Been a fan of Rod Gilbert since 1967 - when he appeared on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" - and just today saw some information about Gilbert's back injury I never knew anything about. On March 3, 1961, participating in the OHA playoffs with the Guelph Royals, Rod stepped on something that had been tossed on to the ice, and fell heavily in to the boards. This I knew. What I didn't know was that he stayed in that game. In fact he played until March 24, when he was pulled from the playoff game against the Niagara Falls Flyers. The next day Gilbert was on a train to the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota, where he would have surgery performed on his spine.
Until today, I had always thought that Rod's fall - on March 3, 1961 - led to an injury which immediately led to his being sent to the Mayo Clinic. Never realized that he continued playing for 3 weeks with a badly damaged back. Cannot imagine the pain and impairment he endured.
That information - and much more about Rod Gilbert - is found in Jim Amodeo's article "Rod Gilbert: 1941-2021 - Mr. Ranger," at Hockey Then & Now. Below is a link to that article:
Until today, I had always thought that Rod's fall - on March 3, 1961 - led to an injury which immediately led to his being sent to the Mayo Clinic. Never realized that he continued playing for 3 weeks with a badly damaged back. Cannot imagine the pain and impairment he endured.
That information - and much more about Rod Gilbert - is found in Jim Amodeo's article "Rod Gilbert: 1941-2021 - Mr. Ranger," at Hockey Then & Now. Below is a link to that article:
ROD GILBERT: 1941-2021 - MR. RANGER
On the morning of September 8, the Funeral Mass for former NewYork Ranger, Rod Gilbert, was held in Manhattan at St. Monica's Catholic Churc...
hockeythenandnow.blogspot.com
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