Fury sign All-Star center Todd Robinson

Published on July 14, 2004 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, MI.---As we move into the heart of the off-season summer months of Muskegon's Colonial Cup III, the Fury remain in a positive frame of mind in advancing forward with roster building for the 2004-05 United Hockey League season and their bid for a successful defense of the league's most coveted crown.

More major progress was realized today when Fury Team Owner and Club President Tony Lisman, in collaboration with Director of Hockey Operations / Head Coach Todd Nelson, announced that prolific, point-producing center TODD ROBINSON has agreed to terms and penned a new Fury contract for the 2004-05 campaign. Adhering to team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

ROBINSON, 25, will be commencing his sixth pro season and his fifth in both the UHL and with the Fury. Through his initial four years as a member of Muskegon, the diminutive yet dynamic centerman has attained masterful, magical, majesty with his point-producing prowess and ultimate, overall thrilling theatre. In the process, he has emerged as one of the all-time leading scoring laureates and all-time greats in Fury and Muskegon pro hockey history.

In the Fury's latest title timber season of 2003-04, the Trail, B.C., native achieved his best-yet pro season ever in spurring his team to its second championship in the last three years. During the regular season, in leading the Fury to their second-best season ever at 76(47-20-9)103-points, Robinson was utterly brilliant, placing a lofty, career-best third overall in the UHL scoring race with a career-high 106-points on 25-goals and 81-assists. The playmaker extra-ordinaire shared the league-leadership in assists while establishing a Fury club record for helpers by a center in a single season. In fact, his 13-games' assist streak consisting of 21-assists, from 11/7/03 – 12/6/03, was the best of any player in the circuit. It was the second time in his illustrious Muskegon career and the third time on his overall pro resume that he had reached the prestigious century-point plateau.

A Muskegon major marquee mainstay on its UHL top-ranked power play the past season, "T. Rob's" 41-power play points and 35-power play assists ranked 4th and 2nd in the league respectively in those two important departments. Included in his overall regular season numbers were 6-PPG, 4-GWG and 4-FG while his 6-OTSO strikes on 6/14 marksmanship was #1 for his championship squad. The Fury's second-leading point-impresario was especially extraordinary when his team set out for some road warfare as he registered, remarkably, scoring points in 33 of his 36 foreign ice affairs, finishing as the UHL's leading scorer abroad, totaling 36(13-44-57). The 5-8, 175lb sparkplug also authored the longest road point-scoring streak in the UHL at an amazing 18-games, collecting 36-points.

Named to the UHL's First All-Star Team at regular season's conclusion, Robinson sustained his enormous point-producing presence in the playoffs and the Fury's third title in the last five calendar years. In Muskegon's unprecedented, unparalleled, undefeated 11(11-0) surge to the circuit's summit, he fashioned 11(2-8-10) with a healthy +3 rating and another top 10 finish in the league's individual scoring hit parade. He led the Fury in the UHL record-breaking, history-making post-season with 41-SOG.

Coach Nelson has always been of the credo that strength down the middle is essential in consistent winning and on-ice success. The Robinson return underscores that conviction. "Obviously, I'm a firm believer in making certain your hockey club is strong in the middle. Having ‘T.Rob' in the Fury fold for another season is an absolute top priority. He has always logged the most ice-time of all of the Fury players and he runs our power play and penalty-killing units. What sometimes is overlooked about him is his defensive excellence; especially when it comes to winning the crucial defensive-zone face-offs at critical times in big games. He is an intelligent player who is very competitive and cares deeply about the team. He has won two Colonial Cups and you need players like that to win championships."

As for Robinson, he is elated to be returning to his favorite team with his eyes on the league's grand prize yet one more time. "I'm enthused about staying for a fifth year with the Fury. What makes it even better is the fact that we have a really good group of guys here and that we have the great opportunity of playing with the same guys each year. It is really an excellent core and we are all looking forward to the chance of repeating as champions of the league. In our last championship in 2002, we came back and did not play as well. However, this year, we want to correct that and make a strong bid to succeed as defending champs."

The name of Robinson will always own a prominent place on the pages of Fury franchise history. In the year of Colonial Cup II in 2002, he forever achieved Fury infamy status when on May 4, 2002 he cemented his legacy with a spellbinding, electrifying breakaway goal at the 4:16 mark of overtime in Game #6 of the Colonial Cup Finals. The Robinsonian stoked strike produced a Fury spine-tingling victory, Muskegon's second league championship and the first and only one ever under the Fury banner on home ice at Walker Arena. Robinson's stunning, dramatic theatre touched-off a spectacular, city-wide celebration as the Fury ousted the Elmira Jackals 4-games to 2 for the league's most coveted crown. Robinson led the league in playoff scoring with 24-points on 4-goals and a league-high 20-assists with 3 of those goals being GWG and two of those being OT/GWG. His remarkable playoff performance was crescendoed when he was proclaimed the UHL MVP for his post-season heroics.

In that same regular season of 2001-02, he claimed his second successive Fury scoring title, finishing 8th overall league-wide with 74(21-71-92) with a brilliant +30 rating. His 71-assists ranked as circuit second and his +30 rating ranked him circuit seventh.

In his first Fury season of 2000-01, Robinson was 6th in league point-production with 61(36-64-100) with his 1.64 points per game average second best in the loop. He captured four Fury team awards; including MVP, Scoring Champion, Mr. Hustle and Three-Stars Award. In 1999-00, prior to his Muskegon arrival, he was heralded as WCHL Rookie of the Year, again reaching the zenith of the century-point constellation with Idaho and Colorado Springs combined; 71(30-71-101). He finished 5th in league scoring and third in assists.

Through his first four seasons with the Fury, Robinson has made his mark as one of the all-time leading scorers in franchise annals. He will embark upon his fifth Fury campaign ranked 4th all-time in scoring with 337-points in 263-games on 98-goals and 239-assists. His 239-assists are 3rd on the Fury list, just 6-back of Sergei Kharin for #2 all-time at 245. He is a mere 2-goals away from becoming only the 9th player in team history to score 100-times. His shorthanded bandit larceny also has become mystical, having delivered a Fury all-time career-high 13-SHG. As far as the playoffs are concerned, Robinson ranks a lofty 3rd all-time for the Fury with 51-points in 42-career starts on 42(9-42-51) with those 42-assists ranking him #2 all-time.

As far as his overall pro career is concerned, the Robinsonian record book reads; 351(130-336-466). He will begin next season only 34-points away from pro career milestone 500. He has averaged a gaudy 93-points per season in his first five full seasons on 26-goals and 67-assists.

Today's signing of center TODD ROBINSON brings to six the number of players signed by the Fury for the 2004-05 season. Previously, Muskegon announced the signings of defenseman TYLER PALMER, center BILLY COLLINS, right wings ROBIN BOUCHARD, RUSTYN DOLYNY and SCOTT HOLLIS.

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from July 14, 2004


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