TTM Success! Gilles Gilbert, Don Cherry's favourite!

It's been awhile since I posted a ttm success, and they're piling up. Literally. So let's knock one out.

One of my faves growing up, was goalie Gilles Gilbert. The Bruins weren't that annoying yet. And in all of the goalie magazines that I begged my parents to buy when at Safeway always had full colour shots featuring Gilbert in a variety of cool poses.

I really miss those magazines.

Gilles is a gracious ttm signer. He always takes time for his fans. He signed three 8x10's and three cards for me.

Gilles makes a save with Bobby Orr and Don Marcotte looking on in the background. I think the North Star is Dan Maloney, but I haven't tried figuring it out yet.

According to Gilles' comments in the note he sent, he saved this shot and it went wide.

Works for me.

These shots are all from early in his career before he started adding stars to his mask. If you love goalie masks, you know what I'm talking about.

When my wife saw these, she exclaimed what a perfect signature he has, and she's right.

Apparently the crowd was late arriving for this one...

After a brief start in Minnesota, Gilles spent most of his career as a starter in Boston. The final two years were spent in Detroit. Not the Detroit you all know now..... the Detroit from the 70's and 80's... those two years did not do any favours to Gilles' career numbers.

Thanks Gilles!

1974-75 Topps Card #10 - Gilles Gilbert

Card Features - Gilles Gilbert

 Card #10 of this set features one of the better goalies in the 70's. Boston Bruins starter Gilles Gilbert. Boston acquired Gilles from the North Stars for Fred Stanfield. All Gilles did his first year with the Bruins (the season just finished before this card was issued) is go 34-12-8 with a 2.95 GAA and 6 shutouts and lead them to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Then came the tenure of Don Cherry. Gilles and Don did not get along that well. According to Cherry, "And I used to give it to Gilbert pretty good, too. When we had shooting practice, I'd send all the goofy guys, the ones who fired high shots, up to Gilbert's end of the rink. The same guys, the ones who kept the shots low, went to Cheevers' end of the rink." (Toronto Star, December 30, 1984)
Cheevers being Gerry Cheevers, the other Bruins goalie at the time. Despite Gilbert being a superior goalie, Cherry played his favourite, Cheevers. Maybe Boston would've beat Montreal if Gilbert had played. But as it stood, Montreal beat Boston in the finals two straight years, leading to Don Cherry being fired.
Gilles was a free agent after the finals that year, and had offers from several teams, including Montreal after Ken Dryden's sudden retirement. But with Cherry no longer there, Gilbert re-signed with the Bruins and went 20-9-3 with a 2.73 GAA that year. Boston was so grateful that they traded him to Detroit. At that time, Detroit was one of if not the worst team in the league.
Gilles played 95 games for the Red Wings over three seasons going 21-48-16 with no shutouts before retiring in 1983.

Topps used virtually the same photo for Gilles in the '73/74 set as they did here in the '74/75 set. Substitute the black sweater for a home white one and voila.
Gotta dig the Love on the Ice cartoon.

oh, and Sal, if you're reading this.... his name is pronounced like Zhill Zhill-BEAR. :)