Gerry Cheevers

Gerry Cheevers
[[File:Gerrycheevers.jpg|]]
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Position	Goaltender
Height Weight	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 180 lb (82 kg)
Team	NHL Toronto Maple Leafs Boston Bruins WHA Cleveland Crusaders AHL Pittsburgh Hornets Rochester Americans CHL Oklahoma City Blazers EPHL Sudbury Wolves Sault Thunderbirds
Born	(1940-12-07)December 7, 1940, St. Catharines, ON, CAN
Pro Career	1956 – 1980
Hall of Fame, 1985

Gerald Michael "Cheesey" 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.

Playing career

Cheevers' professional hockey career began in 1956 at the age of 16 when he played for the St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey Association. He was owned by the Toronto Maple Leafs until the Boston Bruins drafted him in 1965. Cheevers still holds the American Hockey League single-season record for most victories by a goalkeeper. In 1965 he totaled 48 victories in leading the Rochester Americans to their first Calder Cup championship. 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, a NHL record that still stands.

In the fall of 1972, he jumped to the fledgling World Hockey Association, playing three and a half seasons for the Cleveland Crusaders as one of the league's best goalies, winning First Team All-Star honors in 1973 and Second Team honors in 1974 and 1975.

Returning to the Bruins during the 1976 season after financial disputes with Cleveland management, Cheevers finished out his playing career at the end of the 1980 season.

His career NHL goals against average was 2.89. He recorded 230 NHL wins, played in 419 NHL games, and recorded 26 NHL shutouts. He was also second in the WHA's history in career GAA and shutouts, despite playing in only half the league's seasons.

Mask

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.

Cheevers was not afraid to stray from the crease both to cut down the shooter's angle and to act as a "third defenseman". He was very aggressive with opposing players who strayed into or near the crease. Many an opposing player who got too close to the goal crease got a quick smack from Cheevers' goal stick. Not a "stand-up" goalie, Cheevers could often be found on his knees or even his side. He perfected this "flopping" style while playing for Rochester during the 1962–63 season. Americans' coach Rudy Migay had Cheevers practice without his stick, thus requiring him to rely more on using his body and his pads. From that point on Cheevers became one of hockey's best goalkeepers.

In 2008, The Hockey News rated his mask the greatest ever with a wide margin. Cheevers received 221 of possible 300 points, while second-placed Gilles Gratton got 66.

Publications

In 1971, Cheevers published the book Goaltender, detailing his experiences during the previous season, through to the unexpected loss in the first round to the underdog Montreal Canadiens.

Coaching career

Cheevers' final season as a player came in 1980, when popular coach Don Cherry was replaced by Fred Creighton. After winning their division seven of the previous nine seasons, the Bruins were in third place late in the year, and general manager Harry Sinden fired Creighton, serving as interim coach for the remainder of the season himself. For the 1981 season, Cheevers was named as coach. Despite a shocking sweep in the 1981 playoffs to the Minnesota North Stars - the North Stars had never before won a game in Boston Garden in the sixteen years the team had been in the league - Sinden stuck with Cheevers, who led the Bruins to two first place and two second place finishes in their division, including to the league's best record in 1983, where the team fell only to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders in the semifinals.

Cheevers was replaced by Sinden midseason two years later. With a record of 204-126-46, he ranks 7th in career winning percentage (.604) for NHL coaches with more than 250 games experience.

Retirement

After his departure as Bruins' coach, Cheevers served as a color commentator for the Hartford Whalers from 1986 to 1995 and the Boston Bruins from 1999 to 2002. From 1995-2006 he was a member of the Bruins' scouting staff. Cheevers has also devoted his time to his interests in thoroughbred horse racing, and has even tried Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment or WWE were he fought "The Bush".

Career statistics

Regular season

Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
1956–57	Toronto St. Michael's Majors	OHA		1	0	0	0	60	4	0	4.00	—
1957–58	Toronto St. Michael's Majors	OHA		1	0	0	0	60	3	0	3.00	—
1958–59	Toronto St. Michael's Majors	OHA		6	0	0	0	360	28	0	4.67	—
1959–60	Toronto St. Michael's Majors	OHA		36	18	13	5	2160	111	5	3.08	—
1960–61	Toronto St. Michael's Majors	OHA		30	12	20	5	—	—	2	3.18	—
1961–62	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		5	2	2	1	—	—	0	4.20	—
1961–62	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	EPHL		29	13	13	3	—	—	1	3.55	—
1961–62	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		2	1	1	0	—	—	0	3.00	.917
1961–62	Rochester Americans	AHL		19	9	9	1	—	—	1	3.63	—
1962–63	Rochester Americans	AHL		19	7	9	3	—	—	1	3.95	—
1962–63	Sudbury Wolves	EPHL		51	17	24	10	—	—	4	4.15	—
1963–64	Rochester Americans	AHL		66	38	25	2	4359	195	3	2.84	—
1964–65	Rochester Americans	AHL		72	48	21	3	—	—	5	2.68	—
1965–66	Boston Bruins	NHL		7	0	4	1	—	—	0	6.00	.827
1965–66	Oklahoma City Blazers	CPHL		30	16	9	5	—	—	3	2.49	—
1966–67	Boston Bruins	NHL		22	5	10	6	1284	72	1	3.33	.923
1966–67	Oklahoma City Blazers	CPHL		26	14	6	5	—	—	1	2.80	—
1967–68	Boston Bruins	NHL		47	23	17	5	2646	125	3	2.83	—
1968–69	Boston Bruins	NHL		52	28	12	12	3112	145	3	2.80	—
1969–70	Boston Bruins	NHL		41	24	8	8	2384	108	4	2.72	—
1970–71	Boston Bruins	NHL		40	27	8	5	2400	109	3	2.73	.918
1971–72	Boston Bruins	NHL		41	27	5	8	2420	101	2	2.50	—
1972–73	Cleveland Crusaders	WHA		52	32	20	0	3144	149	5	2.84	.912
1973–74	Cleveland Crusaders	WHA		59	30	20	6	3562	180	4	3.03	.906
1974–75	Cleveland Crusaders	WHA		52	26	24	2	3076	167	4	3.26	.905
1975–76	Cleveland Crusaders	WHA		28	11	14	1	1570	95	1	3.63	.886
1975–76	Boston Bruins	NHL		15	8	2	5	900	41	1	2.73	.911
1976–77	Boston Bruins	NHL		45	30	10	5	2700	137	3	3.04	—
1977–78	Boston Bruins	NHL		21	10	5	2	1086	48	1	2.65	—
1978–79	Boston Bruins	NHL		43	23	9	10	2509	132	1	3.16	—
1979–80	Boston Bruins	NHL		42	24	11	7	2479	116	4	2.81	—
NHL totals				418	230	102	74	24394	1175	26	2.89	—

Awards

• 1964–65 Harry (Hap) Holmes Memorial Award, which goes to the AHL goalie with the best goals against average.
• Played in the 1969 NHL All-Star Game.
• 1973 WHA First Team All-Star, won Ben Hatskin Award for best goaltender.
• 1979–80 Runner-up for the NHL's Vezina Memorial Trophy (Lowest goals against average).
• Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.
• Inducted into the Rochester Americans Hall of Fame in 1987.

International play

• 1974 Played for Team Canada at the Summit-74 series
• 1976 Spare goaltender for Team Canada in the Challenge Cup
• 1979 Played for NHL All Stars in the Challenge Cup vs. Team Soviet Union

External links

• Gerry Cheevers's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Gerry Cheevers Personal Site: http://www.gerrycheevers.com/
• Gerry Cheevers's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Harry Sinden	List of Boston Bruins head coaches 1980–1985	Succeeded by Harry Sinden
Preceded by Roger Crozier	Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award 1964-1965	Succeeded by Les Binkley