Eddie Giacomin

Playing career

Despite suffering serious burns in a kitchen accident, Giacomin made the Providence Reds for good in the 1960–61 season. In the Original Six days of the 1960s, with only six starting goaltending jobs in the NHL, positions were hard to obtain, and Giacomin starred for the Reds for five full seasons. Giacomin also served brief stints with the Eastern Hockey League's legendary Clinton Comets during the 1958-59 and the 1959-60 seasons.

NHL teams began noticing in Giacomin, with Detroit and the New York Rangers expressing the most interest. New York ultimately traded three players and starting goaltender Marcel Paille to the Reds for Giacomin in 1965. Giacomin was impressive in his first month as Rangers goaltender, but faltered thereafter, and lost his starting job. The following season he improved markedly, leading the NHL in shutouts and backstopping the Rangers to their second playoff berth in nine seasons.

A classic stand-up goaltender and a skilled stickhandler known for leaving the crease to play the puck, Giacomin would be the Rangers' starting goaltender for the next nine seasons, leading the league in games played for four straight years from 1967, in shutouts in 1967, 1968 and 1971, and sharing the Vezina Trophy with partner Gilles Villemure in 1971. Typical of his bravery, in a game in the 1971 playoffs against Chicago, when Bobby Hull skated over the back of his hand. Giacomin did not leave the game, and when the Rangers won the game, even the Black Hawks used the word "guts" to describe his courage. During this stretch the Rangers had a string of success second only to the powerful Boston Bruins, the pinnacle of which was making it to the Stanley Cup finals in 1972, losing to the Bruins in a hard-fought six game series.

Giacomin's effectiveness was reduced in 1975 by injuries. The following season, the Rangers got off to their worst start in ten years (and missed the playoffs that year for the first time in a decade) and the Rangers started getting rid of their high-salaried veterans, an aging Giacomin among them. Many fans were angered when he was waived to the Detroit Red Wings on October 29, 1975 as the result of a youth movement that resulted in John Davidson taking over in goal. The next Red Wings game after Giacomin was claimed off waivers was in New York on November 2 and as Giacomin made his debut for the Red Wings, fans responded to their old hero, giving Giacomin a prolonged standing ovation and cheering for him throughout the match. Rangers fans booed their own team chanting Giacomin's name; Giacomin would win that game for the Red Wings. The evening was recently voted one of the 50 greatest moments in MSG history. [1]

He played three respectable seasons in all for Detroit before a youth movement in goal for the club took over. He retired on January 17, 1978, with a career record of 289-208-97 and a 2.82 GAA.

Retirement

Giacomin spent the 1979 season as a broadcaster for the New York Islanders, who were beaten in the playoffs by the rival Rangers that spring. Giacomin later served with the Islanders and the Red Wings as an assistant coach and two stints with the Rangers as a goaltending coach.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987. His No. 1 was the second jersey number retired by the Rangers, on March 15, 1989, joining Rod Gilbert's.

Achievements and facts

Regular season and playoffs

"Giacomin's stats". The Goaltender Home Page. Retrieved 2017-08-07.