Gerry Cheevers Gerald Michael " Cheesey " Cheevers ( born on December 7 , 1940 , in St . Catharines , Ontario ) is a former goaltender in the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association between 1961 and 1980 . Playing career . Cheevers ' professional hockey career began in 1956 at the age of 16 when he played for the St . Michael ' s Majors of the Ontario Hockey Association . He was owned by the Toronto Maple Leafs until the Boston Bruins drafted him in 1965 . Cheevers still holds the American Hockey League single - season record for most victories by a goalkeeper . In 1965 he totaled 48 victories in leading the Rochester Americans to their first Calder Cup championship . He spent six years in all in the minors until , by 1967 , he was Boston ' s number one goalie . He was a member of both the 1970 and 1972 Stanley Cup winning teams , gaining a reputation as a driven , " money " goaltender . In 1972 , he went undefeated in 33 consecutive games , a NHL record that still stands . In the fall of 1972 , he jumped to the fledgling World Hockey Association , playing three and a half seasons for the Cleveland Crusaders as one of the league ' s best goalies , winning First Team All - Star honors in 1973 and Second Team honors in 1974 and 1975 . Returning to the Bruins during the 1976 season after financial disputes with Cleveland management , Cheevers finished out his playing career at the end of the 1980 season . His career NHL goals against average was 2 . 89 . He recorded 230 NHL wins , played in 419 NHL games , and recorded 26 NHL shutouts . He was also second in the WHA ' s history in career GAA and shutouts , despite playing in only half the league ' s seasons . Mask . Cheevers ' iconic stitch - pattern goaltender mask came after a puck hit him in the face during practice . Cheevers , never one to miss an opportunity to skip out of practice , went to the dressing room . Bruins coach Harry Sinden followed him to the dressing room , where he found Cheevers enjoying a beer and smoking a cigarette . Sinden told Cheevers , who wasn ' t injured , to get back on the ice . In jest , John Forestall , the team trainer , painted a stitch mark on his mask . Ever after , any time he was similarly struck , he would have a new stitch - mark painted on . The mask became one of the most recognized of the era , and the original mask is now on the wall of his grandson ' s bedroom . Cheevers was not afraid to stray from the crease both to cut down the shooter ' s angle and to act as a " third defenseman " . He was very aggressive with opposing players who strayed into or near the crease . Many an opposing player who got too close to the goal crease got a quick smack from Cheevers ' goal stick . Not a " stand - up " goalie , Cheevers could often be found on his knees or even his side . He perfected this " flopping " style while playing for Rochester during the 1962 – 63 season . Americans ' coach Rudy Migay had Cheevers practice without his stick , thus requiring him to rely more on using his body and his pads . From that point on Cheevers became one of hockey ' s best goalkeepers . In 2008 , The Hockey News rated his mask the greatest ever with a wide margin . Cheevers received 221 of possible 300 points , while second - placed Gilles Gratton got 66 . Publications . In 1971 , Cheevers published the book " Goaltender " , detailing his experiences during the previous season , through to the unexpected loss in the first round to the underdog Montreal Canadiens . Coaching career . Cheevers ' final season as a player came in 1980 , when popular coach Don Cherry was replaced by Fred Creighton . After winning their division seven of the previous nine seasons , the Bruins were in third place late in the year , and general manager Harry Sinden fired Creighton , serving as interim coach for the remainder of the season himself . For the 1981 season , Cheevers was named as coach . Despite a shocking sweep in the 1981 playoffs to the Minnesota North Stars - the North Stars had never before won a game in Boston Garden in the sixteen years the team had been in the league - Sinden stuck with Cheevers , who led the Bruins to two first place and two second place finishes in their division , including to the league ' s best record in 1983 , where the team fell only to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders in the semifinals . Cheevers was replaced by Sinden midseason two years later . With a record of 204 - 126 - 46 , he ranks 7th in career winning percentage ( . 604 ) for NHL coaches with more than 250 games experience . Retirement . After his departure as Bruins ' coach , Cheevers served as a color commentator for the Hartford Whalers from 1986 to 1995 and the Boston Bruins from 1999 to 2002 . From 1995 - 2006 he was a member of the Bruins ' scouting staff . Cheevers has also devoted his time to his interests in thoroughbred horse racing , and has even tried Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment or WWE were he fought " The Bush " .