7. Gilles Gilbert & Ross Brooks
In May 1973, the Bruins acquired goaltender Gilles Gilbert from the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for forward Fred Stanfield. That same day, the B’s announced they would be sending their veteran goalie, Eddie Johnston, to the Toronto Maple Leafs in payment for the Jacques Plante trade made in March.
Gilbert joined Bruins goalie Ross Brooks to form an impressive duo in the net. In the 1973-74 season, Gilbert had a 34-12-8 record with a .901 SV% and a 2.96 GAA with six shutouts on the season. Brooks had a 16-3 record with a .917 SV% and a 2.36 GAA with three shutouts. The Bruins finished first place in the East Division and made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, after sweeping the Leafs in the quarterfinal and beating the Chicago Blackhawks in six games in the Semi-Finals. Boston lost the Stanley Cup Final in six games to the surging Philadelphia Flyers. Gilbert worked every playoff game, going 10-6 with a .912 SV% and a 2.64 GAA with one shutout.
After losing in the Cup Finals, Gilbert and Brooks looked to rekindle their magic the next season. In 1974-75, Gilbert went 23-17-11 with a .893 SV% and a 3.14 GAA with three shutouts. Brooks posted a record of 10-3-3 with a .884 SV% and a 2.98 GAA. The Bruins finished second in the Adams Division, but were taken down by the Blackhawks in the preliminary round of the playoffs, 2-1. Gilbert started all three games of the preliminary round and went 1-2 with a .859 SV% and a 3.86 GAA.
In October 1975, Ross Brooks wast sent down to the AHL. He played one season with the Rochester Americans before deciding to retire from hockey.