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| In his first full season in 1971 he won the ] as the League’s outstanding rookie. A gentleman both on and off the ice, Perreault won the 1973 ] for sportmanship combined with production. He was inducted into the ] in 1990. | In his first full season in 1971 he won the ] as the League’s outstanding rookie. A gentleman both on and off the ice, Perreault won the 1973 ] for sportmanship combined with production. He was inducted into the ] in 1990. | ||
| The line he primarily played was |
The line he primarily played on was known as '']'' line with ] and ] and he captained the Sabres from 1981 to 1987. | ||
| He was named to the ] ] in the series against the Russians but only saw activity in one game and left the team before the series ended. He later played in the infamous 1981 ] losing the final to the ] 8-1. | He was named to the ] ] in the series against the Russians but only saw activity in one game and left the team before the series ended. He later played in the infamous 1981 ] losing the final to the ] 8-1. | ||
Revision as of 23:14, 12 April 2005
Gilbert Perreault (born November 13, 1950) was a Canadian ice hockey player.
Born in Victoriaville, Quebec, for seventeen seasons Gilbert Perreault played centre ice for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League from 1970 to 1987.
He was an oustanding player largely overlooked because he played in a small market on a then struggling team. Blessed with an uncanny ability to stick handle in close quarters, he was one of the slickest playmaking centres ever to play the game.
In 1969 and 1970 he was on the Memorial Cup winning Montreal Junior Canadiens. Previously, all Junior Clubs in Canada were eligible for the cup but the Junior Canadiens beat a club from Prince Edward Island so badly in the playoffs that Junior A was split into Major Junior and Junior A with only the Major Junior clubs eligible for the cup.
In 1970, surprisingly in retrospect, the Montreal Junior Canadiens beat the Russian Nationals, 9-3 in an exhibition game.
In 1970 two new franchises were awarded in the NHL - Buffalo and Vancouver. Buffalo by the luck of the draw won the right to the first draft pick. This was the first year that the Montreal Canadiens did not have the right to protect any Quebec born junior players from the draft. Consequently, Perreault was available for the draft and was taken first overall. Dale Tallon, who was taken second, never really overcame the burden of comparison with the great Gilbert Perreault and his career never blossomed.
Because the Buffalo Sabres were a new team in 1970, the broadcast crew was also inexperienced and famously one night the television broadcast cut away as Perreault picked up the puck behind the net. They had incorrectly assumed that the whistle would blow calling an icing, only to have Ted Darling screaming into the microphone as they returned from the commercial describing Perreault's brilliant end to end rush and goal that the viewers had missed.
In his first full season in 1971 he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the League’s outstanding rookie. A gentleman both on and off the ice, Perreault won the 1973 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportmanship combined with production. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990.
The line he primarily played on was known as The French Connection line with Rene Robert and Richard Martin and he captained the Sabres from 1981 to 1987.
He was named to the 1972 Team Canada in the series against the Russians but only saw activity in one game and left the team before the series ended. He later played in the infamous 1981 Canada Cup losing the final to the USSR 8-1.
While with the Sabres, he reached the Stanley Cup finals once but never won the cup. He was named to the second All star team in 1976 and 1977. The Sabres have retired number 11 in his honour.
Since his retirement from hockey, Perreault has remained active in the game coaching Junior teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
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