He was the first to decorate his goaltender mask with stitch markings where a puck had struck, leading to the contemporary tradition of goaltenders decorating their masks with distinctive visual stylings.
The right to sign him to an NHL contract was held by the Toronto Maple Leafs (with whom he played two games) until the Boston Bruins drafted him in 1965, despite Toronto general manager Punch Imlach trying to slip Cheevers through unselected by listing him as a forward.[1] In the 1964–65 season he won 48 games in leading the Rochester Americans to their first Calder Cup championship, becoming the final goaltender in league history to play every game (coincidentally, he did this one season after his future Bruins teammate Eddie Johnston was the final goaltender to do so in the NHL). Cheevers still holds the AHL record for most victories in a season by a goaltender.
He was a member of both the 1970 and 1972Stanley Cup winning teams, gaining a reputation as a driven, "money" goaltender. Cheevers held the Boston Bruins' record for most playoff wins by a goaltender (with 53) until it was surpassed by Tuukka Rask in 2021. Cheevers had held the record since 1977 when he surpassed Frank Brimsek's mark of 32.
In 1972, he went undefeated in 32 consecutive games, an NHL record that still stands.[2][3]
In the fall of 1972, he jumped to the fledgling World Hockey Association, where he played three and a half seasons for the Cleveland Crusaders. He made the First All-Star Team in 1973 and Second All-Star Team in 1974 and 1975. In 1974, he played seven of the eight games for Team Canada in the 1974 Summit Series.[4] Cheevers sat out the third game since his father was gravely ill in hospital.[5]
Cheevers had a career NHL goals against average of 2.89, recorded 230 NHL wins, played in 419 NHL games, and registered 26 NHL shutouts. He is second in the WHA's history in career GAA and shutouts, even though he played during only half the league's existence. If one combines both their NHL and WHA statistics, Gerry Cheevers (329), Mike Liut (325), and Bernie Parent (304) all would have at least 300 wins. Cheevers was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985, and is one of the few goaltenders in the Hall to have never been named to the All-Star Team or won the Vezina Trophy.
Style
Cheevers was not afraid to stray from the crease to cut down the shooter's angle or to act as a "third defenseman". He was very aggressive with opposing players who strayed into or near the crease and was not afraid to hit opposing players with his goalie stick if they got too close to the crease.[citation needed]
Not a "stand-up" goalie, Cheevers could often be found on his knees or even his side. He perfected this "flopping" style while playing for Rochester during the 1962–63 season. Americans' coach Rudy Migay had Cheevers practice without his stick, thus requiring him to rely more on using his body and his pads.
Cheevers wearing his distinctive mask with the Boston Bruins in 1980
Mask
Cheevers was inspired to create his distinctive stitch pattern mask when a puck hit him in the face during practice. Cheevers, never one to miss an opportunity to skip out of practice, went to the dressing room. Bruins coach Harry Sinden followed him to the dressing room, where he found Cheevers enjoying a beer and smoking a cigarette. Annoyed, Sinden ordered Cheevers, who wasn't injured, to get back on the ice. In jest, John "Frosty" Forristall, the Bruins' assistant trainer, drew a stitch mark on his mask, which amused the team.[6] After that, any time he was similarly struck, he had a new stitch-mark drawn on his mask. Cheevers later claimed that the mask spared him from over 150 medical stitches over his career and was the first to be custom decorated in the sport.[6] The mask became one of the most recognized of the era, and the original is now on the wall of his grandson's bedroom.
Years later, goalie Steve Shields paid tribute to Cheevers when he played for the Bruins in 2002 and 2003, sporting a modern airbrushed version of the stitch-covered mask.[7] In 2008, The Hockey News rated his mask the greatest ever by a wide margin. It received 221 of a possible 300 points; Gilles Gratton's mask was rated second with 66.
Cheevers's mask design has appeared in rock-n-roll culture. Black Veil Brides' lead singer Andy Biersack cited it as the reason he got interested in hockey and played goalie when he was younger. In homage to Cheevers, Biersack painted stitches on his face for live shows.[8]
Publications
In 1971, Cheevers published the book Goaltender, detailing his experiences during the 1970–71 season, through to the unexpected loss in the first round to the underdog Montreal Canadiens.[9]
Coaching career
Cheevers's final season as a player came in 1980 when popular coach Don Cherry was replaced by Fred Creighton. After winning their division in seven of the previous nine seasons, the Bruins were in third place late in the year, and general manager Harry Sinden fired Creighton and took over as coach for the remainder of the season. For the 1980–81 season, Cheevers was named coach. In that year's playoffs, the Bruins suffered a shocking sweep by the Minnesota North Stars, who had never before won a game in Boston Garden. Even so, Sinden stuck with Cheevers, who led the Bruins to two first-place and two second-place finishes in their division over the next three years. He led the team to the league's best record in the 1982–83 season; in the playoffs, the team fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the New York Islanders, in the semifinals.
Cheevers was replaced by Sinden in the middle of the 1984–85 season. With a record of 204–126–46, he ranks seventh in career winning percentage (.604) among NHL coaches with more than 250 games experience.
Retirement
After his departure as Bruins' coach, Cheevers served as a color commentator for the Hartford Whalers from 1986 to 1995 and the Boston Bruins from 1999 to 2002. From 1995 to 2006 he was a member of the Bruins' scouting staff. Cheevers has also devoted time to Thoroughbred racing. His most successful runner was the Grade 1 winner Royal Ski.[10] Cheevers frequently made allusions to horse racing during interviews. After playing a particularly good game in the 1972 Stanley Cup playoffs, Cheevers told reporters he "felt like Riva Ridge"—the horse that had recently won the 1972 Kentucky Derby.
In 1996, Canadian pop-punk band Chixdiggit released their self-titled album on SubPop, and included the song "I Feel Like Gerry Cheevers (Stitchmarks On My Heart)." The lyrics include references to Cheevers' undefeated streak, the stitch marks drawn for every shot that hit his cheek, and his number 30 jersey. The chorus includes the lyrics "he wore a mask just like my heart, it had stitch marks on every part."[citation needed]
