Rod Gilbert

Rod Gilbert was a consistent scorer during an excellent NHL career with the New York Rangers that lasted 18 seasons. He blossomed as the right winger on the famous G-A-G Line (Goal-A-Game) with Jean Ratelle and Vic Hadfield, and although he never played on a Cup champion, he was often at his best in the post-season.

An amateur scoring star with the OHA's Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters, Gilbert was part of a Memorial Cup triumph in 1959-60. In 1960-61, when the team was renamed the Royals, Gilbert led the OHA with 54 goals and 103 points. He came close to winning consecutive scoring titles but lost the scoring crown to Chico Maki on the last day of the 1959-60 schedule. Gilbert had just received word that he was an emergency call-up to the Rangers when disaster struck. In the last junior game of the year, he skated over some debris thrown on the ice that caused him to fall awkwardly into the boards. The impact resulted in a broken fifth vertebra in his back. To repair the damage, doctors removed bone from his left leg and used it to bind the fourth, fifth and sixth vertebrae together.

After recovering from his injury, Gilbert gained some professional seasoning with the Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers of the EPHL. On November 27, 1960, he made the most of a one-game call-up to the big leagues by assisting on Dean Prentice's third-period goal that gave New York a 3-3 tie with Chicago. Following an injury to Ken Schinkel, Gilbert was an emergency recall during the 1962 semifinal series against Toronto. He didn't look out of place and contributed five points in the four games he played with linemates Dave Balon and Johnny Wilson. Read More....

Vic Hadfield / Left Wing - Jean Ratelle / Center - Rod Gilbert / Right Wing - New York Rangers Gag (Goal-A-Game) Line