Background
Roberts was named after legendary Detroit Red Wings star Gordie Howe, who was eventually Roberts" teammate in Hartford, and grew up playing junior hockey in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League for the Detroit Junior. Red Wings.
Roberts was named after legendary Detroit Red Wings star Gordie Howe, who was eventually Roberts" teammate in Hartford, and grew up playing junior hockey in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League for the Detroit Junior. Red Wings.
Roberts was drafted in the third round, 54th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1977 National Hockey League Amateur Draft. His professional career started in 1975 when he was signed as a 17-year-old underage junior by the WHA New England Whalers. He represented the Whalers in the 1977 and 1978 WHA All-Star Game and was still with New England when the National Hockey League and WHA merged in 1979.
In 1980, the Whalers traded Roberts to the Minnesota North Stars for Mike Fidler.
He remained a North Star for eight seasons before moving to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1988, who promptly traded him to the Saint Louis Blues after only 11 games. During this time, Roberts also played for Team United States of America in the 1984 Canada Cup as well as the 1982 and 1987 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments.
He played for the Boston Bruins during his final two years in the National Hockey League. Post Playing Roberts served as the player/coach of the 1994-1995 International Hockey League Chicago Wolves as well as the assistant coach of the Phoenix Coyotes for the 1998 and 1999 seasons. In recent years, he has worked as a pro scout for the Montreal Canadiens, specializing in Western Canada and the Western United States. In 2012, Roberts became the head coach for the Elk River High School boys hockey team in Elk River, Minnesota.
He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.