Rod Gilbert
Canadian ice hockey player
Who was Rod Gilbert?
Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert (July 1, 1941 – August 19, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played his entire career for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Gilbert was born in Montreal on, the son of Alma, a homemaker, and Gabriel Gilbert, a blacksmith. He grew up a fan of the Montreal Canadiens. Known as "Mr. Ranger", he played right wing on the GAG line (Goal-A-Game line) with Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle. After his playing career, he became president of the Rangers' alumni association. He played three seasons for the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1957 to 1960. In his final year with the team, Gilbert slipped on some garbage strewn on the ice and fell back into the boards, breaking a vertebra in his back and temporarily paralyzing him.
Corrective surgery went awry and led to hemorrhaging in his leg, and doctors feared amputation would be necessary, but Gilbert recovered.
Historical significance
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982, and was the first player in Rangers history to have his number retired.