Gilles Gratton

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Gilles Gratton
Born (1952-07-28) July 28, 1952 (age 72)
LaSalle, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Ottawa Nationals
Toronto Toros
St. Louis Blues
New York Rangers
National teamFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
NHL draft 69th overall, 1972
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 19721978

Gilles Gratton (born July 28, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender.

Contents

Playing career

As a youth, Gratton played in the 1965 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from LaSalle, Quebec. [1]

Gratton began his junior hockey career in 1969 with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey Association; after three years in Oshawa, Gratton was drafted in the fifth round of the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. Instead of signing with Buffalo (where his brother, Norm Gratton, would soon be playing after his acquisition from the Atlanta Flames), Gilles jumped to the new World Hockey Association, inking a deal with the Ottawa Nationals; in 1973, Gratton would move with the team to Toronto, as the franchise became the Toronto Toros. At the 1974 Summit Series Gratton was selected as Team Canada's number three goaltender, playing half games in exhibition matches against Finland and Czechoslovakia, but not seeing any ice time against the Soviet Union. [2] [a]

In 1975, Gratton jumped to the St. Louis Blues of NHL, but after just six games decided he wanted to go back to Toronto and walked out on the team. However, the Blues refused to grant him his release, so he sat out the rest of the season. They relented during the summer and Gratton wound up with the New York Rangers, splitting time in goal with John Davidson. Finally, Gratton played one game with the minor-league New Haven Nighthawks in the 1977–78 AHL season before retiring.

Gratton is perhaps best known for his goalie mask, which was an adaptation of his astrological sign, Leo. However, Gratton states that he got the idea from a picture in a National Geographic magazine that he was reading on a plane flight, stating, "It's not a lion mask at all. It's a tiger." [3] Allegedly, Gratton would live up to his "feline" image by growling at opposing players on the ice, and even hissing like a cat during a fight. [4]

"Gratoony the Loony"

Throughout his career, Gratton, nicknamed "Gratoony the Loony", was known for his eccentric personality and outspoken character, often drawing attention away from his talent. While playing in the WHA, he once hurled insults against the opposing team's fans in San Diego ahead of a playoff game. [5] Legend has it that Gratton once told his teammates he was reincarnated and had once been a soldier in the Spanish Inquisition. [6] Gratton also allegedly believed that, in a previous existence, he was an executioner who had stoned people to death, and thus was "fated" to be a goalie as punishment. [7] While with the Toros, he refused to play because the moon was in the wrong part of the sky, thereby not lined up with Jupiter. He later stated he did so to protest against the firing of coach Billy Harris. [6] [8]

On THN.com, he was voted to have the sixth-scariest goalie mask. [4]

Post playing days

In October 2015, ECW Press announced that it would be publishing Gratton's autobiography, Grattoony the Loony, written with author Greg Oliver. [9]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGPWLTMINGA SO GAA SV% GPWLTMINGASOGAASV%
1969–70 Oshawa Generals OHA-Jr. 26155012904.99
1970–71 Oshawa GeneralsOHA-Jr.47280823405.00
1971–72 Oshawa GeneralsOHA-Jr.50300017833.56105416003103.10
1972–73 Ottawa Nationals WHA 5125223302118703.71.88220186704.88.904
1973–74 Toronto Toros WHA5726243320018823.53.89510535392512.78.913
1974–75 Toronto TorosWHA5330201288118523.85.88710136508.33
1975–76 St. Louis Blues NHL 62022651102.49.921
1976–77 New York Rangers NHL4111187203414304.22.858
1977–78 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 101060606.00.760
WHA totals16181667910256043.69.88813556613713.36
NHL totals4713189229915404.02.866

International

YearTeamEventGPWLTMINGASOGAA
1974 Canada SS0000000-

[10]

Notes

  1. Some statistics indicate he played in game 3 of the 1974 Summit Series, but this mistake is a result of the fact that there is no official statistical record, only next day newspaper reports. Actually, during the final 1:04 minutes of the game, Team Canada had a power play and pulled their goalie Don McLeod for a 6 on 4 skater advantage. So their net was empty, and Gratton did not get any ice time.

References

  1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  2. 1974 Summit Series
  3. The Hockey News. "Greatest Masks of All Time". Duff, Bob. Gilles Gratton. Pp 89–90.
  4. 1 2 "Top 10: Scary goalie masks". The Hockey News. THN.com. October 31, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  5. Legends of Hockey http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=18535
  6. 1 2 Zinser, Lynn (December 13, 2006). "Goalies Gone Normal: A Little South of Sanity". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  7. McGrath, Charles (February 21, 2013). "How Come Martin Brodeur Is Still So Good?". The New York Times.
  8. Radio-Canada - Que sont-ils devenus? Gilles Gratton http://www.radio-canada.ca/sports/hockey/2009/10/29/002-mardi03-gratton.shtml (in French)
  9. "ECW Press acquires two hockey memoirs". quillandquire.com. Quill and Quire. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  10. "Gratton's stats". The Goaltender Home Page. Retrieved 2017-09-30.