Ratelle\'s hockey career almost ended at age 23 when he suffered a serious back injury and had to undergo major spinal cord surgery. He recovered to become a regular with the Rangers from 1963 to 1975. His greatest success came with linemates Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert in the "GAG Line" (i.e. Goal-a-Game Line). He led the Rangers in scoring between 1968 and 1973 when the team was a powerhouse among the league\'s best.\n', '

Ratelle was poised to beat out Boston Bruins\' legend Phil Esposito for the scoring title in 1972 when he had to sit out fifteen games due to an injury, but came back for the Stanley Cup finals against Boston to lead his team. Only three other players - Esposito, Bobby Orr and Johnny Bucyk - had scored as many points in any season as Ratelle had done in his shortened season. His 109 points that season remained a Rangers\' scoring record until 2006, when Jaromír Jágr broke it.\n', '

In November 1975, Ratelle was traded with Brad Park and Joe Zanussi to the Boston Bruins for Esposito and Carol Vadnais. Ratelle scored over 100 points that season for the second time in his career. He played five more seasons with Boston, gaining admiration for his slick passing, skill at faceoffs and all-around excellent play. He retired as a player after the 1980-81 season and served the Bruins for several more years as an assistant coach.\n', '

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