Bob Leiter

Robert Edward Leiter, born March 22, 1941, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player best known for his time with the Atlanta Flames of the National Hockey League. He played ten seasons in the NHL and one season in the World Hockey Association between 1962 and 1976.

Leiter's junior career included a Memorial Cup championship with the Winnipeg Braves in 1959. Although his rights were held by the Boston Bruins, he spent most of the following decade in the minor leagues, slowed by a bout of tuberculosis, occasional injuries, and a view that he was better suited to a defensive role. He played two seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Eastern Professional Hockey League and six with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, appearing with the Bruins for large portions of only the 1963 and 1964 seasons.

By 1967, the strengthening Bruins had no place for Leiter, and he became a fixture in Hershey, where he led the team in scoring over his final four seasons. His best year came in 1971, his last in Hershey, when he again led the team in scoring and was named to the AHL's Second All-Star Team. Following that season, the Pittsburgh Penguins purchased his contract.