Gilbert Perreault: The Forgotten Frenchman

He couldn’t finish like Lafleur, but give him a finisher and he’d create goals out of nothing. He was a typhoon of a player who skated like the wind and made plays like a Lemieux or a Beliveau but at a higher tempo. He lacked their size and was perhaps not quite the stickhandler that either of these two were, but he was close and he was doing it all faster.

People became disappointed when there was a game where he didn’t rush end to end. Fans in Buffalo probably didn’t realize that was a very rare occurrence in most NHL cities because Gilbert Perreault spoiled them.

From the very start of his career almost till the end, he could do things only a handful of NHL players were ever able to do and he did it internationally against the best players in the world.

In 1972, '76, and in '81 he was one of the few Canadians who not only skated with the best of the rest of the world but, like Paul Coffey, he skated past them.

The Hockey News put out a list of the top NHL players of all time in 1998. On that list Lafleur was No. 11, Dionne was No. 38, and Gilbert Perreault was No. 47. These lists are always tough and you tend to end up measuring a variety of factors that include success for his team and goals, points, length of career.

Of the three, Dionne had the best career. He’s fifth all time in points.

Lafleur played on the best teams and won five Stanley cups. He was league MVP twice, playoff MVP once, and won three scoring titles.

Perreault did none of those things. He never finished first in anything personally or with his team.

Yet when these players played side by side against the same opposition, Perreault was the most talented of the bunch. He dwarfed Dionne in international tournaments and I believe deserves to be counted ahead of him when the greatest players are numbered. It’s hard to argue with Lafleur’s successes and impossible to separate out how much was his doing and how much the teams.

I believe 11th greatest player of all-time is a little high for Lafleur, and 47th for Perreault is much too low. I believe Gilbert Perreault was actually a more talented player than Lafleur. He could do more things better than Guy did.

I’d certainly like to see Gilbert Perreault considered among the top 25 players of all time. I’d hate to see a man of his talent and spectacular ability simply be forgotten to time, as he slowly works his way down the list and out of the top 100. 

He was one of the most talented players I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Along with Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, Esposito, Henderson, and Yzerman, he was one of the greatest players who ever skated internationally for Canada.  

Vive Gilbert Perreault.           

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