"He was only 25, living in New York, but he really upset about the move," said Gilbert, who was 23. "I had to inspire him to play. But here were two single guys living together, and to Bob living was just as important as hockey. We had the best time you can imagine."
Nevin was given more offensive freedom, serving as captain from 1965-71 after replacing one-season captain Camille Henry upon Bathgate's departure.
"If Jean Ratelle wasn't going to be captain after Bathgate, I didn't want to be," Gilbert said. "So I told the Cat (Rangers coach Emile Francis) to give my roommate some inspiration to lead us."
As captain, Nevin scored 29 goals in 1965-66, 20 in 1966-67 (when the Rangers returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1962) and 31 in 1968-69. In the 1971 playoffs, his overtime goal in Game 6 of the quarterfinals against Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens gave the Rangers their first playoff series victory since 1950.
"Bob was a player like Bob Gainey," Gilbert said, comparing Nevin to the great Montreal Canadiens checking forward. "He could score and he could play defense. He always checked (Chicago's) Bobby Hull and the top players on every team. Bob and Donnie Marshall and Phil Goyette had a great line. He's one of the reasons the Rangers became respectable."
The Rangers traded Nevin, then 33, to the Minnesota North Stars on June 8, 1971 for future considerations, ultimately forward Bobby Rousseau. After scoring 21 goals for New York in 1970-71, Nevin scored 20 in two seasons in Minnesota, who lost him to the Los Angeles Kings in the Reverse Draft during the summer of 1973.