Gilles Villemure

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| image = Gilles Villemure 1976.JPG

| caption = Villemure in 1976

| image_size = 230px

| played_for = New York Rangers
Chicago Black Hawks

| position = Goaltender

| catches = Right

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 8

| weight_lb = 185

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1940|5|30}}

| birth_place = Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada

| career_start = 1963

| career_end = 1977

}}

Joseph Hector Gilles Villemure (born May 30, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played for the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks in the 1960s and 1970s. Villemure was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec.

Playing career

Villemure played a season in the junior leagues with the Guelph Biltmores of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). He then spent ten years in the minor leagues, principally with the Vancouver Canucks of the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Baltimore Clippers and the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was a star in the minors; in each of his final two seasons in the AHL, 1968–69 and 1969–70, he won the Les Cunningham Award with the Bisons as the league's most valuable player, leading all goaltenders in the playoffs the second year to backstop the Bisons to the Calder Cup in their final season. During his minor league career, he led his league in goals against average three times and in shutouts five times. During this time he was called up on several brief occasions by the New York Rangers, with whom he had signed in 1964.

The 1970–71 season saw Villemure called to the NHL for good as the Rangers' backup to Eddie Giacomin. Over the next three seasons, Villemure recorded a sparkling 66–27–10 mark, with ten shutouts and a goals-against average never higher than 2.30, and shared the Vezina Trophy with Giacomin in 1971. He played in the NHL All-Star Game all three seasons, allowing only a single goal and recording the lowest career GAA of any All-Star Game goaltender. The Rangers were a powerhouse at that time, reaching the Stanley Cup finals in 1972.

By the 1974–75 season, with both goaltenders aging, Villemure had become the number one goaltender in New York, but had only modest success, and was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in the off-season. He backed up Tony Esposito and appeared in only 21 games in two years, and he retired after the 1976–77 season.

In 2009, the book 100 Ranger Greats ranked Villemure No. 48 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.{{cite book|url= https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6860998-100-ranger-greats#bookDetails |title=100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters |first1=Russ |last1=Cohen |first2=John |last2=Halligan |first3=Adam |last3=Raider |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn= 978-0470736197 |date=2009 |access-date=February 3, 2020|page=116}}

During the off-season, Villemure was a professional harness racehorse driver. He now resides in Levittown, New York.

Career statistics

=Regular season and playoffs=

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="width:95%; text-align:center;"
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" \| ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" \| ! colspan="9" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" \| Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" \| ! colspan="8" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" \| Playoffs
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! W !! L !! T !! MIN !! GA !! SO !! GAA !! SV% ! GP !! W !! L !! MIN !! GA !! SO !! GAA !! SV%
1958–59 \| Trois-Rivières Reds \| QJHL \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1958–59 \| Troy Bruins \| IHL \| 3	1	2	0	180	18	0	6.00	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1959–60 \| Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters \| OHA \| 35	—	—	—	1980	128	1	3.66	— \| 5	—	—	300	19	1	3.80	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1960–61 \| New York Rovers \| EHL \| 51	16	34	1	3060	223	1	4.37	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1961–62 \| Long Island Ducks \| EHL \| 65	25	39	1	3900	242	3	3.72	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1961–62 \| Charlotte Checkers \| EHL \| 1	0	1	0	60	7	0	7.00	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1961–62 \| Johnstown Jets \| EHL \| 1	1	0	0	60	2	0	2.00	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1962–63 \| Vancouver Canucks \| WHL \| 70	35	31	4	4200	228	5	3.26	— \| 7	3	4	429	27	1	3.78	—
1963–64 \| Baltimore Clippers \| AHL \| 66	31	33	2	3960	192	3	2.91	— \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1963–64 \| New York Rangers \| NHL \| 5	0	2	3	300	18	0	3.60	.899 \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1964–65 \| Vancouver Canucks \| WHL \| 60	27	26	6	3676	212	2	3.46	— \| 5	1	4	309	17	0	3.30	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1965–66 \| Vancouver Canucks \| WHL \| 69	32	34	3	4178	223	5	3.20	— \| 7	3	4	420	27	0	3.86	—
1966–67 \| Baltimore Clippers \| AHL \| 70	34	27	9	4180	238	4	3.42	— \| 9	4	5	569	39	0	4.11	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1967–68 \| New York Rangers \| NHL \| 4	1	2	0	200	8	1	2.40	.934 \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1967–68 \| Buffalo Bisons \| AHL \| 37	18	13	6	2160	89	3	2.47	— \| 5	1	3	247	15	0	3.64	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1968–69 \| New York Rangers \| NHL \| 4	2	1	1	240	9	0	2.25	.921 \| 1	0	1	60	4	0	4.00	.882
1968–69 \| Buffalo Bisons \| AHL \| 62	36	12	14	3674	148	6	2.42	— \| 6	2	4	360	19	1	3.17	—
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1969–70 \| Buffalo Bisons \| AHL \| 65	—	—	—	3714	156	8	2.52	— \| 14	11	3	875	31	1	2.13	—
1970–71 \| New York Rangers \| NHL \| 34	22	8	4	2039	78	4	2.30	.919 \| 2	0	1	80	6	0	4.50	.829
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1971–72 \| New York Rangers \| NHL \| 37	24	7	4	2129	74	3	2.09	.913 \| 6	4	2	360	14	0	2.33	.919
1972–73 \| New York Rangers \| NHL \| 34	20	12	2	2040	78	3	2.29	.910 \| 2	0	1	61	2	0	1.67	.935
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1973–74 \| New York Rangers \| NHL \| 21	7	7	3	1054	62	0	3.53	.880 \| 1	0	0	1	0	0	0.00	1.000
1974–75 \| New York Rangers \| NHL \| 45	22	14	6	2470	130	2	3.16	.888 \| 2	1	0 \| 94	6	0	3.83	.854
bgcolor="#f0f0f0" \| 1975–76 \| Chicago Black Hawks \| NHL \| 15	2	7	5	797	57	0	4.29	.859 \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1976–77 \| Chicago Black Hawks \| NHL \| 6	0	4	1	312	28	0	5.38	.843 \| —	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" \| NHL totals ! 205 !! 100 !! 64 !! 29 !! 11,581 !! 542 !! 13 !! 2.81 !! .899 ! 14 !! 5 !! 5 !! 656 !! 32 !! 0 !! 2.93 !! .898