Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert (July 1, 1941 – August 19, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played his entire career for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as " Mr. Ranger", he played right wing on the GAG line (Goal-A-Game line) with Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982, and was the first player in Rangers history to have his retired number. After his playing career, he became president of the Rangers' alumni association.
Early life
Gilbert was born in
Montreal on July 1, 1941, the son of Alma, a homemaker, and Gabriel Gilbert, a blacksmith.
He grew up a fan of the Montreal Canadiens.
He played three seasons for the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1957 to 1960.
[ In his final year with the team, Gilbert slipped on some garbage strewn on the ice and fell back into the boards, breaking a vertebra in his back and temporarily paralyzing him.]
Playing career
After finishing his junior career with the Guelph Royals, Gilbert joined the Rangers near the end of the 1960–61 NHL season. He soon became popular with the Rangers' fans, and he rose in prominence as an NHL star. However, it was not without pain. In 1965–66, his career was nearly derailed when he went through a second spinal fusion operation.[Kreiser & Friedman. The New York Rangers: Broadway's Longest Running Hit. Sports Publishing LLC, 1996] This surgery was performed by Dr. Kazuo Yanagisawa. Gilbert was out of action for half a season, but he bounced back in 1966–67 and scored 28 goals.
At the beginning of the 1977–78 NHL season, Gilbert and Rangers' General Manager John Ferguson got into a contract dispute.[ Herman, Robin. "Rod Gilbert Is Released By Rangers," The New York Times, Friday, November 25, 1977. Retrieved September 2, 2023.] He would retire after the season, his eighteenth in the NHL. His number 7 was retired number by the Rangers on October 14, 1979, the first number to be retired by the team.
Post-playing career
After retiring from professional hockey, he became head coach of the American Hockey League New Haven Nighthawks for the 1980–81 season. Gilbert opened his own restaurant, 'Gilbert's,' on Third Avenue near 75th street in Manhattan.[ From 2017 onward, he made upward of 30 appearances a year on behalf of the Garden of Dreams Foundation, an outreach program that works with children in the community.]
Personal life
Gilbert married Judith Christy in 1991, in a ceremony conducted by New York mayor David Dinkins.
Gilbert died in Manhattan on August 19, 2021. He was 80 years old. At the time of his death, more than 40 years after his career ended, he remained the Rangers’ leading scorer.
Career statistics
Sources:
Regular season and playoffs
|
|
|
| 1957–58 | Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters | OHA | 14 | — |
| 1958–59 | Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters | OHA | 40 | 14 |
| 1959–60 | Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters | OHA | 40 | 4 |
| 1959–60 | Trois-Rivières Lions | EPHL | 0 | 2 |
| 1960–61 | Guelph Royals | OHA | 47 | 6 |
| 1960–61 | New York Rangers | NHL | 2 | — |
| 1961–62 | New York Rangers | NHL | 0 | 4 |
| 1961–62 | Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers | EPHL | 22 | 4 |
| 1962–63 | New York Rangers | NHL | 20 | — |
| 1963–64 | New York Rangers | NHL | 62 | — |
| 1964–65 | New York Rangers | NHL | 54 | — |
| 1965–66 | New York Rangers | NHL | 20 | — |
| 1966–67 | New York Rangers | NHL | 12 | 6 |
| 1967–68 | New York Rangers | NHL | 12 | 4 |
| 1968–69 | New York Rangers | NHL | 22 | 2 |
| 1969–70 | New York Rangers | NHL | 22 | 0 |
| 1970–71 | New York Rangers | NHL | 65 | 8 |
| 1971–72 | New York Rangers | NHL | 64 | 11 |
| 1972–73 | New York Rangers | NHL | 25 | 2 |
| 1973–74 | New York Rangers | NHL | 20 | 4 |
| 1974–75 | New York Rangers | NHL | 22 | 2 |
| 1975–76 | New York Rangers | NHL | 32 | — |
| 1976–77 | New York Rangers | NHL | 50 | — |
| 1977–78 | New York Rangers | NHL | 6 | — |
|
International
|
|
| 1972 | Canada | SS | 9 |
| 1977 | Canada | WC | 12 |
|
Awards and honors
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Named to the NHL second All-Star team (1967–68)
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Named to the NHL first All-Star team (1971–72)
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Won Bill Masterton Trophy (1976)
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Won Lester Patrick Trophy (1991)
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Played in NHL All-Star Game (1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977)
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Inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982
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Has his No. 7 retired at Madison Square Garden, the first Ranger to receive the honor.
[
]
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Awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in May 2010, in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.
Records
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New York Rangers team record for career goals (406)
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New York Rangers team record for career points (1021)
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New York Rangers team record for consecutive games with an assist by a forward (10)
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Shares New York Rangers team record for assists in one game (5; three times)
See also
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List of NHL players with 1,000 points
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List of NHL players with 1,000 games played
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Total Hockey (Second Edition), Editor - Dan Diamond,
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Hockey Stars of 1969 by Stan Fischler
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Hockey '75 by Hal Bock
External links
