Herb Raglan was not the first in his family line to make the NHL. His father, Clare "Rags" Raglan, played defense for a short time with the Blackhawks and Red Wings in the early 1950s. But he was long since removed from the world of pro hockey by the time his son Herb was born.
The younger Raglan developed his hockey skills in his hometown, skating for the Peterborough Bees midgets and later, the Petes of the OHL. He then put in one final season of junior with the Kingston Canadians in 1985-86. After Kingston was eliminated from the playoffs that year, the St. Louis Blues, who had secured his rights in the draft, called him up to add some muscle to their lineup going into the playoffs.
Raglan was thrilled to answer the call. During the third shift of his second playoff game, he picked up a pass banked off of the boards by Rob Ramage and beat Leafs goalie Ken Wregget for his first big-league goal.
For the next four seasons, Raglan established himself as a straight-talking, hard-working rugged winger who performed whatever trench duties were required to keep his NHL status secure. Partway through the 1990-91 campaign, he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques where he played for just over one season. He was then dispatched to the minors until a trade sent him to Tampa Bay for two games. The Lightning then placed him in the minors with the Atlanta Knights of the IHL.
After a quick stop in Kalamazoo, Raglan picked up his final NHL action with the Ottawa Senators in 1993-94. After only 29 games, he jumped back to the minors where he rounded out his career with stops in Kalamazoo, Texas and Brantford where he retired in 1997-98.
