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Gilles Gilbert
Gilles Gilbert
	Gilbert signing autographs for fans in 1975
Born	March 31, 1949; Saint-Esprit, Limoilou, Quebec, Canada
Died	August 6, 2023 (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

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.

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]

In 1973-74, he was traded to the Bruins as a replacement for Gerry Cheevers who had gone to the World Hockey Association (WHA), played 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.^[3]^[4]

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.^[5]

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.

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”.^[6]^[7]

Gilbert was in net for Detroit on February 11, 1982, when the Vancouver Canucks became the first team^[8] 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.^[9]^[10]

Post Playing Career

Gilbert was a pro scout and goaltending coach for the New York Islanders from 1996 to 2001.^[11]

Later life and death

Gilles Gilbert latterly resided in Quebec City.^{[citation needed]} He died on August 6, 2023, at the age of 74.^[12]

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