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Gerald Michael "Gerry" Cheevers (born December 7,
1940, in St. Catherines, Ontario) is a former
goaltender in the National Hockey League and World
Hockey Association between 1961 and 1980.

==Overview==


Cheever's professional hockey career began in 1956
at the age of 16 when he played for the St.
Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey
Association. He was owned by the Toronto Maple
Leafs until the Boston Bruins drafted him in 1965.
He spent six years in all in the minors until, by
1967, he was the team's number one goalie. He was
a member of both the 1969-70 and 1971-72 Stanley
Cup winning teams, gaining a reputation as a
driven, "money" goaltender.  

In the fall of 1972, he jumped to the fledgling
World Hockey Association, playing three and a half
seasons for the Cleveland Crusaders as one of the
league's best goalies, winning First Team All-Star
honors in 1973 and Second Team honors in 1974 and
1975. 

Returning to the Bruins during the 1976 season
after financial disputes with Cleveland
management, Cheevers finished out his playing
career at the end of the 1980 season. After
hanging up his pads, he became the Bruins' coach,
a position he held for four and a half seasons.

Cheevers was not afraid to stray from the crease
both to cut down the shooter's angle and to act as
a "third defenseman." He was very aggressive with
opposing players who strayed into or near the
crease. Not a "stand-up" goalie, Cheevers could
often be found on his knees or even his side. His
famous trademark was the stitches that he painted
on his mask each time he stopped a puck with his
face. 

His cumulative NHL goals against average was 2.89.
 He recorded 230 NHL wins, played in 419 NHL
games, and recorded 26 NHL shutouts.  He was also
second in the WHA's history in career GAA and
shutouts, despite playing in only half the
league's seasons.

After his departure as Bruins' coach, Cheevers has
devoted his time to his interests in thoroughbred
horse racing and as a hockey scout; he is
currently on the Bruins' scouting staff.

==Regular Season==
{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="3" CELLSPACING="0"
width="75%"
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! ALIGN="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
 
! ALIGN="center" rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
 
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! ALIGN="center" | Season
! ALIGN="center" | Team
! ALIGN="center" | League
! ALIGN="center" | GP
! ALIGN="center" | W
! ALIGN="center" | L
! ALIGN="center" | T
! ALIGN="center" | MIN
! ALIGN="center" | GA
! ALIGN="center" | SO
! ALIGN="center" | GAA
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1956-57
| Toronto St. Mike's
| OHA
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 4
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 4.00
|- ALIGN="center"
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1957-58
| Toronto St. Mike's
| OHA
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 60
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 3.00
|- ALIGN="center"
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1958-59
| Toronto St. Mike's
| OHA
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 360
| align="center" | 28
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 4.67
|- ALIGN="center"
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1958-59
| Toronto St. Mike's
| OHA
| align="center" | 36
| align="center" | 18
| align="center" | 13
| align="center" | 5
| align="center" | 2160
| align="center" | 111
| align="center" | 5
| align="center" | 3.08
|}

==Awards==
* 1964-65 Harry (Hap) Holmes Memorial Award, which
goes to the AHL goalie with the best goals against
average.
* Played in the 1969 NHL All-Star Game.
* 1973 WHA First Team All-Star, won Ben Hatskin
Award for best goaltender.
* 1979-80 Runner-up for the NHL's Vezina
Trophy|Vezina Memorial Trophy (Top goaltender).
* Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.

==International Play==
* 1974  Played for Team Canada at the Summit-74
series
* 1976  Spare goaltender for Team Canada in the
Challenge Cup
* 1979  Played for Team Canada in the Challenge
Cup

==Miscellaneous==

The band Cheeky Monkey included a song about
Cheevers on their 1997 album Four Arms To Hold You

start box
succession box | before = Harry Sinden | title =
Head Coaches of the Boston Bruins | years =
1980-1985 | after = Harry Sinden 
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