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Gerry Cheevers Tribute Page






Gerry Cheevers made his debut in 1965-1966 with the Boston Bruins. He played only six games that year, since the team's goaltending work was done mainly by Bernard Parent, a 20-year-old rookie, and Ed Johnston. When Parent was traded at the end of the 1966-1967 season - to the Philadelphia Flyers, one of the new expansion teams - Cheevers became the Bruins' lead goalie. Parent and Cheevers both won the Stanley Cup twice and both belong to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Although Cheevers was never chosen for an All Star team and never won an individual award, he was a key player for the Bruins. Backed by Ed Johnston, he led the team to Stanley Cup wins in 1970 and 1972. During the 1971-1972 season, he played 32 consecutive games without suffering a single loss (a total of 3\24 wins), a streak that still stands as a League record.

When the World Hockey association began its first season in 1972-1973, Cheevers, like many other NHL stars (notably, Bobby Hull, Frank Mahovlich and Dave Keaton) decided to join one of its teams. He played with the Cleveland Barons for four seasons and returned to the Bruins in 1975-1976.

In 1976-1977, the Boston Bruins finished first in the Adams Division and Cheevers played 45 games, maintaining an average of 3.04. The Bruins made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals, but Cheevers missed the chance to win a third Cup when his team lost a six-game series against the Canadiens. Hockey fans who have seen Cheevers play will remember his habit of drawing stitches on his mask in the spots where he would have been injured had he played without it. From 1980 to 1985, Cheevers was the Bruins head coach and won 204 of 376 games at the team's helm.

Gary Bergman, former Wings Assistant Captain, recalls: "Cheesey" was a competitor. No goaltender ever skated into the crease with a greater desire to win than he did. Exciting and colorful, his style of play made him a fan favorite. He had a 2.89 goals-against average for 13 seasons in the NHL. He left Boston for 3 plus years to play for WHA Cleveland and came back to Boston in 1976. He got to the finals in 1977 and 1978. He retired in 1980 and was soon named coach but left that for his first love, racehorses."

"He was known to roam from his net a lot. One night in Boston, I was chasing the puck into his end, when all of a sudden he charged me in the corner and gave me one of the hardest body checks I had ever received, loosening a few of my teeth in the process".


With the Bruins
With the Bruins
Wiith the Bruins

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