Eddie Giacomin
New Yorkers love Hockey. Many greats have played on Broadway - most notably Frank Boucher, Bill and Bun Cook, Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert, Phil Esposito, Walt Tkaczuk, Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. Yet no one, with the possible modern except of Messier, is more popular with Manhattan fans than goalie Eddie Giacomin.
Case in point: Shortly after being traded to Detroit after a brilliant career with the Rangers, Madison Square Gardens fans cheered for Giacomin and the Red Wings and jeered the hometown New York Rangers!! Long time Ranger followers insist that other than the 1994 Stanley Cup victory, there was never a more intensely moving night as November 2, 1975 - the night Eddie came home.
Eddie was born and raised in Sudbury Ontario, where he and his older brother shared one set of goaltending equipment. The older brother had opportunities to play in the minor leagues, but never left Sudbury. In fact Eddie's first pro experience came as a result of his older brother not being able to get time off of work to fill in as an emergency goalie for the EAHL's Washington Eagles. Eddie went instead, and he played extremely well. He went 4-0 with 13 goals against.
That caught the eyes of some of the professional teams. The Providence Reds of the AHL signed him up, but sent him to their farm teams in the EAHL for the first year. By 1960-61 Eddie embarked upon a long career with the AHL Reds. He was the workhorse puck stopper for the Reds until 1965. He played admirably and that caught the attention of the NHL. Reportedly the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings and the Rangers were all after the services of Giacomin. The Rangers won out, by sending 4 players to the Reds - Marcel Paille, Aldo Guidolin, Buzz Deschamps and Jim Mikol.
Known for his acrobatic, sprawling style of goaltending, along with his dangerous wandering far from his crease to get a loose puck and pass it to a breaking teammate, Giacomin joined the Rangers in 1965 in the midst of a rebuilding era. Jacques Plante and Paille split the duties of puck stopping the year before. Plante retired and Paille of course was traded for Eddie. But Eddie's first season was far from a storybook tale - he didn't look great in a 8-19-7 campaign which saw the fans boo the unknown goalie. He was even demoted to the minors at one point.
By his second season things had changed. Giacomin's heroics led the Rangers into the playoffs and earned a First Team All Star selection. He led the league in games played (68) wins (30) and shutouts (9). Suddenly Eddie was the talk of Manhattan.
Giacomin went on to be the Rangers work-horse in the nets for the next 10 seasons. He led the league in wins the following two seasons (recording 36 and 37 respectively) and twice led the league in shutouts. During those seasons the Rangers were never a true powerhouse in the same way Boston and Montreal were at that time, but Giacomin's play made them a surprising playoff team that everyone feared facing. The Rangers would go on to pull of some of the most surprising upsets in the NHL playoff history, such as the defending champs Boston in 1973, and Montreal in 1972 and 1974 -largely because of Eddie.
Towards the end of his career, Giacomin was placed on waivers in 1975 and picked up by Detroit where he finished his career finished his career in Detroit. He played three seasons in Detroit, without much success. But will be forever remembered for his days as a Ranger. To this day the fans in Madison Square Gardens chant his name.
So why would the Rangers let Eddie go - and get nothing in return? Eddie shared his thoughts on that in Dick Irvin's book In The Crease.
"As I look back, and I don't know if I'm right and I don't know if I'll ever find out because Emile Francis doesn't say too much, but I think when I was put on waivers it was already a foregone conclusion that Detroit was going to pick me up. I think it was to pay back a little debt for what happened in 1970 when the Montreal Canadiens got knocked out of the playoffs by the Rangers. Detroit came into New York the last day of that season for an afternoon game. It meant nothing to them and they left a bunch of players home. We pulverized them, beat them 9-5. We had to make sure we finished the season with more goals than Montreal. I was sitting on the bench for three of the Detroit goals because they kept pulling me to an extra skater on, especially during power plays. Roger Crozier was in goal for Detroit and we must have had 60 shots on him. That night Montreal played in Chicago and pulled their goalie all night and got beaten 10-2. Both teams had the same point total, but we made the playoffs because we scored two more goals. Deep down I really think that what happened to me was a pay back to Detroit."
How popular was Eddie? Once he was invited on the Johnny Carson show. Eddie was to demonstrate his superior puck stopping ability while taking slap shots from the legendary Boom Boom Geoffrion. Then Johnny Carson would put on the pads and do the same. Boom Boom deliberately put the first shot wide, but the thundering bang it made spooked Carson. He decided for the next shot he'd place his catching glove over his crotch. Eddie stepped in and told him that was not the proper way to play, and Johnny quipped "you play goal your way, I'll play my way!"
Eddie actually missed a week of action because of the appearance on the Johnny Carson show. One of Geoffrion's shots hit Eddie in the Adam's Apple and he couldn't talk for days. Of course Eddie was from the old days where goalies didn't wear a mask. We are unsure if Johnny Carson had one or not.
Eddie's jersey number 1 has been retired by the Rangers and he is a member of Hockey's Hall of Fame. He appeared in 610 NHL contests, winning 289, losing 208 while tying 97. He had 54 career shutouts and led the league in that category 3 times. He shared the Vezina trophy with partner Gilles Villemure in 1971 and was a participant in the midseason all star game 6 times.
9 comments:
Sweet memories of youth in a bygone era. It will never be the same. I miss him and them.
miI was at MSG on Nov 2nd 1975 when Eddie returned with the Red Wings after being waived by the Rangers following 10 years of faithful, loyal service to the Rangers. Like every other fan in MSG I will never forgive Emile Francis for the way he dumped Eddie. Every fan in MSG that night showed how they felt with a continual chant of "Eddie, Eddie" from the time he skated on to the ice, through the playing of the National Anthem, right up to the last buzzer and beyond that. Ranger fans from that era will never forget Eddie!
Eddie shared the Vezina the year I was born, so I never got to see him play. But because he is one of my Dad's all-time favorite Rangers, he holds a special place in Rangers history for me.
When I saw Eddie at The Garden last Monday night walking in the hall, I couldn't believe it was him. No one knew who he was. I made eye contact and asked, "Are you who I think you are?" He chuckled and answered with a smile, "I think so!" I wish I'd thought quick enough to snap a picture of the two of us together. It would've made the perfect gift for Dad this Christmas.
i am a former New Yorker and goaltender. one of the most memorable things besides my wedding and my children being born, was the night that EDDIE G. came back to the GARDEN. growing up and mirroring my style in the net to EDDIE G. he was my hero, and still is to date. the greatest thing i ever saw was the fans in the GARDEN welcoming EDDIE back. the saddest thing i remember is him being traded, the only other thing in sports that has been sadder than EDDIE G. leaving the RANGERS was the fans in GREEN BAY booing BRETT F. Shame on GREEN BAY FANS you should have learned some class from NEW YORKERS
Eddie, Eddie, Eddie...
Eddie was my idol growing up. I got to know him on a personal level, and I can tell you he is a first class gentleman. One of the most beloved athletes in NY sports history. He was special, and played a daring brand of hockey not seen anymore in today's goaling game. One of the best skating and puck handling goalies of all-time. He is 72 years old today, and the fans still hold him in high regard. They never forgot him, and fans who never saw him play, know of him, because of the endless tales from dad and mom, about the great Ed Giacomin. He wasn't the best goalie to ever play, but to us New York Ranger fans in the 60's and 70's, he was all that and more. EDDIE! EDDIE! EDDIE!
Grew up in N.Y. and Giacomin was my favorite athlete along with Reggie Jackson. Loved his couragious approach to guarding the nets, none like him.Remember the night Brad Park wasa getting pummeled by a feared goon, Giacomin was the only player to step in, the man had heart, go EDDIE!
In the '66-'67 season when Eddie blossomed into a first team All-Star, things didn't start out too well for him. As a matter of fact, coach Emile Francis had penciled in Cesar Maniago as the starting goalie but he was injured in the pre-season so Giacomin took over. In November of 1966 in a game against the Bruins, Maniago was hit in the face by a puck in the second period and was taken to the dressing room with the score 3-1 in favor of the Rangers. Eddie looked a bit unsteady in goal but the period ended with the same score. Francis asked Maniago to start the third period but Cesar refused to play and said he was still hurting. Francis, a former goalie, was flabbergasted that Maniago wouldn't play as he felt that his injury wasn't sufficient for him to remain in the dressing room. At that moment, Francis planned to make Giacomin the team's number one goalie despite Eddie giving up two late goals that resulted in a 3-3 tie. Francis said as much to him the next day.
Eddie Giacomin, like Jacques Plante, Rogatien Vachon, Tony Esposito, Gerry Cheevers and others were class acts, and fans adored Giacomin for his acrobatic and combative style. The gods of hockey still hear the waves of echoes of the New York fans chanting his name when Giacomin returned after being traded to Detroit. Players come and go but legends like these last forever to pave the way for future generations of netminders. I wore Plante's masks for years, and later had a moulded fiberglass mask that looked like Giacomin and adopted both their style into my time protecting the net in amateur hockey. Those times were from an era since past, and goalies then were far tougher and played with battered bodies and more like Sawchuk and others. They were a breed unlike any others and watching videos online of that era brings back so many fond memories of Hockey Night In Canada....
Kerwin Maude
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