Jean Ratelle

Last updated
Jean Ratelle
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1985
Jean Ratelle 1972.JPG
Ratelle with the New York Rangers in 1972
Born (1940-10-03) October 3, 1940 (age 84)
Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for New York Rangers
Boston Bruins
National teamFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Playing career 19601981

Joseph Gilbert Yvon Jean Ratelle (born October 3, 1940) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. He featured in three Stanley Cup Finals (1972, 1977, 1978). In twenty-one seasons he averaged almost a point a game and won the Lady Byng Trophy twice in recognition of his great sportsmanship. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.

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In 2017 he was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history. [1]

Playing career

Ratelle's hockey career almost ended at age 23 when he suffered a serious back injury and had to undergo major spinal cord surgery. He recovered to become a regular with the Rangers from 1963 to 1975. His greatest success came with linemates Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert in the "GAG Line" (i.e. Goal-a-Game Line). He led the Rangers in scoring between 1968 and 1973 when the team was a powerhouse among the league's best.

Ratelle was poised to beat out Boston Bruins' legend Phil Esposito for the scoring title in 1972 when he had to sit out fifteen games due to an injury but came back for the Stanley Cup finals against Boston to lead his team. Only three other players - Esposito, Bobby Orr and Johnny Bucyk - had scored as many points in any season as Ratelle had done in his shortened season. His 109 points that season remained a Rangers' scoring record until 2006, when Jaromír Jágr broke it.

In November 1975, Ratelle was traded with Brad Park and Joe Zanussi to the Boston Bruins for Esposito and Carol Vadnais. Rangers general manager Emile Francis made the trade out in part out of respect so that Ratelle did not have to relocate his family far, plus the Bruins had sought Ratelle's skills at center. [2]

With the Bruins for the remainder of the 1975–76 season, Ratelle scored over 100 points that season for the second time in his career. He played five more seasons with Boston, gaining admiration for his slick passing, skill at faceoffs, and all-around excellent play.

Ratelle's rookie trading card 1961 Topps Jean Ratelle.png
Ratelle's rookie trading card

At the time of his retirement after the 1980–81 season, Ratelle was the league's sixth all-time leading scorer. While he never played on a team that won the Stanley Cup (being a finalist in 1972, 1977, and 1978), he was a member of the 1972 Team Canada squad that defeated the Soviet Union in the first Summit Series. He was well known as a gentlemanly player, finishing in the top five for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship and excellence nine times, including a stretch between the 1970 and 1978 seasons where he was in the top three six times and won the trophy twice.

Post-playing career

Ratelle retired as a player after the 1980–81 season and remained in the Bruins organization, serving for four years as an assistant coach and then sixteen years as a scout. [3] [4]

In 1985, Jean Ratelle was inducted [5] into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Ratelle at No. 7 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons. [6]

On August 28, 2017, the Rangers announced that they would retire Ratelle's number 19 jersey on February 25, 2018; [7] this was done in a pre-game ceremony. [8] [9]

In 2023 he would be named one of the top 100 Bruins players of all time. [10]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1958–59 Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters OHA 5420315111105492
1959–60 Guelph Biltmore Mad HattersOHA483947861553584
1959–60 Trois-Rivières Lions EPHL 33580
1960–61 Guelph Royals OHA4740611011014611176
1960–61 New York Rangers NHL 32130
1961–62 New York RangersNHL3148124
1961–62 Kitchener Beavers EPHL32102939872682
1962–63 New York RangersNHL47119208
1962–63 Baltimore Clippers AHL 2011819030000
1963–64 New York RangersNHL150776
1963–64 Baltimore ClippersAHL572026462
1964–65 New York RangersNHL5414213514
1964–65 Baltimore ClippersAHL894136
1965–66 New York RangersNHL6721305110
1966–67 New York RangersNHL416511440002
1967–68 New York RangersNHL743246781860442
1968–69 New York RangersNHL753246782641010
1969–70 New York RangersNHL753242742861340
1970–71 New York RangersNHL78264672141329118
1971–72 New York RangersNHL634663109460110
1972–73 New York RangersNHL7841539412102790
1973–74 New York RangersNHL6828396716132460
1974–75 New York RangersNHL793655912631565
1975–76 New York RangersNHL13510152
1975–76 Boston Bruins NHL67315990161288164
1976–77 Boston BruinsNHL783361942214512174
1977–78 Boston BruinsNHL80255984101537100
1978–79 Boston BruinsNHL80274572121176132
1979–80 Boston BruinsNHL67284573830000
1980–81 Boston BruinsNHL471126371630000
NHL totals1,2804917761,26727612332669824

International

YearTeamEvent GPGAPtsPIM
1972 Canada Summit Series61340

See also

References

  1. "100 Greatest NHL Players". NHL.com. January 27, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  2. "The moment Jean Ratelle gave his loyalty back to Rangers". 13 September 2017.
  3. "The moment Jean Ratelle gave his loyalty back to Rangers". 13 September 2017.
  4. "Jean Ratelle: Most Underrated Ranger of All-Time". 27 February 2018.
  5. "Page C1: 11 named to Hockey Hall in ceremonies at Toronto". The Montreal Gazette. September 13, 1985. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  6. Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. p. 240. ISBN   978-0470736197 . Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  7. "Jean Ratelle's Number 19 to Be Retired on February 25, 2018". NHL.com. August 28, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  8. "Rangers retire Hall of Famer Jean Ratelle's No. 19". NY Daily News. February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  9. Tasch, Justin (February 25, 2018). "Jean Ratelle's No. 19 finally retired by Rangers, Vic Hadfield's No. 11 to be retired next season". NY Daily News. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  10. Bruins Announce “Historic 100” Ahead of All-Centennial Team Reveal https://www.nhl.com/bruins/news/bruins-announce-historic-100-ahead-of-all-centennial-team-reveal
Preceded by Winner of the Bill Masterton Trophy
1971
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy
1972
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy
1976
Succeeded by