#77 - Gilbert Perreault

Gilbert Perreault (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #77)

Adjusted Stats

1970-1971   Buf          82 GP   39 goals   35 assists   75 points     0.91 PPG
1971-1972   Buf          80 GP   27 goals   51 assists   78 points     0.98 PPG
1972-1973   Buf          82 GP   28 goals   59 assists   87 points     1.06 PPG
1973-1974   Buf          58 GP   18 goals   33 assists   52 points     0.89 PPG
1974-1975   Buf          70 GP   36 goals   52 assists   88 points     1.27 PPG
1975-1976   Buf          82 GP   41 goals   64 assists   104 points   1.27 PPG
1976-1977   Buf          82 GP   37 goals   53 assists   90 points     1.10 PPG
1977-1978   Buf          81 GP   39 goals   46 assists   85 points     1.05 PPG
1978-1979   Buf          81 GP   24 goals   52 assists   77 points     0.95 PPG
1979-1980   Buf          82 GP   36 goals   59 assists   95 points     1.16 PPG
1980-1981   Buf          57 GP   16 goals   32 assists   48 points     0.84 PPG
1981-1982   Buf          64 GP   24 goals   33 assists   57 points     0.90 PPG
1982-1983   Buf          79 GP   24 goals   38 assists   62 points     0.79 PPG
1983-1984   Buf          75 GP   25 goals   47 assists   72 points     0.96 PPG
1984-1985   Buf          80 GP   24 goals   43 assists   67 points     0.84 PPG
1985-1986   Buf          74 GP   17 goals   31 assists   48 points     0.65 PPG
1986-1987   Buf          21 GP   8 goals     6 assists     14 points     0.67 PPG

Adjusted Playoff Stats

1972-1973    Buf         6 GP      3 goals    6 assists      9 points      1.48 PPG
1974-1975    Buf         17 GP    5 goals    8 assists      14 points    0.81 PPG
1975-1976    Buf         9 GP      4 goals    4 assists      8 points      0.86 PPG
1976-1977    Buf         6 GP      1 goal      7 assists      8 points     1.32 PPG
1977-1978    Buf         8 GP      3 goals    2 assists      5 points      0.61 PPG
1978-1979    Buf         3 GP      1 goal      0 assists      1 point       0.30 PPG
1979-1980    Buf         14 GP    9 goals    9 assists      18 points    1.28 PPG
1980-1981    Buf         8 GP      1 goal      7 assists      8 points     1.06 PPG
1981-1982    Buf         4 GP      0 goals    5 assists      5 points      1.36 PPG
1982-1983    Buf         10 GP    0 goals    5 assists      5 points      0.55 PPG
1984-1985    Buf         5 GP      2 goals    4 assists      6 points      1.20 PPG

Career - 1230 GP, 463 goals, 734 assists, 1199 points, 0.97 PPG
Career-Highs - 41 goals (75-76); 64 assists (75-76); 104 points (75-76); 1.27 PPG (75-76)
Avg. (17 seasons) - 72 GP, 27 goals, 43 assists, 71 points, 0.97 PPG
Peak Avg. (72-80) - 77 GP, 32 goals, 52 assists, 85 points, 1.10 PPG, 0 Cups

Playoff Career - 90 GP, 29 goals, 57 assists, 87 points, 0.97 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 9 goals (79-80); 9 assists (79-80); 18 points (79-80); 1.48 PPG (72-73)
Accolades - Lady Byng, Calder
All-Star Teams - 2-time 2nd-team
Never Won Stanley Cup

Gilbert Perreault, much like Mats Sundin, is remembered as an excellent player and loyal servant for a mediocre hockey franchise. In this case, it was the (then) expansion Buffalo Sabres, who Perreault immediately helped turn from a struggling team into an at-least respectable organization. Under Perreault, the Sabres were rarely embarrasing, and indeed made a push for the Stanley Cup finals in the mid-1970s before being brushed aside by the Broad Street Bullies. But a closer look at the adjusted numbers reveals that Perreault, very good as he was, wasn`t quite as elite a scorer as his real-life numbers of 1326 points in 1191 games would suggest. This is why Perreault is at the top of Level 2, not at the tail end of Level 3 with Oates and Sundin.

Certainly, 1200 adjusted career points in 1230 GP is very good. But his peak average of 85 points a season is essentially along the lines of a Sundin or a Gilmour. He did appear on the top ten leaderboard five times, but never finished higher than third, and, like Sundin, he was twice considered the league`s second-best center. With one 100-point season to his name, it`s clear that Perreault`s peak was a little higher than Sundin`s, but not by much.

Perreault was part of the French Connection line that helped the Sabres maintain a level of respectability throughout their expansion years. Aside from Dominik Hasek, he may very well be the greatest Buffalo Sabre of all-time. But being the best player in the history of a franchise that doesn`t boast a lot of great players isn`t exactly worthy of consideration for discussion among the all-time greats.

So I am being hard on Perreault, but it is only because his career essentially boils down to a Marcel Dionne lite: a high-scoring center (just less so than Dionne) who was cursed with playing for mediocre teams and was never able to win the Stanley Cup. The Hockey News in 1997 ranked Perreault as one of the fifty best players ever, and he still cracked the list of top twenty centers in 2010. He was a good ambassador for the game and, with a few breaks here or there, may have been remembered differently, as a champion. But his accomplishments don't merit a spot that high.