Robin Big Snake

nomorekids

The original, baby
Feb 28, 2003
33,375
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Nashville, TN
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all I remember is that he was such a huge cancer in the WHL that his team couldn't GIVE him away, and he ended up defecting to the OHL.

Milwaukee fans seem to love him, though...seems to be an agitator\Tootoo type.
 

babybruin

Registered User
Oct 28, 2003
483
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vancouver
I remember going to a Giants game when he played in Vancouver and some fans had big stuffed snakes hanging around their necks. that was pretty sweet
 

Hunter Gathers

The Crown
Feb 27, 2002
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The Rangers were going to give him a contract when they had him at their camp, but I think something happened that year in the OHL with him and they pretty much told him to buzz off.
 

thomasincanada

Registered User
Mar 7, 2005
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London, ON
The Rangers were going to give him a contract when they had him at their camp, but I think something happened that year in the OHL with him and they pretty much told him to buzz off.

I remember Owen Sound brought him in to be an agitator type player for their team which was stacked but not really tough - unfortunately I think he ended up being a bit of a locker room distraction, he was suspended once as well IIRC.

He also brought very little to the ice...
 

Fripp

Registered User
Sep 6, 2005
2,216
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Portland, OR
all I remember is that he was such a huge cancer in the WHL that his team couldn't GIVE him away, and he ended up defecting to the OHL.

Milwaukee fans seem to love him, though...seems to be an agitator\Tootoo type.

Yah, the Hawks just straight up cut him from the team for being an unmanageable jackass.
 

pdxshark

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Apr 26, 2006
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Portland, OR
yeah he was a huge locker room cancer that he was cut and ended up playing back east. He's got a lot of talent and almost made the rangers one year (while he was a hawk) but they didnt sign him, probably because of attitude. Was just starting to show potential when he was cut in portland. Lots of drama went down with that, believe he barged into the coaches or GM's office and demanded more playing time.
 

MS

1%er
Mar 18, 2002
53,362
83,419
Vancouver, BC
The story on Big Snake is always the same, from his time in the AJHL to his WHL stops to the OHL to his NHL tryouts.

He'll come in, bring a ton of energy, and make a great first impression and become a fan favourite. Actually skates pretty well for a player of his ilk and isn't talentless. But after a month or two he always loses his edge and effectiveness and becomes little more than a stupid penalty looking for a place to happen and a locker-room distraction. And then it's off to a new stop.

Not a bad guy to call up to an AHL squad as a shot in the arm, but he'll never stick anywhere above the ECHL.
 

CanuckistanFlyerfan

Registered User
May 10, 2005
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I saw him play once when he was with Owen Sound. He was a good player, tough, decent skill level and skating ability. He's native American, hence the name. I'll second the greatest name ever post.
 

Matsi

got paws?
Mar 22, 2005
1,599
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Chiricahua Mountains
Well, it's really been said... he's a skilled kid, but also not a very easy one it seems. I don't have any first hand infos about him being a locker room distraction, but that's what I heard about, too.

Nevertheless, he's skilled, but if his attitude is in his way, that talent doesn't help him much... too bad. :dunno:

I love his name though and even created him for my NHL 07 "First Nations Team" ;)

It's quite interesting how many players, from college to NHL, are native american... there are quite some:)
 

FearTheFlyers

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Feb 3, 2003
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Watched Big Snake in his overager year in the OHL with Owen Sound.

Surprisingly is a very useful hockey player, with a nose for the net and pretty decent hands.

Also brings a huge lift with his determination, physical play and toughness.

With this combination he was an integral part of a very good Owen Sound team.

There is an old cliche in hockey and "the guy who won't back down from anyone", never was this more true than with Robin Big Snake. In the OHL he fought whoever whenever it was needed. He took on the likes of Brandon Prust, Zach Stortini and Jordan Smith and held his own.

However he can tend to be lazy when unmotivated and struggles to perform well under disciplined on ice systems. He is known to be very popular with teammates but a rebellious player who can easily fall out with the coaches. He was kept on a short leash in the playoffs that year and lost all desire.

My 2 Cents
 

Whawks33

Registered User
Apr 1, 2002
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Portland OR
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He is known to be very popular with teammates but a rebellious player who can easily fall out with the coaches.

He was not very popular with players here in Portland, and that was part of his downfall. He got a long with some, but there were more he had outright open conflicts with, and if you believe rumour and scuttlebutt, some conflicts almost came to blows in the locker room.

He also has to little to no respect of authority figures related to the team: coaches, mangers, billets or any adult in some positon of authority(speaking from when he was junior age level).

Sad thing is, with his name and the talent he has, if he worked a bit harder and changed his attitude, the sky would be the limit for him. He does have skills, just does very little to improve those skills. Also complains about being pigeon-holed into an enforcer role on any team, yet when given a chance to do otherwise, doesn't seize the opportunity.

A fan favorite on the ice, but nothing but trouble off.
 

Sore Loser

Sorest of them all
Dec 9, 2006
7,622
1,220
Spokane, WA.
My opinion

Attitude asside for a moment, being a WHL fan and living in Spokane, I thought Robin Big Snake was relatively effective. The one game that comes to mind for sure was here in Spokane 3 years ago. Chiefs were ahead late in the game, and Big Snake came onto the ice against then rookie tough guy Myles Stoesz and challenged him to a fight, to which Myles declined. Robin came back off the face off, took a huge circle, came accross the ice full speed and as soon as the puck touched Stoesz' stick he absolutely hammered him and sent him to the ice hard on a clean hit. The whole bench was going crazy for the Hawks, who still ended up losing the game, but not before a valiant effort. Later in the game however, Robin was ejected for saying something to the Chiefs bench bad enough that the ref threw him out.

This was the type of player he seemed to be to me, a guy that on a given night was a talented agitator; however, maybe the game misconduct speaks louder than anything else...
 

kblanch1

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Mar 3, 2002
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Manchester, CT
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Not much to watch..

After his debut at the Hartford WolfPack camp a couple of years ago...I thought he skated like a water buffalo. Love his name...but he just doesn't have the talent to play at even the AHL level. From what I recall from the players, they weren't impressed with him on or off the ice, either.
 

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