Rod Gilbert
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert (born July 1, 1941 in Montreal, Quebec) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League. He played right wing on the GAG (Goal A Game) line that also featured Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle. In 2004, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame.
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[edit] Playing career
During the 1959-60 OHA season, he slipped on some garbage strewn onto the ice and fell back into the boards. He broke the fifth verterbra in his back and doctors were worried they might have to amputate his legs when blood clots ensued. Gilbert started his career with the Rangers after finishing his junior career with the Guelph Royals during the 1960-61 season.
It did not take long for Gilbert to become popular with the Garden faithful, and he did not disappoint as he rose in prominence as an NHL star. However, it was not without pain. In 1965-66, he had to have yet another surgery on his back. This surgery was performed by Dr. Kazuo Yanagisawa. On February 24th, 1968, he established himself as a bona fide NHL star as he scored four goals in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. It was stardom from there. The Ratelle-Hadfield-Gilbert line, called the GAG(goal-a-game) line, would terrorize enemy goaltenders for years. He was with Team Canada when they took on the Soviets in the 1972 Summit Series. He won the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1976 for his perseverance regarding his back troubles.
At the beginning of the 1977-78 NHL season, Gilbert and Rangers' General Manager John Ferguson got into a contract dispute. When Gilbert finally returned to play, he was no longer the Gilbert of old. He retired after 19 games, having never led the Rangers to a Stanley Cup. His number 7 was retired by the Rangers on October 14th, 1979.
[edit] Awards
- Named to the NHL Second All-Star Team (1967-68)
- Named to the NHL First All-Star Team (1971-72)
- Won Bill Masterton Trophy (1976)
- Won Lester Patrick Trophy (1991)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977)
- Inducted in NHL Hall of Fame 1982
[edit] Records
- New York Rangers team record for career goals (406)
- New York Rangers team record for career points (1021)
- Shares New York Rangers team record for assists in one game (5 three times)
[edit] Career statistics
Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1960-61 | New York Rangers | NHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
1961-62 | New York Rangers | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
1962-63 | New York Rangers | NHL | 70 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
1963-64 | New York Rangers | NHL | 70 | 24 | 40 | 64 | 62 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
1964-65 | New York Rangers | NHL | 70 | 25 | 36 | 61 | 52 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
1965-66 | New York Rangers | NHL | 34 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
1966-67 | New York Rangers | NHL | 64 | 28 | 18 | 46 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
1967-68 | New York Rangers | NHL | 73 | 29 | 48 | 77 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||
1968-69 | New York Rangers | NHL | 66 | 28 | 49 | 77 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
1969-70 | New York Rangers | NHL | 72 | 16 | 37 | 53 | 22 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 0 | ||
1970-71 | New York Rangers | NHL | 78 | 30 | 31 | 61 | 65 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 | ||
1971-72 | New York Rangers | NHL | 73 | 43 | 54 | 97 | 64 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 11 | ||
1972-73 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 25 | 59 | 84 | 25 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | ||
1973-74 | New York Rangers | NHL | 75 | 36 | 41 | 77 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | ||
1974-75 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 36 | 61 | 97 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
1975-76 | New York Rangers | NHL | 70 | 36 | 50 | 86 | 32 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
1976-77 | New York Rangers | NHL | 77 | 27 | 48 | 75 | 50 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
1977-78 | New York Rangers | NHL | 19 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
18 Seasons | Career | NHL | 1065 | 406 | 615 | 1021 | 508 | 79 | 34 | 33 | 67 | 43 |
[edit] International play
- Member of Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series.
- Member of Team Canada in the 1977 World Championships
International Statistics
Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1972 | Canada | SS | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
1977 | Canada | WC | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Total Hockey (Second Edition), Editor - Dan Diamond, ISBN 1-892129-85-X
- Hockey Stars of 1969 by Stan Fischler
- Hockey '75 by Hal Bock
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Categories: Hockey Hall of Fame | 1941 births | Living people | Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters alumni | Guelph Royals alumni | New York Rangers players | National Hockey League players with retired numbers | People from Montreal | Canadian ice hockey players | Bill Masterton Trophy winners | Lester Patrick Trophy recipients | Quebec sportspeople