Rod Gilbert – The First Ranger to Have His Number Retired

Rod Gilbert was the first to accomplish many feats over his illustrious career with the Rangers. “Mr. Ranger” was the first player to tally 1,000 points with the franchise, as well as score 400 goals in a Blueshirts uniform.

And on this day 45 years ago – October 14, 1979 – Gilbert was the first Rangers player to have his jersey number retired by the organization, as his famous No. 7 was immortalized in the rafters of Madison Square Garden.

The following is a look back at Rod’s tenure with the Rangers and the special impact he made on the city and franchise he loved so dearly. Here are seven reasons why No. 7 was the first jersey number retired in Blueshirts history.

1. An Unforgettable Start in New York

Gilbert, wearing jersey No. 14, played one NHL regular season game with the Rangers in each of the 1960-61 and 1961-62 seasons. After the Blueshirts lost the first two games of their Semifinals series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1962 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Gilbert was recalled to replace the injured Ken Schinkel and was inserted into the lineup immediately, playing alongside Dave Balon and Johnny Wilson.

Gilbert assisted on what would be the game-winning goal (scored by Balon) in the Rangers’ 5-4 victory over the Maple Leafs in Game 3 at MSG. In Game 4, the lifelong love affair between Gilbert and ‘The Garden Faithful’ truly began, as Gilbert scored the first two goals of his NHL career in the first period (including one 41 seconds into the contest) and added an assist on Balon’s eventual game-winning goal to help the Blueshirts defeat Toronto, 4-2, and tie the series at two games apiece.

2. Perseverance and Dedication Through Injury

Switching from jersey No. 14 to jersey No. 7 for the 1962-63 season, Gilbert led NHL rookies with 11 goals and 31 points during the campaign. After playing in every game during each of his first three NHL seasons, Gilbert was limited to only 34 games in 1965-66. He was sidelined for the second half of the season due to a back injury, and for the second time in his young career, he was forced to undergo back surgery (the first time was in the spring of 1961 while he was playing junior hockey).

Despite the serious injury, Gilbert returned to the Rangers and was in the team’s opening night lineup. In the second game of the 1966-67 season, Gilbert registered the first hat trick of his NHL career, scoring three goals against the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

Gilbert finished the 1966-67 season with 28 goals (which was the most in a season in his career up to that point and tied for the fourth-most in the league that season), and he ultimately played another decade in the league, showing no effects from the back surgeries that threatened his career. Gilbert’s perseverance and dedication to the game was recognized following the 1975-76 season, when he was the recipient of the Bill Masterton Trophy.

3. The G-A-G Line

Gilbert, center Jean Ratelle, and left wing Vic Hadfield, made their NHL debuts with the Rangers in the early 1960s, but it wasn’t until the 1967-68 season that the three players were used together as a line with the Blueshirts. Gilbert and Ratelle had played together as kids growing up in Quebec (they were scouted and signed by Rangers scout Yvon Prud’homme), and their games complemented each other perfectly. With the addition of Hadfield, each player’s game reached new heights in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the trio became known as the ‘G-A-G Line’ (short for Goal-A-Game Line).

The line reached its apex during the 1971-72 season. During that campaign, each player scored at least 40 goals, becoming the first line in NHL history to have all three players register 40 or more goals in the same season. Ratelle, despite missing the final month of the regular season after suffering a broken ankle, set the Rangers’ single-season record for points with 109, while Hadfield became the first player in franchise history to score 50 goals in a season.

Gilbert, meanwhile, was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team at right wing, as he established career-highs with 43 goals, 97 points, and a plus-50 plus/minus rating. In addition, the success of the ‘G-A-G Line’ helped the team have a successful season, as the Rangers advanced to the 1972 Stanley Cup Final.

4. An All-Star Performer

Gilbert played in eight NHL All-Star Games during his career, and he was also named to a postseason All-Star Team twice (Second NHL All-Star Team in 1967-68 and First NHL All-Star Team in 1971-72). The Rangers’ star right winger had several memorable performances in both seasons that led to his postseason All-Star selections, but there was one contest that he played in his hometown of Montreal on February 24, 1968 that was clearly the best of the 1,144 all-time regular season and playoff games he played with the Rangers.

“Rod Gilbert that night had the greatest game of any hockey player that I’ve ever seen,” Emile Francis, the Rangers’ Head Coach and General Manager at the time, said years later. Despite feeling sick leading up to game time, Gilbert scored four goals, added an assist, and established a single-game NHL record with 16 shots on goal as the Rangers defeated the Canadiens, 6-1, at The Forum. Entering the game, the Canadiens had won 12 straight games at home and had earned at least one point in 20 consecutive home contests.

Gilbert’s scoring prowess was also on display during the playoffs, as he averaged just under a point per game during his career in the postseason. In 1968, he led the Rangers with five goals in their six-game Semifinals series against Chicago, which including two goals in a six-second span in Game 3. During the Rangers’ playoff run in 1972, Gilbert scored seven goals and tallied 15 points in 16 playoff games.

5. The Blueshirts’ Record Holder In…

During the 1973-74 season, Gilbert passed his idol, Andy Bathgate, in two all-time scoring categories in Rangers history, as he became the franchise’s all-time leader in goals and points. Gilbert established or matched 20 team scoring records during his career with the Blueshirts, and to this day, he remains the Rangers’ all-time leader in goals and points; he is the only player to score at least 400 goals or tally at least 1,000 points.

Gilbert was the Rangers’ all-time leader in assists with 615 at the time of his retirement in 1977, and he held the record until he was surpassed by Brian Leetch during the 2000-01 season.

6. An Immeasurable Legacy Off the Ice

Following his playing career, Gilbert became a beloved fixture for the Rangers organization and its fans over 32 seasons, which included serving as the Director, Special Projects and Community Relations Representative.

Over the course of his off-ice career he helped lead the growth and development of the New York Rangers Alumni Association, as well as assist in many areas of community and sponsor relations. Gilbert also served as a goodwill ambassador for Madison Square Garden and was deeply committed to the Garden of Dreams Foundation, conducting countless appearances, media interviews, and special experiences for Foundation charity partners in conjunction with the team.

Over the decades, he was tireless in his efforts to raise funds and generate awareness for numerous worthwhile charitable groups throughout the Tri-State area, particularly relating to children. He and his wife, Judy, also served on the board of the Ronald McDonald House.

7. Mr. Ranger

Gilbert received a night in his honor while he was still an active player, which took place on March 9, 1977. But after his playing career ended, he received the honor of being the first Ranger to have his jersey number retired. The announcement was made shortly before the start of the 1979-80 season, with the date scheduled for the Rangers’ first home game of the season at MSG on October 14, 1979.

“Since I was the first one, you don’t realize the importance and the honor of having your number immortalized and be at Madison Square Garden,” Gilbert said years later. “Madison Square Garden is my home, and I’ll never forget (that night).”

Gilbert became a Hockey Hall of Famer when he was inducted in 1982, but the title he earned and is known for is “Mr. Ranger”. It is a fitting title for a person who was the definition of excellence on and off the ice and who loved nothing more than the Rangers and New York City.

As Adam Graves once said, “Rod represents everything that everyone else who wore that Rangers jersey after him wants to be.”