One of the more unique characters to ever play the game, goalie Gilles Gratton showed flashes of brilliance in the NHL and WHA. He was occasionally hot between the pipes but was better known as an eccentric figure who painted wild designs or animal faces on his masks and was outspoken throughout his career.
The native of LaSalle, Quebec, was chosen 69th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 1972 after a fine junior career with the Oshawa Generals of the OHA. He opted to join the WHA where he played three years with the Ottawa Nationals and Toronto Toros. Gratton often acted in a way that took the attention away from his talent. One night in San Diego he addressed the crowd prior to a playoff game and began insulting their city and team in a odd show of gamesmanship.
Gratton was not without his admirers. In 1974 he was selected as one of three goalies to play for Canada in the Summit Series that matched the USSR against the best from the WHA. Coach Billy Harris put Gilles on Team Canada with the idea that he would challenge Gerry Cheevers and Don MacLeod for ice time. He saw no action in the exhibition games against the juniors, nor did he see any action against the Soviets. He did play in Team Canada's exhibition games against the Finnish National Team in Helsinki (an 8-3 win) and the Czech National Team in Prague (a 3-1 loss), and played quite well.
In July, 1975, the Sabres sent Gratton's rights to the St. Louis Blues for cash. He only played a handful of NHL games in 1975-76 before walking out on the team in November after a game. He was blocked by the Blues when he tried to rejoin the Toros but was eventually released and signed with the New York Rangers. Gratton played 41 games for the club in 1976-77 and then retired the next season after making one appearance for the New Haven Nighthawks of the AHL.
Primary Source of information for this posting:
The Hockey Hall Of Fame’s Player Search
Here is what our friends at Wikipedia have to say about Gilles:
Here are Gilles’ lifetime stats courtesy of HockeyDB.com:
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We have actually married Gilles’ mask with eight different sayings or catch phrases and put the image + phrase on a variety of products from cell phone cases to pillows, and from coffee mugs to t-shirts. For instance, if you’d like to buy Gary's mask on a coffee mug, you can choose one of the following eight phrases:
The Puck Stops Here
Born To Save
And On The 7th Day, God Created Goalies
Beware – Old Goalie Inside
My Crease Is My Castle
Goalies Rule
Eat. Sleep. Stop Pucks.
Card Carrying Goalie
To PURCHASE any product with Gilles Gratton’s goalie mask, simply start by clicking on the phrase of your choice above and then you will be presented with 12 different products (from coffee mugs to t-shirts) with that phrase.
Goalies Rule is a celebration of great goalie masks from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. Even though the era of face-fitting masks has passed, these masks are timeless in their beauty and simplicity. Goalies Rule marries some great goalie mask images with some great products ranging from t-shirts and cell phone cases to pillows and stretched canvas prints. These products will make fantastic gifts for the hockey fan / goalie fan in your family. These products are fun, iconic and really eye-catchingly beautiful.
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Scott
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