Gerry Cheevers

Gerald Michael Cheevers (born December 7, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) between 1961 and 1980. Cheevers is best known for his two stints with the Boston Bruins, whom he helped win the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972. Cheevers won more than 300 games between two professional leagues. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.

Following his retirement, he coached the Bruins from 1980 to 1985. He subsequently worked as a commentator for both the Hartford Whalers and Bruins.

He was the first to decorate his goaltender mask with stitch markings where a puck had struck, leading to the contemporary tradition of goaltenders decorating their masks.

Playing career

Early years (1956–1961) Cheevers played minor ice hockey at St. Catharines. At age 16 in 1956, he played for Toronto St. Michael's Majors in the Ontario Hockey Association. After consecutive seasons playing a single game for the Majors, and six games in the 1958–59 season, he became the starting goalie for the 1959–60 season and went 18–13–5 with a 3.08 goals against average (GAA), and won the Dave Pinkney Trophy for lowest GAA in the league. In the 1961 playoffs, he led the Majors to the J. Ross Robertson Cup championship, the George Richardson Memorial Trophy championship and the 1961 Memorial Cup championship, with a shutout in the first game. Cheevers played part of that final junior season as a forward.

Start of professional career (1961–1965)

With the Toronto Maple Leafs holding the rights to sign Cheevers, he started the 1961–62 season with their Sault Thunderbirds farm team in the EPHL, playing in 29 games with a 13–13–3 record with 3.55 GAA. He followed his stint with the Thunderbirds with five games in the AHL for the Pittsburgh Hornets. Also during the 1962 season, Cheevers made his NHL debut for the Maple Leafs on December 2, 1961, making 35 saves in a 6–4 victory over the visiting Chicago Black Hawks. Cheevers then finished out the year playing for his fifth different team of the year, appearing in 19 games for the Rochester Americans, as well as in four playoff games.

Similarly, Cheevers split time between two teams in the 1962–63 season, starting for the Sudbury Wolves of the EPHL in 51 games. Cheevers also played 19 games for Rochester that year, finishing with a losing record of 7–9–3 with one shutout.

Cheevers' final season in the minors came in the 1964–65 AHL season, where he was the final goaltender in league history to play every game (coincidentally, he did this one season after his future Bruins teammate Eddie Johnston was the final goaltender to do so in the NHL). He finished the year with a record 48–21–2 (with the wins being a league and team record) to go with five shutouts and league-best 2.69 GAA; he was awarded the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award as the league's best goaltender. During the postseason, Cheevers went 4–1 in the first round, resulting in Rochester earning a second round bye to the championship series. Rochester defeated the Hershey Bears for the Calder Cup championship. He saw his first action with the Bruins in the 1965–66 season, playing in seven games, although he spent the bulk of the that season with the Bruins' farm club, the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Professional Hockey League. During the 1965-66 season, Cheevers went 16–9–5 with a 2.49 GAA. In the postseason, Cheevers was a near perfect 8–1 as he helped the team defeat the Minnesota Rangers to win the Adams Cup. In the following season of 1967-68, Cheevers split his time with the Bruins and the Blazers, playing in 22 games for Boston. He recorded his 1st NHL shutout on November 10, 1966, versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Cheevers had another great season the following year going 27–8–5 with a 2.73 GAA and .918 SV% with three shutouts, as the Bruins finished with a league best record. However, he and the Bruins were upset by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. He finished the year with a 27–5–8 record, achieving career bests in both GAA, with 2.50, and a .920 SV%.

Throughout this time, he started gaining a reputation as a driven, "money" goaltender. Cheevers held the Boston Bruins' record for most playoff wins by a goaltender (53) until it was surpassed by Tuukka Rask in 2021. Former Bruins general manager Milt Schmidt once stated in his 2002 book Without Fear that "Cheesy (Cheevers) was a big-money player, one of the greatest. When the need was there to make one big save to save a game, Cheesy was there."

Jump to the WHA (1972–1976)

On July 27, 1972, Cheevers signed with the upstart Cleveland Crusaders of the World Hockey Association for the 1972–73 WHA season. He would ultimately play over three seasons for the Cleveland Crusaders. He later commented on his surprising exit from the Bruins: Cheevers' play resulted in him winning the league's Ben Hatskin Award for best goaltender, being named to the First All-Star Team, and finishing second in league MVP voting. Cheevers and the Crusaders swept Philadelphia in the first round, but lost to the first-seeded New England Whalers in the second round in five games.

Throughout the rest of his tenure in the WHA, Cheevers continued to be one of the league's best goaltenders. He finished the 1973-74 season with a 30–20–6 record, once again leading the league with five shutouts. In 1974, Cheevers played in seven of the eight games for Team Canada in the 1974 Summit Series.

Cheevers' final full year in the WHA was the 1974-75 season, where he went 26–24–2 overall and finished with a league best four shutouts. He finished out the year with an 8–2–5 record, appearing in six playoff games as the Bruins were eliminated in the second round.

The 1977-78 season saw Cheevers lose the starting job to Ron Grahame. In a backup role, Cheevers started 21 games and had a 10–5–2 record with a 2.65 GAA and a .887 SV%. However, when it came to the postseason, Cheevers reclaimed the starting job, appearing in twelve of the fifteen playoff games that saw the Bruins reach the Stanley Cup Final, where Boston lost in six games. At the start of the 1978–79 NHL season, Cheevers once regained the starting role, and went on a lengthy unbeaten streak of sixteen games to start off the season. He finished the season with a 23–9–10 record, although he had a 3.16 GAA along with a career worst .865 SV%. Boston advanced to the semifinal round against Montreal and were on the verge of winning Game 7 when the team committed a penalty for too many men on the ice. Guy Lafleur tied the game on the powerplay with 1:14 to go before Yvon Lambert scored the game-winner nine minutes into overtime.

In December 1979, he was selected as an NHL All–Star for the Challenge Cup to face off against the Soviet Union, playing in the last game of the series, which resulted in a 6–0 loss. In the 1979–80 season, Cheevers started 42 games going 24–11–7 overall, with four shutouts, a 2.81 GAA and a .881 SV%. He retired at the end of that season on July 7, 1980.

Cheevers finished with a career goals against average of 2.89, recorded 230 NHL wins, played in 419 NHL games, and registered 26 NHL shutouts. He is second in the WHA's history in career GAA and shutouts, even though he played during only half the league's existence. Cheevers was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985 and is one of the few goaltenders in the Hall to have never been named to an NHL All-Star Team or won the Vezina Trophy. He was later inducted as an inaugural member into the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame in 2010.

Style Cheevers was not afraid to stray from the crease to cut down the shooter's angle or to act as a "third defenseman". He was very aggressive with opposing players who strayed into or near the crease and was not afraid to hit opposing players with his goalie stick if they got too close to the crease. Cheevers was also known to make some spectacular saves throughout his career.

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.

His former coach Don Cherry has referred to him as "the best ever to play the game." Joe Crozier, Cheevers's coach during his Rochester days, called him “the most exciting goalie you'll ever see. He'll have your fans on the edge of their seat all night.”

Mask Cheevers was inspired to create his distinctive stitch pattern mask when 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. Annoyed, Sinden ordered Cheevers, who wasn't injured, to get back on the ice. In jest, John "Frosty" Forristall, the Bruins' assistant trainer, drew a stitch mark on his mask, which amused the team. After that, any time he was similarly struck, he had a new stitch-mark drawn on his mask. Cheevers later claimed that the mask spared him from over 150 medical stitches over his career and was the first to be custom decorated in the sport. The original is now on the wall of his grandson's bedroom.

Years later, goalie Steve Shields paid tribute to Cheevers when he played for the Bruins in 2002 and 2003, sporting a modern airbrushed version of the stitch-covered mask. In 2008, The Hockey News rated his mask the greatest ever by a wide margin. It received 221 of a possible 300 points; Gilles Gratton's mask was rated second with 66.

Publications In 1971, Cheevers published the book Goaltender, detailing his experiences during the 1970–71 season, through to the unexpected loss in the first round to the underdog Montreal Canadiens. In 2011, alongside author Marc Zappulla, Cheevers cowrote his autobiography titled “Unmasked”.

Coaching career Cheevers's final season as a player came in 1980 when popular coach Don Cherry was replaced by Fred Creighton. After winning their division in seven of the previous nine seasons, the Bruins were in third place late in the year, and general manager Harry Sinden fired Creighton and took over as coach for the remainder of the season. For the 1980–81 season, Cheevers was named coach. In that year's playoffs, the Bruins suffered a shocking sweep by the Minnesota North Stars, who had never before won a game in Boston Garden. Even so, Sinden stuck with Cheevers, which worked out in his favor as the next season Cheevers led the team to a second-place finish in the division and a playoff appearance. The following season He led the team to the league's best record with 110 points in the 1982–83 season with a 50-20-10 record; in the playoffs, the team fell to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the New York Islanders, in the semifinals. The following season in 1983-84, Cheevers led the team to another 100+ point season and a second Adams division title with a 49-25-9 record. However, during the playoffs they lost in the divisional semifinals.

Cheevers was replaced by Sinden in the middle of the 1984–85 season. With a record of 204–126–46, he ranks seventh in career winning percentage (.604) among NHL coaches with more than 250 games experience.

Despite never having a losing record Cheevers was criticized by media for maintaining the same relaxed demeanor he had during his playing days. Cheevers later stated "After that, I decided I never wanted to coach again,” "It's just too tough. You have to be a 24/7 guy, and I just don't think I'm that type." During the 1999–2000 season he also began working as broadcaster for the Bruins for station WSBK-TV. Still in a color commentator role he worked alongside Dave Shea and his former teammate Phil Esposito. From 2000 to 2002 he strictly worked road games alongside Dave Shea, however he stepped down from commentary completely at the end of the 2001–2002 season. Cheevers remained a member of the Bruins scouting staff till 2006.

Cheevers lived in Everett, Massachusetts. He married his wife Elizabeth in 1964. The two had three children together: Craig, Sherril and Rob. Elizabeth died in 2019. Rob was a hockey player himself, playing three seasons as a center for Boston College.

Cheevers was also involved in charitable efforts raising money for the Ace Bailey Children's Fund, named after his former teammate Garnet Bailey. In 2011, after the Bruins won the Stanley Cup, Cheevers brought the Cup to the American Nutrition Center in Everett to help raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

In 2015 Cheevers received the Hockey Legacy Award from The Sports Museum. He now spends time in Boca Raton, Florida where he enjoys playing golf, as well as taking trips to Boston to visit his grandchildren. He is also involved with the Boston Bruins as a part of their Alumni Association.

Horse racing Cheevers also devoted time to Thoroughbred racing, during the mid-1970s he started Cheevers G M Stable Inc. His most successful runner was the Grade 1 winner Royal Ski. Who was the country's leading 2-year-old money winner in 1976, finishing ahead of Seattle Slew. Throughout Royal Ski's tenure, he won eight races amassing over $300,000 before being retired and sent to Japan in 1979 to live out the rest of its life. Cheevers frequently made allusions to horse racing during interviews. After playing a particularly good game in the 1972 Stanley Cup playoffs, Cheevers told reporters he "felt like Riva Ridge"—the horse that had recently won the 1972 Kentucky Derby. However, after Royal Ski was sidelined with a virus Cheevers stepped away from the sport, convinced that racing was not his game. He later stated "I don't own horses or watch racing anymore," "I got spoiled with a really good horse, and I got out of it." In 2023, he was Named one of the Top 100 Best Bruins Players of all Time. In 2023, he was named to the Boston Bruins All-Centennial Team.

International play 1974 – Played for Team Canada at the 1974 Summit Series 1976 – Spare goaltender for Team Canada in the Canada Cup 1979 – Played for NHL All-Stars in the Challenge Cup vs. Team Soviet Union

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 1956–57 St. Michael's Midget Majors THL — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1956–57 St. Michael's Majors OHA-Jr. 1 — — — 60 4 0 4.00 — — — — — — — — — 1957–58 St. Michael's Majors OHA-Jr. 1 0 0 0 60 3 0 3.00 — — — — — — — — — 1958–59 St. Michael's Buzzers MetJHL — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1958–59 St. Michael's Majors OHA-Jr. 6 — — — 360 28 0 4.67 — — — — — — — — — 1959–60 St. Michael's Majors OHA-Jr. 36 18 13 5 2,160 111 5 3.08 — 10 — — 600 33 0 3.30 — 1960–61 St. Michael's Majors OHA-Jr. 30 12 20 5 1,775 94 2 3.18 — 20 — — 1,200 52 1 2.60 — 1960–61 St. Michael's Majors MC — — — — — — — — — 9 7 2 540 21 1 2.33 — 1961–62 Sault Thunderbirds EPHL 29 13 13 3 1,740 103 1 3.55 — — — — — — — — — 1961–62 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 5 2 2 1 300 21 0 4.20 — — — — — — — — — 1961–62 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 2 1 1 0 120 6 0 3.00 .905 — — — — — — — — 1961–62 Rochester Americans AHL 19 9 9 1 1,140 69 1 3.63 — 2 2 0 120 8 0 4.00 — 1962–63 Rochester Americans AHL 19 7 9 3 1,140 75 1 3.95 — — — — — — — — — 1962–63 Sudbury Wolves EPHL 51 17 24 10 3,060 212 4 4.15 — 8 4 4 485 29 1 3.59 — 1963–64 Rochester Americans AHL 66 38 25 2 4,359 195 3 2.84 — 2 0 2 120 8 0 4.00 — 1964–65 Rochester Americans AHL 72 48 21 3 4,359 195 5 2.68 — 10 8 2 615 24 0 2.34 — 1965–66 Boston Bruins NHL 7 0 4 1 340 34 0 6.00 .829 — — — — — — — — 1965–66 Oklahoma City Blazers CPHL 30 16 9 5 1,760 73 3 2.49 — 9 8 1 540 19 0 2.11 — 1966–67 Boston Bruins NHL 22 5 10 6 1,284 72 1 3.33 .896 — — — — — — — — 1966–67 Oklahoma City Blazers CPHL 26 14 6 5 1,520 71 1 2.80 — 11 8 3 677 29 1 2.57 — 1967–68 Boston Bruins NHL 47 23 17 5 2,646 125 3 2.83 .907 4 0 4 240 15 0 3.75 .895 1968–69 Boston Bruins NHL 52 28 12 12 3,112 145 3 2.80 .912 9 6 3 572 16 3 1.68 .947 1969–70 Boston Bruins NHL 41 24 8 8 2,384 108 4 2.72 .919 13 12 1 781 29 0 2.23 .925 1970–71 Boston Bruins NHL 40 27 8 5 2,400 109 3 2.73 .918 6 3 3 360 21 0 3.50 .892 1971–72 Boston Bruins NHL 41 27 5 8 2,420 101 2 2.50 .920 8 6 2 483 21 2 2.61 .915 1972–73 Cleveland Crusaders WHA 52 32 20 0 3,144 149 5 2.84 .912 9 5 4 548 22 0 2.41 .921 1973–74 Cleveland Crusaders WHA 59 30 20 6 3,562 180 4 3.03 .906 5 1 4 303 18 0 3.56 .908 1974–75 Cleveland Crusaders WHA 52 26 24 2 3,076 167 4 3.26 .905 5 1 4 300 23 0 4.60 — 1975–76 Cleveland Crusaders WHA 28 11 14 1 1,570 95 1 3.63 .886 — — — — — — — — 1975–76 Boston Bruins NHL 15 8 2 5 900 41 1 2.73 .902 6 2 4 392 14 1 2.14 .917 1976–77 Boston Bruins NHL 45 30 10 5 2,700 137 3 3.04 .882 14 8 5 858 44 1 3.08 .865 1977–78 Boston Bruins NHL 21 10 5 2 1,086 48 1 2.65 .887 12 8 4 731 35 1 2.87 .883 1978–79 Boston Bruins NHL 43 23 9 10 2,509 132 1 3.16 .865 6 4 2 360 15 0 2.50 .891 1979–80 Boston Bruins NHL 42 24 11 7 2,479 116 4 2.81 .881 10 4 6 619 32 0 3.10 .875NHL totals 418 230 102 74 24,394 1,175 26 2.89 .901 88 53 34 5,396 242 8 2.69 .902WHA totals 191 99 78 9 11,352 591 14 3.12 .905 19 7 12 1,151 63 0 3.28 —

International Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA 1974 Canada SS 7 1 3 3 420 24 0 3.43

Coaching statistics Team Year Regular season Postseason G W L T Pts Finish W L Win % Result BOS 1980–81 80 37 20 13 87 2nd in Adams 0 3 Lost in preliminary round (MNS) BOS 1981–82 80 43 27 10 96 2nd in Adams 6 5 Lost in Division Finals (QUE) BOS 1982–83 80 50 20 10 110 1st in Adams 9 8 Lost in Conference Finals (NYI) BOS 1983–84 80 49 25 9 104 1st in Adams 0 3 Lost in Division Semifinals (MTL) BOS 1984–85 56 25 24 7 (57) (fired) — — — —Total 376 204 126 46 15 9 4 playoff appearances