Eddie Giacomin

Lore & Background

Giacomin began his professional career in 1959 with the Washington Presidents of the Eastern Hockey League, after the team originally sought his brother Rollie. He later played for the Providence Reds for five full seasons during the Original Six era, when NHL starting jobs were scarce. The New York Rangers acquired him on May 18, 1965, trading three players and starting goaltender Marcel Paille. After an impressive first month, he faltered but rebounded the following season, leading the NHL in shutouts and helping the Rangers reach the playoffs for the second time in nine seasons. A classic stand-up goaltender known for leaving the crease to play the puck, Giacomin was the Rangers' starter for nine seasons. He led the league in games played for four straight years from 1967 to 1970 and in shutouts in 1967, 1968 and 1971. He was named to the NHL All-Star Team five times, including two First Team selections. In 1971, he shared the Vezina Trophy with teammate Gilles Villemure. During the 1972 Stanley Cup playoffs, he made what he called the 'best save of his career' on Frank Mahovlich in a Game 6 win against the defending champion Montreal Canadiens. Giacomin's effectiveness declined in 1975 due to injuries. He was put on waivers and claimed by the Detroit Red Wings on October 29, 1975, as part of a Rangers youth movement. In his first game back in New York, fans gave him a long-standing ovation and cheered for him throughout the match, which he won for the Red Wings. He played three seasons for Detroit before retiring on January 17, 1978.

Reader's Guide

Eddie Giacomin's significance lies in his long tenure as the New York Rangers' starting goaltender during a challenging era, his multiple league-leading shutout seasons, and his Vezina Trophy win in 1971. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987, and his jersey number 1 was the second number retired by the Rangers on March 15, 1989. In the 2009 book '100 Ranger Greats', he was ranked No. 6 all-time among 901 Rangers players and second highest among goaltenders. His legacy includes a memorable return to Madison Square Garden as a Red Wing, which was voted one of the 50 greatest moments in MSG history. After retiring, he worked as a broadcaster for the New York Islanders and served as an assistant coach for the Islanders and Red Wings, and as a goaltending coach for the Rangers. He also helped hockey writer Hugh Delano write a biography titled 'Eddie, A Goalie's Story' (1976).

From Minor Leagues to NHL Stardom

Eddie Giacomin's path to the NHL was anything but straightforward. In 1959, the Washington Presidents of the Eastern Hockey League needed a goaltender after his brother Rollie could not commit due to work obligations, and Eddie stepped in for four games. He followed that with short stints with the Clinton Comets before suffering serious burns in a kitchen accident. Remarkably, he still earned a spot with the Providence Reds for the 1960-61 season. In the Original Six era, with only six starting goaltending positions across the entire league, Giacomin carved out a five-season run with the Reds that caught the attention of NHL clubs. On May 18, 1965, the New York Rangers acquired him in a trade involving three players and their own starter Marcel Paille. After a rocky first month in New York, he rebounded spectacularly the following year, leading the league in shutouts and anchoring the Rangers to a playoff appearance. Over the next nine seasons, this classic stand-up goaltender—known for his stickhandling and willingness to leave the crease—led the NHL in games played for four consecutive years and collected five All-Star selections, two of them on the First Team.

Playoff Fire and Rivalry

Giacomin's competitive fire shone brightest under playoff pressure. In the 1971 semi-finals against Chicago, Bobby Hull's skate sliced across the back of his hand, yet Giacomin refused to leave the ice, and even the Black Hawks acknowledged his guts when New York took the game. That same year, he shared the Vezina Trophy with teammate Gilles Villemure, a tandem that defined the Rangers' goaltending. The 1972 playoffs delivered what Giacomin himself called the best save of his career—a lunging, cross-crease stop on Frank Mahovlich late in a 3-2 Game 6 victory over the defending-champion Montreal Canadiens. At the final siren, he flopped around the ice like a fish out of water, dancing in pure excitement at having beaten Montreal. He recalled the rivalry vividly: the Canadiens could humiliate New York on a Saturday in their building, then the Rangers would shut them out the next night back home, having taken the same train. After sweeping Chicago in the second round—though injuring his knee in the process—Giacomin carried the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final against Boston, where he won Game Three but lost Games One and Four in a hard-fought six-game series.

The MSG Ovation and Final Chapter

In 1975, injuries began to erode Giacomin's effectiveness, and the Rangers, suffering their worst start in a decade, moved toward a youth movement under general manager Emile Francis. Giacomin was placed on waivers and claimed by the Detroit Red Wings on October 29, 1975. The emotional reckoning came four days later, on November 2, when the Red Wings played in New York. As Giacomin skated onto the ice in a Detroit jersey, Madison Square Garden erupted in a long-standing ovation. Rangers fans booed their own teammates when they shot on him or scored, and chanted his name throughout the game. Giacomin won that contest for Detroit. The evening was later voted one of the fifty greatest moments in MSG history. He went on to play three solid seasons for the Red Wings before a similar youth movement swept him aside. During his Detroit years, he collaborated with hockey writer Hugh Delano on a biography titled Eddie, A Goalie's Story, published by Atheneum in 1976. Giacomin officially retired on January 17, 1978, leaving behind a career record of 289 wins, 208 losses, 97 ties, and a 2.82 goals-against average.

Legacy and Life Beyond the Crease

After hanging up his pads, Giacomin remained deeply embedded in the hockey world. He served as a broadcaster for the New York Islanders during the 1978-79 season, then transitioned into coaching roles as an assistant with both the Islanders and the Red Wings, and in two separate stints as a goaltending coach for the Rangers. His contributions were formally recognized when the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted him in 1987. On March 15, 1989, the Rangers retired his number one, making it the second jersey the franchise had ever retired, following Rod Gilbert's number seven in 1979. His statistical legacy endures: he ranks 25th all-time in career goaltending wins and 19th in career shutouts with 54. In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, he was ranked sixth among all 901 players in the franchise's first 82 seasons and second among its 74 goaltenders. Eddie Giacomin passed away at his home in Birmingham, Michigan, on the evening of September 14, 2025, at the age of 86.

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