Tributes for Rod Gilbert, a Rangers legend

With the passing of New York Rangers Hall of Famer Rod Gilbert, the reactions from everyone in the hockey world has been swift.  There are few former players who were as respected and loved as Rod Gilbert who was the face of the Blueshirts for over 60 years, ever since he signed his first professional contract in 1961.

James Dolan, Rangers owner put out the following statement.

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Rod Gilbert – one of the greatest Rangers to ever play for our organization and one of the greatest ambassadors the game of hockey has ever had.  While his on-ice achievements rightly made him a Hall of Famer, it was his love for the Rangers and the people of New York that endeared him to generations of fans and forever earned him the title, ‘Mr. Ranger.’ Our thoughts are with Rod’s wife, Judy, and the entire Gilbert family during this difficult time. They will always be a part of the Rangers family.” – James Dolan, Executive Chairman, Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.

General Manager Chris Drury’s statement included sentiments felt by anyone who grew up as a fan of the Rangers.

“Everyone in the Rangers organization mourns the loss of a true New York icon.  Rod’s remarkable talent and zest for life personified this city and endeared him to hockey fans and non-hockey fans alike. Growing up a young Rangers fan, one of the first names I ever heard about was Rod Gilbert – he was synonymous with Rangers hockey. It was an incredible privilege to get to know Rod. His passion and dedication to the Rangers will forever be a source of inspiration for me.” –  President and General Manager Chris Drury.

Gary Bettman spoke for the NHL with his statement.

“Rod Gilbert’s impact on the National Hockey League and the New York Rangers over the past 62 years was profound – both on and off the ice.   As a player, he was revered by his teammates, respected by his opponents and absolutely beloved by Rangers’ fans.  Throughout his 18 NHL seasons – all with the Rangers, he was among the greatest offensive players of his era and truly entertained fans across the League on a nightly basis.  His contributions to the game were appropriately recognized with hockey’s highest individual honor – induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982. Rod’s impact on our game was equaled, if not surpassed, in his retirement. For 32 years, he was one of the greatest ambassadors that our League has seen in its 104-year history.  The time that he devoted to countless charitable causes and the passion that he brought to every interaction with hockey fans at not only Madison Square Garden but across the NHL was both incredible and inspiring.”“On a personal level, I will miss Rod’s friendship and love for the game. I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife, Judy and his children Chantal, Justin, Holly and Brooke and his seven grandchildren. The game has lost a true friend.” – NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman

Former Rangers PR Man John Rosasco tweeted.

Journalists react

The folks who cover the Rangers were quick to respond to the sad news.

John Giannone of MSG Network:  “Simply put, #7 is one of the great ambassadors our city & our sport will ever know. An omnipresent smile-with a kind word for everyone at every turn-Rod Gilbert loved the Rangers & New York as much as we loved him. Please honor Rod by emulating his goodness. Rest easy, my friend.”

Stan Fischler, the hockey maven tweeted this:  “The passing of Rod Gilbert stuns me to the core. Suffice to say that in all my half-century-plus on the beat I never met a player who combined talent, niceness, love of NY and his hockey club that Rod. Like Henrik Ludqvist, Rod was a mensch among the mensches.  I had the distinct pleasure of working — along with AP’s Hal Bock — on Rod Gilbert’s autobiography, Goal — My Life On Ice. It was then that I got to know what a swell, fun-loving all round guy he was. What impressed me was how much he loved New York and the vice was versa!”

NHL.com’s Dave Stubbs said  “When you say Mr. Ranger, you’re speaking only about Rod Gilbert. We say goodbye tonight to the man who embodied the New York Rangers in every way. Yet another blow to the family of hockey legends. Deepest sympathies to Rod’s wife, Judy, and to all who knew and loved him.” He added “Rod Gilbert never tired of this: ‘Canada declares a national holiday on my birthday – July 1!’ He was a fiercely proud member of @TeamCanada1972
and the Rangers, well, they were in every pore of his body. There was no one like Mr. Ranger.”

Fellow NHL.com writer Dan Rosen tweeted “Terrible news from the Rangers: Rod Gilbert has passed away at the age of 80. I knew him a little and can say with 100 percent certainty he was a man full of life, passion, energy and heart.”  He added “I spoke with Brian Leetch and Mike Richter tonight about Rod Gilbert. Both shocked and saddened, of course, but the memories they have of No. 7 are filling their hearts right now. ‘He’s the biggest Ranger fan out there,’ Richter said. ‘It’ll be a big hole there at the Garden.’

Linda Cohn of ESPN tweeted about her friend : “Extremely saddened to hear about the passing of⁩ All Time Great and Hockey Hall of Famer Rod Gilbert at the age of 80. Rod always had a smile on his face. He was a true gentleman & a class act who made everyone feel appreciated. I already miss him. ”

From Bruce Beck of WNBC:  “Saddened to learn that Rod Gilbert is gone – and so is part of my childhood. He was a remarkable player for but was so much more than that. He was charismatic. He was loyal. He lit up a room with his smile and his warmth. What a man. Mr. Ranger; my dear friend – RIP.”

Howie Rose:  “This is crushing. Rod Gilbert has passed away. I can’t even explain how much he and his teammates meant to me as a young hockey fan, but Rod was the Rangers and vice versa. So involved with the NY community and a huge star in this town back in the day. A wonderful person. RIP.”

Budd Mishkin:  “He was my guy growing up and he will forever be my guy. The reason why number 7 is my favorite number. What a treat to meet him years later after his career and befriend him. A sad sad night. Forever number 7.”

John Buccigross of ESPN:  “Not sure if any other is as synonymous. That French Canadian swag & 1960s/1970s grimy New York City amalgamation seemed to dance together. Into his 60’s 70’s he still carried himself like a matinee idol. Hard to imagine him dead. He was always so alive. ”

Don LaGreca:  “This so hurts to hear. He was a gentleman and so nice to me and my wife. I will always remember his stories and his passion for the game. Amazing player but better person. RIP # 7”

From NHL players

Ken Campbell spoke to Brad Park about Gilbert’s passing.

Ryan Strome retweeted a typical Gilbert encounter at Madison Square Garden.

Current player and Carolina Hurricanes’ Jordan Martinook tweeted:

From former Ranger goalie Doug Soetart:

Former Ranger Matthew Barnaby sent this tweet:  “Man, we lost a good one #RIP Rod Gilbert. His smile and love for the Rangers was unparalleled.”

This from Butch Goring:  “The hockey career of Rod Gilbert is self explanatory. I knew Rod as a true professional who played the game the right way. He was always polite and a class act.”

A longtime foe, Bernie Parent, tweeted this:

Former teammate Ron Duguay spoke to the New York Post and remembered his friend. “That title, Mr. Ranger, he took it seriously.   You would see him in suite visits and walking in the aisles, he’d stop for everyone who wanted a picture or an autograph. He absolutely loved it, and the fans adored him. And he never got tired of any of it. That’s just who he was.”

From the fans

All you have to do is search on Rod Gilbert’s name on Twitter and you will find a multitude of tweets from Ranger fans and they are all uniform in their sentiments.  Dozens of fans are remembering their encounters with him at Madison Square Garden.   The words heard most often are “class act”, “living legend”, “true gentleman”, “childhood hero” and “great man.” And they all call him by the name he truly deserved, “Mr Ranger.”

Here’s a typical message:

Social media is astir with outrage that an unnamed WABC-TV sports anchor actually mispronounced Gilbert’s name in reporting his death.  While it’s an unthinkable mistake, we all know how “Jill-bear” would have reacted, with a shrug and a smile.

On a personal note, one of my great memories is as a college student in Minneapolis, watching the Rangers play in Bloomington, seeing Gilbert breaking down the ice, crossing the blue line and taking a slapshot from the faceoff dot and scoring against the Minnesota North Stars.

After he retired, when I was able to get to a Ranger game, invariably I would see Gilbert. You would know from the buzz in the crowd as he approached. It seemed like he never stopped moving, always dapper in an impeccable suit, he was constantly working the crowd, posing for pictures and stopping to talk to fans.  His love for the game and for the Rangers along with his appreciation for the devotion of the fans was obvious.

In an age when the salary cap is the main topic of conversation, Gilbert was a throwback.  It’s almost laughable that the Rangers were vilified by the rest of the NHL for paying Gilbert $175,000  year in order to keep him from defecting to the World Hockey Association.

It’s truly a shame that Rod Gilbert never won a Stanley Cup as a Rangers player.  This tweet from a fan about the 1994 Cup says it all.

Feel free to leave your own memories of Rod Gilbert as a player or after his playing days.