Born December 4, 1943 in Parry Sound, Ontario
Height 5′ 11″, Weight 180 lbs., Shoots Right
Played Right Wing
Number 15, Rookie Year is 1965
Gary Sabourin grew up in Britt where he learned to skate on the Magnetawan River. Proof that shinney can sometimes offer as great a training as any league, Gary did not play organized hockey until his family moved to Blind River when he was 14. After a tryout with the Chicago Black Hawks, junior franchise in St. Catharines at 15, Gary played lunior B in Orangeville where he signed a contract with New York. The Rangers assigned Gary to their junior affiliate in Guelph in 1962-63 (the franchise relocated to Kitchener in 1963-64) where his determination paid off with a point-a-game season.
Gary spent three seasons in the CHL waiting for his shot at the NHL. During the expansion draft in 1967, St. Louis selected Rod Selling from the Rangers, immediately trading him back to New York for Sabourin, Tim Ecclestone, Gord Kannegiesser, and Bob Plager. Gary started the season in the AHL but was called up to join St. Louis in December 1967. Through seven campaigns in St. Louis, Gary was a solid, productive
winger, scoring 20 or more goals four times. He was selected for the NHL All-Star game in 1970 and 1971, and through his career developed a reputation as a “hardworking sparkplug.”
Gary was traded to Toronto for Ed Johnston in May 1974 and after one season, he was sent to the California Golden Seals for Stan Weir. During his sole season in Oakland, Gary added a fifth twenty-goal season. When the Seals relocated, Sabourin became a Cleveland Baron, but a recurring knee injury brought a conclusion to his career after 33 games in the Barons, 1976-77 season. During his entire NHL career he played in
627 games, where he notched 169 goals and 188 assists.
After retiring, Gary moved back to Britt, then settled in Chatham, Ontario.
Statistics
| REGULAR SEASON | PLAYOFFS | ||||||||||||
| Season | Club | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- | GP | G | A | TP | PIM |
| 1961-62 | Orangeville Crushers | OHA-B | |||||||||||
| 1962-63 | Guelph Royals | OHA-Jr. | 42 | 14 | 26 | 40 | 119 | ||||||
| 1963-64 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA-Jr. | 53 | 16 | 34 | 50 | 111 | ||||||
| 1963-64 | St. Paul Rangers | CPHL | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1964-65 | St. Paul Rangers | CPHL | 59 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 92 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 16 | |
| 1965-66 | Minnesota Rangers | CPHL | 66 | 11 | 30 | 41 | 118 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 16 | |
| 1966-67 | Omaha Knights | CPHL | 70 | 23 | 25 | 48 | 121 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | |
| 1967-68 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 50 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 50 | +11 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 30 |
| 1967-68 | Kansas City Blues | CPHL | 18 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 16 | ||||||
| 1968-69 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 75 | 25 | 23 | 48 | 58 | +23 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 12 |
| 1969-70 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 72 | 28 | 14 | 42 | 61 | -9 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| 1970-71 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 59 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 56 | +4 | |||||
| 1971-72 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 77 | 28 | 17 | 45 | 52 | +3 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| 1972-73 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 76 | 21 | 27 | 48 | 30 | -5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1973-74 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 54 | 7 | 23 | 30 | 27 | -9 | |||||
| 1974-75 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 55 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 26 | -13 | |||||
| 1975-76 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 76 | 21 | 28 | 49 | 33 | -7 | |||||
| 1976-77 | Cleveland Barons | NHL | 33 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 4 | -6 | |||||
| NHL Totals | 627 | 169 | 188 | 357 | 397 | 62 | 19 | 11 | 30 | 58 | |||
Awards
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1970, 1971)
Career
Traded to St. Louis by NY Rangers with Bob Plager, Gord Kannegiesser and Tim Ecclestone for Rod Seiling, June 6, 1967. Traded to Toronto by St. Louis for Eddie Johnston, May 27, 1974. Traded to California by Toronto for Stan Weir, June 20, 1975. Transferred to Cleveland after California franchise relocated, August 26, 1976.
