Eddie Giacomin, the Rangers’ Hall of Fame goalie of the late 1960s and early ’70s who became a fan favorite when the team emerged as Stanley Cup contenders after a string of lackluster seasons, and whose 1975 trade to the Detroit Red Wings left many shocked, died on Sunday at his home in Birmingham, Mich. He was 86.
His death was confirmed by his daughter, Nancy Schwartz.
Giacomin joined the Rangers in 1965 as a prematurely graying 26-year-old and blossomed as a star the next season, when he was selected as a first-team all-N.H.L. player, was chosen for the first of his six All-Star Games and posted what became his career-high nine shutouts.
He went on to lead the N.H.L. in shutouts and single-season victories three times and shared the 1971 Vezina Trophy — awarded by the league for best goaltender — with the Rangers’ Gilles Villemure for lowest goals-against average.
The Rangers had made the playoffs every spring from 1967 to 1974 with Giacomin in the nets.
The Rangers reached the Stanley Cup finals in 1972, bolstered by Giacomin along with Jean Ratelle at center, Rod Gilbert and Vic Hadfield on the wings, and Brad Park on defense.
Sports aficionados regarded Giacomin as a brilliant stick-holder who was unafraid to take chances and who had an approach seldom seen among goalies of his era. He thrilled the Madison Square Garden crowds by wandering beyond his goal crease to stifle opponents’ rushes, often feeding passes to his teammates after making a save, touching off Ranger forays up ice.
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The post Eddie Giacomin, Rangers’ Goalie and Fan Favorite, Dies at 86 appeared first on New York Times.
