Gilles Mayer

Gilles Mayer (born August 24, 1930 in Ottawa, Ontario) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. Mayer stood 5'6" tall, and weighed 128lbs.

American Hockey League

Mayer made the jump from amateur hockey with the Lake Placid Roamers to junior ice hockey in 1949. He was the goalie of the Barrie Flyers who lost the Eastern Canada championship final series 5-4 to the Montreal Royals, in April 1949 for the George Richardson Memorial Trophy.

In October 1949 he was tied with Terry Sawchuck of the Indianapolis Capitals, each with one American Hockey League shutout. In the 1951-1952 season Mayer wore #1 for the Pittsburgh Hornets. Mayer was selected to the AHL all-star team for the 1953-1954 season. The same year he won a league title, a $300 bonus, and captured goalie honors with a 3.25 goals against average. He allowed 146 goals in 52 games.

Early in the second period of Pittsburgh's game against the Syracuse Warriors, on February 6, 1952, Mayer was cut by a puck which struck his face. His nose hemorrhaged but he returned to the ice after thirty minutes. The Warriors triumphed 4-2 in a contest in which Mayer made several stellar saves. The deciding goal, in front of a crowd of 1,534 at Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, New York, was quite lucky. Kelly Burnett "made a baseball swing at a high-flying hard-hit puck and knocked it 18 feet, still in the air, past goalie Gil Mayer."

Mayer shut out the Springfield Indians on March 22, 1955 in the first round of the AHL playoffs. The Hornets benefited from goals by Bob Hazzard and Jack Caffery.

He was traded to the Hershey Bears on July 5, 1956. The Bears also obtained from Pittsburgh defenceman Jack Price, centre (ice hockey) Willie Marshall, centre (ice hockey) Bob Hassard, and forward (ice hockey) Bobby Solinger.

As goalie of the Cleveland Barons he sustained a broken jaw and missed three weeks of competition in 1959. He was hit by a slapshot during practice which required four sutures. His jaw was set at Lakewood Hospital in Cleveland. He was replaced by Don Rigazio, a goalie for the 1956 U.S. Olympic Team. In 1959 Mayer became the first goalie in the AHL to wear a Goalie mask. He was joined in 1960 by Gerry McNeil of the Quebec Aces.

Trainer Les Brinkley replaced Mayer after he was hit behind the ear with a puck in a Barons' loss to the Buffalo Bisons on October 30, 1960. Brinkley ceded all three Bisons' goals, playing all the way after the fifth minute.

NHL

He played his first NHL game against the Detroit Red Wings on December 1, 1949, after being called up from the Hornets. Toronto's regular goalie, Turk Broda, was suspended for weighing 197 pounds. He had a weight limit of 190 pounds. Broda, 35, was the oldest active NHL goalie at the time.

Mayer had a natural weight of 128 pounds but tipped the scales at 166 pounds wearing all of his equipment. "The 38 pounds of steel, wood, leather and wool costs $300 and requires 30 minutes for dressing and removal."

On October 21, 1954, Mayer was brought up from Pittsburgh to substitute for injured Toronto goalie Harry Lumley. "As a replacement Mayer was all that could be asked and he was given practically faultless support by his fast-skating mates." The Leafs surprised a Montreal crowd of 14,004 by defeating the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1, in a game which featured the 200th goal of Harry Watson.

During a Toronto losing streak Mayer conceded a late first period goal to Ed Litzenberger of the Chicago Black Hawks on February 5, 1956. The shot from along the boards hit Mayer's pads and dribbled into the far corner of the net. It proved to be the winning tally in a 3-2 victory and the fourth loss in a row for the Maple Leafs.

tatistics

NHL totals: Toronto Maple Leafs

(1949 "-" 1950) (G) 1 (GA) 2 (GAA) 2.00 (Svs) 0.00

(1953 "-" 1954) (G) 1 (GA) 0 (GAA) 0.00 (Svs) 0.00

(1954 "-" 1955) (G) 1 (GA) 0 (GAA) 0.00 (Svs) 0.00

(1955 "-" 1956) (G) 6 (GA)19 (GAA) 3.17 (Svs) 0.00

References

*cite news| publisher=Elyria Chronicle Telegram |title=Olson Of Barons Captures American Loop Scoring Title |date=March 24, 1953
page=14
*cite news| publisher=Connellsville Daily Register |title=Hershey Bears Get Six Hornet Hockey Players In Big Deal |date=July 6, 1957 |page=7
*cite news| publisher=Lancaster Eagle Gazette |title=Sports Briefs |date=October 29, 1959 |page=26
*cite news| publisher=Lethbridge Herald |title=Little Big Guy |date=November 30, 1949 |page=20
*cite news| publisher=Lethbridge Herald |title=The Diet League
date=December 2, 1949 |page=19
*cite news| publisher=Monessen Daily Independent |title=Gil Mayer Leads Hornets To 2-0 Hockey Triumph |date=March 23, 1955 |page=4
*cite news| publisher=Indiana Evening Gazette |title=Indians End 3-Way Tie At Top Spot |date=October 31, 1960 |page=10
*cite news| publisher=Reno Evening Gazette |title=Two Masked Goalies |date=November 3, 1960 |page=9
*cite news| publisher=Syracuse Post-Standard |title=Victory First For Syracuse Over Top Team |date=February 7, 1952 |page=18
*cite news| publisher=Syracuse Post-Standard |title=Thrust Halted |date=March 13, 1952 |page=18
*cite news| publisher=Winnipeg Free Press |title=Montreal Royals Gain Memorial Cup Birth |date=April 18, 1949 |page=16
*cite news| publisher=Winnipeg Free Press |title=Terry Sawchcuk Top Goalie |date=October 21, 1949 |page=22
*cite news| publisher=Winnipeg Free Press |title=Mathers AHL Star Once Again |date=April 28, 1954 |page=29
*cite news| publisher=Winnipeg Free Press |title=Leafs Win First; Wings On Top |date=October 22, 1954 |page=30
*cite news| publisher=Winnipeg Free Press |title=Bruins, Hawks Spurt As Leafs Fade Fast |date=February 6, 1956 |page=19

External links

*hockeydb|11392
*legendsofhockey|18609|Gil Mayer
* [http://www.ahlhalloffame.com/pagebank/index.html?id=38 AHL Hall of Fame Bio]
* [http://habsgoalies.blogspot.com/2007/06/claude-cyr-1958-59.html Habs goalies bio]