Gilbert Perreault

Lore & Background

Perreault began playing organized hockey at about age six. He preferred street hockey to playing on the ice and did not skate until he was eight. He began playing minor ice hockey at age nine. He played in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with Victoriaville. At 16 he left home to join his first junior team, Thetford Mines in the Quebec Junior A League, winning the league championship. After that league shut down, he joined the Montreal Junior Canadiens of the Ontario Hockey Association for three seasons, winning the Memorial Cup in 1969 and 1970. He was named OHA most valuable player in his final junior year. In the 1970 NHL amateur draft, the Buffalo Sabres won the first pick via a roulette wheel spin. Perreault was taken first overall and scored a goal in the franchise's first game. He won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. With linemates Rick Martin and Rene Robert, the French Connection line formed one of the decade's most memorable lines. Perreault led the Sabres to 11 consecutive playoff appearances ending with the 1984–85 season and served as team captain from 1981 until his retirement in November 1986.

Reader's Guide

Perreault's significance lies in his role as the foundational star of the Buffalo Sabres franchise. He was the team's first ever draft pick and spent his entire 17-year career with the club, becoming its all-time leader in games, goals, assists, points, game-winning goals, and shots on goal. His French Connection line with Rick Martin and Rene Robert defined the Sabres' identity in the 1970s and propelled the team to its first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1975. Perreault's individual accolades include the Calder Memorial Trophy, the Lady Byng Trophy, nine All-Star Game selections, and two post-season All-Star team honors. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990 and named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in 2017. His number 11 is retired by the Sabres, and he remains the only Buffalo player to wear it. Perreault also represented Canada in the 1972 Summit Series and two Canada Cup tournaments, being named to the All Tournament Team in 1981 despite a broken ankle.

Did You Know?

• Perreault scored the game-winning goal in overtime of the 1978 NHL All-Star Game at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.
• He once totaled seven points in a single game, a Sabres record.
• He recorded the first power play goal and the first hat trick in Sabres history.
• Perreault scored his 500th career goal on March 9, 1986, becoming the first (and so far only) Sabre to reach that milestone.