Robyn Regehr

Robyn Regehr (born April 19, 1980) is a Brazilian-born Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman.

The Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL) selected Regehr with their first pick, 17th overall, in the 1995 WHL Bantam Draft.

He played as a 15-year-old with the Prince Albert Mintos of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League where he was named the team's top defenceman.

He then joined the Blazers for the 1996–97 WHL season.

He was a first-round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche, selected 19th overall at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, but was traded to the Calgary Flames prior to the start of his professional career, and has also played for the Buffalo Sabres in an NHL career that has spanned 1,089 games.

Two years later, the Colorado Avalanche drafted him in the first round, 19th overall, at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.

Regehr broke out following the draft, scoring 12 goals and 32 points in 1998–99, and helped the Blazers reach the WHL championship where they lost to the Calgary Hitmen.

He was named a Western Conference All-Star by the WHL and a third-team All-Star by the Canadian Hockey League, and represented Canada at the 1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, winning a silver medal.

Late in that season, the Calgary Flames dealt all-star forward Theoren Fleury, along with Chris Dingman, to the Avalanche for Rene Corbet, Wade Belak, a draft pick and their choice of a prospect from a list provided by Colorado.

Impressed with his defensive potential, the Flames later chose Regehr to complete that trade.

His professional career nearly ended before it started, as he was seriously injured in an automobile accident near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on July 4, 1999.

Regehr, who was driving home from a summer trip with his elder brother Dinho (Ronald) and two female friends, was struck head-on by another vehicle that crossed into his path.

He suffered two broken legs in the crash that killed two people in the other vehicle.

Doctors initially feared that he would never play hockey again.

Following operations to repair the damage to Regehr's legs, doctors gained optimism, but expected he would be unable to skate before the end of the year.

He far exceeded doctors' expectations; he was skating by the beginning of September and was back playing hockey less than four months following the accident.

He played a five-game conditioning stint with the Saint John Flames of the American Hockey League in late October before being recalled by the Flames on October 28, 1999.

That night, he made his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators and was praised by his coach, Brian Sutter, for playing a mistake free game.

He scored his first NHL goal on November 10 against the San Jose Sharks.

Regehr played 57 games for the Flames in 1999–2000, scoring five goals and 12 points.

He was the Flames nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which recognizes perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

At the age of 19, he was the youngest nominee in NHL history.

The Flames also presented him with the Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award in honor of his perseverance.

Regehr struggled in 2001–02, finishing with a team worst −24 plus/minus while occasionally being left out of the lineup as a healthy scratch.

He was a member of the Canadian team at the 2006 Winter Olympics, and has won silver medals at the World Junior and Senior championships, as well as the championship at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

Regehr was born in Brazil and spent his early childhood in Indonesia before his parents settled back in Canada.

At 19, he was the youngest nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in NHL history after he made his debut less than four months after suffering two broken legs in a serious automobile accident.

He is best known for his strong defence and physical ability.

His younger brother Richie briefly played with him on the Flames.

Regehr won his first Stanley Cup in 2014 with the Kings, his 15th year in the NHL.

Regehr announced his retirement from the NHL on April 11, 2015.

Regehr was born in Recife, Brazil, the second son of Canadian Mennonite missionaries Ron and Edith Regehr.

Regehr only lived in Brazil for the first nine months of his life.

From three to seven years old he lived in Indonesia, where his younger brother, Richie was born.

He also has an older brother and a sister.

The family finally settled back in Canada, at Rosthern, Saskatchewan around the time he turned seven.

Regehr quickly picked up the game of hockey, but was held back in his first year of minor hockey as he was starting the game three years behind other kids his age.

He helped his father operate the natural surface ice rink in Rosthern, often spending hours manually preparing the ice.

Despite being born in Brazil, Regehr cannot speak Portuguese and has very few connections with the country.

He declared himself a fan of football and the Brazilian soccer team, and has expressed interest in returning to visit his country of birth.