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Tribute Rod Gilbert passes; aged 80 years old

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RIP to a legend.

Incredibly sad that he passed.










































(Also incredibly sad that he still leads the team in all-time scoring in goals and points, but that's another topic...)
 
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Rod single-handedly changed the course of Ranger history. Way back in the days of the Original Six, Montreal automatically had the rights to any junior player in Quebec. Not wanting to get lost in the vast Montreal junior system, he left the Montreal area for Guelph, Ontario where the Rangers had a junior team and had the rights to any player there. And, he took his friend Jean Ratelle with him! Can you imagine how much stronger those mighty Canadians would have been with them and how terrible we would have been?
As I said in another thread, I remember when they brought the 21 year old Gilbert up from the playoffs against Toronto in 1962 and he was their best player. His career almost ended because of back injuries and a spinal fusion. The surgery was much more serious then. I believe he first hurt his back when he fell after someone threw something on the ice. In his early days as a Ranger, he used to sit with a heating pad on his back.
My favorite player from when I first became a fan.
 
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Short story: A few years ago I was on the M31 bus on York Avenue and all of a sudden I see an older guy with a Rangers cap on running for the bus. As he got closer, I recognized that he was Rod Gilbert (I saw him a few times around Yorkville and the UES. I don't know if he lived here or what, but I must've seen him 3 or 4 times. He would always wear the same Rangers cap). Just as he arrived at the bus stop, the bus began to pull away. Rod banged on the door for the driver to let him in, but the driver wouldn't open the door and ended up driving away. I was getting off next stop so I got up and asked the bus driver, "You know who you just pulled away from, right?" He said, "No." "I said Rod Gilbert from the Hockey Rangers. He's one of the greatest players of all-time. He's in the Hall of Fame." The driver said, "Oh...I don't follow hockey. I just like the Knicks."


I've met him a few times over the years. He was always such a classy, kind gentleman. One of the top-5 Rangers of all-time. An absolute gem on and off the ice.
 
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Just a cool guy. Really enjoyed the stories and interviews he'd do. Terrible loss. I hope his family is doing ok (as ok as they can be of course).

Absolutely have some kind of badge or #7 on all the helmets this year. Opening Night Tribute is a must.
 
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