Cheevers, "Gerry" (Gerald M.)
Hockey
b. Dec. 7, 1940, St. Catharines, ONT
The Toronto Maple Leafs owned the rights to Cheevers in 1965 and listed him as a forward, rather than a goalie, in an attempt to keep another team from drafting him. However, the Boston Bruins did and, after two years in the minor leagues, he became the team's starting goaltender in 1967-68.
Nicknamed "Cheesy" by his teammates, Cheevers was an outstanding clutch goalie who helped the Bruins win Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972. After the 1971-72 season, Cheevers signed with Cleveland of the newly-formed World Hockey Association.
In 418 regular season NHL games, Cheevers had 26 shutouts and gave up 1,175 goals, a 2.89 average. He had 8 shutouts in 88 playoff games, giving up 242 goals for a 3.30 average. Cheevers coached the Bruins to a 204-126-46 record from 1980-81 through 1983-84.