Sports are replete with stereotypes. Yet few are probably as old and ingrained as that ice hockey goaltenders are <s>quirky</s> <s>weird</s> crazy. Even Hall of Fame goaltender Bernie Parent said, "You don't have to be crazy to be a goalie. But <a href="http://www.hhof.com/htmlSpotlight/spot_oneononep198403.shtml" rel="noopener" target="_blank">it helps</a>!" And then there's the goaltenders who embody the stereotype, such as Gilles Gratton, a goalie who earned the moniker "Gratoony the Loony" (to be distinguished from "loonie," the $1 Canadian coin).

Even though Gratton only played in 47 NHL games in the 1975-76 and 1976-77 seasons, he achieved somewhat legendary status. His autobiography <a href="http://amzn.to/2fzYmUf" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Gratoony the Loony: The Wild, Unpredictable Life of Gilles Gratton</em></a>, co-written with Greg Oliver, shows how his quirks and actions created the image of the crazy goaltender. But it also tells the story of a French-Canadian boy growing up playing hockey and reaching the big stage while believing there was more to life than a hockey rink.

Gratton spent three seasons in the <a href="http://www.whahockey.com/whamain.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">World Hockey Association</a>, playing in its second All-Star Game, before moving to the NHL. He asserts that he didn't want to play hockey, "it just seemed that destiny pushed me into it." Similarly, he says his brother <a href="http://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=12772" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Norm</a>, who would play 201 games with four NHL teams, would rather hunt than play outdoor hockey when they were growing up.

The introduction to <em>Gratoony the Loony</em> deals with an event near the end of his career that drew extensive attention. While goalies had fiberglass masks, they were not that far removed from the type made iconic in <em>Friday the 13th</em>. At a home game at Madison Square Garden on January 30, 1977, Gratton came on the ice wearing a mask painted as a snarling lion. (It's probably <em>apropos</em> that he chose a lion because his astrological sign is Leo.) The mask was so striking that, according to Gratton, the referees and players on the ice came down to look at it. He believes the mask "has come to define me, because most of the rest of my career was just a series of fuck-ups."

Gratton doesn't limit his focus to the quirks and antics that he's remembered for. Instead, <em>Gratoony the Loony</em> is more autobiographical than many sports memoirs. He writes of growing up with parents who were "emotionally absent," allowing him to do whatever he wanted. He says he struggled with "despair over the meaninglessness of life." He dropped out of high school after only three days. Before his last NHL season, Gratton no longer wanted to play hockey; he wanted to "meditate, go to ashrams, do my spiritual stuff and uncover life's secrets." In fact, after retiring at age 24, Gratton spent several years exploring Transcendental Meditation and yoga, in hopes of becoming "an enlightened being." Ultimately, though, I think readers would have been better served by a deeper exploration of the effects of how he and his brother (who drank himself to death in 2010) were raised and a more abbreviated discussion of his life after retiring.

Make no mistake. This is a book about hockey. There's plenty of narrative of Gratton's years playing hockey, especially professional hockey. In fact, the book at times has the feel of a series of war stories. Perhaps because of that, brief, oral history-like accounts from a wide variety of people are interspersed throughout the book. To me, the inserts tended to break the flow of the book and a number didn't seem that relevant to the subject at hand. But those interested in the Gratoony the Loony reputation also get what they came for. Among other things, Grattong tells of:
<ul>
<li>His mood and thinking being affected by his horoscope and why would you play a goalie who wasn't in the right mood to perform?</li>
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<li>While playing for Toronto's WHA team, taking several laps around the practice rink wearing only his mask and skates, ending with a pirouette at center ice.</li>
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<li>When interviewed at center ice in San Diego after being named <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_stars_(ice_hockey)" rel="noopener" target="_blank">first star</a> of the game, Gratton told the crowd, "You have a nice city here. It's too bad you don't have a good hockey team."</li>
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<li>After getting hit in the ribs by a puck, telling the doctor the reason it hurt so much was because he was stabbed in the same place by a Spaniard in a prior life.</li>
</ul>

Plainly, Gratton reinforced the hockey goalie stereotype. He still may be doing so. <em>Gratoony the Loony</em> also tells of his post-hockey astral projection and that he's currently living two distinct timelines. In the past, he's lived as a 12th century sailor, a 14th century Indian "hobo," a 17th century Spanish landowner, an 18th century Spanish priest and a 19th century British surgeon. All in all, to paraphrase Daniel Tosh, it's not a stereotype if it's true.

A great many "characters" have passed through the portals of professional hockey. Gilles Gratton not only is one of them, he can lay a claim to being the biggest character of them all.

Gratton spent some time in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League in the 1970s. Not surprisingly, he was a goalie - a position that is filled with unconventional actors. Gratton wasn't a bad goalie, but his skills always took a back seat to his antics and comments.

It took a while for Gratton to get his thoughts down on paper - maybe too long, since few might remember him at this point - but he finally has done so. "Gratoony the Loony" is that autobiography.

Gratton does a little explaining about his life and his actions in this quite short book. Tellingly, it doesn't sound like he had a particularly happy childhood,with parents who were frequently indifferent. Gratton sort of fell into hockey; it's probably difficult not to give the sport at least a try if you are growing up in Canada. Besides, his brother Norm was good enough to be an NHL player. Gilles turned out to be pretty good at goaltending - good enough to climb the ladder, even if he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about playing it.

Gratton's fame came through his actions. He famously skated naked in an arena during a practice, which he says now was came on something of a dare as a way to obtain a dozen sticks for youth hockey. He refused to play in one NHL game by claiming the moon was lined up incorrectly in the sky, which he now says was his way of protesting the firing of coach Billy Harris. Some other, R-rated stories pop up here which probably cross the line of funny-or-sick to the sick side. The goalie sounds like he was drunk or high for most of his career.

It seemed inevitable that such a player would have problems with management somewhere, and Gratton was no exception. He spent a year with the Rangers, headed down to the minors, and then was released. He's been looking for "enlightenment" since then, and the concluding chapters talk about that. Gratton once saw a stranger and said he was destined to have three kids with her. He was wrong - he only had two. A discussion of some of his past lives comes up, as does stories about how his body can go to sleep while his mind stays awake. He works for an auction house that specializes in hockey memorabilia - a little ironic for a guy who hated to play hockey.

Coauthor Greg Oliver rounds up some other quotes from teammates, etc. about Gratton, filling out the book a little bit. They all seem to like him, even though I'm sure his attitude probably left them shaking their heads a bit.

Those old enough to remember Gratton's time in hockey might enjoy reading "Gratoony the Loony" in order to see what the fuss was all about. Otherwise, it's difficult to recommend it.

Oh wow. This was one of the strangest memoirs I've ever read, and at times Gilles certainly lives up to that nickname. I vaguely recall Gilles Gratton as an NHL goalie. Maybe it was his mask that I remember? Anyway, I thought I'd give this a read since (reading the book blurb) it promised to be an eye-opener.

And it was! From his early days where he sort of 'fell in' to playing hockey--with never any real passion for it,-- to his WHA and brief NHL career, I was just amazed how he managed to stay in the game and make a living as long as he did. This was one crazy, quirky guy. Gilles was part of a bygone era. With his attitude (total lack of physical training) and lack of taking the game seriously, I'm surprised he made it as far as he did. I kept thinking 'just imagine what he could have accomplished if he put his mind to it'. He obviously had the raw talent, and it sort of irritated me that he didn't use it like today's athletes would. But that was his decision. He just didn't love the game.

While I might have been a bit peeved at him for not taking the game seriously, I still enjoyed reading about his life and the long road that he travelled. He pulls no punches, and is very honest, even when it makes himself look bad. This guy has lived a very colorful, eventful life. I can't say that I agree with everything he did or believes in, but he was true to himself, and I can respect that.
A solid 4 stars

Hockey goaltenders are often considered to be a little different than other players because of their superstitions, rituals or other idiosyncrasies they may perform. One of the more colorful characters to have played this position is Gilles Gratton, who played primarily in the 1970’s for the World Hockey Association’s (WHA) Toronto Toros and the National Hockey League’s (NHL) New York Rangers. His colorful career and life is captured in this memoir co-written with Greg Oliver.

More than any accomplishments he did on the ice, Gratton is best known for two eccentric items. One is his lion mask, one of the best known masks ever worn by a goalie. He shares the story of the idea for the mask in the very beginning, giving the book a very interesting start. The inspiration was easy – Gratton’s zodiac sign is Leo, so he felt a lion mask would be appropriate.

The second item for which Gratton is known is taking the ice wearing only his mask and skates. This occurred when the fad of streaking was in vogue, so he decided to do so on a bet. This is also a story he shares in which the legend to which it grew to did not match the actual events. He doesn’t spend too much time on this incident, but he has plenty of other material that fits the title here. Gratton shares many stories of wild times in both leagues both on and off the ice.

The writing is very good for a sports memoir, something that is typical for Oliver. His contribution to the book can be found throughout the memoir and is the perfect fit for Gratton’s carefree discussion of his hockey career, his escape to practice transcendental meditation and his relationship with his parents, wives and children. This book was as fun to read as it was to watch Gratton play during his career. Fans of the sport during the 1970’s will want to add this one to their libraries.

I wish to thank ECW Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.