Komet legend Bobby Rivard passes

Fort Wayne, IN – The Komets announced today that Hall of Fame member Bobby Rivard passed away on January 1, 2023, at 83.

Born in Sherbrooke, PQ, on August 1, 1939, Bobby “Rivet” Rivard played parts of five seasons with the Komets, collecting 149 goals and 273 assists for a total of 422 points, ranking him 18th on the Komets’ all-time scoring list. During the 1965-66 season, Rivard put together one of the greatest seasons in Komets history, scoring 42 goals and 91 assists for 133 points in 70 games. Only Len Thornson passed for more assists in a single season. From 1962-1966, Rivard did not miss a regular season game to establish the franchise record of 280 consecutive games played.

“Bobby Rivard was a centerpiece of the golden years of the Komet hockey club during the 1960s. An offensive dynamo that played with grit,” said Komet president Michael Franke. “He returned in the mid-’70s and finished his IHL career with the Komets in ‘74-‘75. Playing with Johnny Goodwin and Merv Dubchak, they were the most feared line in the IHL in the mid-’60s. He was a great teammate and a tremendous individual.”

Rivard also played for Indianapolis and Toledo in the International Hockey League, Baltimore, and Quebec in the American Hockey League, and appeared in 27 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League during the 1967-68 season. He was inducted into the Komets’ Hall of Fame on March 28, 2004.

He will be honored with a moment of silence before the Komets’ home game versus Toledo this Saturday, January 7th, and his name will be added to the D.O. McComb and Sons Komets In Memoriam display in the Memorial Coliseum Lobby and on the Komets website.

Team Personnel In Memoriam