Robert Desjardins (born May 4, 1967) was 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 ...

professional

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

who had a stellar junior and university career but only a short professional career. Born in

Verdun, Quebec Verdun ( , , ) is a Montreal borough, borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, located in the southeastern part of the island. Long known as a working class neighbourhood, it has experienced significant gentrification and s ...

, Desjardins played in the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

from 1984 to 1988, each year with a different team. In 1984–85 he was with the Shawinigan Cataractes; in 1985–86 Hull Olympiques; in 1986–87 Longueuil Chevaliers; and in 1987–88 Victoriaville Tigres. Despite his team changes, Desjardins won several league awards, including leading goalie in 1985–86 and 1986–87, most valuable player in 1986–87, and defensive rookie in 1984–85. Undrafted by any NHL team, Desjardins joined the

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

team. In four years (1988 to 1992), he was on the all-star team each year and was the league most valuable player in 1990–91. He turned pro in 1992–93 with the

Wichita Thunder The Wichita Thunder are a minor league hockey team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team played in the Central Hockey League from 1992 until 2014, and then in the ECHL since the 2014–15 season. From 1992 until December 2009, the Thunder played in ...

of the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

, winning the rookie of the year award. After playing the next season with the Thunder and winning the Most Valuable Player Award, Desjardins retired in 1995.

Awards

* 1984–85 Raymond Lagacé Trophy * 1985–86 Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy * 1986–87 Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy * 1986–87 Michel Brière Memorial Trophy * 1990–91 Ontario University Athletics Most Valuable Player * 1992–93 Central Hockey League Rookie of the Year * 1993–94 Central Hockey League Most Valuable Player

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Desjardins, Robert Living people 1967 births People from Verdun, Quebec Concordia Stingers ice hockey players Ice hockey people from Montreal Richmond Renegades players Wichita Thunder players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Shawinigan Cataractes players Hull Olympiques players Longueuil Chevaliers players Victoriaville Tigres players