NHL’s Robertson Brothers Achieve a Rare Feat

Jason Robertson (21) of the Dallas Stars plays against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver on Jan. 18, 2025. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Sunday became a family affair on the ice in the NHL when brothers and forwards Jason Robertson and Nicholas Robertson both netted multi-goal games.

“Those guys know how to score,” Toronto Maple Leafs center Max Domi, a teammate of Nicholas Robertson, told reporters Sunday. “I don’t know what’s in the water where they grew up, but they know how to score, for sure.”

Nicholas Robertson scored twice for the Maple Leafs in a 5–2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, and Jason Robertson netted a hat trick in a 4–3 win for the Dallas Stars over the New York Islanders.

“Yeah, it’s exciting, and I think it’s exciting for our parents,” Nicholas Robertson told reporters. “They got [two TVs] so they’re jumping off the couch five times tonight. So it’s good to see him do well, and it’s nice to have a good game, too.”

The last time the NHL had anything similar came in 2000 when Pavel Bure and Valeri Bure did it in the All-Star game. Pavel Bure scored three goals, and Valeri Bure assisted on two of those goals in the World team’s 9–4 victory over North America in that game. 

Known as “the Russian Rocket,” Pavel Bure played for the Vancouver Canucks from 1991 to 1989 followed by stints with the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers until 2003. Valeri Bure, known as the “Russian Pocket Rocket,” played for five teams between 1994 and 2004.

Unlike the Bures coming from a hockey-crazed country in Russia, the Robertson brothers come from California, which isn’t a hockey hotbed on a national scale. The Robertsons played youth hockey growing up in California before the family moved to Michigan for more opportunities with the sport.

Both brothers found niches in junior hockey before getting drafted. The Stars selected Jason Robertson with the No. 39 pick in 2017, and the Leafs took Nicholas Robertson with the No. 53 pick in the 2019 draft.

Jason Robertson has enjoyed success as a Star with 156 goals and 212 assists in his six-year career. He has eclipsed 50 goals in a season twice. Nicholas Robertson has 27 goals and 21 assists in his five-year career with the Leafs, but he’s done that in 136 career games.

“I think he needs the goals more than I do,” Jason Robertson told reporters jokingly. “I think he works so hard.”

Jason Robertson also noted that they trained together as recently as last week. The NHL had been on hiatus from Feb. 17 to Feb. 20 due to the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“We were training last week together, so it’s great to see him getting rewarded,” Jason Robertson said.

Nicholas Robertson tied things up for the Leafs 1–1 in the second period against the Blackhawks on a snap shot. He put the Leafs up 3–1 on another snap shot in the second period. Chicago answered with another goal, but the Leafs held on with two more goals in the third period.

Jason Robertson did all of his damage in the second period too. He scored the first of his three goals on a wrist shot for a 2–1 Stars lead over the Islanders before center Kyle Palmieri tied things up at 2–2.

Jason Robertson put the Stars back ahead with a pair of wrist shot goals for a 4–2 advantage. The Stars then held off the Islanders in the third period despite a goal by Islanders left winger Anthony Duclair 9:17 into the final period.

While Nicholas Robertson didn’t get a hat trick himself, it was on his radar on Sunday.

“I was thinking about it, but another time hopefully,” he said.

Regardless, he and his brother did something that hasn’t happened in the NHL for a quarter century.

“I think as a family it’s a great night for us,” Jason Roberston said.