Centre Rob Niedermayer was a coveted junior prospect with skill and grit while playing in the WHL. Born in Cassiar, British Columbia, Niedermayer whose older brother Scott is a member of the New Jersey Devils played junior hockey with the Medicine Hat Tigers. In 1992-93, Niedermayer scored 43 goals in 52 games and helped Canada win gold at the 1993 World Junior Championships. Later that summer the Florida Panthers chose Niedermayer with the fifth overall pick as they prepared for their inaugural NHL season.
Niedermayer improved gradually over his first two NHL seasons. In 1995-96 he jumped forward with 26 goals and scored eight post-season points during the Panthers' improbable run to the Stanley Cup finals. He slipped to 14 goals the next season then missed two thirds of the 1997-98 schedule after suffering a concussion.
In 1998-99 Niedermayer rebounded with 51 points, the second best output of his career. By 99-2000 his low total of 32 points was still the fourth highest on the defence-oriented Panthers. After eight seasons in Florida, Niedermayer was traded to the Calgary Flames in the summer of 2001. Injuries would plague his season yet again in 2001-02 and midway through the following year the Flames dealt the former first rounder to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. The trade turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the upstart Ducks reached the 2003 Stanley Cup Final, only to lose the series in a hard fought seven game series against Rob's older brother Scott's New Jersey Devils.
Injuries limited Niedermayer in 2003-04 to a mere 55 games and 28 points. Despite the Ducks Stanley Cup final appearance in 2003, the Ducks struggled in 2003-04 and subsequently missed the playoffs. Once the regular season came to a close, Niedermayer was named to Canada's World Championship team along with his brother Scott of the New Jersey Devils helped Canada capture gold at the 2004 World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic.
After the NHL lockout, Niedermayer was joined by his Brother Scott on the Mighty Ducks roster for the start of the 2005-06 regular season. In his fourth season in Anaheim, Rob Niedermayer led all team forwards in time on ice as the team found their way back into the NHL playoffs. After failing to achieve their ultimate goal in 2005-06, Niedermayer combined with Travis Moen and Samuel Pahlsson to form one of the leagues top defensive lines during the 2006-07 season. In the subsequent playoffs, Niedermayer saw action in all 21 games en route to a Stanley Cup championship. During the on-ice Cup celebration, Rob's Brother Scott Niedermayer (who had already won three Stanley Cups in New Jersey) handed the trophy to immediately to Rob rather than the team's assistant captain.
On September 25, 2009, Niedermayer joined the New Jersey Devils, where his brother had spent 14 seasons and won three Stanley Cups. Rob's time in New Jersey would be much more brief however. On July 7, 2010, Niedermayer was signed by the Buffalo Sabres to a one-year contract.
