2001-2002 Bulldog Hockey Feature: Rob Collins

The senior forward and assistant captain has been best known since his childhood as the nephew of a Hockey Hall of Famer and a former National Hockey League (NHL) four-time All-Star Game participant.

Bob Gainey, current vice president of hockey operations and general manager of the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars, is that uncle who's name is widely-recognized throughout the hockey world due to his success on the ice as a member of five Stanley Cup-winning teams with the Montreal Canadians. His success then carried over to the bench as a head coach for six seasons, the first three with the Minnesota North Stars and then Dallas. Gainey guided Minnesota to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1990-91 and was instrumental in building Dallas into a Stanley Cup Champion in 1999. Two of his father's brothers were also drafted by professional teams.

Although Rob and his uncle don't see much of one another because of the distance and time constraints, there still remains a family bond between the two. While hockey remains a common thread, the loss of Rob's aunt and Gainey's wife, Cathy, five years ago due to cancer has brought the pair closer. Still, their respective schedules haven't allowed them to spend a great deal of time with one another.

"I see him about once a year, mostly at family reunions," said Collins. "We do talk on the phone once in a while and I know he continues to keep tabs on how I'm doing."

Having a relative associated with a NHL franchise is what any youngster would relish and Collins admits he's fortunate to be among an elite group with ties to professional hockey. He has quite a few impressionable memories as a youth through his uncle's profession.

Some of the highlights were joining Guy Carbonneau, Shane Churla, Craig Ludwig and Trent Klatt in a pre-game skate during a week's stay at age eight, shooting the puck on Darcy Wakaluk and borrowing gear from Russ Courtnall. He also was afforded a tour of the Montreal Canadians' locker room and met a teammate of Gainey's named Patrick Roy.

Having connections through his bloodlines has certainly helped Collins in numerous ways, but not in the way many would think. To this day, Collins believes one of the best gestures his uncle did was to give him a piece of invaluable advice.

"He told me it might be better to attend college than play major juniors," said Collins. "He said I would have four years to mature physically and this would help me get to the next level. Plus, I would have an education to fall back on when and if I decided not to play hockey anymore – I'm thankful to him for that."

Thankfully, Collins heeded his uncle's advice and the Ferris State hockey program has benefited from his decision.

In his three-plus years at FSU, Collins has helped the Bulldogs to a CCHA Tournament appearance in each of those seasons and he played a key role in Ferris' 21-win total for the 1999-00 campaign. The season represented a historical one in Ferris annals as the Bulldogs achieved a top 10 national ranking at one time and the team's 21-16-2 overall mark signified the program's best record since 1990-91 (23-14-5).

Individually, Collins has compiled at least 30 points in each of his last three seasons and is approaching the school's all-time leaders in several offensive statistical categories. This season, Collins has already matched his personal career best of 32 points while ranking among the top two national leaders in single-season points, assists and short-handed goals.

The Petersborough, Ontario native attributes his offensive production to not only an increase in both strength and confidence, but the flexibility which head coach Bob Daniels has granted to him on the ice. In turn, Collins has assumed a greater role in getting his teammates involved in scoring.

"Coach (Daniels) lets us be creative on our own provided we take smart chances which don't jeopardize the team," Collins said. "I don't consider myself a goal scorer, I would rather set up a goal than score one. The more my teammates score, the more fun I have."

Having fun is why this season has been his most enjoyable. Playing on Ferris' top line alongside a talented goal-scorer like Chris Kunitz is a definite plus and both compliment each other exceptionally well.

"Chris is a lot of fun to play with," said Collins. "We seem to know where the other is going to be and you know he's likely to get a quality shot on goal when you get him the puck."

Kunitz concurred.

"We're clicking well together," Kunitz said. "Rob is one of the best setup players in our league and knows my strengths probably better than anyone I have played with. He's also a great leader for the guys on the ice because of his positive nature and outlook on life."

The outlook for the Bulldogs this far has been a promising one as the pair have combined for 37.2% of the team's total points production this season and 45.8% of the squad's goal-scoring output. Collins and Kunitz have developed into such an effective one-two punch that Daniels reminds them of two former FSU standouts – John dePourcq and Rod Taylor. Those two both rank among the top 10 all-time in goals scored while combining for over 300 career points and 150 career goals.

"I was here (as an assistant coach) when they (dePourcq and Taylor) played and were awesome together," said Daniels. "Rob and Chris are similar to those two because of their ability to score and set up goals. That's pretty heady company to be included in and it's not a compliment I would throw around lightly."

While the 5-10, 174-pound center is known throughout the CCHA for his offensive talents, Daniels is equally impressed with his performance on the other end.

"Robbie, in my opinion, is one of the top forwards in our league and the nation," said Daniels. "What impresses me is that as good as he's offensively, he's just as good defensively. I think any coach will tell you it's a true blessing if one of your top offensive forwards is also one of your best defensive players.

"Rob does an extraordinary job in killing penalties and is always a threat to score a short-handed goal every time he's out there," Daniels added.

Now, Rob Collins is the one making a name for himself and no longer is known only as Bob Gainey's nephew.

-by Joe Gorby, FSU Sports Information Director