Robbie Ftorek

Robert Brian Ftorek is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player. He played over 300 games in both the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association. In the 1976-77 season, he scored 46 goals and recorded 71 assists for the Phoenix Roadrunners on his way to winning the Gordie Howe Trophy as the WHA's most valuable player. He was the first American to ever be named the most valuable player of a professional hockey league and the only one for nearly 40 years. In over 700 games as a professional hockey player, Ftorek scored 750 points. After his playing career ended, he became a head coach, where he coached in the minor leagues and the NHL for decades; he won the Calder Cup with Albany in 1995.