Gilles Gilbert

Gilles Gilbert (March 31, 1949 – August 6, 2023) was a Canadian professional goaltender in ice hockey 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.

Gilles Gilbert
Gilbert signing autographs for fans in 1975
Born	(1949-03-31)March 31, 1949 Saint-Esprit, Limoilou, Quebec, Canada
Died	August 6, 2023(2023-08-06) (aged 74) Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	Minnesota North Stars Boston Bruins Detroit Red Wings
NHL draft	25th overall, 1969 Minnesota North Stars
Playing career	1969–1983

Playing career

Gilbert played in the 1961 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the junior Quebec Aces.^[1]

Gilbert played in the NHL between 1969 and 1983 and retired with a 3.27 goals against average.

In net for the Minnesota North Stars, he surrendered Jean Beliveau's 500th career goal on February 11, 1971.^[2] During the 1972-73 he was awarded the WTCN-TV Trophy which was given to Minnesota North Stars' player selected by his teammates as most proficient first-year NHL player.^[3]

In 1973-74, he was traded to the Bruins as a replacement for Gerry Cheevers who had gone to the World Hockey Association (WHA). Gilbert's arrival immediately boosted the Bruins while sinking the North Stars whose general manager was later fired as a result of that trade.^[4] Gilbert would have a tremendous season going 34-12-8 overall. This resulted in him playing in the NHL All-Star Game, and helped the team to the Stanley Cup finals that year. The Bruins lost the Finals series 4-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers, but over these six games Gilbert played as brilliantly as his opposing counterpart Bernie Parent who was named playoff MVP.^[5][6]

In the 1975–76 NHL season, Gilbert set the NHL record for most consecutive wins by a goaltender with 17, and finished with a 33-8-10 record for a .843 winning percentage in 55 games.^[7]

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 recorded 17 playoff victories for Boston. As of 2019 he ranks sixth in all-time playoff wins among Boston goaltenders. He also set the Bruins record for most assists by a goaltender in one singular postseason with 3. He also holds the record for most assist by a Bruins goalie in the postseason with 4.

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. Cheevers was benched after losing the first two games of the series, and Gilbert took over as the starter thereafter, overall being named the game's first star three times in the five games against Montreal. Montreal's Steve Shutt exclaimed of these performances that “Gilles Gilbert stood on his head. He was the reason they got to the seventh game”.^[8][9]

Gilbert was in net for Detroit on February 11, 1982, when the Vancouver Canucks became the first team^[10] 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.^[11][12] After severing in a backup role for the red wings for 3 seasons he would ultimately retire after the 1982-83 season putting an end to his NHL career that lasted over a decade. He is still remembered fondly by Bruins fans for his 7 great seasons with the team and all of his acrobatic saves. As a result in 2023 he would be named one of the 100 best Bruins players of all time.^[13]

Post Playing Career

Gilbert was a pro scout and goaltending coach for the New York Islanders from 1996 to 2001.^[14]

Later life and death

Gilles Gilbert latterly resided in Quebec City where he was born and raised. He was married to his wife Diane. The two of them have had one son named Terry and a daughter Jennifer. He also worked for the Canadian Hockey Enterprises an organizations that helped set up hockey tournaments for youth and adults. Gilbert was also a golfer and ran a yearly celebrity golf tournament for charity in Winchendon Massachusetts.^[15]

He died on August 6, 2023, at the age of 74.^[16]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season										Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%		GP	W	L	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
1966–67	Trois-Rivières Reds	QJHL		43	23	18	2	2540	188	1	4.44	—		14	9	5	850	65	0	4.59	—
1966–67	Thetford Mines Canadiens	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		5	3	1	276	18	0	3.91	—
1967–68	Trois-Rivières Reds	QJHL		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	London Knights	OHA-Jr.		37	—	—	—	2200	167	1	4.55	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Iowa Stars	CHL		39	17	16	5	2340	127	2	3.26	—		4	2	2	245	14	0	3.43	—
1969–70	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		1	0	1	0	60	6	0	6.00	.846		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		17	5	9	2	931	59	0	3.80	.889		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		4	1	2	1	218	11	0	3.03	.891		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Cleveland Barons	AHL		41	20	15	5	2319	140	2	3.62	—		4	1	2	187	18	0	5.78	—
1972–73	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		22	10	10	2	1320	67	2	3.05	.904		1	0	1	60	4	0	4.00	.900
1973–74	Boston Bruins	NHL		54	34	12	8	3210	158	6	2.95	.900		16	10	6	977	43	1	2.64	.912
1974–75	Boston Bruins	NHL		53	23	17	11	3029	158	3	3.13	.893		3	1	2	188	12	0	3.83	.859
1975–76	Boston Bruins	NHL		55	33	8	10	3123	151	3	2.90	.887		6	3	3	360	19	2	3.17	.868
1976–77	Boston Bruins	NHL		34	18	13	3	2040	97	1	2.85	.884		1	0	1	20	3	0	9.00	.571
1977–78	Boston Bruins	NHL		25	15	6	2	1326	56	2	2.53	.885		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Boston Bruins	NHL		23	12	8	2	1254	74	0	3.54	.869		5	3	2	314	16	0	3.06	.901
1979–80	Boston Bruins	NHL		33	20	9	3	1933	88	1	2.73	.890		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		48	11	24	9	2618	175	0	4.01	.866		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		27	6	10	6	1478	105	0	4.26	.849		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		20	4	14	1	1137	85	0	4.49	.850		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Adirondack Red Wings	AHL		4	3	0	0	198	11	0	3.33	.890		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				416	192	143	60	23677	1290	18	3.27	.883		32	17	15	1919	97	3	3.03	.895

"Gilbert's stats". The Goaltender Home Page. Retrieved September 28, 2017.