Eddie Giacomin

Last updated
Eddie Giacomin
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1987
Born (1939-06-06) June 6, 1939 (age 84)
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for New York Rangers
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 1959–1978

Edward "Ed" Giacomin (born June 6, 1939) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League between 1965 and 1978.

Contents

Playing career

Giacomin began his professional career in 1959 when he played four games for the Washington Presidents of the Eastern Hockey League. The Eagles had originally sought his brother Rollie, but work commitments meant he was unable to play, so suggested Eddie instead. [1] Giacomin followed that with brief stints with the Clinton Comets in 1958–59 and 1959–60. Despite suffering serious burns in a kitchen accident, [2] Giacomin made the roster of the Providence Reds in the 1960–61 season. In the Original Six days of the 1960s, with only six starting goaltending jobs in the NHL, positions were hard to obtain, and Giacomin starred for the Reds for five full seasons.

NHL teams, particularly the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers, began to express interest in Giacomin. [2] New York traded three players and starting goaltender Marcel Paille to the Reds for Giacomin in 1965. He was impressive in his first month with the Rangers, but faltered thereafter, and lost the starting job. The following season he improved markedly; he led the NHL in shutouts and backstopped the Rangers to their second playoff berth in nine seasons.

A classic stand-up goaltender and a skilled stickhandler known for leaving the crease to play the puck, Giacomin was the Rangers' starting goaltender for the next nine seasons. He led the league in games played for four straight years from 1967 to 1970 and in shutouts in 1967, 1968 and 1971. In 1971 he shared the Vezina Trophy with teammate Gilles Villemure. Typical of his competitive nature, in a game in the 1971 playoffs against Chicago, when Bobby Hull skated over the back of his hand, Giacomin continued to play, and when the Rangers won the game, even the Black Hawks used the word "guts" to describe his determination. The Rangers went on to meet the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals in 1972, losing in a hard-fought six-game series.

Giacomin's effectiveness was reduced in 1975 by injuries. The following season, the Rangers got off to their worst start in ten years (they would miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade) and began to get rid of their high-salaried veterans, Giacomin among them. Many fans were angry when he was put on waivers and claimed by the Detroit Red Wings on October 29, 1975, as the result of a youth movement that resulted in John Davidson taking over in goal. [2] The Red Wings' next game was in New York on November 2, and when Giacomin appeared on the ice in a Red Wing jersey, fans gave him a long standing ovation and cheered for him throughout the game. [2] Rangers fans booed their own team when they took shots or scored on Giacomin, and chanted Giacomin's name throughout the match, which he won for the Red Wings. The evening was voted one of the 50 greatest moments in MSG history. [3]

He played three respectable seasons for Detroit before a youth movement took over. He retired on January 17, 1978, with a career record of 289-208-97 and a 2.82 GAA.

Retirement

Giacomin spent the 1979 season as a broadcaster for the New York Islanders, who were beaten in the playoffs by the rival Rangers that spring. Giacomin later served with the Islanders and the Red Wings as an assistant coach and two stints with the Rangers as a goaltending coach.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987. His jersey number 1 was the second number retired by the Rangers, on March 15, 1989, joining Rod Gilbert's number 7 that was retired by the Rangers on October 14, 1979. [2]

Achievements and facts

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGPWLTMINGA SO GAA SV% GPWLMINGASOGAASV%
1957–58Commack CometsNBHL—————————————————
1958–59Sudbury Bell TelephoneNBHL—————————————————
1958–59Washington Presidents EHL 44002401303.25—————————
1959–60 Clinton Comets EHL8——————3.28—————————
1959–60 New York Rovers EHL32——————4.31—————————
1959–60 Montréal Royals EPHL 1————————————————
1959–60 Providence Reds AHL 110060404.00—————————
1960–61 Providence RedsAHL4317240251018304.37—————————
1960–61New York RoversEHL1221007205404.50—————————
1961–62 Providence RedsAHL4020191240014423.60—————————
1962–63 Providence RedsAHL3922142234010242.62—6243593105.18—
1963–64 Providence RedsAHL6930345414023263.37—3121201206.00—
1964–65 Providence RedsAHL5919382352722603.84—————————
1965–66 New York Rangers NHL 358206203612503.68.874————————
1965–66 Baltimore Clippers AHL73404202103.00—————————
1966–67 New York RangersNHL68302711398117392.61.9174042461403.41.896
1967–68 New York RangersNHL66362010394016082.44.9156243601803.00.909
1968–69 New York RangersNHL7037237411417572.55.9123031801003.33.853
1969–70 New York RangersNHL70352114414816362.36.9165232801904.07.858
1970–71 New York RangersNHL452710726419582.16.92212757592802.21.913
1971–72 New York RangersNHL4424109255111512.70.90010646002702.70.902
1972–73 New York RangersNHL4326116258012542.91.89910545392312.56.903
1973–74 New York RangersNHL56301510328616853.07.89013767883702.82.895
1974–75 New York RangersNHL3713128206912013.48.87020286402.79.889
1975–76 New York RangersNHL40312401904.75.806————————
1975–76 Detroit Red Wings NHL2912143174010023.45.890————————
1976–77 Detroit Red WingsNHL338183179110733.58.871————————
1977–78 Detroit Red WingsNHL93515162703.14.893————————
NHL totals6092892099635,6331,672542.82.9026529353,83818012.81.897

"Giacomin's stats". The Goaltender Home Page. Retrieved 2017-08-07.

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References

  1. 1 2 Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. p. 208. ISBN   978-0470736197 . Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Sexton, Joe (14 March 1989). "A Permanent Home for No. 1". The New York Times . Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  3. ↑ ""GREAT MSG MOMENTS: Eddie Giacomin returns to MSG as a Red Wing - 11/02/1975"". msg50.com. Madison Square Garden. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Winner of the Vezina Trophy
with Gilles Villemure
1971 		Succeeded by
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