The Rangers lost a legend over the weekend with the passing of Rod Gilbert at age 80. His nickname tells of his importance to the organization, as "Mr. Ranger" spent most of his life as either a player, ambassador or representative within the team.
For those of a certain age, Gilbert might be a name your father or grandfather tells you about, or maybe you see the number hanging from the MSG rafters. But make no mistake: "Mr. Ranger" was earned, not given. As the tributes pour in, here are some facts about the hockey legend.
1) His professional career nearly didn't happen. Playing junior hockey in Ontario in 1960, Gilbert slipped on a piece of trash thrown onto the ice and badly injured his back, to the point where he was temporarily paralyzed. After a major surgery, in which a leg amputation was one of the possibilities, he recovered and joined the Rangers for one game late in the 1960-61 season. He needed a second spinal fusion surgery a few years later, but again was able to fully recover.
2) He became a star on the "GAG" line. Gilbert was good once he became a New York regular, but he became a true star when he teamed up with the "Goal-A-Game" line. The trio of Gilbert (right wing), Jean Ratelle (center) and Vic Hadfield (left wing) were a dominant force, averaging -- you'll never guess -- over one goal per game (imagine that!) while playing together from the late '60s into the early '70s. The best year for the line came in 1972, when they finished third, fourth and fifth in the league in scoring in leading the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 22 years. It would be Gilbert's only Cup Final in his career, a six game loss to the Bruins.
All three players on the GAG line have their numbers retired by the organization. Speaking of that...
3) Gilbert was the first Ranger to have his number retired. Gilbert's number seven led to some locker room friction when the team trade for Phil Esposito, who famously wore No. 7 with the Bruins. Alas, any tensions were cast aside in October 1979, when shortly after retiring Gilbert became the first Ranger to have his number retired. Since then seven other former players have joined Gilbert in the MSG rafters -- and Henrik Lundqvist will make it eight this season. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982.
4) No Ranger played more games exclusively with the organization. Gilbert's 1,065 games played in New York is third in franchise history behind Harry Howell and Brian Leetch. But after 17 years Howell left the team and spent seven more seasons bouncing around the pros, playing for the Golden Seals and Kings before finishing up in the WHA. Leetch, of course, was dealt to Toronto at the 2004 trade deadline and spent his final NHL season in Boston. Gilbert didn't have any such late-career movement. After 18 seasons, Mr. Ranger hung up his skates after a contract dispute. Of all the players to spend their entire careers with the Blue Shirts, only Ron Greschner (16 years) can come close to Gilbert's 18.
5) He is still the franchise's all-time leader in goals and points. Gilbert retired after the 1978 season with 406 goals, exactly 70 more than his GAG line partner Ratelle. Fast forward 43 years and not only does Gilbert still hold the franchise record, it's not even close. Adam Graves scored 280 goals with the team, and that's as close as anyone has gotten.
Gilbert's hold on the all-time points lead was a little more tenuous. His 1,021 career points is over 200 more than Ratelle, who still sits third in team history. But Brian Leetch made a run at it, finishing with 981 career points. Leetch was able to surpass Gilbert's franchise record in assists (the defenseman has 741 to Gilbert's 615... no one else in Rangers history has more than 500).