Ken Dryden, Bernie Parent, Gerry Cheevers, Roger Crozier, and Tony Esposito are just a few of the names that come to mind when discussing NHL goaltenders that shined during the 1970s. Not only did their distinct playing styles get showcased, but their personalities were reflected in their mask designs that really began to catch fans' attention throughout the league.
There is one name, however, that rarely gets mentioned in this top-tier list of vintage netminders. It's a goalie that here in Cleveland we had an all-too-brief yet enduring relationship with to this day: Gilles Meloche.
Gilles Meloche: A Bright Spot for the NHL Cleveland Barons
There is still a large group of fans who truly enjoyed and remain disheartened by Cleveland's painfully brief flirtation with the NHL from 1976-78. Gilles Meloche was one of the players fans gravitated to the most, probably because he was the #1 goalie that kept a mediocre team (at best) in many games with tremendous efforts between the pipes.
Meloche had a career in professional hockey that spanned an impressive 18 years and included time in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks, only two games before being dealt to the California Golden Seals - who became the Cleveland Barons, who merged with Minnesota North Stars - and then finally the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With Chicago being so strong with Tony Esposito in net, the move to the Golden Seals was a chance for Meloche to be the team's #1 goalie, and despite California being just about the worst team in the league, Meloche posted a very solid 3.33 goals against average in his first full season (1971-72).
Flash forward to the 1976 season and the Seals move to Cleveland to share their home arena with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers at the Richfield Coliseum.
Meloche immediately endeared himself to the small but rabid crowds in Richfield, keeping the talent-challenged Barons competitive by turning back a nightly barrage of pucks with his steady play.
A variety of circumstances made the Barons' stay in Cleveland brief, but the merger with the Minnesota North Stars proved beneficial to Meloche’s career.
He appeared in two All-Star games (1980 and 1982), led the North Stars to the Stanley Cup semifinals in 1980 and 1984, and all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals themselves in 1981.
Because of the length of his career, and the fact that he played quite a bit of his career with some not-so-good teams, he holds the distinction of having the fourth-most career losses, but he is in pretty good company there with Martin Brodeur, Curtis Joseph, and Gump Worsley.
At the end of his career, Meloche stayed in the Penguins organization as a scout from 1989 to 2006, and also occasionally served as a goaltending consultant during that period.
He might not be the first 70s-era goaltender that comes to mind, but the name Gilles Meloche still resonates with Cleveland hockey fans to this day.