'Mr. Ranger' Rod Gilbert was the original New York hockey idol
Even though he could have won two handfuls of Stanley Cups if he had played the Canadiens, Rod Gilbert was born to star on Broadway
By the time Brad Park made it to the NHL with the New York Rangers in 1968, Rod Gilbert was in his sixth full season with the team and had blossomed into a bona fide star. The shy young man from Montreal was comfortable in his skin. Gilbert’s elan and elegance on the ice were matched by his presence off it. Long before the likes of Ron Duguay and Henrik Lundqvist became matinee idols in Manhattan, there was Rod Gilbert, who was just as well-known as ‘Mr. Ranger.’
That did not stop Gilbert, though, from taking Park under his wing and showing him the ways of the world, both on and off the ice. And that developed into a deep bond between the two men that lasted for decades, long after their Hall of Fame careers ended. “He was the most wonderful man I ever met,” Park said. “Ever.”
Like the rest of the hockey world, Park learned Sunday that Gilbert had died. “I’m so shaken by it, totally shocked,” he said. Park knew that Gilbert had undergone cancer treatments a couple of months ago, but the last time he spoke with Gilbert two months ago, things were looking optimistic. Park played seven-plus seasons with Gilbert until 1975-76, when he and Jean Ratelle, Gilbert’s teammate since their junior hockey days, were dealt to the Bruins in a blockbuster trade that brought Phil Esposito to the Rangers. They never won a Stanley Cup together, but they did manage to capture the imagination of New York in the 1970s with the skill and personality they displayed on the ice.
“They broke the mold with this guy,” Park said. “He could walk into any room and change the whole temperament of the room. And by the time he left, there probably wasn’t one truth to any story he told.”
It speaks to the character of the man that a guy who was nicknamed Mr. Ranger also has an arena in his name, Arena Rodrigue-Gilbert, in Rivieres-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles, a borough on the eastern tip of Montreal where Gilbert grew up and played his minor hockey. In fact, Gilbert grew up idolizing the Canadiens and right winger Bernie ‘Boom-Boom’ Geoffrion, but it was the Rangers who took him right out of the Canadiens’ backyard. In the 1950s, the Rangers had a Montreal-based scout named Yvon Prud’homme, who discovered Gilbert playing high school hockey at Academie Roussin and urged the Rangers to sign him to a C Form. After his rookie season with the Guelph Biltmores junior team, Gilbert convinced the Rangers to sign his shy childhood friend, Jean Ratelle. The two of them won a Memorial Cup together in Guelph in 1959-60, before Gilbert led all scorers in the Ontario Hockey Association the next season.
Had the Canadiens secured both Gilbert and Ratelle, there’s no doubt Gilbert would have a slew of Stanley Cup championships to his name, perhaps as many as 10. But even though he didn’t win the Cup, the prospect of him playing for anyone other than the Rangers would be unthinkable. In a way, Gilbert was born to shine on Broadway. In the late 1960s, Gilbert combined with Ratelle and Vic Hadfield to form a trio that earned the moniker ‘GAG (Goal A Game) Line.’ And it was with Ratelle and Hadfield that Gilbert really took off. In fact, Gilbert scored 516 points in the final six full seasons of his career, which represents more than half of his career total (1,021) over his 15-plus seasons – all of them with the Rangers.
“Each of them had a role and it all fit together,” said Stan Fischler, who covered the Rangers and the NHL for more than five decades. “Ratelle was the playmaker, Hadfield was the tough guy and Rod was the scorer. What made it work so well was that all three were maturing, hitting their peak at the same time. Ratelle was very underrated. Vic went from goon to 50-goal man. And Rod had the super slapshot.”
It took the Rangers five seasons to make the playoffs after Gilbert arrived, which is a remarkable feat considering four of the league’s six teams qualified for the post-season. But once Gilbert combined with Ratelle and Hadfield and the Rangers got better, they were consistently one of the league’s top teams in the late 1960s and early ’70s. And it was due in part to Gilbert that the Rangers’ on-ice fortunes improved and the organization went from being a niche interest into a player in New York’s crowded professional sports scene. In 1979, the year after he retired, Gilbert was the only hockey player included in iconic pop artist Andy Worhol’s Athletes’ Series, a 10-person group that also included Muhammed Ali, Pele, Jack Nicklaus and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Fischler remembers Gilbert as a guy who was a “superstar, good looks, bon vivant,” but a man who also had a sense of compassion. Even after his career, Gilbert was very active in the Rangers’ charities and had an ability to connect with people. He was also a regular at Ranger games long after his career and still shared a unique bond with the fans. Fischler remembered when his 15-year-old son, Simon, was desperately awaiting a heart transplant in August of 1993. Gilbert showed up at the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York with a stuffed bear in a Rangers uniform. He and Simon shared some laughs, “but for the final 10 or so minutes, Rod took the time to get serious about life, philosophy. Very deep and I'll never forget it. That night, the new heart arrived and Simon is still with me here.”
Whether it was convincing a 20-year-old Park to be in bed by 11 p.m. instead of carousing in the city that never sleeps the night before a game or signing autographs for hours on end, Gilbert was a handsome superstar with a soft spot for everyone. “If you thought his talent on the ice was unbelievable,” Park said, “his character off the ice was incredible. Rod was dedicated to getting along with everybody. The hockey side was dedication to his sport, dedication to performance. His personal side was dedication to his teammates and his friends.”
Wow. What a great article. So pleased I got to read it.