By Kris Smith
The centerman from Kirkcaldy had previously played for a number of prestigious Scottish hockey clubs including; Fife Flyers, Ayr Raiders, Paisley Pirates and Edinburgh Capitals before joining Dundee.
Iain made the move-up to play with the Stars in the 2007-2008 season after spending the past few seasons playing at recreational levels and then for the Dundee Tigers in the Scottish National League.
Robertson was age 38 when he began icing for the Stars and was one of the most experienced players in the league after spending many seasons icing in the British Hockey League and British National League.
Discussing what he has been doing since leaving the Stars and hanging up his skates in 2010, Iain began: “I think it is about 10 years since I finally retired for good at Dundee Stars.
“I Was coaching kids in Kirkcaldy Ice Hockey Club and the Scotland teams up until 2017.
“Now I am just working at our garage, plus watching my boys Aaron who was playing for Dundee Comets this season, while doing his Masters Degree in Dundee.
“Plus, I have been up and down the country following my youngest son, Caly as much as possible in the National Ice Hockey League.
“I have also been up to quite a few Stars games too.”
Robertson has said he loved his time in Dundee and also talked about his memories from his time with the Stars.
He added: “I had a lot of great times in the three years I had playing for Stars, even when playing against them I always enjoyed coming to Dundee to play.
“My best memories always come from the players interaction with the fans, they always treated us as one of them, even us that came from Fife haha.
“Also,the banter in the room with the boys and backroom staff was second to none too.
“The Ward family were great owners to play for as well, they were always there if you needed anything and I have nothing but respect for them for what they have done for the Stars organisation.”
Although, the former forward does have one favourite memory from his time with the Stars and he said: “It has to be the year I was player-coach.
“The weekend where we beat Fife away then home in the 2008 Autumn Cup Final.”
After playing in most of the hockey cities in Scotland, Iain was asked what he missed most about Dundee.
He replied: “It has to be the fans!
“They were great, there was always good banter during after the games in the bar, although there was not as many back then as nowadays but it was still great fun.
“I also have to mention our physio, Andy Bell too.
“I was never off his table at my age and the stories he who would tell from before my time were priceless.
“He is a top, top guy!”
As a player with over 200 games played in both the BNL and BHL, Robertson also discussed what made him sign with Dundee and making the drop from playing some of the UK’s top leagues to the Scottish leagues, following the collapse of the BNL.
He explained: “I retired from BNL at about age 35, it was getting a bit much with injuries and I couldn’t commit to the travelling because of family and work.
“So, I missed a year and a bit I think, then John Haig, who was now playing for Stars and Roger Hunt gave me a call when the BNL had collapsed.
“I could not resist because the level was not at the same pace as the BNL and there were no away games down south too.
“Plus, there were a lot more Brits in that league which was good too, especially for the younger players development.
“I was not the quickest then but still loved being involved in hockey again.”
Finally, Iain shared a message for all the Stars fans and he said: “I just want to say a big thanks to them all for making my time at Stars so memorable.
“I still see quite a few fans from my time in Dundee, when I am up for a game or two and hopefully I will see them some more when I am up for a few games in the future, when I get the chance.”
That concludes our series of ‘Look Back’ articles on the seventh Dundee Stars season but there is plenty more still to come, as next week we take you back to the 2008-2009 season.
If you want to be a part of the historic 20th Dundee Stars season then you can buy your season tickets by contacting [email protected]
