Gerald Michael "Gerry" Cheevers (born on December 7, 1940, in St. Catharines, Ontario) is a former goaltender in the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association between 1961 and 1980.He spent six years in all in the minors until, by 1967, he was Boston's number one goalie. He was a member of both the 1970 and 1972 Stanley Cup winning teams, gaining a reputation as a driven, "money" goaltender. In 1972, he went undefeated in 33 consecutive games, an NHL record that still stands.
Cheevers' iconic stitch-pattern goaltender mask came after a puck hit him in the face during practice. Cheevers, never one to miss an opportunity to skip out of practice, went to the dressing room. Bruins coach Harry Sinden followed him to the dressing room, where he found Cheevers enjoying a beer and smoking a cigarette. Sinden told Cheevers, who wasn't injured, to get back on the ice. In jest, John Forestall, the team trainer, painted a stitch mark on his mask. Ever after, any time he was similarly struck, he would have a new stitch-mark painted on. The mask became one of the most recognized of the era, and the original mask is now on the wall of his grandson's bedroom. Another version is on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
After his departure as Bruins' coach, Cheevers has devoted his time to his interests in thoroughbred horse racing and as a hockey scout; he retired from the Bruins' scouting staff after the 2005–06 season.
No comments:
Post a Comment