Gilles Gilbert
Age: 75
Gilles Gilbert (born March 31, 1949 in Saint-Esprit, Quebec) is a retired former ice hockey goaltender who was drafted in the third round of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft from the London Knights. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota North Stars and Detroit Red Wings, but most notably for the Boston Bruins, as their starter for most of the 1970s.
NHL career
Gilbert played in the NHL between 1969 and 1983 and retired with a 3.27 goals against average. In 1973-74, he was traded to the Bruins as a replacement for Gerry Cheevers who had gone to the World Hockey Association (WHA), and helped the team to the Stanley Cup finals that year. From 1976 to 1980, he teamed with Gerry Cheevers to form one of the best goaltending duos in the NHL, being runners-up for the Vezina Trophy in 1980. Gilbert holds the NHL record for most consecutive wins by a goaltender with 17, which was accomplished during the 1975-76 NHL season. Gilbert was the Bruins goalie during the 1979 Stanley Cup playoffs semifinal game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens, when Guy Lafleur tied the game after the infamous too many men penalty against Boston, and then Yvon Lambert scored the series-winning goal in overtime; Gilbert was still named the game's first star. Gilbert was in net for Detroit on February 11, 1982, when the Vancouver Canucks became the first team with two successful penalty shots in the same game, as Thomas Gradin and Ivan Hlinka scored for the Canucks in the third period of a 4-4 tie.
He holds the record for winning percentage by a goalie with 50 or more games played. In the 1975-76 season, he finished with a 33-8-10 record for a .843 winning percentage in 55 Games. He currently resides in Quebec City.
Career statistics
Regular season
Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1968-69 | London Knights | OHA | 37 | 2200 | 167 | 1 | 4.55 | |||
1969-70 | Iowa Stars | CHL | 39 | 17 | 16 | 5 | 2340 | 127 | 2 | 3.26 |
1969-70 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 6 | 0 | 6.00 |
1970-71 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 17 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 931 | 59 | 0 | 3.80 |
1971-72 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 218 | 11 | 0 | 3.03 |
1971-72 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | 41 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 2319 | 140 | 2 | 3.62 |
1972-73 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 22 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1320 | 67 | 2 | 3.05 |
1973-74 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 54 | 34 | 12 | 8 | 3210 | 158 | 6 | 2.95 |
1974-75 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 53 | 23 | 17 | 11 | 3029 | 158 | 3 | 3.13 |
1975-76 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 55 | 33 | 8 | 10 | 3123 | 151 | 3 | 2.90 |
1976-77 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 34 | 18 | 13 | 3 | 2040 | 97 | 1 | 2.85 |
1977-78 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 25 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 1326 | 56 | 2 | 2.53 |
1978-79 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 23 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 1254 | 74 | 0 | 3.54 |
1979-80 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 33 | 20 | 9 | 3 | 1933 | 88 | 1 | 2.73 |
1980-81 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 48 | 11 | 24 | 9 | 2618 | 175 | 0 | 4.01 |
1981-82 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 27 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 1478 | 105 | 0 | 4.26 |
1982-83 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 20 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 1137 | 85 | 0 | 4.49 |
1982-83 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 4 | 198 | 11 | 0 | 3.33 | |||
NHL totals | 416 | 192 | 143 | 60 | 23677 | 1290 | 18 | 3.27 |
Post season
Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1969-70 | Iowa Stars | CHL | 4 | 2 | 2 | 245 | 14 | 0 | 3.43 |
1971-72 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | 4 | 1 | 2 | 187 | 18 | 0 | 5.78 |
1972-73 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 60 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 |
1973-74 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 16 | 10 | 6 | 977 | 43 | 1 | 2.64 |
1974-75 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 3 | 1 | 2 | 188 | 12 | 0 | 3.83 |
1975-76 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 6 | 3 | 3 | 360 | 19 | 2 | 3.17 |
1976-77 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 9.00 |
1978-79 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 5 | 3 | 2 | 314 | 16 | 0 | 3.06 |
NHL totals | 32 | 17 | 15 | 1919 | 97 | 3 | 3.03 |