Hockey clan’s icy impasse

Rod Gilbert’s kin feud over his will

This family faceoff is getting feisty. The two children of late New York Rangers icon Rod Gilbert are opposing their stepmother in Manhattan Surrogate Court, claiming she manipulated the hockey legend on his deathbed to change his will and cut them out of their inheritance.

Chantal Pine, 47, and Justin Gilbert, 45, allege Judith Gilbert, 76, got their dying dad to rescind his promise to leave them his priceless hockey memorabilia and combined $1 million inheritance, according to court documents.

The children also want possession of a 40-inch-square silkscreen on canvas portrait of Gilbert created by iconic pop artist Andy Warhol.

The charismatic, Montreal-raised Gilbert died Aug. 19, 2021, following a bout with cancer. He was 80.

Pine petitioned the court to remove her stepmother as co-executor on the grounds she is “unfit,” and engaged in “misconduct including dishonesty.”

Gilbert’s will was admitted to probate in January. Daughter Pine and widow Gilbert were named executors, according to the filings.

Less than a month before the hockey great’s death, he “supposedly signed a letter dated July 26, 2021, in which he “completely reversed his … bequest giving all his hockey memorabilia to his children, and then to his grandchildren,” Judith Gilbert claimed, according to the court documents.

Rod and Judith Gilbert sold their Sag Harbor manse for $6.1 million on Aug. 10, 2021, nine days before he died.

“Close personal friends of [Rod Gilbert] are prepared to testify [he] had communicated to them his intent to use his share of the proceeds from the sale of that property to fund the $1 million … bequest to his children,” according to the petition.

“Judith improbably claims that the assets in Rod’s estate are inadequate to satisfy either of the bequests that he made to his children.”

Gilbert married the former Judith Christy in 1991, in a ceremony conducted by thenMayor David Dinkins. His 1974 marriage to first wife, Judy Preston, of Tallahassee, Fla., ended in divorce, but produced Chantal and Justin.

Gilbert spent his entire 18-year career in a starring role for the Blueshirts from 1960-78. The beloved Madison Square Garden ambassador known as “Mr. Ranger” was inHockey ducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982. “Dad wanted to leave his memorabilia plus a small percentage of his assets and his earnings ... to my brother and me and our children … with the balance of his wealth going to Judy,” Chantold tal Pine The Post. “I’m sure my dad would be very upset by all this.” Judith Gilbert maintained she had nothing to do with any change her husband made to his will.

She noted her intention has always been to give any Gilbert memorabilia — “his jersey, his skates, his sticks” — and the Warhol piece to Chantal and Justin.

“This [petition] is smearing Rod because he would never do anything to hurt me or hurt his children,” Judith Gilbert said.

Gilbert, who has two daughters by a previous marriage, said she is heartbroken by the estrangement from Chantal, whom she considers her own daughter. “This is a daughter that I lost … I really, really love, love, love her.”

The attorney for the hockey great’s widow took a slapshot at his client’s accusers.

“This is an attempt to extract money from Rod’s wife by his children from another marriage who only care about lining their own pockets and not about Rod’s legacy,” said Errol Margolin.