Rod Gilbert was, arguably, the greatest skater to ever wear the New York Rangers‘ sweater. Sadly, he passed away on Sunday at the age of 80.
Gilbert played 18 years in the NHL, every one of them with the Rangers. He appeared in 1,065 games and scored 406 goals with 615 assists. He was named the winner of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 1976 and was a two-time all-star.
Gilbert was the first player in Rangers’ history to have his number retired; the organization took his iconic No. 7 permanently out of circulation and put it in the rafters of Madison Square Garden on Oct.