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Uploaded By: PRESIDENT on October 19th, 2017

Robert George "Bob" Turner - Born January 31, 1934 in Regina, Saskatchewan – Died February 7, 2005 in Regina, Saskatchewan was a Canadian professional ice Hockey defenceman and coach.

Turner played his junior Hockey with the Regina Pats from 1951 to 1954, and then headed to Quebec to play with the Shawinigan Cataracts, making his big league debut with the Montreal Canadiens during the 1955-56 season.

Turner suited up for 33 contests that first year and kept getting into more game action the next three years. His most successful season on a personal level came in 1958-59 when he scored 4 goals and 24 assists for 28 points, a total that is by far his career best.

In total Turner would play 6 seasons in Montreal, scoring just 8 goals in those years. But his job was not about scoring goals, but rather preventing them. Turner took great pride in his trade. The Canadiens reportedly paid a bonus of $1000 to all of their defensemen if the team had the fewest goals against in the whole league.

"We always looked forward to that," said Turner, who was never one of the higher paid players in a very low paying era.

Although he contributed to 5 Stanley Cup championships (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1960) by the time he played 279 games in the NHL, he never felt he had any security in his job.

"I wasn't one of the stars on the team," he admits. "I was just hanging on by the skin of my teeth."

Turner was also a member of the NHL All Star Teams (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 and 1961).

In the summer of 1961 Turner was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks and enjoyed his most successful season in terms of goal scoring. The defenseman fired home 8 goals, twice as many as his previous best and managed 10 points, good for his second highest point total. That spring in the playoffs Turner scored his only post-season goal. Turner played one more season in Chicago.

In 1963 Turner found himself sent to the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL. He was quite bitter about the move, considering it a low blow that he did not deserve.

"I think it was more of a move to embarrass you. That's one of the reasons there's a union in the league now. They didn't want me to quit. I think they wanted to cut my salary. So I said I was packing it in."

After one year in the American Hockey League with the Bisons, Turner took his last lap around the rink and announced his retirement.

In 478 career NHL games, Turner scored 19 goals and recorded 51 assists.

After the conclusion of his playing career, Turner returned home to coach the Regina Pats for eight seasons. Over his time as head coach he led the team to a second place finish in Canada in 1969 and to a Memorial Cup Championship in 1974. Turner is considered a Pats' coaching legend as he still leads the franchise in career victories with 499.

Bob Turner was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1994

Credited to David Bier.

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