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Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 Mr. Ranger A By The Old Sachem, Bill Stewart nother of the great hockey players whom I watched and appreciated has passed: Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert; his last name was pronounced as jilbear. Rod Gilbert was a New York Ranger for his entire career, starting during the 1960-61 season and ending in 1977-78 when a contract dispute with the Rangers General Manager, John Ferguson, ended his career. Before Gilbert hockey was a secondary sport to New Yorkers, but the kid – who knew very little English and spoke French well – brought the game to fans. Rod was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on July 1, 1941, and died in New York City on August 19, 2021. He was a right wing on what was known as the GAG Line (Goal-a-Game Line), along with Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle. Rod was the first Ranger in the history of the team to have his number retired, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982. Upon retiring he was promoted to President of the Rangers alumni association. Coming from Montreal he grew up as a Canadiens fan, and he played three seasons for the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1957 to 1960. In his last season with Guelph, Gilbert slipped on the ice of some garbage that was thrown on the ice by a spectator. Rod broke a vertebra in his back that temporarily paraLaw Offices of Terrence W. Kennedy 512 Broadway, Everett • Criminal Defense • Personal Injury • Medical Malpractice Tel: (617) 387-9809 Cell: (617) 308-8178 twkennedylaw@gmail.com lyzed him. He went into corrective surgery, which led to hemorrhaging in his leg, and amputation was considered by doctors as a last resort, but Gilbert refused amputation and finally recovered. In his three seasons with the Mad Hatters, Rod scored 80 goals and 100 assists in 133 games. He was upped to the Trois-Rivières Lions for three games where he had four goals and six assists, next to the Guelph Royals in 1960, scoring 54 goals and 49 assists in 47 games, and that was enough to jump up to the Rangers in 1961. He spent time with the Rangers in 1961-62, playing one game each year. During 1962 he was dropped to the Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers, scoring 12 goals and 11 assists in 21 games. Gilbert quickly became a star to the fans of the Rangers in the 1962-63 season when he scored 11 goals and 20 assists in 70 games. In his first full season with the Rangers, 1963-64, he had 24 goals and 40 assists in 70 games. In his worst New York season, 1965-66, he only notched 10 goals and 15 assists in 34 games. Most seasons he had high twenties to high thirties, and his best season was 1971-72 when he scored 43 goals and 54 assists in 76 games. During his 19 years with the Rangers, he had 406 goals and 615 assists in 1,065 games. Gilbert also had two seasons with Team Canada in International competition, in 1972 scoring a goal and three assists in six games, and in the 1977 World Cup he scored two goals and two assists in nine games. Gilbert opened his own restaurant on Third Avenue near 75th Street in Manhattan. He then went to Wall Street with the Fundamental Brokers, where he assisted in opening a branch in his hometown of Montreal. Rod returned to the Rangers organization in 1989 as director of special projects and community relations. He started doing appearances for the Garden of Dreams Foundation, an outreach program working with children in the community. He married Judith Christy in 1991, and the ceremony was conducted by the Mayor of New York at the time, David Dinkins. They raised four children. In 1979 artist Andy Warhol completed the Athlete Series of paintings featuring prominent sports stars of the 70s; Gilbert was one of only 10 selected, who included O.J. Simpson, Chris Evert and Pelé. Among his Ranger records are team record for career goals, 406; team record for career points, 1,021; and team record for consecutive games with an assist by a forward, 10; and he shares the team record for assists in a single game, five, three times. Among Gilbert’s awards: NHL Second All-Star team, 1968; NHL First All-Star team, 1972; the Bill Masterson Trophy, 1976; the Lester Patrick Trophy, 1991; played in the NHL All-Star game eight times; inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982; had his number 7 retired as the first Ranger to have their number retired; and he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in May 2010 for recognition of his humanitarian efforts. Gilbert is on the list of NHL players who played at least 1,000 games and the list of players who scored at least 1,000 points. Those of us lucky enough to have seen Rod Gilbert play against the Bruins in the 60s and 70s remember an outstanding player, a great scorer and a gentleman who only racked up 510 penalty minutes over the 16 seasons. I will remember the hero from Montreal as long as I see NHL hockey. Northeast Metro Tech dismissed due to propane leak, no injuries reported W AKEFIELD — Superintendent David DiBarri and Wakefield Fire Chief Michael Sullivan reported that Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School was evacuated shortly before the start of school on Thursday, September 9 due to a propane leak. No injuries or illnesses were reported and there was no fire or damage to the building. However, classes were canceled for the day as a precaution. The Wakefield Fire Department received a call at 7:09 a.m. that an odor of propane had been detected in the building; the school operates VOTERS | FROM PAGE 2 submit nomination papers to the Board of Registrars (Town Clerk’s Office) for certification of signatures. School Committee leaders running for reelection As noncompetitive as the School Committee races are right now, it could have been worse. It wasn’t until Tuesday (Sept. 7) that School Committee Chair Whittredge and Committee Vice-Chair Fisher decided they would pull nomination papers with intentions of each running for a second twowith propane gas. Upon arrival, first responders determined that the odor was coming from the area where metal fabrication classes are taught. First responders removed staff from the building and kept arriving students outside. Propane connections were shut off and the building was vented. Students were moved to nearby Wakefield High School. The source of the leak is still under investigation. year term. Whittredge acknowledged last week that there was a chance he wouldn’t run again for personal reasons: his wife Theresa’s ongoing battle with breast cancer. “It’s a big commitment. And right now, the future is very uncertain for me,” Whittredge said in an interview last week. But he also mentioned that his wife “is pushing me toward it.” Shortly before noon on Wednesday, while on the lawn outside Saugus Town Hall, Whittredge posted on Fisher’s VOTERS | SEE PAGE 14

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