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 with distinctive stitches.
Playing career
Early years (1956-1964)
Cheevers played his minor hockey at St. Catharines. In 1956 at the age of 16 he began playing for the St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey Association. Cheevers was the youngest goalie at St Michael's College and only played 1 game for the Majors in both the 1956-57 season and in 1957-58. He played 6 games during the 1958-59 season before becoming the Majors starting goalie for the 1959-60 season. In his first full season as starter Cheevers went 18-13-5 with a 3.08 GAA which resulted in him winning the Dave Pinkney Trophy for lowest GAA. While Cheevers played just average goaltending as a starter for the Majors, it was during the 1961 playoffs that he really found his game, leading the Majors to the J. Ross Robertson Cup championship, the George Richardson Memorial Trophy championship and finally the Memorial Cup championship, where he picked up his first important shutout in the first game of the finals. Cheevers played part of that final junior season as a forward.[1]
The right to sign him to an NHL contract was held by the Toronto Maple Leafs (with whom he played two games) until the Boston Bruins drafted him in 1965, despite Toronto general manager Punch Imlach trying to slip Cheevers through unselected by listing him as a forward.[2] In the 1964–65 season he won 48 games in leading the Rochester Americans to their first Calder Cup championship, becoming 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). Cheevers still holds the AHL record for most victories in a season by a goaltender.
First stint with the Bruins (1966-1972)
He was claimed that offseason by the Boston Bruins in the Intra-League Draft and saw his first action with the Bruins in the 1965-66 season playing in 7 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. During the postseason Cheevers was a near perfect 8-1 as he helped the team defeat the Minnesota Rangers to win the Adam’s cup. During the 1967-68 season Cheevers split his time with the Bruins and the Blazers, playing in 22 games he went 5-10-6 he also recorded his 1st NHL shutout on November 10, 1966 vs the Toronto Maple Leafs.[1] He made 26 appearances for the Blazers boasting a 14-6-5 record with a 2.80 GAA, he helped them repeat as Adam’s Cup champions going 8-3 during the postseason.
Cheevers first full season as a starter for the Bruins came in 1967-68 where he went 23-17-5 with a 2.83 GAA. He helped the Bruins make the playoffs for the first time in 8 seasons however they got swept in the first round by Montreal. Throughout the year he also started to wear a mask regularly the first time being on October 11, 1967 in a 4-4 tie with the Detroit Red Wings.[1] Cheevers had another solid year in 1968-69, going 28-12-12 with a 2.80 GAA. During the postseason Cheevers recorded his first playoff shutout on April 2,[1] vs the Toronto Maple Leafs and recorded his second the following day on April 3 as the Bruins reached the semifinals where they were once again defeated by Montreal.
However the following year in 1969-70 Cheevers had a break out year going 24-8-8 with a 2.72 GAA. Then going a nearly perfect 12-1 in the postseason as he and the Bruins won the 1970 Stanley Cup. Cheevers had another great season the following year going 27-8-5 with a 2.73 GAA. However he and the Bruins were upset by the Montreal Canadians in the first round of the playoffs. He and the team bounced back the following year in 1971-72 as he went 27-5-8 and had a career best 2.50 GAA. Then during the postseason he once again helped lead the Bruins to another Stanley Cup victory in 1972. 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 (with 53) until it was surpassed by Tuukka Rask in 2021. Cheevers had held the record since 1977 when he surpassed Frank Brimsek's mark of 32.
In 1972, he went undefeated in 32 consecutive games, an NHL record that still stands.[3][4]
During his first stint with the Bruins he was known for playing his best when the lights were the brightest. Former Bruins general manager Milt Schmidt once stated in his 2002 book that “Cheesy (Cheevers) was a big-money player, one of the greatest, Without Fear. When the need was there to make one big save to save a game, Cheesy was there."[5]
I was struggling to make the money I thought I deserved with the Bruins, They had a negotiator who was a pretty hardcore guy. He was a lawyer and didn't know much about Hockey. They offered me a very minimal raise. It sort of hit me. I called Tommy Johnson, who was our coach, and said, 'Tommy, I can't take this. I've got an offer that'll stagger you.' He said, 'Don't do anything. Come back in three or four days,' so I cam back in three or four days and Tommy said, 'I'm here to offer you whatever the other team offered you.' I told him what Cleveland offered and he said, 'Can't do it, Gerry. Do they need a coach?
In his first year with the team during the 1972-73 season Cheevers went 32-20 overall with a 2.84 GAA. He also got the very 1st Shutout in the history of the WHA vs Quebec Nordiques on October 11, 1972.[1] Cheevers play resulted in him winning the leagues Ben Hatskin Award for best goaltender and also being named a First All-Star Team in 1973. He also finished 2nd in league MVP voting in the 1972-73 season.[6] He continued to be one of the best goaltenders in the league being named a Second All-Star Team in 1974 and 1975. In 1974, he played seven of the eight games for Team Canada in the 1974 Summit Series.[7] Cheevers sat out the third game since his father was gravely ill in hospital.[8] Throughout his 3 and a half years in the WHA Cheevers played in the all star game every single year in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976.
Return to the Bruins (1976-1980)
Cheevers returned to the Bruins during the 1975–76 season after a financial dispute with the Crusaders' management. On February 8, 1976, he played his first NHL game in 3 and a half years and got a 7-0 shutout win over the Detroit Red Wings.[9] In his full first season returning to the team during the 1976–77 season he went 30-10-5, and led the team all the way back to the Stanley Cup finals, however they were defeated by Montreal 4-0.
The following year during the 1977-78 season seen Cheevers lose the starting job to Ron Grahame resulting in him playing fewer games. However when it came to the postseason Cheevers seen more playing time and once again led the team to the Stanley Cup finals but they were once again defeated by Montreal 4-2. By 1978-79 Cheevers once had won the starting job again and went 23-9-10 and went on another lengthy unbeaten streak of 16 games to start off the season.[10] He was also selected as a NHL all star for the 1979 challenge cup, the Bruins lost in the semifinals.
In the 1979–80 season Cheevers and Gilles Gilbert were runners-up for the Vezina Trophy, which was won by Don Edwards and Bob Sauvé of the Buffalo Sabres. That year he went 24-7-11 with a 2,81 GAA as the Bruins lost in the quarterfinals. He retired at the end of that season, during his final four years with the team he went 95-37-29, with a 2.88 GAA.
Cheevers had a career NHL 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. If one combines both their NHL and WHA statistics, Gerry Cheevers (329), Mike Liut (325), and Bernie Parent (304) all had at least 300 wins. 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 the All-Star Team or won the Vezina Trophy in the National Hockey League. He waslater be 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.[11] Cheevers was also known to make some spectacular saves throughout his career.[11] Cheevers was also not afraid to handle the puck at his stick once famously skating the puck from his crease all the way to the center ice.[12]
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."[13]Joe Crozier Cheevers coach at 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.”[9]
Cheevers wearing his distinctive mask with the Boston Bruins in 1980
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.[14] 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.[14] The mask became one of the most recognized of the era, and one of the most iconic in NHL history along with helping set the standard of goaltenders adding some personal flair to their masks.[15] 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.[16] 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.[1]
Cheevers's mask design has appeared in rock-n-roll culture. Black Veil Brides' lead singer Andy Biersack cited it as the reason he got interested in hockey and played goalie when he was younger. In homage to Cheevers, Biersack painted stitches on his face for live shows.[17]
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.[18] In 2011 Along side author Marc Zappulla Cheevers cowrote his autobiography titled “Unmasked”.[19]
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 Cheever’s 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."[13]
Retirement
After his departure as Bruins' coach, Cheevers served as a color commentator for the Hartford Whalers from 1986 to 1995 alongside Rick Peckham, on SportsChannel New England and WHCT-TV. He then left his commentary job to then rejoin his former team the Boston Bruins as a member of their scouting staff in 1995.[20] 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 2000-2002 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.[21] Rob was a hockey player himself, playing three seasons as a center for Boston College.[22]
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.[23]
In 2015 Cheevers received the Hockey Legacy Award from The Sports Museum.[24] 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.[25]
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.[26] 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 8 races amassing over $300 thousand before being retired and sent to Japan in 1979 to live out the rest of its life.[27] 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."[13]
Popular culture
In 1996, Canadian pop-punk band Chixdiggit released their self-titled album on SubPop, and included the song "I Feel Like Gerry Cheevers (Stitchmarks On My Heart)." The lyrics include references to Cheevers's undefeated streak, the stitch marks drawn for every shot that hit his cheek, and his number 30 jersey. The chorus includes the lyrics "he wore a mask just like my heart, it had stitch marks on every part."[1]
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