Joseph Albert Pierre Paul Pilote(December 11, 1931 – September 9, 2017) was a Canadian professionalice hockeydefencemanand perennialAll-Star,most notably for theChicago Black Hawksof theNational Hockey League(NHL), for which he served as team captain for seven seasons. He won theJames Norris Memorial Trophythree times for best defenceman in the NHL.
| Pierre Pilote | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame,1975 | |||
 Pilote with theChicago Black Hawksin the 1960s | |||
| Born |
December 11, 1931 Kénogami,Quebec, Canada | ||
| Died |
September 9, 2017(aged 85) Barrie,Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Chicago Black Hawks Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 1955–1969 | ||
Early life
editBorn inKenogami, Quebec,Pilote's family moved toFort Erie, Ontario,when he was 14 years old. Because the local rink collapsed in a storm, Pilote did not play his first organized hockey game until he was 17.[1]He tried out with aNiagara Fallsjunior B team as a centre, but was turned down because the club needed a defenceman instead. Pilote practiced as a defenceman and joined the team the following season.
Rudy Pilousrecruited Pilote to theSt. Catharines Teepeesof theOntario Hockey Association(OHA); he made the team out of training camp in 1950.[2]Pilote played four full seasons for the minor professional club theBuffalo Bisonsof theAmerican Hockey League(AHL). During his fifth season, he was signed by theChicago Black Hawksof theNational Hockey League(NHL), starting his professional career.[1]
NHL defenceman
editPilote became a preeminent star for the Black Hawks, winning theJames Norris Memorial Trophyas the NHL's most outstanding defenceman three straight seasons in1963,1964and1965— a feat matched or surpassed only byDoug Harvey,Bobby OrrandNicklas Lidströmin NHL history — as well as runner-up in1962,1966and1967.He was on the First or second All-Star team every year from1960to 1967.[2]Pilote had aniron manstreak of playing 376 consecutive games over more than five seasons.[1]He was often paired withElmer "Moose" Vaskoon the Chicago blue line.[3]
In 1961, the Black Hawks won theStanley Cup.During the off-season, teamcaptainEd Litzenbergerwas traded and Pilote was named the new captain.[3]He held this role with the team until traded to theToronto Maple Leafsin 1968 for forwardJim Pappin;his seven-season tenure as captain was, until surpassed byJonathan Toewsin the2016–17 NHL season,the longest in franchise history.
Pilote was traded to theToronto Maple Leafson May 23, 1968 forJim Pappinand played one season with the team before retiring. He played his last game on April 6, 1969, finishing his career with 80 goals and 418 assists in 890 games.[2]
Post-NHL career
editAt the time of his retirement, Pilote was the second leading defence scorer in NHL history (behind Harvey), as well as the sixth leading career scorer for the Black Hawks and second in all-time assists behindStan Mikita.He remains eighth in all-time assists for the Hawks.
Pilote was inducted in theHockey Hall of Famein 1975.[1]In 1997, he was ranked number 59 onThe Hockey News'list of the 100 greatest hockey players.[4]
On July 18, 2008, the Blackhawks announced that the #3 jersey worn by Pilote andKeith Magnusonwould beretiredin a joint ceremony, the sixth number so honoured by the club.[5]The ceremony was held on November 12, 2008, before the Blackhawks' game against theBoston Bruinsat theUnited Center.[6]In January 2012, Pilote was honoured with a bronze statue in front of theJonquièreSports Palace.[7]In the fall of 2013, ECW Press published his biographyHeart of the Blackhawks: The Pierre Pilote Story,co-written with L. "Waxy" Gregoire and David M. Dupuis. Pilote died of cancer on September 9, 2017.[3][8]
Career statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1950–51 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA-Jr. | 54 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 230 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 23 | ||
| 1951–52 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA-Jr. | 52 | 21 | 32 | 53 | 139 | 14 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 50 | ||
| 1951–52 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1952–53 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 61 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 85 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1953–54 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 67 | 2 | 28 | 30 | 108 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1954–55 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 63 | 10 | 28 | 38 | 120 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 18 | ||
| 1955–56 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 20 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1955–56 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 43 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 118 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1956–57 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 117 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1957–58 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 6 | 24 | 30 | 91 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1958–59 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 7 | 30 | 37 | 79 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 1959–60 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 7 | 38 | 45 | 100 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 1960–61 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 6 | 29 | 35 | 165 | 12 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 8 | ||
| 1961–62 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 59 | 7 | 35 | 42 | 97 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 1962–63 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 59 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 57 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 1963–64 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 7 | 46 | 53 | 84 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 1964–65 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 68 | 14 | 45 | 59 | 162 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 22 | ||
| 1965–66 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 51 | 2 | 34 | 36 | 60 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 1966–67 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 6 | 46 | 52 | 90 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1967–68 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 74 | 1 | 36 | 37 | 69 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 | ||
| 1968–69 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 69 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 46 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 890 | 80 | 418 | 498 | 1,251 | 86 | 8 | 53 | 61 | 102 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | ||
| Stanley CupChampion | 1961 | |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy | 1963,1964,1965 | |
| 8xNHL All-Star | 1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1967,1968 | |
| 5xFirst All-Star team | 1963,1964,1965,1966,1967 | |
| 3xSecond All-Star team | 1960,1961,1962 | |
References
edit- ^abcd"Legends of Hockey:Pierre Pilote".Hockey Hall of Fame.RetrievedSeptember 11,2017.
- ^abcd"Spotlight: One on One with Pierre Pilote".Hockey Hall of Fame.RetrievedSeptember 11,2017.
- ^abcHine, Chris (September 11, 2017)."Blackhawks great Pierre Pilote dies at 85".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedSeptember 11,2017.
- ^Kay, Jason (April 2, 2015)."The Top 100 NHL Players of All-Time, Throwback Style".The Hockey News.RetrievedSeptember 11,2017.
- ^"Blackhawks To Retire #3 In Honor of Magnuson and Pilote".Chicago Blackhawks.July 18, 2008.RetrievedSeptember 11,2017.
- ^Kuc, Chris (November 12, 2008)."3 Keith Magnuson, Pierre Pilote".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedSeptember 11,2017.
- ^Gregoire, L. Waxy; Dupuis, David M.; Pilote, Pierre (2013).Heart of the Blackhawks: The Pierre Pilote Story.ECW Press. p. 2.ISBN9781770411364.
- ^Hawthorn, Tom (September 30, 2017)."Defenceman threw bone-rattling checks".The Globe and Mail.RetrievedOctober 11,2017.
- ^"Pierre Pilote's profile".hockeyDB.com.RetrievedSeptember 11,2017.
External links
edit
- Biographical information and career statistics fromNHL.com,orEliteprospects.com,orHockey-Reference.com,orLegends of Hockey,orThe Internet Hockey Database