Robin Gomez (born October 15, 1981 in

Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 ( O.S.) 7 December 1619 (N.S.)– 29 November 1682 (O.S.) December 1682 (N.S) was an English-German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player. He most recently played for the

Bloomington PrairieThunder The Bloomington PrairieThunder were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Bloomington, Illinois. They were a member of the Central Hockey League in the Turner Conference. The team was originally a member of the United Hockey League (late ...

of the now defunct International Hockey League.

Playing career

Gomez began his career playing junior level hockey for the

Calgary Hitmen The Calgary Hitmen are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL), hosting their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "Hitman" Hart, a prof ...

in the WHL. Gomez played two full seasons for the Hitmen, clocking up 121 games in the process. He would start the 2001/02 season as a Calgary player but would almost immediately transfer to another WHL team, the

Seattle Thunderbirds The Seattle Thunderbirds are a major junior ice hockey team based in the city of Kent, Washington. They are part of the U.S. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League. Founded in 1971 as the Vancouver Nats, the team arrive ...

, where he would manage a ratio of a point every other game through the rest of the season. Gomez' senior career would begin in the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

when he signed for the

South Carolina Stingrays The South Carolina Stingrays are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in North Charleston, South Carolina. The Stingrays play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at the North Charleston ...

. He would prove to be a good signing for the Stingrays, and would provide a more physical approach to the game as well as a solid points production. Gomez stayed with the Stingrays for two full seasons, as well as a number of post-season appearances before moving to the higher AHL level for the beginning of the 2004/05 term, when he would line up as a

Worcester Ice Cats The Worcester IceCats were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the Worcester Centrum (Renamed to the DCU Center in 2004). In 2005 the team was renamed the Peoria Rivermen and m ...

player. Unfortunately for Gomez, he managed just 12 games for the Ice Cats, scoring just one point in that time. Due to his poor points output, he would return to familiar territory with the Stingrays and the ECHL. Gomez would again prove his quality at this level, with his points total rising again, as well as clocking up large numbers of penalty minutes. Gomez would again try his hand in the AHL in 2004/05, this time with the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

. Again it would only be a short spell, this time lasting only three games. Gomez failed to score a single point in the time, but totalled an average of almost 10 penalty minutes a game. For the 2006/07 season, Gomez would make a drastic change and moved to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

to sign for

EIHL The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to internationally as the British Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague, it is the highest level ...

club the

Manchester Phoenix Manchester Phoenix were a semi professional ice hockey team from Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group ''Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey'' to bring top-level ice hockey back to M ...

and player/coach

Tony Hand Anthony Hand MBE (born 15 August 1967) is a Scottish former ice hockey player and coach. He was the first British player to be drafted by an NHL team when he was picked by the Edmonton Oilers in 1986. Nicknamed ''Two point Tony'', he holds seve ...

. Whilst in Manchester he would again play alongside former South Carolina Stingrays team-mate Scott Basiuk. In his 33-game spell with the Phoenix, Gomez managed 19 points and more than 150 penalty minutes. Despite his impressive performances, Gomez returned to North America and the ECHL mid-season when he became a

Victoria Salmon Kings The Victoria Salmon Kings were a professional ice hockey team based in Victoria, British Columbia, and members of the ECHL. The team debuted in the 2004–05 season and folded after the 2010–11 season. The Chilliwack Bruins of the major jun ...

player. Gomez impressed in the 19 regular and 3 post-season games he played in, and was re-signed in the post season to keep him in Victoria for the 2007/08 term.

Assault charge

Gomez was charged with assault for sucker punching

Las Vegas Wranglers The Las Vegas Wranglers were a professional ice hockey team based in Las Vegas Valley. The Wranglers were members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League). The Wranglers were founded a ...

player Chris Ferraro on March 1, 2008. After getting a concussion from hitting his head on the ice after the assault , Ferraro was unable to play for the next three months, returning in Game 4 of the

Kelly Cup The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...

Finals. Gomez was also suspended for the remainder of the ECHL season.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gomez, Robin 1981 births Living people Bloomington PrairieThunder players Calgary Hitmen players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey left wingers Hershey Bears players Ice hockey people from British Columbia Manchester Phoenix players Oklahoma City Blazers (1992–2009) players People from Prince Rupert, British Columbia Seattle Thunderbirds players South Carolina Stingrays players Victoria Salmon Kings players Worcester IceCats players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen