The NHL' s Most BIZARRE Goalie: Gilles "Looney" Gratton
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- čas přidán 26. 09. 2021
- The insane story of WHA All Star Star and NY Rangers goalie Gilles "Loony" Gratton
The Hockey world hasn’t produced a more fascinating character than WHA and NHL goaltender Gilles “Loony” Gratton.
Gratton never really wanted to be a professional goaltender; he wanted to be a Tibetan monk. And he’d eventually quit hockey to seek enlightenment.
But Gratton’s path from playing big league hockey to finding spiritual wisdom was a raucous one marked by sex, drugs and rock/roll, overshadowing his unique talent that made him one of hockey’s most promising young goaltenders.
Here’s the story of the man behind the iconic goalie mask. The eccentric oddball who hated hockey -- but became one the game’s most memorable characters.
Gratton played in the WHA for the Ottawa Nationals and the Toronto Toros. he played in the NHL for the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues.
Resources:
"Gratoony the Loony" By Gilles Gratton and Greg Oliver: www.amazon.com/Gratoony-Loony...
"trash bin" photo: Benoit Ripert
www.gillesgratton.com
TSN
Classic Auctions: www.classicauctions.net
Copyright Disclaimer:
Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for Fair Use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and more. No copyright infringement intended.
www.prohockeyalumni.org
prohockeyalumni@gmail.com
Errors: Gilles incorrectly pronounced with "S" - Sport
From Wikipedia: "Allegedly, Gratton would live up to his 'feline' image by growling at opposing players on the ice, and even hissing like a cat during a fight." LOOOL
never a dull moment in a terrible year with NYR!
A furry?
What a character 😅😅
@@ProHockeyAlumni Seriously, the best sports channel on CZcams. As you can probably tell, my live for hockey is and will remain eternal. Where do you get all the footage and historical background. Sensational!!!! Would buy you a six pack of good beer 🍺
@@LordStanley94 thanks so much … I put a lot of time into these because true hockey fans (like you) deserve the best …. Thanks again for your support. It is greatly appreciated.
I played the Gratton family piano, which his father had rebuilt for $600...an old upright. Gilles walked in and said: "I've seen people play the piano, but, tabarnac, I never saw anybody play the piano like THAT!!!" That was in spring, 1969. He knew how to play guitar, but after my impromptu performance of my own compositions, he got into piano. He later had a band that practiced in his garage. They played some Beatles covers. He loved the Fab Four. We'd cross paths at the local tennis court, and played some doubles. Then he left town for hockey on the road.
I used to get discount coupons for tickets to see his Junior B games in LaSalle, Quebec, in 1968/69. Good memories!
Great comment and thanks for the interesting anecdotes!
The most Québécois things to say lol tabarnac hahahaha
@@alexdimaria3689 yep tabarnac estie de calis LOL
@Jay it's a curse word in french.. french Canadian use it more often than French people tho.. Caliss tabarnak osti criss sacrament siboire simonaque those are all slang that can mean fuck...
@@VAGHUNTR I love how most French Canadian swearing is based on the Catholic church. Canticle!
Great video and great channel! I remember reading in the late 70's about him missing a game because of a "leg injury". He said he'd been shot in the leg in one his past lives, as a soldier in the US Civil War, and sometimes it still bothered him.
That’s awesome … thanks for sharing!
One of the coolest mask in hockey history
gotta agree with that!
still the coolest
It's neat .Tony 0 was my favourite goalie ,his mask is unforgettable ,especially at the end of his career when he put that screen over the eyes.
Gary Bromley had some great ones too
It's definitely up there but I still prefer Cheevers mask with the stiches. Being a former goalie I can almost feel each time the puck hit his face. Obviously not a great feeling. Lol
No wonder they say you have to be a bit crazy to be a goalie! ;)
I remember a Life magazine article on Glen Hall. Quote " I like everything about hockey, except the games"
That's very funny!
Great video. I didn't know much about Gilles Gratton other than the lasting image of his famous tiger mask. It's true, a player this eccentric, free spirited, outspoken and indulgent could only have lasted as long as Gilles did in the 1970's.
Well said! Thanks for watching!
Goalies are often among the most fascinating and insightful athletes. I remember the streaking thing. As honest as they come.
This is the most ambitious TAFS crossover yet.
Gay French Canadian Hockey Furry is one of Nick's best characters.
His brother Elvis Gratton is also an iconic character here in Quebec !!
aaah oui je me rappels de lui!
"J'ai un garage, un gros garage!"
C’est son frere? Wow I never know. Salut. De Montreal.
😆
Tink big !.
Thanks for the laughs - Gratton was like many goalies, nuts!
Glad you enjoyed it. Loony was an original -- shame he didn't last longer.
no matter how many videos have been made about this guy, i never get tired hearing his story
what a dude
Thanks for watching ... yes, Gilles got a lot of mileage out of a very brief career.
Same for me. Gosh I love the 70’!
I seem to recall a story where Gratton and his teammates burned his jacket in a bonfire while dancing around it, because the luck had gone out of the jacket.
never heard that one ... but it sounds legit!
I put off this vid because I thought “ how can it deliver? “ but the door bell rang and what a delivery!
lol! ... awesome comment and very much appreciated ... Looney will never let you down!
I love hockey, but I love the history of hockey even more
Back in the early 80's, I received a poster at an Ottawa 67's game. I think it was a 50 best goalie masks. Gratton and Cheevers were my favorites.
The world needs more guys like this to lighten things up 👍
man, you ain't kiddin'
To bail on teammates? Nah
His 'eccentricities' sure, made good headlines, but the guy let down every teammate he played with and every coach he played for, let down the fans, abandoned the people who had supported him throughout and threw away a promising career. Nothing to respect, the guy wasnt a character, he was a loser!
They need to make a movie about this character
no doubt. can't make this stuff up. THX
Maybe Rob Zombie could direct it...
Just discovered your channel this morning and have been watching a few episodes and I'm really enjoying enjoying it, you got a great channel going on here
Welcome aboard! We won't let you down! Thanks for watching.
Your videos are so exceptionally done! They flow so well with the right amount of clips and photos. I never knew all of that about Gratton. I just remember him for his mask and donning a Ranger uniform. Used to always wonder whether he was a good goalie or not. Excellent piece which answered my question.
Thank you so much, Anthony! I greatly appreciate your comments and feedback!
I can't pay attention to the words being spoken when the Adam Freidland Show theme is playing
you know it
This was awesome. I saved it for this evening to watch and it did not disappoint! Gilles is not alone with floaters in the game or in my workplace, he's just more interesting. :)
Well said BJM ... Thanks!
I am very impressed by the fact that despite the depth of your research, you weren’t able to find out that the « s » of Gilles is silent in French.
I realize that the 'S" in silent -- I'd refer you to the Jacques Richard video ... I made an error in a late night voice over. Unfortunately, I can't correct it. THX
Sometimes a person has to find themselves... sometimes, a person gets lost in their own world... sometimes the two words collide in the crease "with a kick save and a beauty!" ...and another another shutout victory for the PHA video. I don't know what to say of Gratton! 🤭 Gotta love the "honesty?" even if it wasn't always the best for the teams he played for. Don't know how to size this guy up but the hockey landscape wouldn't look the same without his contribution. Thank you PHA for this video. And I love the community of viewer comments! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (Five Star Rating)🙂
Im new to Hockey, I been looking for a channel like this. Thanks for the videos! I wanna learn more about history 🙌🏾
There's only one name you really need to know : Bobby Orr.
Bryzgalov is another one
Fantastic job!
A few laugh out louds while watching this one.
So good.
Thanks ... glad you enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback!
Awesome video! This guy was nuts!!!
crazy as a fox -- or tiger. Never be another like him!
Omg. Adam Friedland show.
Thank you for sharing the story of Gilles Gratton, he is quite the character hahaha! I remember first seeing that iconic tiger mask in an NHL book back in school, but forgot the goalie's name until now :). Other goaltenders such as Ed Belfour, Curtis Joseph, Patrick Roy and John Vanbiesbrouck were definitely inspired by Gratton in their own ways. Well done!
Thanks very much ... I agree, he raised the bar in mask design!
@@ProHockeyAlumni You're welcome :). Indeed, Gilles Gratton certainly left his mark on the hockey world! Some players win championships, yet lack personality and are deemed as boring and are often forgotten over time (not THAT overtime!).
However, people with a unique personality tend to transcend their profession, leaving a lasting impression and ultimately getting the last laugh when all is set and done hahaha!
You're so right!!! John Vanbiesbrouck was the goalie I was trying to think of as I watched this video. 👍
@@TudorOwen50s Cool :).
I remember when he came out with that mask. I'm a Rangers fan it was the talk of the town. Lots of fun! When he was there. Glad to see this video great memory
Thanks for watching and sharing!
I was living in MYC back then and the Ranger fans and I at work all were Gratton fans. You had to like a strange dude like him!
Great Channel 👍
Thank you! 👍 Glad you stopped by!
I think I just found a new life coach. Lol
Great little Doc. I love the fact that you use the old hockey cards in some of your photos. I'm a lifelong collector and it's fun to see my cardboard heroes on youtube.
Cheers, mon ami :)
Thank you very much for your thoughts and for watching this video! Gilles was a one-of-a-kind player.
Thanks for this presentation. In 1975 the Sabres goaltending was the weakest part of the team. I was disappointed when the Sabres could not sign Gratton and traded his rights to the Blues. Of course at the time I did not realize what a "Character" he was. Worked out for the Sabres until they went and signed Al Smith.
Thanks very much ... the '75 Sabres were an incredibly deep team at forward and solid on D ... Bones, Crozier and Desjardins were no match for peak Bernie Parent.
ITS THE ADAM FRIEDLAND SHOW RIF
The more people comment about the Adam Friedland show, the more it'll get recommended to people. You got the bug's blessing.
I’ll take your word for it … all I know fi
for sure is that you gots the best handle on CZcams 😀
@@ProHockeyAlumni Ayyy thanks my man!! 👈👈😎
Michel 'Bunny' Larocque!! Oh, what a great name!
What an interesting episode of TFS.
Great video
Thanks!
Great video! I played pickup hockey with him in LaSalle at an outdoor rink in Mohawk Parc. Back in the 80’s and 90’s. He would play forward and he was pretty damn good. I think he loved hockey in the end.
Thanks -. Great Gratton anecdote!
Thanks you for sharing a crazy character. Hockey didn't need that type of behavior.
Don't forget Glen Hall. Was so nervous before games. He said." I love hockey except the games "
😀
Sounds like an amusing guy for the fans but an annoying hindrance for teammates.
Man this is GOLD I love your vids so much., my dad was a journalist in the WHA!!! Do you know where is Gilles now?
Thanks very much ... last I heard, he was working for classicauctions.net
@@ProHockeyAlumni he lives in Florida?
Whoah this is a good video👍
This was very interesting and I had no idea what kind of guy Gilles was while playing hockey. I do remember when he played for the Rangers back in the day and didn't know that he also played in the WHA too.
Thanks for watching ... its a same he couldn't focus on goaltending while with the NYR ... With JD's injuries, they could have used him.
He talks at about the 13:38 mark of Dave Tataryn needing to fill in for him. In an interview once with Bobby Hull, Hull was asked who the best goalie he had ever played against was. He said that when he was playing for the Winnipeg Jets, he played the Toronto Toros. They outshot the Toros that night by a 61 to 23 margin, or some weird number and lost the game 2 - 1. Hull said that Dave Tataryn was the best goalie he had ever played against. And I can remember listening to the Petrolia Gibbon-Squires (Senior A hockey) on Sarnia's CHOK radio. EVERY time Petrolia played the Cambridge Hornets, they gave Petrolia grief because of the goalie Hull said was the best goalie he'd ever played against.
Wow...a fellow Senior A fan!
Yup. Lava!! Love hockey and am still an active goaltender playing at least twice a week. I'll be 72 in August.
I was a goalie played peewee travel to Senior in high school. I was part of the team and all. But everyone knew not to talk to me in pre game warm ups and in the locker room. I listened to the same set playlist on my iPod to get me in the zone while I threw my racket balls at the wall and caught them. Nobody played jokes on me or hassled me about it. I guess I had the demeanor of I’m in the zone don’t screw with me. But I did play with a chunk of my buddy’s mullet i banded up and stuck in my glove. We pinned him down and cut it off. I stuck it in my glove one game then got a shut out. Kept it in there ever sense
great memories from the front lines of hockey goaltending ... THX!
That tiger face makes a badass mask .
I saw plenty of New Haven Nighthawks Games.at first the Nighthawks were the affiliate of the L.A. Kings,than they were split with the Kings and Islanders which I liked because I was an Islanders Fan.I got to see lots of Islanders prior to them winning their 4 Stanley Cups in a row,so I seen lots of the Cup winning Islander players including Goalie Billy Smith,forwards Bob Nystrom,And lots,lots more of them.
CT doesn’t have anything worth a damn anymore Bridgeport islanders don’t look to bad though
He wasn't so weird...in the 1970s everybody was reincarnated, had a ghost in their house, and had seen a UFO!
LOL -- you are correct!
Especially after smoking the WACKY TOBACCKY..
Lol that's funny and ya a lot of people had haunted houses with ghosts or even demons haha
@@misguidedangel6550, which for some reason despite the fact they are not physical entities, beings and therefore, cannot be harmed, are worried what would happen if they came out in public, so they always are only seen by a certain handful of folks who have yet to produce irrefutable proof that those folks actually saw the entities/beings, or interacted with them.
Funny how that works.
Nope, sorry, I aint that gullible.
Idc how high he was, that mask is iconic
Seems like a great character, but if I was a fan of the team he played I would be pissed! Self-centered, unreliable, no team spirit - but he was honest about it, so props for honesty👍🏻
@Matt Joseph 😄 some heads would be sure to roll, if a goalie pulled a stunt like that in NHL today
My new NHL hero
Those Toro and Birmingham Bulls jerseys were spectacular .. Some people might not believe this but in Birmingham they actually played 'Dixie' (I Wish I Was In Dixie Land) instead of the U.S national anthem before some games.. Imagine trying that today?
Love Gratton! i hope he is doing well and doing what he wants to.
Yet another great PHA video. Cheers
Thanks again! great appreciated!
OMG! That’s the best one yet!
Thanks ... they don't make 'em like Looney anymore!
Great contents, as always! In certain respects, Gilles Gratton as a free thinker was to hockey what Bill “Spaceman” Lee was to baseball, except that Lee was (and still is) in love with his sport. Cheers!
Thanks ... love the Spaceman and I agree.
Lee had a more successful career .
@@marcdemell5976 As free thinkers, they belong in the same category 😜
Except he was full of excuses and did not care for his teammates
@@TheGlow57 I never said he was a team player
for anybody from Quebec this man is bob "Elvis" Graton's brother lol
Great video! Gilles resembles another iconoclastic pro athlete from that era, Bill Spaceman Lee.
True! Both products of their era ... never to be repeated.
Your videos are excellent with incredible footage and information. Being perfectly bilingual, and coincidentally from LaSalle, for future use of the name I can assure you that the S in Gilles is silent. Cheers
not sure why I made that error ... if your watch my other francophone-oriented videos I get it right ...thanks!
@@ProHockeyAlumni Because of your high standards I thought you'd like to know. Cheers
It's the adam freidlan shooow
Imagine him in today’s nhl 😂
Lol. He probably wouldn’t have played a single game.
I can't decide if Gratton's story inspires me or if it offends me....
Gilles, the “s” is silent. Thank you
Yes, stupid error ... won't be repeated.
Although it may feel to recent for your channel (but still residing in the 20th Century), I would enjoy seeing a video recap on the life & career of Jim Carey.
Some great footage playing against the New England Whalers there.
right ... very rare Whalers playoff footage
I remember reading about one interview in which he discussed a prior life as a Conquistador.
Man, I love these
Any chance you'd look at Dustin Byfuglien?
Thanks absolutely!
@@ProHockeyAlumni sweet! I'm stoked
Wow what a legend
The great NFL running-back Curtis Martin of the Jets/Patriots said he hated football. Lol
curtis was a real good guy, too.
Never heard of him. Glad I did
The man's a stoner's/drifter's dream. Going where life takes him. Legendary mask. They're just given different drugs these days.
Word of note - it's a soft c in Vaclav...one of the things I picked up from working and living with "Eastern" Europeans.
Thanks!
A "C" is pronounced "TS," such as tsar or car.
That mask IS really cool though!
Gilles Gratton is still alive... 70 years old
Kinda funny how he said he just played to mess with the coaches “oh, the moon is wrong” or “the stars are in the wrong position” or “if you make me play I’ll let in fifteen goals” 😂 this guys funny but weird
How come yall only put it in the footnotes that this fella had a 150 IQ, that is absolutely nuts...
Probably because some sports writer was told that someone knew someone who told them Gratton had done an IQ test and scored 150. And chances are it was Gratton who made it up in the first place.
I was lucky enough to see him play in Ottawa...he was...special!😉
He had an excellent year there, for sure.
Me being the fan of Japanese animation that i was had figured that he really liked the Tiger Mask manga, when i heard about this guy playing for the Rangers. It was super popular around this time, so much so, that New Japan Wrestling hired a guy to be Tiger Mask around 1980.
Gratooney the Looney!! I too made a video on him! He’s certainly an interesting dude 😂
I guess there was enough material for TWO videos! God bless Gilles. What a character.
Best mask ever. Saw it at hockey hof.in Toronto.
Great story. It’s funny how professional, conditioned, PR coached and stiff pro hockey players are today. You do lose something when you move on from that lose environment. The 70’s sounded like such a riot. I guess everything is super stiff and uptight today so stories like these are a welcome break!
Well said! For better or worse old time hockey is gone forever.
Could you possibly produce more segments on other "colorful" goaltenders ? Dunc Wilson, for instance ? Mike Palmateer, Billy Smith or Hexy ? Thanks !!
🚬😎
Funny ... I was just thinking about Dunc Wilson!
Glenn Hall!
"He really thought he'd been reincarnated" and you really thought you haven't
That was a con= THEY ARE THROWING ROCKS/PUCKS AT ME..I HAVE TO DUCK..
LOL, ROFL..
Goalies are generally the weirdos of the world, and that's why I loved being one.
... and we're glad to have you here with us! Weird goalies welcome!
They have the most stress, no doubt. Stress makes you eccentric
Goalies rule! 😊👍👍
Good video. Why do you hide your subscriber count?
Thanks - I wasn’t aware I was hiding it!
Wonder if those two concussions he suffered while young had anything to do with his beliefs….
Good observation ... in so many of these stories I see multiple concussions at a young age
Why doesn't MY mental illness result in extreme talent in any category? 😭
comment of the week!
Sounds like a cool dude to chill with
omg. i am reading a book right now! about his life and career called "gratoony the loony: the wild, unpredicatable life of gilles gratton". and it is friggin' awesome!!!
if you are a fan of 70's hockey, and know some of the players, the journalists, the names, the teams...you better find it and read it. the most unvarnished tales of hockey life, on and off the ice, I have ever ever read, and it is massively entertainging!
He lives near me in LaSalle, Talk about a thin talent pool . BTW , the 'S' in Gilles is silent.
Thanks -- can't believe I hit the "S" ... Should know better, but I gotta live with it.
I could not imagine him playing under Punch Imlach. He would have been out of hockey within a year.
Adam friedland show music
this guy gets it
What a great Mind
I have found it to be a fact in my lifetime... goalies and drummers are just different people than the rest of us... I mean you're willingly standing in front of a piece of rubber being rocketed toward you, you have to be a bit crazy to wanna do that lol
So he is Happy Gilmore in reverse
Dude sounded like the Dennis Rodman of the NHL
I swear, Chris Lilley could be Gratton's son! Lol
i remember like it was yesterday being a kid
8 yrs old thinking this was the coolest mask ever, i used to draw his mask all the time,it was the best mask ever