Gilles Villemure

Joseph Hector Gilles Villemure (born May 30, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played for the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks in the 1960s and 1970s. Villemure was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec.

Gilles Villemure
Villemure in 1976
Born (1940-05-30) May 30, 1940
Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Right
Played for New York Rangers
Chicago Black Hawks
Playing career 19631977

Playing career

Villemure played a season in the junior leagues with the Guelph Biltmores of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). He then spent ten years in the minor leagues, principally with the Vancouver Canucks of the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Baltimore Clippers and the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was a star in the minors; in each of his final two seasons in the AHL, 1968–69 and 1969–70, he won the Les Cunningham Award with the Bisons as the league's most valuable player, leading all goaltenders in the playoffs the second year to backstop the Bisons to the Calder Cup in their final season. During his minor league career, he led his league in goals against average three times and in shutouts five times. During this time he was called up on several brief occasions by the New York Rangers, with whom he had signed in 1964.

The 1970–71 season saw Villemure called to the NHL for good as the Rangers' backup to Eddie Giacomin. Over the next three seasons, Villemure recorded a sparkling 66–27–10 mark, with ten shutouts and a goals-against average never higher than 2.30, and shared the Vezina Trophy with Giacomin in 1971. He played in the NHL All-Star Game all three seasons, allowing only a single goal and recording the lowest career GAA of any All-Star Game goaltender. The Rangers were a powerhouse at that time, reaching the Stanley Cup finals in 1972.

By the 1974–75 season, with both goaltenders aging, Villemure had become the number one goaltender in New York, but had only modest success, and was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in the off-season. He backed up Tony Esposito and appeared in only 21 games in two years, and he retired after the 1976–77 season.

In 2009, the book 100 Ranger Greats ranked Villemure No. 48 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.[1]

During the off-season, Villemure was a professional harness racehorse driver. He now resides in Levittown, New York.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPWLTMINGASOGAASV% GPWLMINGASOGAASV%
1958–59 Trois-Rivières Reds QJHL
1958–59 Troy Bruins IHL 31201801806.00
1959–60 Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters OHA 35198012813.66 53001913.80
1960–61 New York Rovers EHL 5116341306022314.37
1961–62 Long Island Ducks EHL 6525391390024233.72
1961–62 Charlotte Checkers EHL 101060707.00
1961–62 Johnstown Jets EHL 110060202.00
1962–63 Vancouver Canucks WHL 7035314420022853.26 7344292713.78
1963–64 Baltimore Clippers AHL 6631332396019232.91
1963–64 New York Rangers NHL 50233001803.60.899
1964–65 Vancouver Canucks WHL 6027266367621223.46 5143091703.30
1965–66 Vancouver Canucks WHL 6932343417822353.20 7344202703.86
1966–67 Baltimore Clippers AHL 7034279418023843.42 9455693904.11
1967–68 New York Rangers NHL 4120200812.40.934
1967–68 Buffalo Bisons AHL 371813621608932.47 5132471503.64
1968–69 New York Rangers NHL 4211240902.25.921 10160404.00.882
1968–69 Buffalo Bisons AHL 62361214367414862.42 6243601913.17
1969–70 Buffalo Bisons AHL 65371415682.52 141138753112.13
1970–71 New York Rangers NHL 34228420397842.30.919 20180604.50.829
1971–72 New York Rangers NHL 37247421297432.09.913 6423601402.33.919
1972–73 New York Rangers NHL 342012220407832.29.910 20161201.67.935
1973–74 New York Rangers NHL 2177310546203.53.880 1001000.001.000
1974–75 New York Rangers NHL 4522146247013023.16.888 210 94603.83.854
1975–76 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 152757975704.29.859
1976–77 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 60413122805.38.843
NHL totals 205100642911,581542132.81.899 14556563202.93.898

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

Awards and honors

Villemure 1963 trading card

References

  1. Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. p. 116. ISBN 978-0470736197. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
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