| Round | Overall |
| 1 | 11 |
 |
 |
Left-hand shot
Pre-Draft Statistics
| Year | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM |
| 1967-68 | Thetford Mines | QJHL | 50 | 21 | 47 | 68 | -- |
| 1968-69 | Montreal | OHA | 53 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 37 |
| 1969-70 | Montreal | OHA | 54 | 32 | 41 | 73 | 65 |
Pre-Draft Notes
Won Memorial Cup 1969 and 1970 on line with Gilbert Perreault & Richard Martin.
Career Vitals
| First contract: | 1970 |
| Debut: | February 27, 1972 (New York vs. St. Louis) |
| Final NHL game: | March 1, 1976 (Minnesota at Toronto) |
| Retired: | 1977 |
| Stanley Cup: | Never won |
| Numbers worn: | 23 (New York); 10 (Atlanta); 14, 9 (Buffalo); 11 (Minnesota) |
Career NHL Statistics
Teams: New York,
Atlanta, Buffalo, Minnesota
Years: 1972-1976. Playoffs: 1973
| Regular Season | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 5 years | 201 | 39 | 44 | 83 | 64 |
| Stanley Cup Playoffs | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 1 year | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Complete statistics available at NHL.com | |||||
Career Highlights
Also played left wing during his pro career. ... Played on 1970-71 Omaha team that won CHL regular-season title. ... Won CHL Adams Cup with Omaha in 1971. ... Named to CHL All-Star Second Team with Omaha in 1971-72. ... Played on first Atlanta Flames team in Atlanta-Calgary franchise's inaugural season of 1972-73 and appeared in the team's first game on Oct. 7, 1972, at N.Y. Islanders. ... Played 11 regular-season games for 1972-73 Omaha team that went on to win CHL Adams Cup, but was not with team in postseason. ... Led Minnesota with 15.9 scoring percentage in 1974-75.
Transaction History
June 6, 1972 -- Claimed by Atlanta from N.Y. Rangers in NHL Expansion Draft. Feb. 14, 1973 -- Traded by Atlanta to Buffalo in exchange for Butch Deadmarsh. Jan. 27, 1975 -- Traded by Buffalo with future considerations (1976 third-round pick, Ron Zanussi) to Minnesota ifor Fred Stanfield. October 1976 -- Signed with Maine (NAHL) as an unrestricted free agent.
Life Outside the NHL
Full Name: Normand
Lionel Gratton
Other Post-Draft Teams: Omaha (CHL); New Haven (AHL); Maine (NAHL)
Family: Older brother of former NHL
goaltender Gilles Gratton.
Miscellaneous:
| Selected by Dayton Aeros in 1972 WHA Draft -- the first-ever WHA Draft -- in February 1972. | Was eighth overall pick and first forward picked by Atlanta in 1972 NHL Expansion Draft. | Scored goal in his first home game for Buffalo on Feb. 16, 1973, vs. N.Y. Rangers. | Played on line with Blake Dunlop and Dean Talafous for Minnesota in 1974-75. |
| SNAPSHOT '70 | |
| Total Selected: | 115 |
| Forwards: | 67 |
| Defense: | 36 |
| Goaltenders: | 12 |
| Major Junior: | 87 |
| College Players: | 18 |
| Canadian: | 109 |
| Euro-Canadian: | 0 |
| American: | 6 |
| European: | 0 |
| Reached NHL: | 62 |
| Won Stanley Cup: | 12 |
| Hall of Fame: | 3 |
| All-Star Game: | 11 |
| Year-end All-Star: | 4 |
| Olympians: | 2 |
| Picks Traded: | 13 |
| 1970 PICKS BY TEAM | ||
| Boston | Buffalo | Chicago |
| Detroit | Los Angeles | Minnesota |
| Montreal | New York | Oakland |
| Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | St. Louis |
| Toronto | Vancouver | |
OTHERS DRAFTED IN 1970