1962-63 Topps 59 Rod Gilbert Hockey Card (Front)
1962-63 Topps 59 Rod Gilbert Hockey Card (Back)
Card Notes
Slick right wing who was voted MVP of OHA before turning pro last season. Serious back injury sidelined him in first half. He was recalled in playoffs and scored two goals and three assists.
En Français
Habile ailier droit fut nommé le joueur le plus utile de l’OHA avant de devenir professionnel l’année dernière. Une sérieuse blessure au dos le mis au rancart durant la lère moitié. Il fût rappelé durant les éliminatoires et obtint 5 points en 4 parties sur 2 buts et 3 assistances.
Details
Rod Gilbert was the Red Tilson Trophy winner in the OHA Junior A in 1960-61, playing for the Guelph Royals. He also led the league in scoring with 103 points on 54 goals and 49 assists over 47 games to earn the Eddie Powers Trophy as the league’s top scorer. It was his fourth year with Guelph.
The stats shown on the back of the card are actually from Gilbert’s time in 1961-62 with the Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers of the EPHL. He did appear in one regular season game with the Rangers that year, along with the four playoff games noted in the snippet. New York lost in the opening round to the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games.
Rod’s injury issues resolved themselves and he was able to put in three consecutive complete seasons (70 games each) from 1962-63 to 1964-65. His 31 points over 70 games in his rookie 1962-63 season did not get him considered for the Calder Trophy. That award went instead to Kent Douglas of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Gilbert played 1,065 regular season and 79 Stanley Cup playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1960-61 and 1977-78, all with the Blue Shirts. Rod was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982. His number seven was retired in 1979 by New York, the first number to ever be sent to the rafters by the team.