Jean Ratelle
Joseph Gilbert Yvon " Jean " Ratelle ( born October 3, 1940 in Lac Saint -Jean, Quebec ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who played from 1960 to 1981 for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League.
Career
As a junior played Ratelle at the Guelph Biltmores in the OHA. After a short but successful use in the Trois- Rivières Lions in the Eastern Professional Hockey League ( EPHL ) he went back to Guelph, where the team had been renamed the Royals. Here he was the best with 61 assists assist provider of OHA. In this 1960/61 season he was allowed to go three times for the New York Rangers in the NHL for points and this could also scored two goals.
The 1961/62 season he played for half at Rangers without projecting there and the rest of the season in the EPHL at the Kitchener -Waterloo Beavers. A back injury threw him back and he was in the next three years, more alternately with the Rangers and the Baltimore Clippers in the AHL. Only in the course of the season 1964/65 him the real breakthrough came in the NHL. In the 1967/68 season he made it for the first time more than 30 goals in a season to achieve. He played together with Rod Gilbert and Vic Hadfield in the GAG ( Goal -A- Game) Line. His most successful season he played 1971/72. With 109 points he presented a Best performance for the Rangers only 34 years later, Jaromir Jagr was able to excel in the 2005/06 season. The three players from the GAG Line occupied in the scorers list this season places 3 to 5 A broken ankle in March, however, prevented him to be top scorer. Even in the playoffs, he was gehandicaped and so failed the Rangers in the finals for the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins to Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito.
Very strong was his appearance with the Canadian team at the Summit Series in 1972. After a few good seasons with the Rangers, there was one of the largest barter this time. Together with Brad Park, he moved to the Boston Bruins, in return, Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais came to New York.
Even in Boston, where he often played with Rick Middleton in a forward line, he could in his first five years, more than 70 points scorer. In the seasons 1976/77 and 1977/78 it reached with the Bruins twice the Stanley Cup Finals, but they failed both times to the Montreal Canadiens and it was denied him to win this trophy. As a twelfth player in the NHL history, he reached the 1,000 -point mark on April 3, 1977. After the 1980/81 season, he finished his career.
From 1982 he was Gerry Cheevers for three years assistant coach with the Bruins.
In 1985 he was honored with induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
NHL stats
Awards
- NHL Second All-Star Team: 1972
- Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: 1972 and 1976
- Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: 1971
- Lester B. Pearson Award: 1972