Rod Gilbert

Canadian ice hockey right winger who spent his entire NHL career with the New York Rangers, becoming the franchise's all-time leading scorer at retirement.

Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1941. He spent his entire 18-season career with the New York Rangers — setting franchise records for goals, assists and points that stood for decades. He scored 406 goals and 615 assists for 1,021 career points. He won the Bill Masterton Award for perseverance and dedication to hockey in 1976 — after playing despite chronic back issues caused by a spinal fusion operation he required twice. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982 and named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017. He never won the Stanley Cup — the Rangers did not win the championship between 1940 and 1994 — but his production and loyalty across 18 seasons established him as the franchise's defining player of the era between the 1940 dynasty and Mark Messier's arrival. The Rangers retired his number 7 upon his retirement. His combination of pure scoring talent and the adversity he overcame from back injuries made him one of the sport's more compelling individual stories.

Gilbert was an explosive right winger with exceptional speed and a powerful shot. He possessed excellent stickhandling skills and was known for his ability to create scoring opportunities both for himself and his teammates. Despite playing through chronic back problems throughout his career, he maintained his offensive effectiveness with his quick release and accurate shooting.

Gilbert established himself as the face of the New York Rangers franchise and set the standard for future generations of Rangers players. His perseverance through injury and loyalty to one team made him a beloved figure in New York hockey history.

• Bill Masterton Award (1976)
• Hall of Fame (1982)
• NHL 100 Greatest Players