Jean Ratelle

Jean Ratelle
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1985
Born	(1940-10-03) October 3, 1940 Lac Saint-Jean, QC CAN
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position	Centre
Played for	New York Rangers Boston Bruins
National team	Canada
Playing career	1960–1981

Joseph Gilbert Yvon "Jean" Ratelle (born October 3, 1940) is a former Canadian ice hockey player and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. It has often been said of Jean Ratelle that he was so consistently effective at a high level of play day in and day out that he has been overlooked by some as one of the greatest to have played the game.

Playing career

A product of the New York Rangers organization, Ratelle's hockey career almost ended when he suffered a serious back injury at age 23 and had to undergo major spinal cord surgery. He recovered to become a regular with the Rangers from 1963 until 1975 -- his greatest success coming with his linemates Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert in the so-called "GAG line" (which stood for Goal A Game) -- and was the perennial scoring leader for the Rangers between 1968 and 1973 when the team was a powerhouse annually among the league's best.

Ratelle was poised to beat out Boston Bruins' legend Phil Esposito for the scoring title in 1972 before he lost fifteen games due to an injury, but came back for the Stanley Cup finals against Boston to lead his team. Only Esposito, Bobby Orr and John Bucyk had scored as many points in league history as Ratelle had managed in his shortened season. His 109 points that season remained a Rangers' scoring record until 2006, when Jaromir Jagr broke the mark.

In November 1975, Ratelle was traded with teammates Brad Park and Joe Zanussi in a blockbuster deal to the Boston Bruins (ironically, for Esposito, and for Carol Vadnais). Ratelle finished strongly that year for his second 100-point campaign. On March 21, 1976, he played his 1,000th game against the Montreal Canadiens. He starred for several more seasons for Boston, gaining admiration for his slick passing, skill at faceoffs and all-around excellent play, retiring a Bruin after the 1981 season. He served for several years thereafter as an assistant coach for the Bruins.

Remembered as a gentlemanly player (perennially in the running for the Lady Byng sportsmanship award), Ratelle played centre ice in the NHL for twenty-one seasons, accumulating 1267 points on 491 goals and 776 assists. At the time of his retirement, he was the league's sixth all-time leading scorer. While he never played on a team that won the Stanley Cup, Ratelle was a member of the 1972 Team Canada squad that defeated the Soviet Union in the first-ever Summit Series.

In 1985, Jean Ratelle was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, along with Bernie Parent and Bert Olmstead.

In 2009, Ratelle was ranked No. 7 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons).

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1958–59	Guelph Biltmores	OHA		54	20	31	51	11		10	5	4	9	2
1959–60	Guelph Biltmores	OHA		48	39	47	86	15		5	3	5	8	4
1960–61	Guelph Royals	OHA		47	40	61	101	10		14	6	11	17	6
1960–61	New York Rangers	NHL		3	2	1	3	0		—	—	—	—	—
1961–62	New York Rangers	NHL		31	4	8	12	4		—	—	—	—	—
1962–63	New York Rangers	NHL		48	11	9	20	8		—	—	—	—	—
1962–63	Baltimore Clippers	AHL		20	11	8	19	0		3	0	0	0	0
1963–64	New York Rangers	NHL		15	0	7	7	6		—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	Baltimore Clippers	AHL		57	20	26	46	2		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	New York Rangers	NHL		54	14	21	35	14		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Baltimore Clippers	AHL		8	9	4	13	6		—	—	—	—	—
1965–66	New York Rangers	NHL		67	21	30	51	10		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	New York Rangers	NHL		41	6	5	11	4		4	0	0	0	2
1967–68	New York Rangers	NHL		74	32	46	78	18		6	0	4	4	2
1968–69	New York Rangers	NHL		75	32	46	78	26		4	1	0	1	0
1969–70	New York Rangers	NHL		75	32	42	74	28		6	1	3	4	0
1970–71	New York Rangers	NHL		78	26	46	72	14		13	2	9	11	8
1971–72	New York Rangers	NHL		63	46	63	109	4		6	0	1	1	0
1972–73	New York Rangers	NHL		78	41	53	94	12		10	2	7	9	0
1973–74	New York Rangers	NHL		68	28	39	67	16		13	2	4	6	0
1974–75	New York Rangers	NHL		79	36	55	91	26		3	1	5	6	5
1975–76	New York Rangers	NHL		13	5	10	15	2		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	Boston Bruins	NHL		67	31	59	90	16		12	8	8	16	4
1976–77	Boston Bruins	NHL		78	33	61	94	22		14	5	12	17	4
1977–78	Boston Bruins	NHL		80	25	59	84	10		15	3	7	10	0
1978–79	Boston Bruins	NHL		80	27	45	72	12		11	7	6	13	2
1979–80	Boston Bruins	NHL		67	28	45	73	8		3	0	0	0	0
1980–81	Boston Bruins	NHL		47	11	26	37	16		3	0	0	0	0
NHL totals				1281	491	776	1267	276		123	32	66	98	24

See also

• List of NHL statistical leaders
• List of NHL players with 1000 points

External links

• Jean Ratelle biography at Legends of Hockey
• Jean Ratelle career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database