Gordie Howe Trophy as the league\'s most valuable player, becoming the first American professional ice hockey player to be named a league MVP. Ftorek confirmed his status as the most accomplished American player of the 1970s in the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup, where he was elected MVP of Team USA and also was the team\'s leading scorer. After playing parts of three seasons in Phoenix, when the Roadrunners franchise folded Ftorek signed with the Cincinnati Stingers.\n', '