Gilbert Perrault Retires (again)
ugpo...@sunybcs.uucp
This past Monday, Buffalo Sabres center Gilbert Perrault announced his
retirement, for the second (and final) time. As most of you net.sport.hockey
fans know, he originally retired in June, but came back in August.
In no way was he pressured into retiring -- this was purely his decision.
He had been playing for the Sabres since the team's inception in 1970, making
him the last original Sabre. And 17 years is a long hockey career.
In the 20 games the Sabres have played so far, he has scored 9 goals and
(I don't know how many) assists, putting him near the top of the team's
scoring statistics. He is also 11th on the all-time scoring list.
The only thing that remains is the retiring of his jersey number (11). Even
this number has its story: when the NHL expanded to Buffalo and Vancouver in
1970, Perrault was up for draft by both clubs, and a spinning wheel was used
to determine who would get him. Former Sabres GM Punch Imlach took the
higher numbers, and the wheel stopped on 11.
I shall miss his style of play, especially the end-to-end rushes and skating
virtually through an opposing player without losing the puck.
--
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