Gilles Mayer

Did You Know?

• Mayer's natural weight was 128 pounds, but wearing all his equipment he weighed 166 pounds.
• His equipment, consisting of 38 pounds of steel, wood, leather, and wool, cost $300 and required 30 minutes to put on and remove.

Early life and junior career

Mayer was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and began playing goaltender at age six because he liked the position. He played amateur hockey with the Hull Volants of the Ottawa City Hockey League and the Lake Placid Roamers, an independent intermediate senior team. Johnny Gagnon noticed him with the Roamers and helped place him with the Barrie Flyers. Mayer moved to junior hockey in 1949, serving as goalie for the Barrie Flyers, who lost the Eastern Canada championship final 5–4 to the Montreal Royals. He received the George Richardson Memorial Trophy and the Red Tilson Trophy. His professional career began in 1949 with the Pittsburgh Hornets after the Montreal Canadiens sold his playing rights. His short stature earned him the nickname "Needle" from the team.

Professional career

In his first AHL season with the Hornets, Mayer led all goaltenders with a 2.50 goals-against average in 22 games after replacing Baz Bastien. He made his NHL debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Detroit Red Wings on December 1, 1949; the Ottawa Citizen reported dozens of calls asking whether Mayer was in net instead of Turk Broda. During the 1950–51 season, he nearly broke Nick Damore's league shutout record with three consecutive shutouts. On December 16, 1950, he needed a shutout in the first period to beat the record, but Chuck Scherza scored after 12 minutes and the Hornets lost 3–2. Mayer was named to the 1951 AHL All-Star Team. On February 6, 1952, a puck cut his face early in the second period against the Syracuse Warriors; his nose hemorrhaged, but he returned after thirty minutes. He finished the season second to Johnny Bower in goals-against average (2.57 in 68 games) and led the league in shutouts. The following year he won the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award and a $300 bonus with a 3.25 goals-against average, allowing 146 goals in 52 games. He was part of three Calder Cup-winning teams: two with the Pittsburgh Hornets and one with the Hershey Bears. In his final Hornets season, coach Howie Meeker fined him $100 for indifferent play and sent him home before a game against the Springfield Indians. Mayer responded, "I try awfully hard, but I'm not the only player on the team." Despite this, he won the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award for the fourth time in five seasons in 1956 with a 2.70 goals-against average.