Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault | |||
---|---|---|---|
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1990 | |||
Born |
Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada[1] | November 13, 1950||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
Position | Centre | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for | Buffalo Sabres | ||
National team | Canada | ||
NHL Draft |
1st overall, 1970 Buffalo Sabres | ||
Playing career | 1970–1986 |
Gilbert Perreault (born November 13, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played for 17 seasons with the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. He was the first draft pick of the Sabres in their inaugural season in the NHL. He is well known as the centre man for the prolific trio of Sabres forwards known as The French Connection. The trio helped the Sabres reach the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. Known for his ability to stickhandle in close quarters, he is regarded as one of the most skillful playmaking centres of all time.[2] In 2017 Perreault was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.[3]
Perreault was a standout
Over the course of his 17-season career he accumulated 512 goals and 814 assists in 1191 games. Among his career highlights was the game-winning goal in overtime of the 1978
Early life
Perreault began playing organized hockey at about age six.
Playing career
Amateur career
After the Quebec Junior A League shut down, Perreault joined the Montreal Junior Canadiens of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) for the 1967–68 season, the first of three years with the Junior Canadiens. His 49 points in 47 games helped the Junior Canadiens to a second-place finish. During his second year on the team, one that included future NHL talents Réjean Houle and André Dupont as well as future professional teammates Jocelyn Guevremont and Richard Martin, Perreault blossomed. His 97 points were second on the team to Houle's 108 points, and they earned him OHA first All-Star team honours. As Perreault blossomed, the team excelled. In his second season, the team finished first in the OHA and won the 1969 Memorial Cup Canadian Junior championship. It was the first Memorial Cup win for Montreal since 1950.[5]
After Houle moved on to become the NHL's first overall pick, Perreault assumed the leadership role and compiled a 51-goal, 71 assist season, which led the team in both categories and place second in the league to Marcel Dionne's 132 points.[8] The Canadiens defeated the Weyburn Red Wings to become the third junior team to successfully defend their championship and the Memorial Cup. Perreault was named the Ontario Hockey Association most valuable player.[2]
The record of the 1969 and 1970 Montreal Junior Canadiens in the playoffs was so outstanding it caused a change in Memorial Cup eligibility rules. Previously, all Junior clubs in Canada were eligible for the cup, but the Junior Canadiens beat a club from Prince Edward Island so badly in the playoffs that 'Junior A' was re-organized into 'Major Junior' and 'Junior A'. Since then, only Major Junior clubs are eligible for the Cup.
Professional career
In
Coincidentally, Perreault had worn #11 throughout his junior career, and kept it in Buffalo in honour of the roulette wheel choice. As expected, he became an immediate star. He scored a goal in the franchise's very first game, which was a 2–1 victory on October 10, 1970, against the Pittsburgh Penguins.[4] During his first season, he led the Sabres in scoring (with 38 goals and added 34 assists) — a feat he would never fail to accomplish in any season in which he did not miss significant time to injury before his penultimate year — and won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.[11]
Perreault developed a reputation as a superb stickhandler,[6] and scored a goal on his first shift in a professional scrimmage.[12] Bobby Orr once said of Perreault: "His head and shoulders go one way, his legs go the other way, and the puck is doing something else. When I first saw it I couldn't believe it."[13] His popularity and respect surpassed O. J. Simpson in a poll of Buffalonians about the best Buffalo athlete.[6] Phil Esposito once said if anyone was to break his 76-goal, 152 point season records "It will be Gilbert Perreault."[6]
Before the
The 1974–75 NHL season was memorable for the Sabres' Stanley Cup Finals appearance. The Sabres finished first in the newly reformatted league's Adams Division, and the French Connection members each finished in the top ten in league scoring. The Sabres defeated original six teams Chicago Black Hawks and Montreal Canadiens on their way to a Finals appearance against the Philadelphia Flyers.[4] The Sabres lost the series four games to two. 1975 was the closest Perreault would come to winning the Stanley Cup.
International career
Perreault was named to the
In 1976, Canada hosted the first Canada Cup series. Perreault played with future Hockey Hall of Fame members such as Bobby Orr,
Retirement
Perreault retired at the end of the 1985-86 season. Thereafter, pension changes came into effect significantly boosting the pensions of retired players who played at least 20 games in the 1986-87 season. He duly came out of retirement and still played effectively, scoring 9 goals in the first 14 games.[4] He retired for good on November 24, 1986, after his 20th game.[4]
He finished his career with scoring totals of 512 goals and 814 assists for 1326 points in 1191 games. At the time of his retirement, Perreault was the sixth leading scorer in NHL history. Along with the other two members of the French Connection, Perreault was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 1989. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990, and the Sabres retired his number 11 in the same year, having been the only player to ever wear number 11 for the Buffalo Sabres; his #11 was the first number retired by the Sabres.[5] When his French Connection linemates' numbers were retired, Perreault's #11 was lowered and raised back between Martin's #7 and Robert's #14, as the Buffalo Sabres retired the French Connection line as a group, marking the first three players to have their numbers retired by the Sabres. A statue of "The French Connection," unveiled in 2012,[15] is located outside of the Sabres' arena, known today as KeyBank Center.[16]
Since his retirement from hockey, Perreault has remained active in the game, coaching Junior teams in the
Personal life
Perreault is married to Carmen, has two sons, Marc-André (born 1978) and Sean (born 1986), and still resides in his hometown of Victoriaville, Quebec. After retiring from playing, Perreault coached junior ice hockey, and invested in real estate.[18] In his spare time, Perreault enjoys golfing, listening to music, and going to the movies.[5]
Career achievements
- Holds franchise record for most games (1191), goals (512), assists (814) and points (1326) with the Buffalo Sabres.[19]
- Won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1971.[11]
- Won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1973.[20]
- Named an NHL second team All-Star in 1976 and 1977.[21]
- Chosen to play in eight 1983–84,[21] as well as the 1979 Challenge Cup, which pitted NHL players against a team representing the Soviet Union, in place of an all-star game in 1979.
- In 1998, he was ranked number 47 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.[22]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season
|
Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1967–68
|
Montreal Jr. Canadiens
|
OHA-Jr. | 47 | 15 | 34 | 49 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 5 | ||
1968–69
|
Montreal Jr. Canadiens | OHA-Jr. | 54 | 37 | 60 | 97 | 29 | 14 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 10 | ||
1969–70
|
Montreal Jr. Canadiens | OHA-Jr. | 54 | 51 | 71 | 121 | 26 | 16 | 17 | 21 | 38 | 4 | ||
1970–71 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 78 | 38 | 34 | 72 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1971–72 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 76 | 26 | 48 | 74 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1972–73 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 78 | 28 | 60 | 88 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | ||
1973–74 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 55 | 18 | 33 | 51 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1974–75 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 68 | 39 | 57 | 96 | 36 | 17 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 10 | ||
1975–76 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 80 | 44 | 69 | 113 | 36 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | ||
1976–77 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 80 | 39 | 56 | 95 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 4 | ||
1977–78 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 79 | 41 | 48 | 89 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||
1978–79 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 79 | 27 | 58 | 85 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
1979–80 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 80 | 40 | 66 | 106 | 57 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 8 | ||
1980–81 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 56 | 20 | 39 | 59 | 56 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 2 | ||
1981–82 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 62 | 31 | 42 | 73 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | ||
1982–83 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 77 | 30 | 46 | 76 | 34 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 8 | ||
1983–84 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 73 | 31 | 59 | 90 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1984–85 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 78 | 30 | 53 | 83 | 42 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | ||
1985–86 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 72 | 21 | 39 | 60 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1986–87 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 20 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 1,191 | 512 | 814 | 1,326 | 500 | 90 | 33 | 70 | 103 | 44 |
International
Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1976 | Canada | CC | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | |
1981 | Canada | CC | 4 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 2 | |
Senior totals | 11 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 4 |
See also
- List of NHL players with 500 goals
- List of NHL players with 1000 points
- List of NHL statistical leaders
Notes
- ^ "Gilbert Perreault". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
- ^ a b c "The Legends:Gilbert Perreault". legendsofhockey.net. Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum. 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
- ^ "100 Greatest NHL Players". NHL.com. January 27, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "Buffalo Sabres". Tank Productions. 2007-05-10. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g "One on One with Gilbert Perreault". legendsofhockey.net. Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum. 2007. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
- ^ a b c d Dryden, p. 123.
- ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-01-01.
- ^ "1969-70 Ontario Hockey Association [OHA]". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ISBN 0-8160-4697-2.
- ^ "First Overall Selections". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2009-07-03. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
- ^ a b "Calder Memorial Trophy". NHL. Archived from the original on 2006-04-23. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ Bailey, p. 12.
- ^ McKinley, p. 180.
- ^ "1981 Canada Cup". Hockey Canada. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ "Sabres unveil statue honoring French Connection". Usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ DeLuca, Dave (July 23, 2020) [September 19, 2016]. "20 years, 1 building, 4 names: Buffalo's downtown arena". The Buffalo News.
- ^ "Buffalo Sabres All-Time Roster". 2008-10-10. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011.
- ^ Kostya Kennedy (1998-03-02). "Gilbert Perreault, Buffalo Sabres Center". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ "Retired numbers". Buffalo Sabres. Archived from the original on 2008-09-12. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ "Lady Byng Memorial Trophy history". NHL. Archived from the original on 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
- ^ a b "Gilbert Perreault". Buffalo Sabres. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ISBN 978-0-7710-4175-4.
References
- Bailey, Budd, Celebrate the Tradition: 1970–1990, Boncraft Inc., 1989
- Dryden, Steve, The Top 100 NHL Players of All Time, Transcontinental Sports Publications, 1997, ISBN 0-7710-4175-6.
- McKinley, Michael, Hockey Hall of Fame Legends: The Official Book, Triumph Books, 1993, ISBN 1-57243-093-1.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database