Playing Career
During the war, Gelineau played for the Montreal and Toronto RCAF hockey team. He was awarded the British Empire Medal for gallantry after surviving a 1944 plane crash and rescuing an injured crewman from the burning plane that was loaded with ammunition. After the war, Gelineau played in net with the Montreal Jr. Royals in 1944–45. In 1945-46, Gelineau entered McGill University and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1949.
He starred in goal at McGill for four seasons, racking up a 40–16–1 overall record with a 3.14 goals against average. He also played intermediate basketball, football and varsity baseball which resulted in a tryout with the Boston Red Sox. The last McGill goalie to be named team captain, Gelineau backstopped the Redmen to the 1946 Queen's Cup championship. He was the first recipient of the Forbes Trophy as McGill's male athlete of the year in 1948.
That spring, he was called up to the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League, becoming the first goalie in 30 years to play in the NHL while still attending university (two decades later, Ken Dryden duplicated this feat while studying law at McGill and playing for the Montreal Canadiens). He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in 1949-50, but was unable to capitalize on his early potential. Despite his successful debut, he was unable to get a raise out of Bruins owner Weston Adams. He spent the next three season with the Quebec Aces in the Quebec Senior Hockey League including two appearances with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1953-54. Gelineau retired in 1955.
Jack Gelineau is buried at the Last Post Fund National Field of Honour in Pointe-Claire, Quebec.
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